2023 ENNIE Award Winners Announced

The winners of the 2023 ENNIE Awards were announced Friday, August 4th, live at Gen Con.  “Vaesen: Mythic Britain and Ireland” took home the coveted  Gold ENNIE for “Best Product”, while “Fabula Ultima” grabbed the Silver ENNIE.  A full list of the winners and nominees can be found at https://ennie-awards.com/2023-nominees/.  The 2024 Judges were also announced.  The awards ceremony was held at the Grand Hall at Historic Union Station in Indianapolis, and streamed live on the ENNIES YouTube Channel.

2023 ENNIE Awards Hosts and Guest Presenters Announced!

We are pleased to announce that Kenneth Hite and Robin D. Laws will host the 23rd Annual ENNIE Awards live at Gen Con, August 4th at 8PM ET.
Ken & Robin will be joined by guest presenters Jay Dragon, Marissa Kelly, Mark Diaz Truman, and Mark Morrison!

Kenneth Hite is a veteran role-playing game designer who has been designing games since 1981. He is the multi-ENNIE winning author of Trail of Cthulhu, Night’s Black Agents and The Dracula Dossier role-playing games, and lead designer of the 5th edition of Vampire: the Masquerade. Ken is also half of the multi-ENNIE award winning podcast Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff.

Hite’s games are known for their strong focus on investigative and horror themes. He is a master of creating atmosphere and suspense, and his games are always challenging and rewarding to play. His work has helped to shape the way that games are designed and played today.

 

 

Robin D. Laws is a Canadian writer and veteran role-playing game designer who has been designing games since the early 1990s . He is the author of a number of novels and many ENNIE Award winning role-playing games as well as an anthologist. He work includes The Burning Wheel, GUMSHOE, Ashen Stars, Feng Shui, Hillfolk and Cthulhu Confidential role-playing games. Laws is also a frequent contributor to role-playing game magazines and websites. He has written books and articles on a variety of topics, including game design, game play, and storytelling. Robin is also half of the multi-ENNIE award winning podcast Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff.

Laws is one of the most decorated game designers in the history of the ENNIE Awards. His games are known for their innovative mechanics, their dark and disturbing settings, and their focus on player choice.

 

Jay Dragon is the creative director and head publisher at Possum Creek Games. Jay is a queer disabled game designer born and raised in the Hudson Valley.   Jay’s first published game was the ENNIE award winning Sleepaway, a horror RPG about a group of queer summer camp counselors keeping their kids safe from a strange and uncertain world. Jay also created the ENNIE winning Wanderhome – a pastoral fantasy RPG about traveling animal-folk and the world they encounter.

 

Marissa Kelly is the co-founder of Magpie Games and co-owner of Smoking Mirror Games. Since 2011, she has helped manage more than a dozen successful Kickstarters—raising over $12 million dollars—including the Avatar Legends RPG.
Marissa has also worked on multiple ENNIE award-winning projects such as Epyllion: A Dragon Epic, Bluebeard’s Bride, and Wizard Kitten. Served as art director for over 100 gaming products 7th Sea second edition, the Root Tabletop RPGStoriumYoung Centurions, and Zombie World. Marissa also founded a number of leading tabletop gaming organizations including the Indie Game Developer Network (IDGN).

 

Mark Diaz Truman is the co-founder of Magpie Games and the multi-ENNIE award-winning co-designer of Root: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game. In addition to work on projects like Avatar Legends RPG, Urban Shadows, Zombie World, Our Last Best Hope, and Cartel, Mark has served as a developmental editor on a variety of roleplaying games including Firefly, 7th Sea: 2nd Ed, Masks: A New Generation, and Bluebeard’s Bride.

As a co-founder of the IGDN, Mark has served as the organization’s President, Treasurer, and Safety Board Member.

 

Mark Morrison is the Australian based co-founder of Campaign Coins which produces high quality metal coins and accessories for board games and  tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs). Mark is a long-time TTRPG writer and designer that has written numerous scenarios, adventures, and sourcebooks for a variety of games including ENNIE winning Horror on the Orient Express, Terror Australis, and Reign of Terror.  He has also written scenarios for other TTRPGs, such as Stormbringer, RuneQuest, and 7th Sea

2023 ENNIE Award Nominations!

The ENNIE Awards is pleased to announce the 2023 Nominations and Judges Awards!

