The journey into Dungeons & Dragons begins with adventure, and for countless players, that adventure started with B1: In Search of the Unknown and B2: The Keep on the Borderlands. These seminal modules, written by Mike Carr (B1) and Gary Gygax (B2), became the gateway for an entire generation of role-players. First published at the dawn of the 1980s, they provided both new and experienced Dungeon Masters with imaginative, well-structured adventures that set the stage for all that followed.

In Search of the Unknown provided an innovative approach to dungeon design, featuring a flexible layout that encouraged Dungeon Masters to populate the adventure themselves. This structure helped new DMs learn the art of world-building while offering players an exciting and unpredictable experience. Meanwhile, The Keep on the Borderlands introduced the legendary Caves of Chaos, an adventure site teeming with danger, intrigue, and the seeds of limitless storytelling. Its depiction of a living, reactive dungeon set a standard for adventure design that persists to this day.

Together, these modules defined the early Dungeons & Dragons experience, setting a benchmark for introductory adventures that generations of players would follow. The imaginative and open-ended gameplay they encouraged laid the foundation for how RPGs are played, taught, and enjoyed. They are the adventures that launched a thousand campaigns. More than 40 years later, their impact is still felt in modern adventures and game design, proving that great storytelling and clever mechanics are truly timeless.

The ENNIE Awards Announce Revised Policy on Generative AI Usage

The ENNIE Awards have long been dedicated to serving the fans, publishers, and broader community of the tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) industry. The ENNIES are a volunteer-driven organization who generously dedicate their time and talents to celebrate and reward excellence within the TTRPG industry. Reflecting changes in the industry and technological advancements, the ENNIE Awards continuously review their policies to ensure alignment with community values.

In 2023, the ENNIE Awards introduced their initial policy on generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs). The policy recognized the growing presence of these technologies in modern society and their nuanced applications, from generating visual and written content to supporting background tasks such as PDF creation and word processing. The intent was to encourage honesty and transparency from creators while maintaining a commitment to human-driven creativity. Under this policy, creators self-reported AI involvement, and submissions with AI contributions were deemed ineligible for certain categories. For example, products featuring AI-generated art were excluded from art categories but remained eligible for writing categories if the text was entirely human-generated, and vice versa. The organizers faced challenges in crafting a policy that balanced inclusivity with the need to uphold the values of creativity and originality. Recognizing that smaller publishers and self-published creators often lack the resources of larger companies, the ENNIE Awards sought to avoid policies that might disproportionately impact those with limited budgets.

However, feedback from the TTRPG community has made it clear that this policy does not go far enough. Generative AI remains a divisive issue, with many in the community viewing it as a threat to the creativity and originality that define the TTRPG industry. The prevailing sentiment is that AI-generated content, in any form, detracts from a product rather than enhancing it.

In response to this feedback, the ENNIE Awards are amending their policy regarding generative AI. Beginning with the 2025-2026 submission cycle, the ENNIE Awards will no longer accept any products containing generative AI or created with the assistance of Large Language Models or similar technologies for visual, written, or edited content. Creators wishing to submit products must ensure that no AI-generated elements are included in their works. While it is not feasible to retroactively alter the rules for the 2024-2025 season, this revised policy reflects the ENNIE Awards commitment to celebrating the human creativity at the heart of the TTRPG community. The ENNIES remain a small, volunteer-run organization that values the ability to adapt quickly, when necessary, despite the challenges inherent in their mission.

The ENNIE Awards thank the TTRPG community for their feedback, passion, and understanding. As an organization dedicated to celebrating the creators, publishers, and fans who shape this vibrant industry, the ENNIES hope that this policy change aligns with the values of the community and fosters continued growth and innovation.

Since its inaugural issue in 1976, Dragon Magazine has stood as a beacon of creativity and innovation in the tabletop role-playing game world. Created by TSR and under the guidance of editors like Tim Kask and Kim Mohan, Dragon showcased the talents of renowned writers, artists, and designers who shaped the industry.

