Humble Bundle - Award Winning & Nominated RPGs (Presented by the ENNies)

I'm not even going to go into whether or not the ENNies are relevant (I cover such in THIS Video). Nope, simply appreciate the number of useful titles in the Award Winning & Nominated RPGs (Presented by the ENNies) Bundle and judge accordingly.

As usual with Humble Bundle, the mid-range Bundle lacks the bargain of the low end (5 bucks includes Peterson's Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors, Forbidden Lands RPG, Ashen Stars RPG, The 20th Anniversary Release of Freeport, and others), and the $25 level offers 27 titles, including titles such as Blade Runner, Dragon Age, The Strange, The One Ring Core Rules, some Delta Green Releases, some classic D20 era DCC releases, a solo CoC adventure, and much more.

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News - Halls of the Blood King (OSE) Wins Two Gold Ennies

I'm not much of an Ennies watcher these days, but I was happy to see that Halls of the Blood King (OSE) win Gold Ennies for Best Adventure and Best Cartography. I know Diogo Nogueira wrote the adventure but I'm not sure who the cartographer is and Glynn Seal is the cartographer.

In any case, you can snag Halls of the Blood King in print (plus PDF) for 15 bucks plus shipping at the Exalted Funeral Press website. The PDF of Halls of the Blood King is 7.50 at DTRPG.

A fantasy-horror adventure for characters of 3rd to 5th level.

• 37 keyed areas, rumour table, loot summary, dungeon background info.
• Keyed in a quick-reference, bullet point format.
• Statted for Old-School Essentials (B/X), usable with any vintage adventure game.
• Unlabelled map included for VTT use.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar  

So, Who Won at the ENnies This Year? (Highlighting the ones I have interest in)

I had a couple of people reach out to me asking if I'd covered the 2019 ENnies winners on the blogside, and I hadn't - although I did give it a quick rundown on the Tavern Chat Podcast.

I snagged the list from the ENnies website, but the comments are mine alone ;)

Best Adventure
GOLD: Masks of Nyarlathotep (Chaosium Inc.) (Call of Cthulhu did very well this year, as did Chaosium overall - did they take a page from the Raggi Rulebook?)
SILVER: Mothership: Dead Planet (Tuesday Knight Games)

Best Aid/Accessory – Digital
GOLD: World Anvil Grandmaster Tier Worldbuilding & Campaign Management Platform (Both World Anvil and DUNGEONFOG are amazing products)
SILVER: DUNGEONFOG—Online Map Maker & Authoring Tool (I'll be back to using this to making more maps for personal and public consumption soon)

Best Aid/Accessory – Non-Digital
GOLD: Masks of Nyarlathotep Gamer Prop Set (H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society) (what I saw looked awesome if pricey)
SILVER: Dwarven Forge’s Dungeon of Doom Modular Terrain (Dwarven Forge) (good but pricey)

Best Art, Cover
GOLD: Call of Cthulhu – Terror Australis 2E (Chaosium Inc.) (there is a trend forming...)
SILVER: KULT: Divinity Lost, 4th Edition (Helmgast AB)

Best Art, Interior
GOLD: RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha Slipcase (Chaosium Inc.) (I'm a longtime RQ lover)
SILVER: Symbaroum Monster Codex (Free League Publishing)

Best Cartography
GOLD: Forbidden Lands (Free League Publishing)
SILVER: A New Map of Hot Springs Island (Swordfish Islands) (OSR representing)

Best Electronic Book
GOLD: Sly Flourish’s Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master (Last Word Audio)
SILVER: Fear’s Sharp Little Needles (Stygian Fox Publishing)

Best Family Game / Product
GOLD: Kids on Bikes (Renegade Game Studios/Hunters Entertainment) (or is that "Kids on Pikes?)
SILVER: Dinosaur Princesses (Ardens Ludere)

Best Free Game / Product
GOLD: Ironsworn (Shawn Tomkin)
SILVER: The Ultraviolet Grasslands (Hydra Cooperative) (and available for download)

Best Game
GOLD: Mothership: Player’s Survival Guide (Tuesday Knight Games)
SILVER: Dialect: A Game about Language and How it Dies (Thorny Games)