Click here to be taken to the complete list.

Our intrepid judges spent 10 months reviewing all product that were submitted to come to this final list of five in each category. Thank you Candace, Chris, Jim Kevin and Shauna for all your hard work!

Final voting will take place from July 14th-23rd.  

There is also still time to sign up to be an ENNIEs judge! Entries close on July 12th!  Judges are voted on by fans as well during the same voting period.

Winner will be announced via Live at Gen Con in the Crowne Plaza Union Station Grand Hall on August 4th at 8pm EST. You can also watch it live via our YouTube Channel!

ENNIES Judge Applications Open

Applications to be a judge for the 2024 ENNIE Awards are now being accepted at https://ennie-awards.com/judge-application/

Judges are elected via online ballot held from July 14th to July 23rd. Judges will review hundreds of submissions, electronic and physical, and then collaborate with each other to nominate 5 products for each of 20+ categories. Online voting will then determine which of the nominated products takes home the Gold and Silver ENNIE.

Judges will need some experience with role-playing games, the ability to work as part of a team, excellent time management skills, and must be highly motivated, as many of the 900+ submissions expected will arrive in waves, especially near the end of the eligibility period. Judges must be 18 years old, and may not have held any paid position with any eligible publisher for the 6 months prior to becoming a judge, and for 12 months after election.

The full rules for judges may be found at https://ennie-awards.com/mission-statement-and-participant-code-of-conduct/

Change to 2023 Judging Panel

The ENNIE Awards regrets that Alyx Bui has stepped down as 2023 ENNIEs judge. Due to some exciting opportunities Alyx has within the industry, they will be unable to participate given the conflict of interest.

We wish Alyx much success in the new endeavors. Kevin Combs, as the next selected judge by public vote, will now serve in the role.

New Medals for 2021!

This year we have a fabulous new ENNIES medal made by our sponsors Campaign Coins, designed by D20 Monkey, Brian Patterson.  We are so excited with the update to match our logo!
 2021 Nominees will be announced on August 13th and you can vote for your favorite nominee August 18, 2021 – August 27, 2021.
Who will take home these new beauties?  Find out at 9pm EST, September 17th via our live stream or join us at Gen Con!
            

The ENNIE Awards Believes that Black Lives Matter

The ENnie Awards believes that Black Lives Matter.  Inclusivity is important. The gaming industry is richer for it.  Racial injustice and discrimination have no place in a civil society or in the hobby we love and seek to elevate.

Below are opportunities to support racial justice within the gaming industry and some educational resources to help facilitate anti-racist conversations.

Donate directly to various programs that support racial justice and equality:

Black Lives Matter

Equal Justice Initiative

National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Children

National Bail Fund Network

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

Community Bail Fund

National Bail Fund Network lists a number of bail funds by state, in case you want to support locally.

Black Trans Femmes in the Arts is partnering with Black Trans Travel Fund to raise money for emergency resources to assist those protesting.

 

Opportunities within the gaming industry via gaming bundles:

Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality – Running until June 16th.  All proceeds will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund split 50/50.

Black Lives Matter Support Bundle – Running until June 17th.  All proceeds will be donated to Black Lives Matter and the National Bail Fund Network.

DriveThruRPG has several bundles  – Running until June 22nd.  They are also spotlighting black creators.

Dungeon Masters Guild has a few bundles  – Running until June 22nd.  They are also spotlighting black creators.

 

Here are additional resources that provide education to promote anti-racism:

Letters for Black Lives provides multi-lingual, culturally aware resources aimed at creating a space for open and honest conversations.

Justice in June is a Google Doc resource that provides learning resources and a plan to become a more informed, active ally.

Anti-Racism Collection provides a round-up of resources to aid in undoing racism.

How to Be An Antiracist by Ibran X. Kendi

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo