
Anthony Law |

It's that time of the year again. The siren's call of the ENnies has been sounded and the question goes out; who will answer? Do you think you have what it takes to be an ENnies judge? Do you have the fortitude to stand up against the barrage of RPG products, the reflexes to navigate the plethora of text and toys, and the will to emerge with the finest goods produced during the year? If so, then this is a great opportunity for you!
Starting on July 1, 2010, people will be able to throw their hats in the ring and nominate themselves. The last day for nominating will be July 11, so you'll have plenty of time to make your decision. Voting for the judges will take place alongside voting for products and the winners will be announced at the ENnie Awards ceremony on August 6, 2010. Keep any eye out for my next post with a link to the form.
If you want more information about the current judges, please visit the judges page on the ENnie Awards site: [url]http://www.ennie-awards.com/about/judges.asp[/url]. Also, all current judges will be following this post, so feel free to ask questions of them.
If you are thinking about running, here's a list of criteria you'll need to remember. All judges must:
- be at least 18 years of age as of August 6th, 2010 and able to enter into a legal contract;
- not have any professional relationship with any RPG publisher during the period from January 1st, 2009 to August 1st, 2011. Such relationships include unpaid work and work on free products;
- declare any relationship with any publisher (including EN Publishing, except for the Ceramic DM line) in which they receive money, product, or special consideration in exchange for their services;
- be able to read English and communicate clearly therein.
If you have a relationship with a publisher, even as a playtester, it is important that you notify the ENnies board of this so that they may determine whether you are eligible to seek a judge position. In cases of rule violation, conflict of interest, misrepresentation, or other factor(s) detrimental to the awards, the Board of Directors retains the right to alter the composition of the judging panel at any time.
Physical location is irrelevant - so long as you can accept packages year-round.
When you apply, you will be expected to fill out a questionnaire to help people best gauge how well they think you'll work as a judge. Here a couple of sample questions:
- What styles and genres of RPGs do you enjoy most? Are there any styles or genres that you do not enjoy? Which games best exemplify what you like? Do you consider yourself a particular system’s, publisher’s or genre’s “fanboy/girl”?
- How would you like to see the ENnies change (categories, policies, etc)? What should remain inviolate?
If you want to run, here is what is expected of you. All judges shall:
- access the ENnie Awards boards/e-mailing lists (for the purposes of corresponding with judges and interacting with directors and staff);
- weekly on the designated ENnies forums and sharing an accurate list of what products they have received;
- daily on the designated ENnies forums during judge deliberations (expected dates for 2011: June 1 - July 1);
- act in a professional and impartial manner;
- sign a non-disclosure agreement;
- in the event that they are removed from office, bear the expense of returning and/or forwarding the products received for review;
- pay any customs duties charged for submissions;
- if they attend Gen Con – Indy, work a minimum of two hours at the ENnies booth;
- if they attend Gen Con – Indy, attend the awards ceremony smartly attired;
- report to the Submissions Coordinator and Business Manager.
And, besides being able to say "I'm an ENnies Judge!" what else do you get? Judges:
- upon completion of reviewing, retain for personal use or otherwise dispose of products reviewed;
- receive a free Gen Con Indy 4-day pass.
Tony Law
ENnies Assistant Business Manager
tony@ennieawards.com

Justin Peters |
For any of you that are interested it has been a good time. The staff and other judges have both been awesome and the quality of submissions has been top-notch. This was the first year that I threw my hat in and I'm definitely going for it again next year. I encourage ANYONE that is thinking about it to take a look. You will read through tens of thousands of pages of text and you're going to listen to days worth of podcasts, but if you see that as a bonus rather than a drawback then step right up!

Anthony Law |

And the time is now, folks! If you want to throw your hat into the ring, fill out the application here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dGhVWVR3YWY4Z19nN 0lXMEo2MWlkeFE6MA..

Anthony Law |

You can visit this page at any time to view the applications for those that have already nominated themselves: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?page_id=675
It will be updated as the applications come in.

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It's that time of year. Since Paizo is my "home board," I hope I can count on everyone's support in my bid to get re-elected as an ENnies judge for the upcoming year. I know the support of the community here was a big part of my being elected last year.
Just a quick summary: I've been an ENnies judge for the last year, so I'm very familiar with the process and the rigors of reviewing and playing with 250-300 submissions. I've been gaming for 25 years (I started on Red Box D&D). I'm a fig fan of old school games, fantasy, sci-fi and pulp. My views on reviewing are pretty simple: read it, then play it.
You can read my full ENnies profile here.
Feel free to ask me any questions about my profile or the ENnies in general.
Thanks for your support (both to me and the ENnies)!
-Mark

yoda8myhead |

It's that time of year. Since Paizo is my "home board," I hope I can count on everyone's support in my bid to get re-elected as an ENnies judge for the upcoming year. I know the support of the community here was a big part of my being elected last year.
I'll let you know if I support your reelection when I see what gets nominated this year ;-) .

Qualidar |

Hello, my name is Frank Michienzi, and I am not running for judge.
But, as you can see above, my wonderful wife Tracey is, and I wanted to throw my support in behind her. She doesn't hang out at the Paizo boards all that often, but she's an enthusiastic Paizo supporter in that we play Pathfinder every week, and she doesn't crack me over the head for spending about 90% of the gaming budget on Paizo products. So if that's the kind of gamer you can get behind, then she's your candidate!