Best Layout and Design
GOLD: Symbaroum Monster Codex (Free League Publishing)
SILVER: The Black Hack 2nd Edition (Squarehex) (I've never gotten into the Black Hack, but nice to see the OSR represent)

Best Monster/Adversary
GOLD: Sandy Petersen’s Cthulhu Mythos for 5E (Petersen Games) (CoC again...)
SILVER: Creature Codex for 5th Edition (Kobold Press)

Best Online Content
GOLD: Seth Skorkowsky
SILVER: The Alexandrian

Best Organized Play
GOLD: Cypher Play Numenera Season 18-2: Building Amber (Monte Cook Games)
SILVER: Minsc and Boo’s Guide to Stuff and Things (Greg Marks)

Best Podcast
GOLD: Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff (ever notice this scripted podcast is always on this list? excellent production values, I think it's less the hosts and more the team behind them that makes the mark)
SILVER: Red Moon Roleplaying

Best Production Values
GOLD: Forbidden Lands (Free League Publishing)
SILVER: Invisible Sun Black Box (Monte Cook Games)

Best RPG Related Product
GOLD: Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: Masks of Nyarlathotep (H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society) (CoC...)
SILVER: Miskatonic University: Restricted Collection (Chaosium Inc.) (CoC and Chaosium)

Best Rules
GOLD: Call of Cthulhu Starter Set (Chaosium Inc.) (CoC and Chaosium. Excellent product too)
SILVER: Forbidden Lands (Free League Publishing)

Best Setting
GOLD: The Fall of DELTA GREEN (Pelgrane Press) (Oh my. Is this still CoC?)
SILVER: Call of Cthulhu – Terror Australis 2e (Chaosium Inc.) (I know this is CoC)

Best Supplement
GOLD: The Glorantha Sourcebook (Chaosium Inc.) (ah, RQ and Chaosium)
SILVER: The 7th Ed. Guide to Cthulhu Invictus (Golden Goblin Press) (ah, yes, CoC)

Best Writing
GOLD: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Core Rulebook (Cubicle Seven) (I still want to play this. I still need to fully read the rules)
SILVER: KULT: Divinity Lost, 4th Edition (Helmgast AB)

Product of the Year
GOLD: Masks of Nyarlathotep Gamer Prop Set (H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society) (CoC? Again?)
SILVER: Forbidden Lands (Free League Publishing)

Fan’s Choice, Best Publisher
Chaosium Inc. (Chaosium - who would have thunk? ;)

Judges’ Spotlight Award
The Stygian Library (Dying Stylishly Games)
Archives of the Sky (Aaron A. Reed)
Sigmata: This Signal Kills Fascists (Land of NOP LLC)
plot ARMOR (Mostly Harmless Games)
The Elephant & Macaw Banner: Player’s Guide (Porcupine Publishing)

Best of Those Left Off This List (as per The Tavern)

The Midderlands Expanded, MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing
  Cartographer: Glynn Seal

Creature Codex for 5th Edition, Kobold Press
  Authors: Wolfgang Baur, Dan Dillon, Richard Green, James Haeck, Jeremy Hochhalter, James Introcaso, Jon Sawatsky, Chris Harris

Questing Beast Podcast, Questing Beast

So, why do you think Chaosium / Call of Cthulhu did so well this year?

Zak Smith - The Hits Just Keep on Coming - ENnies Ban Announced

Pretty much what it says on the tin. I'm glad they did not retroactively remove awards, as the products in question won because of teamwork from all involved, not just Zak.

You can read the original link here: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/ennie-award-announcement

The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode 91 - ENnies, They are a Changing (no more stuffing?)

The past few years have led to drama over the ENnies Awards. This year is no different. This year, the OSR did extremely well, Zak S in particular. Thus, it is time to change the system to ensure this isn't repeated.

