Mason Alexander

Online Nickname: cornelia (discord)

Introduction 

My name is Mason or Cornelia! I am an beginner RPG designer, a long-time GM, and a teacher! I love these games truly, and closely follow the ENNIES world already. I routinely talk to and read the work of many nominees, and I want to be closer to the work you all do!

I think I am an especially unique candidate because of my age & identity. I 22, queer, and a tri-racial (white, black, and Chinese) person with a massive interest in design. While I do enjoy digging into tabletop history, I spend most of my time looking forward at the future of RPGs, watching the cutting-edge designs and mechanics, and figuring out how my generation of designers will change things in this medium.

Why do you play/run RPGs?

It began as a social activity and quickly became a way to explore art, ideas, and politics in a fun way. I love thinking about mechanics, no matter their complexity, “crunch”, or malleability. Also, I am studying to be a teacher, and enjoy mixing the world of RPGs into the classroom.

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 already read a massive amount of RPGs every year, consume dozens of actual play podcasts, and talk about games every single day. Instead of increasing the workload, this undertaking is simply shifting my workload in a more intentional direction.

While I am a student and upcoming teacher, I am a very efficient worker. I rarely get distracted, especially from tasks like this that I am eager to engage with. I have a large group of friends who frequently playtest games with me, and a partner who shares (some) of my obsession.

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 used to living within a world of deadlines and management, it is how I best operate. Anyone who knows me would agree I am the type of learner who works obsessively when I have a task I find interesting, and the ENNIE nominees every year are exactly that.

I communicate well and respond fast in digital spaces, I have plenty of space for books and boxed media, and I read (and annotate) quickly and in depth (shoutout my brand new english degree).

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?

I most enjoy systems that capitalize on the things that TTRPGs can uniquely do that other mediums cannot. To stand out to me, games capitalize on social aspects, embodied (LARP-adjacent) play styles, and the things a video-game could never do in a human’s place.

My favorite systems recently have been Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast, Desperation, Last Train to Bremen, Stonetop, Two Hand Path, Daggerheart, Wildsea. Honestly, I’ve read too many good systems to make a complete list!

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?

In the last 2 years I have played CBR+PNK, Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast, D&D 5e, D&D 5.5e, Mothership, Two Hand Path, SPINE, Last Train to Bremen, Daggerheart, and Desperation. I have scheduled plans to play Mythic Bastionland, Stonetop, Tales from the Loop, and Heart.

I especially loved Yazeba’s for the social aspects at the con I played it at, it created unique scenarios easily and naturally. I was drawn to play it because of its departure from many assumed facts about playing within the form. Character non-monogamy, GMless play, pre-made characters, scenarios that all players read, pick-up-and-play episodes, all at the same time! What designer could resist!

I was also uniquely inspired by Two Hand Path and Last Train to Bremen, which gave me interesting mechanics that launched my current design projects! Two Hand Path finally helped me understand solo gaming in a new way, and Bremen opened mental doors for me about new styles of design and play.

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 run Mythic Bastionland, Tales from the Loop, Monster of the Week, Mothership, and several of my own systems for playtesting within the last year. I have also run D&D5e, 5.5e, Pathfinder 2e and Daggerheart recently – though I have less interest in running more of those now.

When I am the GM, I like to have games that allow for campaign-based play of 4+ sessions. This is where Bastionland, Loop, MOTW, and D&D/PF2e/Daggerheart help. It is easier for me to schedule sessions with a consistent date, characters, and players. I ran a few oneshots of mothership.

I also play a huge collection of solo/GMless games.

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

Does it use the human, social, or creative elements of RPGs in interesting ways?
Was it made with good intention, and is it trying to say or explore something in a new way?
Does it do anything new with the medium?
Does it make players, readers, or GMs feel or act in interesting ways?
Does it achieve its goals?

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

For games I am unfamiliar with, I will read the games and treat myself as inexperienced when it comes to determining hard numerical outcomes (balance, how much HP something has, movement speeds) and will focus on the creative portions of the text. I will analyze the tools the supplement/adventure uses to engage players, the way it treats DM/player information, and creative uses of the original system’s mechanics.

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

I want the ENNIES to get larger and more diverse, which is part of the reason I am applying. I am a queer person of color who just finished an undergrad degree, brand new in the world of RPG design but already devoting thousands of hours to the medium every year. I hope to see and meet a community of judges who is ready to trade ideas, debate, and analyze these incredible works of art.

I do not want the ENNIES to compromise its morals for profit or marketing, and I do not want to see them prioritize sponsorships over truly uplifting the best games.