Justin Peters |
Hello, my name is Frank Michienzi, and I am not running for judge.
But, as you can see above, my wonderful wife Tracey is, and I wanted to throw my support in behind her. She doesn't hang out at the Paizo boards all that often, but she's an enthusiastic Paizo supporter in that we play Pathfinder every week, and she doesn't crack me over the head for spending about 90% of the gaming budget on Paizo products. So if that's the kind of gamer you can get behind, then she's your candidate!
Now that's a endorsement!
I'm throwing my hat in the ring this year again, just like Mark and Megan, and I'm glad to see new faces stepping in. I had a great time last year, met a lot of new people and want to give it one more shot so good luck to everyone who is running. I'm sure you will all enjoy it as much as we did this year.
To the public - please, vote. Pick the judge that matches up with your tastes in gaming and who you feel will best represent your opinions. Whether that's Mark, Megan, Tracey, me or any of the other judges that are running, vote!

Tracey Michienzi |
Hello, my name is Frank Michienzi, and I am not running for judge.
But, as you can see above, my wonderful wife Tracey is, and I wanted to throw my support in behind her. She doesn't hang out at the Paizo boards all that often, but she's an enthusiastic Paizo supporter in that we play Pathfinder every week, and she doesn't crack me over the head for spending about 90% of the gaming budget on Paizo products. So if that's the kind of gamer you can get behind, then she's your candidate!
Awww Shucks...Thanks for the glowing recomendation. (For the Record, Paizo also gets a good portion of the Christmas shopping money too. :D )
My platform can be found here: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?page_id=708.

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Excellent - this year has shown that the support & understanding of those you share your residence and life with is essential: they have to put up with deliveries, books everywhere and your nose in said books when they want a chat or their dinners... :)
Oddly enough, dearly beloved has been on at me for a couple of months about running again - maybe he likes the peace & quiet when I'm reading!
Vivid memory: on UK election night I was reading the Pathfinder Bestiary. The family enquired, as they did, what I was reading, so I explained I preferred REAL fantasy to the sort peddled by politicians & held the book up - the "Wow!" that went arround the room at that cover explains why it got a nomination in that category :)

Anthony Law |

The deadline for nominating yourself as a judge has passed. Thank you to all the folks who are running. You can get a list of them here so you can get to know them better before voting begins on July 16: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?page_id=675

Tracey Michienzi |
The deadline for nominating yourself as a judge has passed. Thank you to all the folks who are running. You can get a list of them here so you can get to know them better before voting begins on July 16: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?page_id=675
And if there are any questions, ask the judges! We are just waiting for your questions!

Wil_Upchurch |
Hi everyone, I thought I'd throw a new wrinkle into the process late in the game.
ENnies judging panels have a long history of excellent reviewers, lifelong gamers, and active members of the roleplaying community. However, because of the stickiness and ease of entry into the gaming industry following the d20 license and the emergence of the PDF marketplace, the judging panels have been light on those with direct experience in the industry. I aim to change that with my nomination.
An active participant in online gaming culture for almost 20 years, I spent 2001-2008 working in the industry in a variety of positions, most notably as a freelancer and full-time employee at Fantasy Flight Games and Steve Jackson Games. My last project in the industry was in 2008 as blogger, writer, and (p)reviewer for Wizards of the Coast's collectible miniatures game, Dreamblade.
Since then I have focused on grad school, engaging in a different kind of writing and publishing altogether. I hope the fans will give me this opportunity as a way to dip my toe back into the world of roleplaying (as something more than player and DM) and contribute the skills and knowledge I obtained in giving seven years of my life to pursuing one of my life's passions.
I believe the perspective of a lapsed professional is one piece of the puzzle that will nominate the best products in each category in a way relevant to our wacky population of gaming enthusiasts.
Thanks for reading.
Wil Upchurch

Anthony Law |

Effectively immediately, Kennon Bauman has withdrawn his name as a 2011 ENnies Judge Nominee and has made the following statement:
"I respectfully withdraw my nomination as a potential ENnies judge for the 2010 season. I believe strongly in the integrity of the ENnie Awards, and wish no harm to come to their reputation or prestige, even among a vocal few, as a consequence of any action I have undertaken. I campaigned honestly and openly, and I see no evidence of any breach of confidence or immoral conduct on anyone's part. I would like to fervently thank those who have supported me thus far, and wish the remaining candidates the best of luck in the coming season. I'm sure I'll be talking to many of you before next year's electoral season, but for those who I don't -- see you then."
--Kennon C. Bauman
The statement that led to his resignation was one made in an e-mail to his family and friends asking people to vote for him. Unfortunately, he worded his letter in such a way that one could construe that he wanted them to "stuff the ballot box." I have known Kennon for many years and I know that he did not mean this in any way, shape, or form and was just trying to help the receipients understand the voting process better. Although he was not asked to withdraw, he did so and we respect his decision.

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Voting for the 2010 ENnies ends midnight Sunday. Don't forget to vote for your favorite products.
Also, be sure to cast a vote for Mark Green for 2011 ENnies Judge!
-Mark
Mark Green
2010 Ennies Judge
Paizo community member since 2007