Sara Jeffers

Online Name: Baba Yaga @babayaga.quest

Introduction 

Hello! I am Sara “Baba Yaga” Jeffers and I will make a good ENNIES judge because I am opinionated but open to being wrong! But seriously, I have professional experience with all aspects of the award categories here, and am willing to provide tough but fair feedback.

Why do you play/run RPGs?

I never got over the make-believe phase of life – I truly enjoy playing and exploring spaces with other people. I play them to explore macro- and micro-elements of life, and I GM them to provide those opportunities for others.

The ENNIES requires a major commitment of time and energy. What resources do you have that will help you discharge these responsibilities? Will your gaming group or other individuals be assisting you? Does your family support you?

I have a small group of individuals that I can rely on to help me test games, as well as two young kids. My family supports my interests and career in RPGs.

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 am and have always been a project closer. Regardless of industry, I’ve been the one that the bosses call in to organize and manage projects on the verge of going under. I appreciate working with others who also like to keep things orderly, but also don’t mind having to take the wheel.

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 fan of a particular system, publisher, or genre?

My favorite RPGs are crunchy with a creamy filling of narrative – Emerald Templars is a good example of that specific genre. I’m generally not a fan of anything specific until after I’ve played it – I know that system to system, even within the same publisher, there can be things I don’t like a specific game. That being said, there’s only a handful of games that I do actively dislike, and it’s all because they’re old racist OSR “Cowboys and Indians” type of games – I do not enjoy games based on racist tropes.

List (up to 5) games you’ve played in the last 2 years. What drew you to playing them? Which did you like best and why?

Monster of the Week, Wanderhome, Pathfinder Second Edition, The Time We Have, What Haunts Us

I got pulled into each of the games I thought of because of either the story or the GM. The practice of how a game is played is just as important as its theory of play.

Figuring out which game I enjoyed the most is difficult because they’re all different in scope and focus. I would say The Time We Have is the one that consistently leaves me the most excited and refreshed afterwards, invigorated by the simple but highly effective gameplay. Wanderhome gets a special mention for how the playbooks mesh together so well, enabling rich character-driven narratives that are rewarding to experience.

Have you been a game master in the past 2 years? If yes, what games have you run? What made you decide to run those games?

Yes! I have GM’d Pathfinder Second Edition and Starfinder Second Edition many times, as well as D&D 5e (2014) and many an indie game. I typically read the rules of a game, get excited by an aspect of some mechanic, and then spin up a quick game that explores and probes that mechanic as deeply as I can. I also enjoy running organized play games.

Summarize the criteria you would use to determine if a game deserves to be nominated for Best Game.

I would look at the mechanics, narrative, visual aspects such as the layout and art, and overall cohesiveness to see if it’s all on theme – even if I don’t personally like it. I view games as art, so emotions of all sorts are equally valid.

How will you judge supplements or adventures for game systems whose core rules you are unfamiliar with or you believe are badly designed?

I would gather the appropriate number of players and run a game or three. If I have a hard time understanding rules as written, then I would reach out to some trusted folks in my community to double-check my understanding and enlighten me where needed.

How would you like to see the ENNIEs change? What should remain inviolate?

More diversity on the judges’ panel categories – not to diminish steps taken, but more is better in this regard. That being said, the willingness and ability to adapt and change should remain; that contributes towards peoples’ hopes and aspirations. There’s an entire group of designers who now have hope that a Solo RPG they made could make it next year.