Judges

Amelia Antrim

I am one of the co-hosts of Character Creation Cast, a podcast that explores RPGs through the lens of character creation by sitting down with designers and experts to run through the process of making characters in a wide variety of games. We also have a series of episodes on how to become a better player at the table. I have been making the show for a little over five years, and have been involved in a number of other RPG and podcast projects over the years, including being an ENNIES Judge!

Joe Blankenship

I was introduced to RPGs in 1980, so you can probably guess that my first experiences were with D&D, but we soon branched out to Champions, Villains & Vigilantes, Toon, Traveller, and others. Before too long, I realized how much I enjoyed reading and analyzing varying game rules, settings, and other material. For some time I felt guilty when I spent my money and time on material that was not likely to ever be used at the gaming table, but I soon came to enjoy my reading and thinking time without concern for whether, when, or how I might actually put the information to use.

Tom Cantwell

I play TTRPGs, run TTRPGs, teach TTRPGs, read TTRPGs, and do just about everything else with TTRPGs. I have been playing games for the last decade starting with D&D 5th edition, but I quickly realized the long lineage of TTRPGs and started making my way back and forward through the plethora of game systems and sourcebooks that have been realized and were in the process of being realized. I was a cohost on the RPG Academy Podcast from 2017-2023, and only recently stepped away to focus on running games in my local IRL community and playing more games with my kids.

Christopher Gath

I run and play many different systems throughout the year. I have a decent sized RPG collection allowing me to better comprehend the different games to be judged. I have been a judge before and understand that large amount of time and dedication it takes to do the job well. I run and play RPGs to share in the creativeness and entertainment of friend both old and new.

Clayton Notestine

I‘m a writer, designer, and critic at Explorers Design (www.exploresdesign.com), a studio that explores, celebrates, and teaches the art and design of tabletop roleplaying games. I bring my experience as a professional non-RPG designer to the judges’ panel alongside my perspective as an autistic, aphasia-recovering person.
I enjoy making silly voices with my friends and family and enjoy roleplaying games for everything they offer beyond the table. History, perspectives, theory, cultural insights—everything. RPGs are an art form. If they had museums, I’d read every plaque and attend every seminar.