Hans Cummings

Online Nickname: JediSoth, HansCummingsVO

Introduction 

I’m Hans, a lifelong tabletop games player, fantasy/sci-fi author, and voice actor. I started playing TTRPGs in 1982, have played every edition of D&D since the Moldvay B/X revision, and more other RPGs than I can comfortably list here. I started GMing shortly after D&D captured my imagination and haven’t stopped in over 40 years. In addition to being a veteran player and GM, I have freelanced for companies such as Rite Publishing and AAW Games, and spent 10 years as a volunteer for the ENnie Awards, serving as the Submissions Coordinator until 2019. I love RPGs and while my tastes have changed, I’ve found that who you play with is more important than what you’re playing.

Why do you play/run RPGs?

As a GM, I enjoy the world building opportunities and collaborative story-telling aspect of RPGs. As a player, I enjoy being a heroic character with skills and abilities I don’t possess in real life, and getting to explore fantastic settings. Plus, it lets me do those things while having fun with my friends.

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 work as a freelance voice over artist and author, and thus, have a very flexible schedule. I would be able to devote several hours each day to ENnies-related tasks. I have a face-to-face gaming group I can play games with, as well as other folks I know locally I can invite over for one shots, many of whom are very good at finding the weak and strong parts of game system. In addition, I can recruit members of my actual play podcast to play games with me.

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 have worked professionally as both a writer, editor, and data/project manager, making me well suited to the organizational skills an ENnies judge needs to possess to effectively manage the massive amount of materials submitted. I also have the skills needed to evaluate writing and editing within the products, and after 40+ years of playing games, I think I have a pretty good eye for what works and doesn’t work as far as production values go, and my experience in publishing gives me insights into the types of decisions made when creating products that are eye-pleasing, useful, and affordable. I’ve spent decades communicating with people across, not only the American time zones, but around the world, so I’m well acquainted with the patience and wait times required when collaborating with people who might be 4, 6, or even 12+ hours ahead/behind you.

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 enjoy high fantasy and pulp action/adventure the most, though I’ve found I can enjoy just about any genre if I’m with the right people. Anything grimdark tends to not appeal as much, and I prefer lighter rules systems to heavy crunch systems these days. Sometimes, too many rules can just get in the way of having fun, and I play games to have fun, not emulate an accountant or record-keeper.

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?

The Homebrew System used in the “I Should Roll” podcast: it’s what we were presented with as players to tell the stories the GM wants to work with us on for the podcast. It’s an amalgamation of D&D 5e, with some PotA and Fate thrown in.

D&D 5e: I like playing D&D and a friend invited me to play in a one-shot she wanted to run. I don’t often get to play, so I wasn’t about to turn down the chance.

I can’t say that I like any of them “best.” Different systems are good for different types of games, though I will admit to having a nostalgic soft-spot for Dungeons & Dragons and games that emulate its tropes. I don’t get to play D&D nearly enough.

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?

I am mostly a game master. In the last two years I have run:
Pathfinder 2e: My group decided to move away from D&D, but wanted to stay within the fantasy genre. I’d heard good things about the 3-action economy and the streamlining of the system.
Fallout: Most of us were familiar with and love the Fallout series of games, so we wanted to play it., plus I knew I could use Pathfinder to provide a D&D-like experience to ease the transition to a new system.
Tales of the Valiant: Some of my players found Pathfinder 2e to be just a tad too complicated. Tales of the Valiant dials things back to the D&D 5e level they were comfortable with, while supporting Kobold Press.
Cypher System: I’ve liked this quick and rules-light system for a while, so I decided to use it as my system of choice for an urban fantasy game I’m running off-mic for my podcast colleagues.

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

I intend to evaluation the game as a whole: it’s presentation, it’s accessibility, the writing (i.e. how well it explains itself, as well as, how much guidance it gives GMs on how to actually run the game), the editing, as well as more nebulous factors like it’s “feel.” Certain games have qualities that are difficult to quantify, but just work when you sit down and play them, while others might look and read fantastic, but when you sit to play them, you find they don’t really provide the experience they tried to sell you on. It’s going to be a difficult choice, of that, I’m certain.

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

First, I will judge them on their own merits and whether or not they present the story or mechanics they set out to present in an effective fashion. If I’m unfamiliar with the system, I will try to learn as much about the system required as possible. Most games have Discord communities these day, so finding people to show me the ropes shouldn’t be difficult.

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

After stepping away in 2019 and having had no involvement in the process since then, I have only voted in the awards like any other member of the TTRPG fandom. Life has been busy in the last six years, and I know the the volunteers running the ENnies do so out of their own passion for the hobby and they work hard, and I’ve never been a fan of armchair quarterbacking, especially when one doesn’t know how the sausage gets made, as it were. That being said, if I see something that concerns me, or I think of a way that could streamline the process, I will certainly not hesitate to make a suggestion.