The ENnies. Who got nominated, who got left out, and who will win

Voting for the ENnies began on July 16th and ended on July 25th. The judges (Mark W. Green, Justin ‘Jay’ Peters, Christopher W. Richeson, Megan Robertson, and Jeramy Ware) have chosen five products for each category below. The HM products (Honorable Mention) were products that the judges really liked, but fell short of an actual nomination.

The winners will be announced on the evening of Friday, August 6th at Gen Con.

The official nominees were:

Best Adventure

* The Grinding Gear (Lamentations of the Flame Princess)
* Pathfinder AP #31: Stolen Land (Paizo Publishing)
* A Song of Ice and Fire: Peril at King’s Landing (Green Ronin)
* Trail of Cthulhu: The Armitage Files (Pelgrane Press)
* WFRP: The Gathering Storm (Fantasy Flight Games)
* HM: Trail of Cthulhu: Shadows over Filmland (Pelgrane Press)

Best Aid or Accessory

* Battlegraph Dry Erase Boards (Longtooth Studios)
* Campaign Coins (King of the Castle Games & Paizo Publishing)
* Gaming Paper (Gaming Paper)
* Hero Lab v3.6 (Lone Wolf Development)
* Pathfinder GM Screen (Paizo Publishing)
* HM: A Song of Ice and Fire Narrator’s Kit (Green Ronin)

Best Art, Cover

* Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)
* Pathfinder Bestiary (Paizo Publishing)
* Rogue Trader Core Rulebook (Fantasy Flight Games)
* Trail of Cthulhu: Rough Magicks (Pelgrane Press)
* WFRP: The Gathering Storm (Fantasy Flight Games)
* HM: Star Wars: The Unknown Regions (Wizards of the Coast)

Best Art, Interior

* Escape from Tentacle City (Willow Palecek)
* Pathfinder Core Rulebook (Paizo Publishing)
* Rogue Trader Core Rulebook (Fantasy Flight Games)
* Shadowrun – 20th Anniversary Ed. (Catalyst Game Labs)
* Warhammer Fantasy RPG (Fantasy Flight Games)
* HM: Hero 6th Edition (Hero Games)

Best Blog

* Critical Hits
* Gnome Stew
* Kobold Quarterly
* NewbieDM.com
* One Geek to Another
* HM: Sarah Darkmagic

Best Cartography

* Aces and Eights: Judas Crossing (Kenzer & Company)
* Dungeon of Terror Virtual Box Set (0one Games)
* Maps of Mastery: Swamp Caves (Maps of Mastery)
* Pathfinder City Map Folio (Paizo Publishing)
* Revenge of the Giants (Wizards of the Coast)
* HM: Death Frost Doom (Lamentation of the Flame Princess)

Best Electronic Book

* The Great City Player’s Guide (0one Games)
* Heroes of the Jade Oath BETA (Rite Publishing)
* To Kill Or Not To Kill (Rite Publishing)
* Pathfinder Society Scenario #29: The Devil We Know Part 1: Shipyard Rats (Paizo Publishing)
* Shambles (A Terrible Idea)
* HM: Fey Folio: The Unseelie Court (Alluria Publishing)

Best Free Product

* Advanced Players Guide Playtest (Paizo Publishing)
* Combat Advantage #15 (Emerald Press)
* Lady Blackbird (one.seven Design)
* Warriors Adventure Game (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
* Wayfinder #1 (Paizo Fans United)
* HM: Hexographer (Inkwell Ideas)

Best Game

* Dragon Age: Set 1 (Green Ronin)
* Hero 6th Edition (Hero Games)
* Pathfinder (Paizo Publishing)
* Shadowrun – 20th Anniversary Ed. (Catalyst Game Labs)
* Wild Talents 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
* HM: Labyrinth Lord (Goblinoid Games)

Best Miniature Product

* Alkemy Minis (Kraken Editions)
* D&D Minis (Wizards of the Coast)
* Fortress of Redemption (Games Workshop)
* Gaming Paper (Gaming Paper)
* Maps of Mastery: Swamp Caves (Maps of Mastery)
* HM: Battlegraph Dry Erase Boards (Longtooth Studios)

Best Monster/Adversary

* Aces and Eights: Rustlers & Townsfolk (Kenzer and Company)
* Hellfrost Bestiary (Cubicle 7)
* Pathfinder Bestiary (Paizo Publishing)
* Pathfinder: Classic Horrors Revisited (Paizo Publishing)
* Supernatural: Guide to the Hunted (Margaret Weis Productions)
* HM: Fey Folio: The Unseelie Court (Alluria Publishing)

