ENnie Awards

Announcing a new series of interviews

Tony Law — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:34:08 +0000

Greetings from the ENnies!

This is a quick announcement to let you know about the new weekly series on the site. I have been interviewing past nominees and winners of the ENnies to find out more about the companies, how the ENnies have affected them both personally and professionally, and things like that. So keep an eye out next Tuesday, September 14, for our first interview with VSCA Publishing, makers of the ENnie Award winning Diaspora.

Images of ENnies Past

Tony Law — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:41:15 +0000

I discovered a couple of CDs in a drawer that contained pictures of past ceremonies; 2004 and 2007, specifically. I have created a page for images of each ceremony. If you want to look at them, hover over Who We Are above, go to History of Winners, and either 2004 or 2007 Noms and Winners. You’ll see links off of each for pictures. Enjoy!

Update: I found the pictures for 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009 as well. You can also get to them through the menu above.

Take a trip down memory lane

Tony Law — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:36:15 +0000

Now added: A list of all nominees and winners from every year of the ENnies. You can find the History of Winners link to the left or on the above menu under Who We Are. Enjoy!

First Playtest In the Beltpouch

Wil Upchurch — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 20:36:32 +0000

I’ve started a weekly group to play ENnies submissions throughout the year so I can get a better feel for the games I’m judging. The lineup will change from week to week, and I never know how many folks I’ll have joining me, so those two factors weigh into what games I’ll be able to run. As it stands, I’m just keeping three possible games prepped and then pulling out whichever one seems most appropriate for the crowd I’ve attracted. It’s an interesting way to game, but last night was fun so I’m looking forward to playing as often as we can.

We played Graham Walmsley’s “A Taste for Murder” last night, and despite me introducing the game as “this won’t be about killing things and taking their stuff,” it ended up with someone killing me in order to take my stuff. :/

A Little About Me…

Tracey Michienzi — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:36:54 +0000

I thought as a new judge, that I would let you know a little about myself.

My name is Tracey. I married my husband, Frank, last October. We currently live in Quincy, Massachusetts with our cat Miniver or Min-Min for short. Min loves it when I read because I have lap space to curl up in. She is in for a treat over the next year because I will be reading a lot more than usual!

My husband is one of my GM’s and we game weekly in a group where we are switching off between Shackled City and Second Darkness. Once a month, we drive to Dracut, Massachusetts where we play Golden Age Mutants and Masterminds game. Frank often GM’s more than he plays, so I think he is really looking forward to playing a lot this year.

When I am not gaming, I am hard at work as a paralegal or I have my hands on some sort of knitting or scrapbooking project. I love movies (old noir is my favorite) and making cookies (I have a big sweet tooth).

I am really looking forward to working with the other judges. Keep checking in for more from us as the year goes on!

Feedback on the new look of the blog

Tony Law — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:17:20 +0000

As you may or may not have noticed, the blog has been redesigned. I am trying to make it easier to find information for the publisher and the fan. Any feedback would be appreciated.

I Want to Play Your Game!

C.W. Richeson — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:01:02 +0000

As the 2011 judging season begins I want to share some advice with the many game publishers out there. Please submit your game early! Last year, as with previous years, most entries arrived in the last few months. While I was still aggressively playing as many of these as I could, had some of them arrived sooner more actual play would have happened. It is in your best interests to submit as soon as possible to make sure the judges have plenty of opportunity to play your game and talk about it throughout the judging year – especially if your product is one that shines in actual play.

Reminder: Voting booths close tonight at midnight

Tony Law — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:11:20 +0000

If you haven’t voted already, make sure to use the Voting Booths link above to vote for your favorite products and the 2011 ENnie Judges! The booths close at midnight.

Information on the 2010 ENnie Awards Ceremony

Tony Law — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:48:43 +0000

6:30pm: Doors to the Westin Grand Ballroom 4/5 open for VIP Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction. Light reception, cash bar.

7:30: Doors open to the general public for the Silent Auction and seating

8:00: Ceremony begins

Publishers, Gen Con VIGs, and Dream Dates have the first few rows reserved for them. This is largely to speed up the ceremony so that we don’t have to wait five minutes for a winner to make it up to the front of the hall. If you think you’ll be wanting to head to the bar often, please seat yourself in the outside aisle so as not to disrupt the ceremony.

After a few opening remarks, the award presentations get underway. Nominees are read off and shown on the big screen, silver award winner announced first, then gold. A brief clip of “winner’s walk” music pre-selected by the nominee is played upon announcement of the win. Winners are expected to keep their speeches to the 1-3 minute range. In addition to the winning nominated products, we will also be recognizing DriveThruRPG for their superlative fundraising efforts, announcing the judges for the following year, and Business Manager Denise Robinson will pass the torch to Tony Law. Symbolically. The Westin has a “thing” about open flame.

There is usually a ramp to the side of the stage and stairs at the front. Please advise Hans in advance if you have other accessibility issues we can try to address.

There is a fifteen minute intermission around nine or so marking the half-way point of the ceremony. After the last award is presented and closing remarks made, we invite winning publishers to gather on the stage quickly for a photo op. This year we have to be finished by 10pm, so we appreciate keeping the post-ceremony congratulations until after we can get a photo please!

Dress code: we respectfully request at the very least “business casual” for nominees and their guests/dates. At the very least, a new, clean T-shirt bereft of Cheeto stains, please.

Refreshments: cash bar at the back of the hall.

Silent auction: additional products are always welcome for donation for the continued financial stability of the awards. It needn’t be gaming-related either. Trogdor Christmas ornaments and antique goat-skin scrolls have graced our tables.

The RPG Haven interviews Jay Peters

Tony Law — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:02:47 +0000

The RPG Haven has posted its interview with current ENnies judge Jay Peters. It’s an excellent listen and answers a lot of questions that people have about the judging process. I recommend taking an hour out of your day and listening to it.

http://www.therpghaven.com/podcast/?p=277