The ENnie Awards

 

 

Timothy Ryan

Timothy Ryan

aka Tintros, TJRyan23

Introduction
Hi there. I've been a gamer for a back-creaking, eye-squint-inducing 26 years, attended dozens of conventions (including GenCon and Origins, though neither this year) own hundreds of RPGs, and am familiar with RPGs, CCGs, miniatures games, video games, etc. I also have a fairly acute literary eye for writing, structure, narration and mechanics (as well as spelling and editing, which is something often neglected, alas, in rpg production.)

1. When did you join the RPG hobby and what inspired you to become involved and stay with it?
Many years ago, my initiation into the RPG hobby came on a pavement playground next to a kickball field at my elementary school. Within a short period I found myself a Dungeon Master (cue stately horn-playing) and I've been running games and (all too rarely) playing in them ever since. Painting a scene, telling a tale, and building a campaign that people will enjoy has an undeniable appeal to me.

2. Since you joined the hobby, what roles have you played (e.g. vending, professional writing and publishing, freelancing, reviewing, convention organizing, homebrewing, playing, GMing, etc.)?
I've worked in a bookstore (Barnes & Noble and Waldenbooks) selling books, written and run my own modules at conventions across the country (including Origins and Gencon) over a long period of years, demoed and 'volunteered' for companies running events (AEG, Wizkids, etc) and staffed conventions so many times I'm more used to doing so than buying a convention badge. I've also played games (board, card, miniature, roleplaying, and combinations) with my friends and family, of course.
3. The ENnies require a major commitment of time and mental energy. What resources do you bring that will help you discharge these responsibilities? Will your gaming group or other individuals be assisting you? Does your family support you?
I have two ongoing gaming groups, as well as the ability to pull together groups for pickup games of things. Time is something I currently have quite a bit of, and it seems like something I can do that would be both intellectually engaging and 'in the hobby'.
4. Judging requires a great deal of critical thinking skills, communication with other judges, deadline management, organization, and storage space for the product received. What interests, experience and skills do you bring that will make you a more effective judge?
I have managed and coordinated teams in a retail environment, including tracking sales, planning events and handling products. I have experience with just about every area of gaming, and if there's one I don't have experience with, I want to find it! I have an analytical eye for detail, features and appearance honed over years of handling retail product and my own vast gaming collection,
5. 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”?
RPG elements: I enjoy 'Story' and character-driven rpgs, those managing strategic resources or epic storylines allowing player-input. Genre isn't usually the first thing that makes a game grab hold of me, but it can contribute to liking or disliking the game. I've moved from game to game over the years, past favorites including Torg, D&D (of course), Heroclix, Mutants & Masterminds, and GURPS, but I haven't been a single publisher or game's 'fanboy' in a long, long time.
6. What system do you think is best designed? Is it the one you play most?
'Best designed' depends on your intention and your group. A lot of it comes from the GM and the players involved and what they're doing within the system as much as what the system's doing 'around' them. I've pulled out out-of-print games like Torg (which had the distinction of a player younger than the game), played games hot-off-the-press that I've brought back from GenCon, and everything in between.
7. What games have you played in the past year? List up to 10 RPGs you have played the most.
I'm currently running a Vampire:Dark Ages game (regrettably out of print) and a Mutants & Masterminds game, with occasional 'drop in' weeks of board gaming, one-shot or short-run D&D adventures, etc.

Top ten roleplaying games I've played the most: Vampire, Torg, D&D, Mutants & Masterminds, Spycraft/Stargate, Mind's Eye Theater (LARP), GURPS, In Nomine, Shadowrun, and TMNT.
8. Briefly summarize the criteria you will use for judging products in the different categories. How will you deal with comparing products of vastly disparate lengths, medium (PDF vs. print), or mechanics to prose ratios? Will innovation and originality play a major role?
In brief, how it looks (visual physical, how it is constructed, laid out,  etc), how it reads (simple or confusing, page XX errors, editing mistakes, 'dense' or hard to read text, overly simplistic examples that don't illustrate the rules, etc), and how it plays (confusing rules-holes, elegant mechanics, and everything in between) are the major criteria that come to mind. Length and medium are largely immaterial for that, as how a PDF is presented affects how you read it and play it as much as a physical book.

The same goes for stylistic differences (fluff vs. crunch, as it's called by many) of makeup. If there's enough rules to play, and enough setting to fill the game world in the player's eye, that's what counts. Innovation can play a part, but innovation for its own sake isn't always good. Similarly, originality is important but not essential. Using familiar words and mechanics can make a game more approachable while using jargon-laden tables can kill it, but if you don't have anything original in the product, why would anyone need or want to buy it?
9. How will you judge supplements or adventures for game systems whose core rules you are unfamiliar with or you believe are badly designed? What about for systems that are out of print?
Supplements and adventures should be able to stand on their own merits. I've bought many products and adapted them to different games than originally intended (GURPS is renowned for this) and PDFs have made many things that were previously unavailable due to being out-of-print once again accessible.
10. How would you like to see the ENnies change (categories, policies, etc)? What should remain inviolate?
Awards in general have to walk a fine line between balancing popularity and the clamor of the public with examining and recognizing excellence that the public might miss. There've been many products that 'slipped under the radar' and took time to be recognized for their excellence, and many things that are popular aren't necessarily so because they're *good products*.
BONUS: (optional) If you were an RPG, what would it be, and would you play it?
Fantasy RPG of castle-building and realm-running, with rules for designing your own castle under the waterfall or keep overlooking the desert sands, staffing it with retainers and running 'adventures' defending it and dealing with the people both within and without. Mass-combat, supply-management, and 'retainer personality table' materials included.

And I'd start a group tomorrow. After staying up all night reading it.

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