The ENnies Awards blog has posted that there will be upcoming changes in how the winners get picked (few details if any) in response to the "gaming" of the vote by Zak S and James Raggi. The same "gaming" of the vote they tell you not to do while telling you exactly how to do it. The same "gaming" of the vote that has been done for years by others, including major publishers, I am sure. The ENnies are not an industry Award, they are a rigged popularity contest. It just that the wrong folks rigged the contest this year. 

Link to Episode 91 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/Episode-91---Ennies--They-are-a-Changing-no-more-stuffing-e216fa

Link to ENnies blog - www.ennie-awards.com/blog/ennie-awards-time-for-change/

The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode 80 - Gen Con - Fisticuffs & ENnies Awards

Yep, it's Gen Con time. The OSR did surprisingly well with the ENies awards. Congrats to all that won.

Gen Con is in full swing - literally. A Youtuber gets attacked at a local bar by a Gen Con exhibitor and Gen Con silences the discussion. The ENnies were announced and the OSR did very well.

Link Episode 80 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/Episode-80---Gen-Con---Fisticuffs--ENnies-Awards-e1ut65

Links:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?5490-Congratulations-to-2018-s-ENnie-Award-Winners!

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?652541-GenCon-and-quot-the-Attack-quot

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/03/gen-con-indianapolis-gaming-commentator-conservative-views-punched/896816002/

http://boundingintocomics.com/2018/08/02/gencon-begins-silencing-people-who-bring-up-the-quarterings-attacker/

Deal of the Day - The Scenario from Ontario (2018 ENnie Nominated)

Today's Deal of the Day is solidly in the OSR camp of things, as it consists of two scenarios written for Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy (but usable with the other OSR systems) - The Scenario from Ontario.

Normally 9.50 in PDF, until tomorrow morning at 11 AM Eastern time, it's on sale for 3.80.

The Scenario from Ontario is the result of a 24 hour writing competition between Kiel Chenier (Blood in the Chocolate, Hell House Beckons, and others) and Zzarchov Kowolski (Scenic Dunnsmouth, The Gnomes of Levnec, and others). 

Two separate adventures written with the prompt of "Maple Syrup" were combined with professional art, layout, and cartography.

Yep, that's an affiliate link above. Affiliate links support The Tavern and keep the lights on. I thank you in advance.

Matt Finch - Live on Youtube with ENnies OSR Nominees - Noon Eastern thru 7pm

Matt Finch is doing a marathon Youtube session / interviews / hang out with many of the ENnies nominees from the OSR.

James Raggi and possibly Glynn Seal at noon.

Zak S at 1 pm

Jason Hobbs at 5 pm

Probably other guests too.

Here's the link

Some further info that is relevant from this morning's post is repeated below:

Yep, ENnies voting is live. Just a note on the ENnies voting from the ENnies site itself:

In the end, we at the ENnies subscribe to the democratic principle of "one person, one vote." We ask that you not vote more than once (this includes voting on different devices (computers, smartphones, etc.)) and that you not ask others to do the same in order to "stuff the ballot box." As such, you will not be able to change your vote once you've submitted your selection.

So, don't stuff the ballot box and here's how to do it if you were going to ;)

Another bit of info:

If you don't like a product, don't vote for it. You cannot hurt a product's chances of winning by ranking it poorly. To the contrary, you'll help it out if the race goes down to the wire. This system is called an Instant Runoff Election.

I'm not telling anyone what to do, I'm just pointing out how not to do it...

Episode #56 Synopsis:

We all have gaming moments that are burned into our memories. I recount some of my earlier memories. Also, ENnies voting is now live!

Link to Episode #56 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/Episode-56---Gaming-Memories--ENnies-Voting-is-Live-e1pies

Ennies Voting Link - http://ennie-awards.com/vote/2018/

The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode #56 - Gaming Memories & ENnies Voting is Live

Yep, ENnies voting is live. Just a note on the ENnies voting from the ENnies site itself:

In the end, we at the ENnies subscribe to the democratic principle of "one person, one vote." We ask that you not vote more than once (this includes voting on different devices (computers, smartphones, etc.)) and that you not ask others to do the same in order to "stuff the ballot box." As such, you will not be able to change your vote once you've submitted your selection.