Best Podcast

* All Games Considered
* Atomic Array
* NewbieDM.com Minicast
* Open Design
* Power Source
* HM: The Gamer’s Haven Podcast

Best Production Values

* Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)
* Pathfinder Core Rulebook (Paizo Publishing)
* Rogue Trader Core Rulebook (Fantasy Flight Games)
* Shadowrun – 20th Anniversary Ed. (Catalyst Game Labs)
* Warhammer Fantasy RPG (Fantasy Flight Games)
* HM: Mysteries of the Hollow Earth (Exile Game Studio)

Best Regalia

* Battletech: 25 Years of Art and Fiction (Catalyst Game Labs)
* Buried Tales of Pine Box, Texas (12 to Midnight)
* Cthulhu 101 (Atomic Overmind Press)
* Grind (Privateer Press)
* Three Dragon Ante: Emperor’s Gambit (Wizards of the Coast)
* HM: Best of All Flesh (Elder Signs Press)

Best Rules

* Atomic Highway (Radioactive Ape Designs)
* BASH Ultimate Edition (Basic Action Games)
* Diaspora (VSCA)
* Hero 6th Edition (Hero Games)
* Wild Talents 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
* HM: Earthdawn 3rd Edition, Player’s Guide (RedBrick LLC)

Best Setting

* Day After Ragnarok (Atomic Overmind Press)
* Goblin Markets (White Wolf Publishing)
* Kerberos Club (Cubicle 7)
* Judge Dredd (Mongoose Publishing)
* Rome: Life and Death of the Republic (Cubicle 7)
* HM: Shadowrun: Seattle 2072 (Catylst Game Labs)

Best Supplement

* Lucha Libre Hero (Hero Games)
* Mysteries of the Hollow Earth (Exile Game Studio)
* Nobis: The City-States (Pantheon Press)
* Player’s Handbook 3 (Wizards of the Coast)
* Rebellion Era Campaign Guide (Wizards of the Coast)
* HM: Cthulhutech: Damnation View (WildFire)

Best Website

* d20PFSRD.com
* Epic Words
* Obsidian Portal
* Pathfinder Wiki
* Pen & Paper Games
* HM: Hexographer

Best Writing

* Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)
* FantasyCraft (Crafty Games)
* How We Came to Live Here (Galileo Games)
* Kerberos Club (Cubicle 7)
* Victoriana 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
* HM: Colonial Gothic (Rogue Games)

Product of the Year

* Doctor Who (Cubicle 7)
* Dragon Age: Set 1 (Green Ronin)
* Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)
* Geist the Sin-Eaters (White Wolf Publishing)
* Kerberos Club (Cubicle 7)
* Pathfinder (Paizo Publishing)
* Rome: Life and Death of the Republic (Cubicle 7)
* Shadowrun – 20th Anniversary Ed. (Catalyst Game Labs)
* Warhammer Fantasy RPG (Fantasy Flight Games)
* Wild Talents 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
* HM: FantasyCraft (Crafty Games)
* HM: Savage Suzerain (Cubicle 7)

Okay – that’s fine. As I have every single year, I find some very dubious choices for the nominees – but always some pleasant surprises, too.

From blogs that I feel are blatantly edition-specific (which shows what I feel is a bias on the part of the judges) to superior miniature products being overlooked, this year’s nominees have really surprised me.

What I’ve done here is line out the choices that I do not agree with, and have substituted as many of my own nominees as I could. In some cases I left out a nominee or two. I have also made my pick from the official list as to who I think will win.

Best Adventure

* The Grinding Gear (Lamentations of the Flame Princess)
* Pathfinder AP #31: Stolen Land (Paizo Publishing)
* A Song of Ice and Fire: Peril at King’s Landing (Green Ronin)
* Trail of Cthulhu: The Armitage Files (Pelgrane Press)
* WFRP: The Gathering Storm (Fantasy Flight Games)
* HM: Trail of Cthulhu: Shadows over Filmland (Pelgrane Press)
* My nomination: Pathfinder AP #32: Rivers Run Red (Paizo Publishing)
* My nomination: Pathfinder AP #36: Sound of a Thousand Screams (Paizo Publishing)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Pathfinder AP #31: Stolen Land (Paizo Publishing)

Best Aid or Accessory

* Battlegraph Dry Erase Boards (Longtooth Studios)
* Campaign Coins (King of the Castle Games & Paizo Publishing)
* Gaming Paper (Gaming Paper)
* Hero Lab v3.6 (Lone Wolf Development)
* Pathfinder GM Screen (Paizo Publishing)
* HM: A Song of Ice and Fire Narrator’s Kit (Green Ronin)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Campaign Coins (King of the Castle Games & Paizo Publishing)

