Hugo Hernandez

Online Nickname: TheDeathDieClu1

Introduction 

I am a passionate roleplaying enthusiast from Guadalajra, Mexico with over 40 years of experience, drawn particularly to “non-mainstream” games.

For the past four years, my business partner and I have been actively promoting the growth of independent RPGs in Mexico, through our small company (Koboldcon Mexico), with a special focus on Latin American creators. We organize monthly events to spotlight new indie games, teach players how to engage with them, and distribute products from creators across the globe. Additionally, we have developed several original games over the past two years and are establishing a fund to support Mexican creators in launching their own projects. My extensive background in the RPG community, combined with my commitment to fostering diverse and innovative game design, makes me a strong candidate to serve as an ENNIE Awards judge.

Why do you play/run RPGs?

Just like exercises allows me to stay fit and helps my body relax, RPGs help my mind relax. They are the perfect escape from the daily churn of my daytime job, while allowing me to meet with my friends and have a good time.

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?

Yes, I am fully aware of what this entails.
I believe I have a very solid time management skills, allowing to accommodate the time required. My intention was to have two very close friends (my business partner and a childhood friend) with the review process. We have similar tastes, similar criteria, and we usually playtest and review games as a group. My family is aware of it and they support it (well, mainly my wife. My kids are already in College so they are not around much).

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?

Critical Thinking Skills: One of my hobbies is teaching at several local universities, both at undergraduate and graduate level. As part of my activities, I review term papers, thesis and dissertations on a regular basis. Doing so requires key critical thinking skills, being able to provide clear and concise feedback to the students, and the ability to discern between ideas that carry certain merit or weight in any given field vs unoriginal or “copy-cat” ideas.
My day job is as WW Planning director for a Fortune 500 company, which requires me to meet strict deadlines and to make sure that everyone I work with meets them as well.
Finally, in term of storage, we have a good size storage unit for the store, which I could use to store the material we receive.

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 really enjoy Old School style fantasy games, and anything related to Science Fiction.
My favorite games are the original B/X Moldvay boxes, Black Sword Hack, Mork Borg, Traveller, Cyberpunk 2020, Star Wars (WEG edition) and I recently added Blade Runner to the rotation.
In terms of more independent games, I really like Savage Sisters, Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells, Grok?!, CBR PNK and The Maze.

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?

Dune (Modiphius)
As a lifelong fan of Dune (one of my top three favorite books), I was thrilled to play Modiphius’ adaptation. The 2d20 system (refined from the original version used in Conan and Star Trek) feels smoother and more intuitive, making it a joy to run. The mechanics are focus in the role-playing aspect of the game, enhancing the political intrigue of the Dune universe.

Blade Runner (Free League)
My favorite film, comes to life in Free League’s amazing RPG. While Free League’s system doesn’t always suit every setting (e.g., The Walking Dead), it’s a perfect match for Blade Runner’s noir cyberpunk atmosphere. The mechanics enhance the gritty, investigative tone. I try to run a session at every convention I attend.

Outgunned (Two Little Mice)
Outgunned won me over with its innovative system. It is simple enough to teach to newcomers (especially those familiar with Yahtzee or King of Tokyo) yet versatile enough to adapt to various action and sci-fi genres.

Brancalonia (Acheron)
Growing up watching Bud Spencer and Terence Hill films every weekend, I was extremely happy to discover Brancalonia, a fantasy RPG that captures the lighthearted, swashbuckling spirit of those movies. Its simple system supports epic adventures with a playful tone, perfectly balancing humor and heroism.

Lankhmar (Goodman Games)
Initially skeptical due to the AD&Ds failure to capture Fritz Leiber’s Lankhmar stories, I was blown away by Goodman Games’ boxed set. The DCC rules are tailored to the setting, creating an experience that feels both epic and perilous. This is the first RPG to truly immerse me in Lankhmar’s gritty world.

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 run games during our monthly events, plus I am the game master for my group’s weekly sessions.
What games have I run? Mainly the 5 games I listed in the previous question, because I loved them so much, I want to teach everyone how to play them.
Dune, Blade Runner, Outgunned, Brancalonia and Lankhmar Box by Goodman games.

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

– Innovative Mechanics: I am really interested in seeing games that push the envelope and provide new and interesting game mechanics. Creating a D&D derivative is easy, but really creating something that stands out really requires a lot of effort.

– Mechanics (System): Setting integration: Now, it is not only enough to have cool, innovative mechanics, they also need to make sense in the context of the setting that is being presented by the book.

– Clarity of rules: Rules should be written in a way that they are easy to understand, thus allowing new players to jump into the system without a problem.

– GM Support: We’ve really been struggling trying to get new GMs for any game, and it is mainly due to the lack of support from most of the games for GMs. To me, a book/company that supports GM’s and gives them tools to ease their move into the role, deserve to be among the nominees for best games

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

To fairly evaluate an RPG supplement or adventure, I would approach the process in two key ways:

Understanding the Core System:
If I’m unfamiliar with the core rules, I would dedicate time to thoroughly learn the system to ensure an informed assessment. This involves studying the core rulebook, seeking out reviews and instructional videos, and engaging with my local RPG community to gather insights from players and GMs who have hands-on experience with the game.

Judging on Independent Merits:
Even if the core system is poorly designed, I would evaluate the supplement or adventure based on its own strengths. A flawed system doesn’t necessarily imply that derived works will also be flawed. For example, Dark Conspiracy was a book with a terrible set of rules, but it had an amazing backstory, amazing art, and the derived adventures were extremely entertaining. Some supplements are so well-crafted that they function as standalone products.

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

What would I like to see as a change? I would like to see more judges from outside the US.
RPGs are growing rapidly outside the US, so it would be amazing to have judges and participants from all over the word.

What should remain inviolate?
The commitment to be impartial, objective and to really reward products that bring something interesting, new, innovative and fun to the table.