So, don't stuff the ballot box and here's how to do it if you were going to ;)

Another bit of info:

If you don't like a product, don't vote for it. You cannot hurt a product's chances of winning by ranking it poorly. To the contrary, you'll help it out if the race goes down to the wire. This system is called an Instant Runoff Election.

I'm not telling anyone what to do, I'm just pointing out how not to do it...

Episode #56 Synopsis:

We all have gaming moments that are burned into our memories. I recount some of my earlier memories. Also, ENnies voting is now live!

Link to Episode #56 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/Episode-56---Gaming-Memories--ENnies-Voting-is-Live-e1pies

Ennies Voting Link - http://ennie-awards.com/vote/2017/

Matt Finch has Interviewed ALL of the OSR Creators Nominated for the 2018 ENnies - and WE Have the Links

The following was sent to me by Matt Finch himself:

Erik - here is a list of interviews I've done with OSR candidates for ENNIES this year, so people can see them face to face, as it were. :)

Get to know some OSR ENNIE award nominees!
These are the ENNIE Nominees I have interviewed on Uncle Matt’s D&D Studio (use this link to follow Matt's Youtube Channel - Erik)

Jason Hobbs:
Best Podcast (Hobbs & Friends of the OSR)

This is a really fun interview, and it’s on the very day Jason learned he’d been nominated.

Zak Smith:
Best Interior Art (Frostbitten & Mutilated)
Best Monster/Adversary (Frostbitten & Mutilated)
Best Setting (Frostbitten & Mutilated)
Best Writing (Frostbitten & Mutilated)
Product of the Year (Frostbitten & Mutilated)

Interview 2 (which is about terrain) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb661ACZsg4
Interview 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hhc_D76ODs

Jacob Hurst:
Best Adventure (The Dark of Hot Springs Island)
Product of the Year (The Dark of Hot Springs Island)

James Raggi:
Best Free Product (Vaginas are Magic!)

Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uDnPAOJHWs
Part 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJwnUei8Yb4
Part 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXWYSPXvQt4&t=3s
Part 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXjRr90mmLQ

Glynn Seal:
Best Cartography (The Midderlands)

Kiel Chenier:
Best e-book (Scenario from Ontario)

The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode #50 - ENnies Nominations 2018 - Tavern Picks

Time to offer up The Tavern's annual ENnies picks, this time for 2018.

Yep, its that time of the year again and its time to offer The Tavern's picks and suggestions for the 2018 ENnies. Congrats to Jason Hobbs for the podcast Hobbs and Friends of the OSR making it to the final five.

Link to Episode #50 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/Episode-50---ENnies-Nominations-2018---Tavern-Picks-e1ojgq

Link to the Hobbs and Friends of the OSR Podcast -   http://misdirectedmark.com/category/podcasts/hobbs/

ENnies - Breaking Their Own Rules When it Comes to Judges (Disregard - I Can't do Basic Math)

edit: This is what happens when you are your own editor - 2016 to 2018 is 2 years? right? wrong, as we are only in 2017 - Yes, three of the four perennial judges are NOT running this year - I guess they decided to get a head start on the impending new rules THAT ARE NOT YET IN EFFECT. Kurt is within the rules to run this year - but not next. The three not running this year CAN run next.

So, read this post as an example of what happens when I do fuck up - I correct, retract but I do not delete. Enjoy my embarrassment. It is well deserved - Tenkar

Look at the highlighted part of the rules to apply to nominate yourself to be an ENnies judge:

So, you can't be a judge if you've been a judge for the last two years. Simple enough, right?

I guess two consecutive years is no good, but SIX consecutive years is just peachy! Please tell me how both the applicant (Kurt Weigel) and the ENnies "powers that be" just overlooked this.

Its all on the level kids. Its all on the level.

ENnies Voting Has Started - Time to Do Some "All Star" Voting - Here's The Tavern's List

Yep, its ENnies time. Time time to vote from every McDonalds or library within driving distance. Wait, that's what they do in Chicago or something.

Here's The Tavern's Picks:

Best Adventure
Blood in the Chocolate (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - its actually a damn good adventure that your PCs might survive.