Best Art, Cover

* Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)
* Pathfinder Bestiary (Paizo Publishing)
* Rogue Trader Core Rulebook (Fantasy Flight Games)
* Trail of Cthulhu: Rough Magicks (Pelgrane Press)
* WFRP: The Gathering Storm (Fantasy Flight Games)
* HM: Star Wars: The Unknown Regions (Wizards of the Coast)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Rogue Trader Core Rulebook (Fantasy Flight Games)

Best Art, Interior

* Escape from Tentacle City (Willow Palecek)
* Pathfinder Core Rulebook (Paizo Publishing)
* Rogue Trader Core Rulebook (Fantasy Flight Games)
* Shadowrun – 20th Anniversary Ed. (Catalyst Game Labs)
* Warhammer Fantasy RPG (Fantasy Flight Games)
* HM: Hero 6th Edition (Hero Games)
* My nomination: Galaxy at War (Wizards of the Coast)
* My nomination: Scavenger’s Guide to Droids (Wizards of the Coast)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Rogue Trader Core Rulebook (Fantasy Flight Games)

Best Blog

* Critical Hits
* Gnome Stew
* Kobold Quarterly
* NewbieDM.com
* One Geek to Another
* HM: Sarah Darkmagic
* My nomination: Stargazer’s World
* My nomination: RPG Blog II
* My nomination: Robertson Games
* My nomination: Mad Brew Labs

WHO SHOULD WIN: Critical Hits

Best Cartography

* Aces and Eights: Judas Crossing (Kenzer & Company)
* Dungeon of Terror Virtual Box Set (0one Games)
* Maps of Mastery: Swamp Caves (Maps of Mastery)
* Pathfinder City Map Folio (Paizo Publishing)
* Revenge of the Giants (Wizards of the Coast)
* HM: Death Frost Doom (Lamentation of the Flame Princess)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Pathfinder City Map Folio (Paizo Publishing)

Best Electronic Book

* The Great City Player’s Guide (0one Games)
* Heroes of the Jade Oath BETA (Rite Publishing)
* To Kill Or Not To Kill (Rite Publishing)
* Pathfinder Society Scenario #29: The Devil We Know Part 1: Shipyard Rats (Paizo Publishing)
* Shambles (A Terrible Idea)
* HM: Fey Folio: The Unseelie Court (Alluria Publishing)

WHO SHOULD WIN: The Great City Player’s Guide (0one Games)

Best Free Product

* Advanced Players Guide Playtest (Paizo Publishing)
* Combat Advantage #15 (Emerald Press)
* Lady Blackbird (one.seven Design)
* Warriors Adventure Game (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
* Wayfinder #1 (Paizo Fans United)
* HM: Hexographer (Inkwell Ideas)
* My nomination: Campaign 1: Secrets of the Ancients (Mongoose Publishing)
* My nomination: Legends of Anglerre – Free Preview #1 (Cubicle 7)
* My nomination: In Dark Alleys Gameplay Album (Vajra Enterprises)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Advanced Players Guide Playtest (Paizo Publishing)

Best Game

* Dragon Age: Set 1 (Green Ronin)
* Hero 6th Edition (Hero Games)
* Pathfinder (Paizo Publishing)
* Shadowrun – 20th Anniversary Ed. (Catalyst Game Labs)
* Wild Talents 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
* HM: Labyrinth Lord (Goblinoid Games)
* My nomination: Colonial Gothic (Rogue Games)
* My nomination: Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Pathfinder (Paizo Publishing)

Best Miniature Product

* Alkemy Minis (Kraken Editions)
* D&D Minis (Wizards of the Coast)
* Fortress of Redemption (Games Workshop)
* Gaming Paper (Gaming Paper)
* Maps of Mastery: Swamp Caves (Maps of Mastery)
* HM: Battlegraph Dry Erase Boards (Longtooth Studios)
* My nomination: Otherworld Miniatures
* My nomination: Reaper Miniatures

WHO SHOULD WIN: D&D Minis (Wizards of the Coast)

Best Monster/Adversary

* Aces and Eights: Rustlers & Townsfolk (Kenzer and Company)
* Hellfrost Bestiary (Cubicle 7)
* Pathfinder Bestiary (Paizo Publishing)
* Pathfinder: Classic Horrors Revisited (Paizo Publishing)
* Supernatural: Guide to the Hunted (Margaret Weis Productions)
* HM: Fey Folio: The Unseelie Court (Alluria Publishing)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Pathfinder Bestiary (Paizo Publishing)

