ENNIE Awards
| ENNIES | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best role-playing games of previous year |
| Country | United Kingdom & United States |
| Presented by | Gen Con |
| First awarded | 2001 |
| Website | ennie-awards |
The ENNIE Awards (previously stylized as ENnie Awards)[1][2] are awards for role-playing game (RPG) products (including game-related accessories, publications, and art) and their creators. The awards were created in 2001 by Russ Morrissey of EN World in partnership with Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D Third Edition News.[3] The ceremony has been hosted at Gen Con in Indianapolis since 2002.[2] Since 2018, EN World is no longer associated with the awards.
The ENNIES comprise two rounds. In the first round, publishers submit their products for nomination. Entries are judged by five democratically elected judges. The nominated products are voted on by the public in the second round. Winners of the annual awards are then announced at a ceremony at Gen Con.
History
The award ceremony initially focused on the d20 System products and publishers. It has come to include "all games, supplements, and peripheral enterprises".[4] Since 2002, the awards have been announced at a live ceremony at Gen Con. It is now considered a "signature part" of the convention.[4] Author George R. R. Martin referred to the ENNIE Awards as "the most prestigious honors in role-playing" in 2010.[5]
The nominees are chosen by a panel of judges, and the winners are voted on by the public and presented at an award show done in collaboration between Gen Con and EN World.[6]
In 2007, the ENNIES were sponsored by the corporation Your Games Now, followed by Avatar Art in 2008. In 2010, 2011, and 2012, they were sponsored by both Indie Press Revolution and DriveThruRPG. From 2013 to 2016, they were sponsored by DriveThruRPG alone. In 2015, Campaign Coins made the medals as a sponsorship; Lone Wolf Development became a sponsor in 2017. The awards were run and owned by Morrissey until 2019.[7]
In 2015, the awards disqualified the unofficially licensed Mass Effect RPG for copyright violations.[8]
In 2020, Massif Press withdrew its RPG Lancer from the competition over a 2017 controversy.[9][10] Charlie Hall commented for Polygon in 2020:[11]
The Ennies are unique among gaming awards. Judges are volunteers, who follow a strict set of ethical guidelines. Chief among them is the vow not to have any professional relationship with any RPG publisher in the lead up to the awards. They help ensure that the Ennies aren’t just a popularity contest by winnowing down the dozens upon dozens of submissions to only the very best. Once the short list has been created, voting on the final winners is open to all.
Winners by year
The categories change yearly, depending on the nominations.
2021[12]
| Category | Gold | Silver |
|---|---|---|
| Best Adventure | OSE: Halls of the Blood King (Exalted Funeral Press) | ALIEN RPG Destroyer of Worlds (Free League Publishing) |
| Best Aid/Accessory – Non-Digital | City of Mist Character Folio Pack (Son of Oak Game Studio) | The Game Master's Fantasy Toolkit (Roll & Play Press) |
| Best Aid/Accessory – Digital | Michael Ghelfi – RPG Ambiences & Music (Michael Ghelfi) | DNGNGEN (Stockholm Kartell & Ockult Örtmästare Games) |
| Best Art, Cover | Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying (Free League Publishing) | Heart: The City Beneath (Rowan, Rook and Decard) |
| Best Art, Interior | Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying (Free League Publishing) | Heart: The City Beneath (Rowan, Rook and Decard) |
| Best Cartography | OSE: Halls of the Blood King (Exalted Funeral Press) | ALIEN RPG Destroyer of Worlds (Free League Publishing) |
| Best Electronic Book | Brancalonia Spaghetti Fantasy Setting Book (Acheron Games) | Ancestry & Culture: An Alternative to Race in 5e (Arcanist Press) |