Best Aid/Accessory
Kobold Guide to Plots & Campaigns (Kobold Press) - Kobold Press - need I say more?

Best Art, Cover
WGAF

Best Art, Interior
Baby Bestiary Handbook Vol 2 (Metal Weave Games) - amazing art - simply one of the best.
S. Petersen’s Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors (Chaosium) - also excellent

Best Blog
Gnome Stew: The Gaming Blog - To be honest, I never heard of the other four...

Best Cartography
The Cursed Chateau (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - It is an OSR pick. We gotta represent.

Best Electronic Book
Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure (DIY RPG Productions) - Stuffed full of inspiration. Savor the reading, as it is a five course meal and then some.

Best Family Game
Eh...

Best Free Product
What, no SWL?

Best Game
Not my bag, man

Best Miniature Product
Nope

Best Monster/Adversary
S. Petersen’s Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors (Chaosium) - Simply on of the best. Timeless
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - 66 fucking Euros? Holy shit! No wonder I hadn't heard of it before.

Best Podcast
Spellburn - Excellent podcast and unscripted. Can't say the same about others

Best Production Values
Call of Cthulhu – 7th Edition Slipcase Set (Chaosium) - a beauty to behold - it does justice and more for CoC
Baby Bestiary, Collector’s Edition (Metal Weave Games) - you need to see it to believe it

Best RPG Related Product
Call of Cthulhu: The Coloring Book (Chaosium) - I haven't seen it but I can imagine.

Best Rules
Adventures in Middle-Earth Player’s Guide (Cubicle 7 Entertainment) - If I only ran 5e
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - How much is 66 Euros in USC?

Best Setting
Le sigh

Best Supplement
The One Ring – Horse-Lords of Rohan (Cubicle 7 Entertainments) - Well, it is Tolkien

Best Website
Nothing to say

Best Writing
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - $75.32. Goddamn
The One Ring – Horse-Lords of Rohan (Cubicle 7 Entertainments) - Tolkien

Product of the Year
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) Times like this is when retirement sucks.

Voting this year will take place from July 11 to July 21.

Don't forget to vote Frog God Games as Fan Favorite Publisher. Vote early and vote often. Well, I mean, get your friends, family and pets with an intelligence of 3 or higher to vote. Don't submit multiple votes yourself. That would be wrong. Neither Frog God Games nor The Tavern advocate ballot stuffing. Heck, the Frogs have no nominations and neither does The Tavern. Don't vote. See if I care.

Grumble... Grumble... Get off my lawn ya damn kids and take your peeing dog with you!

Should ENWorld be Endorsing Ennie Nominations?

Tip of the hat to Venger Santanis for pointing me in the direction.

Sean Fannon's Picks of the Week for July 8th. Its a regular column that is also posted on Sean's own blog, but of course, ENWorld is what drives the traffic.

and so on for categories such as:

Best Electronic Book
Best Writing
Best Setting
Best Rules

I'm sure I'm going to surprise many when I say I don't fault Sean for his picks nor posting them at his own blog. Heck, I made picks of my own.

The issue here is that by posting this on ENWorld, the company / site that is the force behind the ENnies (as well as lending its name to them) this sure as hell comes of as picking ENWorld favorites for certain categories. This NEVER should have gotten past Morrus or anyone else that might do the editing (if there is such) at ENWorld.

As the organization running the ENnies, ENWorld should be above reproach. Ethically, they should not give the appearance of endorsing any nominations and they sure as hell look like they are doing so.

This is ground ball shit. Simply another reason to hope that there is some transparency to the ENnies process in the near future.

The Tavern has some Suggestions for The ENnies (and we're soliciting your suggestions too)

So, I've criticized the ENnies voting process in the past (and the ENnies process as a whole) and Hans Cummings, ENnies Submissions Coordinator has suggested that he was open to feedback, so here we are.

Personally, I think much of the issues resides in the "judges round" where the submissions get cut down to five nominations per category.

Strangely enough, I can't find the ENnies judges for 2015 on the ENnies site (but have have found it with some digging off the ENnies site) but Kurt, Stacy, Jakub and Kayra have been judging for a number of years. At least five years for some (and is Stacey Muth related to Mathew Muth?)