In an age before the internet, Dragon was not only a link between gamers all over the world, it was the humble beginnings of fan collaboration and creation we now take for granted. For more than three decades, Dragon offered a treasure trove of content, from detailed monster ecologies and new character options to compelling fiction and community discussions. Its regular columns, such as Ecology of…, Wormy, and The Forum, became staples for readers. Legendary contributors such as Larry Elmore, Jeff Easley, and Ed Greenwood, who introduced readers to the Forgotten Realms, cemented Dragon’s role as both a tool and an art form. The magazine not only enhanced the games it supported but also cultivated a culture of collaboration and innovation that would ripple across the industry.

The magazine’s impact on the RPG landscape is profound. It inspired the creation of companion publications, such as Dungeon Magazine, and influenced generations of gamers and game designers. Its contributions to world-building and community engagement resonate today, with many of its iconic features and themes still informing modern gaming culture. Even in its later digital iterations, Dragon retained the spirit of discovery and innovation that defined its golden years.

By inducting Dragon Magazine into the ENNIE Awards Hall of Fame, we honor a publication that not only chronicled the history of role-playing games but actively helped shape it. Its legacy is one of imagination, collaboration, and a deep, abiding love for the hobby that it helped elevate to an art form. For generations of players, it wasn’t just a magazine—it was a gateway to worlds of imagination, adventure, and boundless possibility.

Given the time of year, it seems fitting to make a game that is synonymous with tabletop horror our October Hall of Fame inductee – Call of Cthulhu. When Call of Cthulhu was first published in 1981 by Chaosium Inc., it brought a fresh and terrifying new perspective to role-playing games. Created by Sandy Petersen and based on H.P. Lovecraft’s stories of cosmic horror, Call of Cthulhu used Chaosium’s Basic Role-Playing system and emphasized character vulnerability and psychological tension. This innovative system allowed players to investigate the unspeakable while contending with their fragile sanity, rather than focusing solely on combat. The game quickly became a fan favorite, offering an experience unlike anything else in the role-playing world. It pioneered the shift from traditional heroic fantasy to horror-based storytelling, where players faced mysteries more terrifying than any monster and shifted the concept of winning from traditional victory to surviving the psychological horror and maintaining sanity in the face of cosmic dread. Its sanity mechanics influenced numerous other games, giving rise to new ways to explore fear and uncertainty within a narrative framework.

Over its seven editions, Call of Cthulhu has been translated into more than 15 languages, reaching a global audience eager to explore the mysteries of the Great Old Ones. The game has inspired a wealth of spin-offs and spiritual successors, including Trail of Cthulhu, d20 Cthulhu, and Delta Green, along with many Lovecraft-inspired video games that carry its legacy forward.

It is with great pride that the ENNIE Awards inducts Call of Cthulhu into the Hall of Fame. Its influence has spread far beyond the tabletop, leaving an indelible mark on role-playing games, popular culture, and the way we tell stories of fear and madness.

THE ENNIE Awards are pleased to announce Bridgett Jeffries as the host for the 2024 ENNIE Awards!

Bridgett Jeffries (she/her) is the founder and owner of Symphony Entertainment Gaming & Arts LLC, a horror club that focuses on horror based TTRPG systems. She also works full-time as Chaosium’s Community Coordinator, where she is an enthusiastically loud (very loud) coach, advocate, and cheerleader for community content creators. She also helps run Chaosium’s Organized Play program, The Cult of Chaos.

You can catch her rambling (and hysterically laughing) on the ENNIE Award Winning podcast, The Miskatonic University Podcast, where she and the other co-hosts discuss weird and horrific roleplaying games. When she’s not writing horror content, you can watch/listen to Bridgett on various podcasts and actual plays to include Chaosium’s Stream of Chaos, Ain’t Slayed Nobody, The Calyx, Red Moon Roleplaying, and more! Bridgett is a resident of Columbus, Ohio, USA. She has three dogs (Sony, Zoe, and Gabriel). They’re pretty cool. Actually, no… they’re awesome.

The awards will take place on Friday, August 2nd at 8 P.M.  EST at Gen Con in the Crown Plaza Union Station Grand Hall.  It can also be watched live via the ENNIE Award YouTube channel.