The 2005 Origins Awards nominees have been announced. The nomination process was very different this year (original); in each category, a jury voted on the nominated products in order to select five nominees. Some of the results are fairly interesting. At first glance, I can’t say I think the process was a success.
The Best Role-Playing Game category is fairly heavy on the retreads. In particular, Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game is not a new role-playing game by any definition. The Authority RPG is borderline. A new edition of GURPS seems reasonable — oh, but of the five jury members for this category, two of them were Steve Jackson Games staffers last year. Well, OK, then.
And there’s no wholly new product among the nominees. Surely at least one of the five top products from last year was fresh and new?
Best Role-Playing Game Supplement, which shares the same jury as Best Role-Playing Game, has two GURPS supplements on the list of nominees. Gotcha. I will say that I agree that all the nominees I’ve read on the list are very good. Um, but there are six nominees listed, and the rules say there should be five.
I can’t really claim expertise on the other categories, so I won’t comment on them. The full list of nominees is in the extended portion of this post, for the curious.
Best Play-By-Mail Nominees: (Play-By-Mail College)
Fall of Rome - Enlightened Age Entertainment
Imperial Wars - Intelligent Life Games
Legends - Harlequin Games
Medieval Warlords - Ancient Guardian Enterprises
Middle Earth PBM - Battle of the Five Armies - Games System, Inc.
Best Historical Board Game or Expansion Nominees: (Historical College)
Axis & Allies D-Day - Avalon Hill
Gettysburg: Badges of Courage - Columbia Games
Memoir ‘44 - Days of Wonder
Soldier Raj - Avalanche Press
Sword of Rome - GMT Games LLC
Best Historical Miniature Line: (Historical College)
10 mm Ancients Line - Old Glory Miniatures
10 mm American War of Independence - Old Dominion Gameworks
15 mm Crimean War Range - GFI/Minifigs
Birth of the Broadside Range - Merrimack
WWI: Western Front 28 mm - Brigade Games
Best Historical Miniature Game or Expansion Nominees: (Historical College)
Dawn of the Rising Sun: The Russo Japanese War 1904-1905 - Clash of Arms Games
Desert Rats - British in the Desert - Battlefront
Fire As She Bears! 2.1 - Starboard Tack Press
Stalingrad - German and Soviet Infantry, City Fighting Rules - Battlefront
The Face of Modern Battle - Gammazon
Best Board Game or Expansion Nominees: (Board Game College)
Betrayal at House on the Hill - Avalon Hill
Bootleggers - Eagle Games
Dos Rios: Valley of Two Rivers - Mayfair Games, Inc.
Ticket to Ride - Days Wonder
War of the Ring - Fantasy Flight
Best Miniatures Game or Expansion Nominees: (Miniatures College)
A Call to Arms (Babylon 5) - Mongoose Publishing
Aetherverse: The Infinite Game of Miniature Battles - Triskele Game Design Studios
Attack Vector: Tactical - Ad Astra Games
Nin-Gonost - Fantastic Forges Inc.
Rippers - Great White Games
Best Miniature or Miniature Line Nominees: (Miniatures College)
Elmore Dragons - Dark Sword Miniatures, Inc.
Komodon Command & Troopers - DragonRune Miniatures
Lord of the Rings TMG Balrog - Sabertooth Games
Parkinson Masterworks - Dark Sword Miniatures, inc.
Parkinson Masterworks - Male Knight - Dark Sword Miniatures, Inc.
Best Collectable Card Game or Expansion Nominees: (Collectable Card Game College)
Duel Masters Trading Card Game - Wizards of the Coast
Spycraft Collectable Card Game - Alderac Entertainment Group
Vs. System - Marvel Origins - The Upper Deck Company
WarCry: Death and Honor - Sabertooth Games
X-Men Vs. the Brotherhood - Upper Deck Entertainment
Best Traditional Card Game or Expansion: (Traditional Card Game College)
Camelot Legends - Z-Man Games, Inc.
Cthulhu 500 - Atlas Games
HEX HEX - Smirk & Dagger Games
Space Shuffle - Playroom Entertainment
Station Master - Mayfair Games, Inc.
Best Role-Playing Game Nominees: (Role-Playing College)
Ars Magica 5th Edition - Atlas Games
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game - Wizards of the Coast
GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition - Steve Jackson Games
The Authority Roleplaying Game and Resource Book - Guardians of Order
World of Darkness Storytelling System Rulebook - White Wolf
Best Role-Playing Game Supplement Nominees: (Role-Playing College)
Dark Champions - Hero Games
Eberron Campaign Setting - Wizards of the Coast
GURPS Dragons - Steve Jackson Games
GURPS Fantasy - Steve Jackson Games
Unearthed Arcana - Wizards of the Coast
Vampire: The Requiem - White Wolf
Best Fiction Publication Nominees: (Game Support Category)
Knights of the Dinner Table - Kenzer & Company
MechWarrior: Technology of Destruction - WizKids, Inc.
Path of the Bold - Guardians of Order
Secret of the Spirit Keeper- Wizards of the Coast
The Rite - Wizards of the Coast
Best Nonfiction Publication Nominees: (Game Support Category)
Dragon Magazine - Paizo Publishing LLC
Dungeon Magazine - Paizo Publishing LLC
Places To Go, People To Be - Steve Darlington
Pyramid Magazine - Steve Jackson Games
Scrye: the Guide to Collectable Games - Krause Publications
The Excellent Prismatic Spray - Pelgrane Press
Best Game Accessory Nominees: (Game Support Category)
Cardboard Heroes Castles - Steve Jackson Games
Cardboard Heroes Modern Characters - Steve Jackson Games
HackMaster Combat Wheel - Kenzer & Company
Mage Cage - Active Minds Solutions, Inc.
The Card Coffin - Cheese Weasel Logistics