2015 Judges

2013 Judges

All FOUR judges from 2016 were carried over to 2017.  Reece Carter was added for 2017. I suspect we'd find a similar trend with the prior years which I can't find on the ENnies site. (I found the trend)

The first thing to do is limit judges to one year at a time - no consecutive years of judging. This really is a no brainer. Biases are natural but bringing in new blood every year will do well at balancing out those biases.

Now, choosing the judges is a popularity contest, and much like in real world politics, the incumbent is at an unfair advantage. One year terms - it really is that simple.

About the judging process? Is there a set of guidelines the judges are expected to follow? Is it public? It should be.

Product is submitted as physical product and shipped around the world at considerable cost to the publishers seeking to be considered. I suggest requiring all submissions be made in PDF. Why? Why not? The judges are volunteers reviewing product. They don't need physical products to do their review.

Switching to digital submissions would remove much of the cost involved. It would also remove the idea that judges are being monetarily compensated for their work, as the post judging Ebay sell off is certainly a thing. And hey, we'd save some trees.

I would also suggest disclosing the votes of both the judges (for the nomination process) and the voting public (for the awards) after the award ceremony. Nothing is better at showing the legitimacy of a process than full disclosure of the process.

If only one thing were to be done, just one - limit judges to one year terms.

So, what are your suggestions?

edit: so, this is a thing. no more than two consecutive years as a judge - I'd prefer one year but its a start:

The Ennie Nominations Have Been Announced - Should You Care?

So, the Ennie nominations have been announced - should you care?

Probably not. If you read The Tavern you are at least nominally interested in the OSR and as a rule, the OSR gets vastly overlooked (I must say LotFP snagged a few nominations, but that's an American in Finland publisher, so James gets extra points when scored ;)

Before I point out some things you MIGHT want to vote for, let me make a few observations:

1 - WotC got ZERO nominations. They did get a "Judge's Spotlight" for Tales of the Yawning Portal but no actual nominations.

2 - Paizo got ONE nomination - for its "pawns" (miniatures) - no nominations for actual gaming content.

3 - LotFP got SIX nominations - Veins of the Earth got four of them. They also snagged a "Judge's Spotlight".

4 - Only one of the five nominated blogs comes close to The Tavern's traffic - Gnome Stew. Actually, that's a well deserved nomination.

Alright, so as far as Tavern Picks go:

Best Adventure
Blood in the Chocolate (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - its actually a damn good adventure that your PCs might survive.

Best Aid/Accessory
Kobold Guide to Plots & Campaigns (Kobold Press) - Kobold Press - need I say more?

Best Art, Cover
WGAF

Best Art, Interior
Baby Bestiary Handbook Vol 2 (Metal Weave Games) - amazing art - simply one of the best.
S. Petersen’s Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors (Chaosium) - also excellent

Best Blog
Gnome Stew: The Gaming Blog - To be honest, I never heard of the other four...

Best Cartography
The Cursed Chateau (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - It is an OSR pick. We gotta represent.

Best Electronic Book
Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure (DIY RPG Productions) - Stuffed full of inspiration. Savor the reading, as it is a five course meal and then some.

Best Family Game
Eh...

Best Free Product
What, no SWL?

Best Game
Not my bag, man

Best Miniature Product
Nope

Best Monster/Adversary
S. Petersen’s Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors (Chaosium) - Simply on of the best. Timeless
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - 66 fucking Euros? Holy shit! No wonder I hadn't heard of it before.

Best Podcast
Spellburn - Excellent podcast and unscripted. Can't say the same about others

Best Production Values
Call of Cthulhu – 7th Edition Slipcase Set (Chaosium) - a beauty to behold - it does justice and more for CoC
Baby Bestiary, Collector’s Edition (Metal Weave Games) - you need to see it to believe it

Best RPG Related Product
Call of Cthulhu: The Coloring Book (Chaosium) - I haven't seen it but I can imagine.