| Best Family Game / Product | Mausritter: Boxed Set (Games Omnivorous, Losing Games) | Tales of Xadia: The Dragon Prince Roleplaying Game – Rules Primer (Fandom Inc.) |
| Best Free Game / Product | Humblewood: The Wakewyrm's Fury (Hit Point Press) | Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay: Wrath & Glory The Graveyard Shift (Cubicle 7) |
| Best Game | Alice is Missing (Renegade Game Studios) | Heart: The City Beneath (Rowan, Rook and Decard) |
| Best Layout and Design | Heart: The City Beneath (Rowan, Rook and Decard) | The Stygian Library (SoulMuppet Publishing) |
| Best Monster/Adversary | Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying (Free League Publishing) | Heart: The City Beneath (Rowan, Rook and Decard) |
| Best Online Content | DNGNGEN (Stockholm Kartell & Ockult Örtmästare Games) | dScryb – Finely Crafted Boxed (dScryb) |
| Best Organized Play | A Rough Guide to Glamour (Jonstown Compendium) | Hand of Glory (Miskatonic Repository) |
| Best Podcast | Asians Represent! | The Letters Page – The Sentinel Comics Podcast |
| Best Production Values | ALIEN RPG Destroyer of Worlds (Free League Publishing) | Broken Compass: Adventure Journal (Two Little Mice) |
| Best RPG Related Product | Worldbuilder's Notebook (Swordfish Islands) | Adventurers Tarot: The Empress Deck (Weird Works) |
| Best Rules | Alice is Missing (Renegade Game Studios) | Cortex Prime Game Handbook (Fandom) |
| Best Setting | Heart: The City Beneath (Rowan, Rook and Decard) | Brancalonia Spaghetti Fantasy Setting Book (Acheron Games) |
| Best Supplement | MÖRK BORG CULT: Feretory (Free League Publishing) | Ancestry & Culture: An Alternative to Race in 5e (Arcanist Press) |
| Best Writing | Heart: The City Beneath (Rowan, Rook and Decard) | Brancalonia Spaghetti Fantasy Setting Book (Acheron Games) |
| Product of the Year | Alice Is Missing (Renegade Game Studios) | Brancalonia Spaghetti Fantasy Setting Book (Acheron Games) |
Fan Favorite Publisher
Judges' Spotlight Award
- Anyone Can Wear the Mask (Jeff Stormer)[13]
- Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades: Wuxia Roleplaying (Osprey Games)
- Abracadabra: A Guide to Becoming a Magical Games Master (The Grinning Frog)
- Altered Carbon The Role Playing Game (Renegade Game Studios)
- SLA Industries 2nd Edition Core Rulebook (Nightfall Games)
References
- ^ "ENnie Awards Present the Best in Tabletop Role-Playing". Wired. August 20, 2009. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- ^ a b Hall, Charlie (2017-07-05). "The best tabletop RPGs of 2017". Polygon. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- ^ "About – ENNIE Awards". Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- ^ a b Rome, Ben H. (2013). Games' Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Players, Pawns, and Power-Ups. Chris Hussey. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-59797-724-1. OCLC 855019926.
- ^ "22 | July | 2010 | Not a Blog".
- ^ "Annual ENnie Awards Honor Best of Roleplaying Games". 20 August 2014.
- ^ "ENnies Leadership Change Announcement". ENnie Awards. 2019-02-15. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
- ^ "Tabletop RPG Award Nominates Copyright Infringing Game For Multiple Awards(UPDATE)". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Bleeding Cool. 29 June 2015.
- ^ "RPG: Lancer Withdraws From ENnies, Protesting Controversial Title Receiving Award". Bell of Lost Souls. 2 July 2020.
- ^ "ENnies 2020 nominee will refuse any awards until organisers address 2017 controversy". Geek Native. 30 June 2020.
- ^ Hall, Charlie (2020-06-30). "2020's best tabletop RPGs (so far), as chosen by fans". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
- ^ "2021 Nominees and Winners – ENNIE Awards". Retrieved 2021-09-28.
- ^ "2021 Nominees and Winners – ENNIE Awards". ENnie Awards. Retrieved 16 June 2022.