The goal of Free RPG Day is to inspire gamers to play a new RPG, which will in turn, create sales through local game stores.

These are the sponsors who have already committed to being a part of Free RPG Day 2010. This list is not final.

So I figured it was time I watch one of the episodes of I Hit It With My Axe to see what all the fuss was about. I watched episode four because I thought by then they would work out the kinks and I could get a better idea of what the director was trying to accomplish. I was wrong. I came away from it with three distinct impressions.

1) People are fucking idiots. Reading the comments to the video, I noticed a lot of people posting that these girls weren’t “hot enough.” Holy shit guys, get some fucking perspective! These women are actors/strippers. When you see them in a video or on stage, they have on a lot of makeup, good lighting, they’re naked, etc. This is a video of them on their day off playing D&D. That’s like saying that Salma Hayek isn’t one of the most beautiful women in the world because that one time you saw her at 7:30 in the morning at Starbucks, she didn’t look like she’d spent hours working on her hair and the only reason you were there was because your mom made you get up for work, again, and Salma didn’t even acknowledge the cool new wolf moon tee shirt your mom bought you.

2) The editor is an idiot. Whoever edited this thing looks like they did three hits of meth before working on the reel-to-reel. I had at least three seizures because of the one-second cutaways. I may have had more, but I lost count after the aneurysm.

3) It’s fucking boring. It’s a bunch of people sitting around playing D&D. Whee! “I rolled a 14!” “I turn into a werewolf!” “My daddy didn’t love me!” “I’ve lost the will to live and am seriously regretting the choices I’ve made in my life!*” I love gaming at the table when I’m actually participating but watching other people I don’t know play is just… well, it’s just awful.

*Ok, the last two didn’t happen but I was hoping for it. At least that would’ve been interesting.

All in all, I must say that I was disappointed. With the amount of twittering I saw about it, I expected more… well… anything. But all I got was a poorly edited, poorly soundtracked video of a bunch of girls playing D&D. Not even a wardrobe malfunction dammit! Seriously, if this wasn’t touted as “D&D with Porn Stars!” no one would give a shit.

There are no words to describe how awesome this is.

But March the fourth made me whimper
When the news it was delivered
Sad news from the Troll Lord
And then on every message board

I can’t remember which of my dice
I chose to roll that very night
For the man who got it right
The day the DM died

So, bye, bye Mr. d20 Guy
Failed the final saving throw and then didn’t survive
And all around the world, the gamers did cry
Sayin’ thank you Mr. d20 Guy
Thank you Mr. d20 Guy

Have you read the PHB
And have you looked through the DMG
And what the heck is a drow (drough)
This is going to be so f’n cool
My dwarf barbarian will make you drool
And I really think you pronounce it drow (cow)

Well I know that things are looking grim
The dragon’s looking right at him
Made a percentile roll
I’m now hiding in shadows

I was a lucky halfling, that’s a fact
Stole lots of things and put ‘em in my pack
But I knew I could never go back
The day the DM died

I started rollin’
Bye, bye Mr. d20 Guy
Failed the final saving throw and then didn’t survive
And all around the world, the gamers did cry
Sayin’ thank you Mr. d20 Guy
Thank you Mr. d20 Guy

Now, for over ten years we’ve been rollin’ well
I even took my paladin to hell
But, boy, the rules have really changed
I was really sad to see half-orcs go
And what the hell is THACO
But, man, I really dig the weapon speed

Oh, and while the king was in L.A.
The jesters took his game away
The boardroom was adjourned
When the DM did return
And with pirates that would block the way
The king was told he couldn’t stay
But all that madness went away
The day the DM died

We were rollin’
Bye, bye Mr. d20 Guy
Failed the final saving throw and then didn’t survive
And all around the world, the gamers did cry
Sayin’ thank you Mr. d20 Guy
Thank you Mr. d20 Guy

Holy moley I’m checkin’ out the ranger
Two-weapon fighting makes him a danger
DM’s think he’s a pain in the ass
Player’s monk ran out of gas
Every flurry just seemed to pass
Leaving the bad guy without a scratch

Now I really like these brand new feats
My half-orc fighter’s really neat
I tried to run a game
Oh, but it just wasn’t the same