Best Podcast

* All Games Considered
* Atomic Array
* NewbieDM.com Minicast
* Open Design
* Power Source
* HM: The Gamer’s Haven Podcast
* My nomination: TrapCast
* My nomination: Yog Radio

WHO SHOULD WIN: All Games Considered

Best Production Values

* Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)
* Pathfinder Core Rulebook (Paizo Publishing)
* Rogue Trader Core Rulebook (Fantasy Flight Games)
* Shadowrun – 20th Anniversary Ed. (Catalyst Game Labs)
* Warhammer Fantasy RPG (Fantasy Flight Games)
* HM: Mysteries of the Hollow Earth (Exile Game Studio)
* My nomination: Colonial Gothic (Rogue Games)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)

Best Regalia

* Battletech: 25 Years of Art and Fiction (Catalyst Game Labs)
* Buried Tales of Pine Box, Texas (12 to Midnight)
* Cthulhu 101 (Atomic Overmind Press)
* Grind (Privateer Press)
* Three Dragon Ante: Emperor’s Gambit (Wizards of the Coast)
* HM: Best of All Flesh (Elder Signs Press)

Personally, I do not believe the above category is much more than “filler”.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Battletech: 25 Years of Art and Fiction (Catalyst Game Labs)

Best Rules

* Atomic Highway (Radioactive Ape Designs)
* BASH Ultimate Edition (Basic Action Games)
* Diaspora (VSCA)
* Hero 6th Edition (Hero Games)
* Wild Talents 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
* HM: Earthdawn 3rd Edition, Player’s Guide (RedBrick LLC)
* My nomination: Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Atomic Highway (Radioactive Ape Designs)

Best Setting

* Day After Ragnarok (Atomic Overmind Press)
* Goblin Markets (White Wolf Publishing)
* Kerberos Club (Cubicle 7)
* Judge Dredd (Mongoose Publishing)
* Rome: Life and Death of the Republic (Cubicle 7)
* HM: Shadowrun: Seattle 2072 (Catylst Game Labs)
* My nomination: Atomic Highway (Radioactive Ape Designs)
* My nomination: Colonial Gothic (Rogue Games)
* My nomination: Pathfinder (Paizo Publishing)
* My nomination: Dragon Age: Set 1 (Green Ronin)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Shadowrun: Seattle 2072 (Catylst Game Labs)

Best Supplement

* Lucha Libre Hero (Hero Games)
* Mysteries of the Hollow Earth (Exile Game Studio)
* Nobis: The City-States (Pantheon Press)
* Player’s Handbook 3 (Wizards of the Coast)
* Rebellion Era Campaign Guide (Wizards of the Coast)
* HM: Cthulhutech: Damnation View (WildFire)
* My nomination: Galaxy at War (Wizards of the Coast)
* My nomination: Scavenger’s Guide to Droids (Wizards of the Coast)
* My nomination: Galaxy of Intrigue (Wizards of the Coast)
* My nomination: The Unknown Regions (Wizards of the Coast)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Rebellion Era Campaign Guide (Wizards of the Coast)

Best Website

* d20PFSRD.com
* Epic Words
* Obsidian Portal
* Pathfinder Wiki
* Pen & Paper Games
* HM: Hexographer

WHO SHOULD WIN: d20PFSRD.com

Best Writing

* Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)
* FantasyCraft (Crafty Games)
* How We Came to Live Here (Galileo Games)
* Kerberos Club (Cubicle 7)
* Victoriana 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
* HM: Colonial Gothic (Rogue Games)
* My nomination: Pathfinder (Paizo Publishing)
* My nomination: Wild Talents 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
* My nomination: Dragon Age: Set 1 (Green Ronin)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Colonial Gothic (Rogue Games)

Product of the Year

* Doctor Who (Cubicle 7)
* Dragon Age: Set 1 (Green Ronin)
* Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)
* Geist the Sin-Eaters (White Wolf Publishing)
* Kerberos Club (Cubicle 7)
* Pathfinder (Paizo Publishing)
* Rome: Life and Death of the Republic (Cubicle 7)
* Shadowrun – 20th Anniversary Ed. (Catalyst Game Labs)
* Warhammer Fantasy RPG (Fantasy Flight Games)
* Wild Talents 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
* HM: FantasyCraft (Crafty Games)
* HM: Savage Suzerain (Cubicle 7)

Here I simply believe that there should only be 5 nominees, like all other categories.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Pathfinder (Paizo Publishing)

It will be very interesting – as usual – to see how these turn out. And even if I do not agree with all of the nominees (in some cases, vehemently so), good luck to them all.