Best Rules
Adventures in Middle-Earth Player’s Guide (Cubicle 7 Entertainment) - If I only ran 5e
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - How much is 66 Euros in USC?

Best Setting
Le sigh

Best Supplement
The One Ring – Horse-Lords of Rohan (Cubicle 7 Entertainments) - Well, it is Tolkien

Best Website
Nothing to say

Best Writing
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - $75.32. Goddamn
The One Ring – Horse-Lords of Rohan (Cubicle 7 Entertainments) - Tolkien

Product of the Year
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) Times like this is when retirement sucks.

Voting this year will take place from July 11 to July 21.

Don't forget to vote Frog God Games as Fan Favorite Publisher. Vote early and vote often. Well, I mean, get your friends, family and pets with an intelligence of 3 or higher to vote. Don't submit multiple votes yourself. That would be wrong. Neither Frog God Games nor The Tavern advocate ballot stuffing. Heck, the Frogs have no nominations and neither does The Tavern. Don't vote. See if I care.

Grumble... Grumble... Get off my lawn ya damn kids and take your peeing dog with you!

ENnies Submissions are In - Guess What Will Soon Need Your Votes? ;)

Yep, a couple of firsts here with the 2017 ENnies:

• First submissions to the ENnies by Frog God Games
• One of the (if not the) first Free Print Product submitted that was not released for Free RPG Day
• First time my name was on a submission (not counting the submission of Tenkar's Tavern a few years ago as a blog entry before realizing I wasn't edgy enough ;)

It should be an interesting summer ;)

Just How Excited Were Folks Over the ENnies Winners over on ENWorld?

The ENnies were announced Friday Night.

It is now Sunday Morning.

I hope we can generate more excitement than that when the Old School Recognition Awards kick off.

What if there Were Game Industry Awards for What Really Matters to the Old School Gamer?

The ENnies are tonight.

I know, may the excitement never end.

But what if there were gaming awards for stuff that REALLY mattered to the "Old School Gamer"?

After some brainstorming last night with my usual, unnamed partner in crime we came up with The ORC Awards - Old Roleplaying Crap Awards.

So what would WE, your secret cabal of judges award prizes (Pewter and Lead) for?

• Best Kickstarter Drama 
• Most likely to not actually be used
• Most likely to have its OGL content ripped word for word
• Most reused piece of stock art
• Worst layout by a professional
• Most likely to stir dirty thoughts (pre Internet porn era)
• Worst pre ogl D&D ripoff 
• Best Maps with Worst Setting Support
• Worst binding 
• Excellence in Chain mail Bikini Art
• Worst DTRPG product: free and for money
• Most derivative concept
• Most irrelevant commenter (and RPG blog or forum commenter)
• Stupidest dice innovation
• Least necessary PC race Or class
• Most overworked mechanic to solve problem no one has
• Worst con game title
• Most respectful use of 'fuck' in a gaming publication
• Least respectful in same
• Special category: White Knight Comment Enabling Award

So, what say you? Do we request nominations for the ORC Awards?

Edit - We're open to doing legit awards too ;)

Ennies Voting is Live - The Tavern Makes it's Picks

Although voting for the ENNies really has no more value than voting for the All Stars in the Baseball Classic (it more popularity contest than anything else), it does have an effect on sales. So, The Tavern, being the Bastion of the OSR (it must be so, as I said it ;) does have some suggested picks for the discerning reader.

2017 Judge - who cares?

Best Adventure - Maze of the Blue Medusa is the only thing vaguely OSR

Best Aid / Accessory - Non-Player Cards: Artful and Inspirational (misspelled on the ENNies page) NPC Generator

Best Art, Interior - Baby Bestiary Handbook Vol 1

Best Blog - The Other Side

Best Cartography - Maze of the Blue Medusa

Best Family Game - No Thank You, Evil! (my niece is having a blast)

Best Miniature Product - Death & Taxes Collector's Set (go +Zach Glazar )

Best Monster / Adversary - Baby Bestiary Handbook Vol 1

Best Production Values - Death & Taxes Collector's Set

Most categories I couldn't give a crap about. Vote and vote often (from other devices). Come on, you know everyone is doing it ;)