Is ENniebody listening?

The Gen Con EN World RPG Awards (the “ENnies”) are an annual fan-based celebration of excellence in tabletop roleplaying gaming.
—ENnie Awards website

The 2018 ENnie award nominees were announced on July 4 and as of July 11 the public can vote for their candidates of choice.

Every year I am flabbergasted that some high-quality releases did not make it onto the list. I know one reason for their absence is that it’s a big job and expense for small press publishers to send the application package. But even so, some electronic releases must surely have been submitted?

Conversely, I am also surprised, every year, by how many names I don’t recognize. I live and breathe RPGs, I have made the majority of my friendships through gaming, I read RPGs like others read the Wall Street Journal. In social media, I mostly talk about RPGs, with other gamers.

This year is a little more striking than usual on both fronts, taking me back to the earlier days of the ENnies. And that’s when I remember…