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Is it just me or are the Ennie nominees weak this year? Sure there are a few gems in there, but generally I see very little "mainstream" products. Most of the submissions are so incredibly rare that most people will have never heard of the publisher. Not to mention the category for Best Organized Play doesn't have Pathfinder, Starfinder, Adventurer's League, Living Arcanis, Any of the Star Wars OPs, or LotFR. Can you really claim to be the "best" OP when none of the top communities are represented? That's kinda like saying "we're #1" because you're the best of the teams that didn't make the playoffs.
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The Ennies are predicated on publishers self-selectively nominating their own products (throwing their hat in the ring, so to speak). If you don't submit, you won't be considered.
IMHO (as a former Ennies judge), Paizo hasn't gotten a fair shake in the awards the last few years. Most of the people involved (administers, voters, judges, etc.) come from Enworld and that board heavily favors WotC and indie games.
I almost got back in the running for Judge this year, but I just don't have the time.
-Skeld
Edit: So nothing submitted from Paizo OR WotC this year. It'll be the Best of Chaosium awards again this year.
Most of the people involved (administers, voters, judges, etc.) come from Enworld and that board heavily favors WotC and indie games.
That has been my impression as well.
Cthulhu won. Everything. Luckily Paizo arent obsessed with the Lovecraft Mytho......Oh, hang on!
Hi! I’m Ben Adelman, one of the judges this year and from last year. As has been mentioned we only consider products for nomination that have been submitted by the publisher. Over 400 products were submitted last year, and I hope that despite some of the larger publisher’s not submitting, its representative of the best of what many different and wonderful communities creating rpg’s have been up to. It’s a golden age of rpg’s, and its tough for any one person to track everything thats been coming out.
As far as the enworld connection, the 2018 awards were the last year the ENnies were directly associated with the site. Last year Stacy became the business manager, and the ennies have become their own entity. For myself I do follow enworld for news, but the places I tend to be most active are an assortment of discord servers.
While I can’t speak about submissions during my tenure per nda, and won’t for ethical reasons, I’m more than happy to discuss my own tastes and biases, regular games I’m currently in and more direct opinions of products released prior to my period as a judge(anything prior to May 2018). I can’t promise my preferences match what you want 1-1, but I can say that anything I receive for review gets a fair shake.
Almost everything :)
Creature Codex from Kobold Press Won the SILVER ENnie in the Best Monster/Adversary category !
Congrats Marc and Kobold Press!! Well deserved.
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Ben,
Could you explain the methodology for why nominations have to be done by the publisher and not by the general gaming community? It seems to be awful self-aggrandizing in its current form. In many cases, the winner of a category is not the best, it’s only the best that was submitted by its creator. If I were a winner, it would feel pretty hollow if I knew a number of top products were not submitted and I had won simply because better candidates were withheld by the publisher. If we are worried about the “big ones” winning all the rewards and reducing the presence of “indie” publishers, then simply create more categories that focus on those specific genres. Other industries have awards that highlight lesser known candidates while still maintaining a true (or at least truer) representation of what is the best. Just wondering why the system is the way it is.
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Ben,
Could you explain the methodology for why nominations have to be done by the publisher and not by the general gaming community? It seems to be awful self-aggrandizing in its current form. In many cases, the winner of a category is not the best, it’s only the best that was submitted by its creator. If I were a winner, it would feel pretty hollow if I knew a number of top products were not submitted and I had won simply because better candidates were withheld by the publisher. If we are worried about the “big ones” winning all the rewards and reducing the presence of “indie” publishers, then simply create more categories that focus on those specific genres. Other industries have awards that highlight lesser known candidates while still maintaining a true (or at least truer) representation of what is the best. Just wondering why the system is the way it is.
Hi, thanks for the question! First let me say that I don't think any wins should feel hollow. 5 judges with very different tastes and opinions went through 430-something submissions to find what they believed were the 5 best in each category. So even before being open to public vote, there is a solid year of behind the scenes discussions, arguments, playtesting, and comparison going into the final nominees from each category. I'm sure it sounds like a platitude, but having seen the process from both sides, I can say that its legitimately an honor to be nominated, let alone get voted a winner. It may not match everyones personal list, but its not easy to be there, and every product earned it.
As to your question about publisher submissions, I asked and got an official response. Theoretically fans could submit the required 6 copies of a product they'd like to be considered, assuming it meets all the general submission requirements. That being said, the publisher would be notified and given the choice of whether or not they actually want the product to be considered. The awards derive what value they have from participation and consent, and both are equally important. At the end of the day, even if you purchased and sent the ENnies 6 copies of things like the Pathfinder 2 Core book, or Ghosts of Saltmarsh, it would be up to Paizo, or WotC, or whatever publisher/creator is responsible to decide what they would like to do.
Hope this answers your question. Please let me know if you have any more!
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Ennies have no relevance to the hobby. They are a biased award that means nothing. Look at the winners this year and look at their actual sales and popularity. This is my opinion.