James Surano

Online Nickname: scholar; fukulo

Introduction 

Hi, I’m James, and I’ve been officially gaming since the start of DnD 3rd, but my gaming path started long before that with the lone wolf game books. I believe I’d make a good ENNIES judge this cycle because I have done it before, and therefore have a good idea of both the work load, and how to work with a team of judges while meeting the deadlines… also, considering TTRPGs have been my primary hobby for more than half my life, I have the love and passion for the hobby that is needed to get through a term as judge.

Why do you play/run RPGs?

I play and run ttrpgs for the simple fact that I love the hobby. Between the community, the stories created, and the creativity inspired by a few simple rules, we get to inhabit a world we wish existed, and this can help us figure out how to make that world a reality.

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?

The biggest resource I have that will help me is the fact that I have done this before. I’ve faced the gaming burn out that can come from judging, I know what tricks I need to motivate myself through the ever growing “to be evaluated” pile, and I know where my own personal pitfalls will be so I can address them before they come up. I have a wide network of gamers of all types that are willing to provide support with the ennies .Also I have the often underestimated book shelf space, and hard drive space.

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?

Other than being a gamer for the majority of my life, the biggest experience I bring as a judge is my previous experience addressing all of those issues. Every judge comes to the ENNIES from a different place, and the trick is finding the commonalities between judges to facilitate communication, and I have always managed to do that with every panel I’ve worked with in the past, and expect that I will be able to do that again.

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?

While traditionally I’ve been known as a World of Darkness guy, the last few years I’ve very much become a Two Little Mice fan boy. My favorite games tend towards the narrative high action with occasionally pulled heart strings. Some friends occasionally refer to my games as Z42, the opposite of the A24 film production company… where a24 is artsy and subtle, my games are brash and bold.

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?

Let’s see, the new edition of Swords of the Serpentine, DnD5e(2024), One last Job, the Vampire Next Door, Blades in the Dark. I’m drawn to games for many reasons, sometimes it’s the mechanics of a game, sometimes it’s the setting of a game, but one of the biggest draws is always the group that is playing a particular game. One of the best parts of this hobby( even with the surge in popularity of solo games) is that this is inherently a social hobby, and the best part is playing games with your friends.

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?

Let’s see, past couple years, I’ve run the new edition of Werewolf the Apocalypse, Outgunned, and Household. I chose to run those games because I’m a fan of the setting of WtA, and a huge fan of the mechanics for Outgunned, and a fan of both setting and mechanics for Household. Plus, I had stories I wanted to tell that fit those worlds and systems 🙂

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

My answer to this question has evolved a lot over the years, but it’s core is the same as ever. The first criteria is always ” is the game satisfying” after that holistic answer, I’d dig into the more technical categories, of rules, writing, art, production values, and support. I once heard that a good game tells you what’s cool about it, and then the game’s rules support that statement, and I’ve found that to be a really good metric to use for evaluating things.

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

They’re in their own ecosystem for supplements… it’s not about what it does for gaming in general, but what it does for the specific game it’s written for that determines whether it’s good or bad. Adventures are even easier, because they’re inherently a story framework, so they can be evaluated along those lines, no mechanics needed.

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

I’ve watched the ENNIES change a lot over the years, considering I was in the IRC chat room that the first one was held in, long before they had a physical presence at GenCon. A lot of my current wishlist for the ENNIES have happened, and I’ve always appreciated how the ENNIES have changed with the times to serve the over all gaming community as best they could, considering it’s an organization made up of volunteers, and I have faith that they will continue to evolve as the hobby evolves. The one thing that should remain inviolate is the autonomy of the judges panel, because it’s one of the few ways you can actually accomplish this job.