‘Cause the players have kids of their own
And no one remembers what to roll
And we were shocked down to our soul
The day the DM died

We started rollin’
Bye, bye Mr. d20 Guy
Failed the final saving throw and then didn’t survive
And all around the world, the gamers did cry
Sayin’ thank you Mr. d20 Guy
Thank you Mr. d20 Guy

Oh, and there we were just running the race
A generation losing pace
With no time left to game again
But come on let’s look through this brand new book
Man these powers really cook
You mean I get to play a dragon

And as I watched the gamers laugh
The memories came flooding back
Time it can go so fast
No living in the past

And as the dice rolled on into the night
I realized it just felt right
And I held back tears with all my might
The day the DM died

He was rollin’
Bye, bye Mr. d20 Guy
Failed the final saving throw and then didn’t survive
And all around the world, the gamers did cry
Sayin’ thank you Mr. d20 Guy
Thank you Mr. d20 Guy

I knew that when I read the news
I had just bid my childhood adieu
And I just sighed and turned away
I went down to the local store
Where I had gamed some years before
But the man there said that gamers couldn’t stay

And on the web the players mourned
About the game that he had born
Not a bad word was posted
The game master was toasted

And many folks admired the guy
Who’s rollin’ dice up in the sky
We told ourselves that we could cry
The day the DM died

And they were rollin’
Bye, bye Mr. d20 Guy
Failed the final saving throw and then didn’t survive
And all around the world, the gamers did cry
Sayin’ thank you Mr. d20 Guy
Thank you Mr. d20 Guy

They were rollin’
Bye, bye Mr. d20 Guy
Failed the final saving throw and then didn’t survive
And all around the world, the gamers did cry
Sayin’ thank you Mr. d20 Guy

The application period for being a peer reviewers closes December 31st, 2009. These individuals will be responsible for reading the entries (not all of them mind you, I will spread the word count around) and interacting with me during the final decision making process. If chosen, your names will be witheld until publication of the book. If you are interested, please click here for more information and to submit your information: http://rpganthology.wufoo.com/forms/open-game-table-volume-2-peer-review-application/

The submission deadline for nominations of blog posts closes January 15th, 2010. I’ve streamlined the submission process so that all you need to is submit a valid URL. Up to 5 per submission form can be accomodated; but there’s no limit to how many you can send in. The nomination form, and more information, can be found here: http://rpganthology.wufoo.com/forms/open-game-table-vol-2-blog-post-nomination-form/

The play was finally performed and reviews for it are glowing! Pictures of the production are available here. This one’s my favorite:

GOBLINS!!!

I am honored at the interest in the play.

We are in rehearsal with a cast of 24 humans, 8 goblins, 6 elves, a gnome, a halfling, a demon and a fire leopard.

Again, I wish to repeat the sentiment expressed here. Paizo is the most amazing community the gaming world has to offer. It makes me a little verklempt thinking about all the hard work they do for all of us, for love of the game.

Having gamed the Rise of the Runelords, Crimson throne and preparing for the Council of thieves, it is CRYSTAL clear that the writers at Paizo have a mastery of story-telling, a dedication to gaming and the true spirit of community. Community not just for the sake of making a few bucks (though isn’t that the dream of all of us) but because they recognize something important in this game.

My school is Portland’s Arts magnet school. We were started by a group of parents only 14 years ago. These were parents who wanted the artistically-oriented kids of Portland to have the option of expressing themselves in a focused, arts-disciplined environment. Frankly, we have had some great successes and a few frustrations, but we continue to grow and take leadership in the arts and in education.

For the last couple of years we have had a group of young boys and girls who have seemed to operate in isolation, not quite connecting. This is the same group of skaters/video-gamers/”ne’er do wells that I was a part of 30 years ago (Crap! 30 years????). So I decided to use my art form (I’ve been a theater artist for almost those same 30 years) to give them a taste of DnD, the game the made such a difference to me. I wish you all could see these these kids. Involved, swinging swords, trying to figure out how to pronounce Elven, Goblin and Danish (Gnomish). They are reading every bit of background I can give them, working on costume designs, fight and dance choreography, Ameiko is fervently practicing her guitar. And best of all, many of them are starting to pick up Pathfinder books and connect Paizo to the world of the game.

The main party is drawn from town:

Finn, A young errand boy for the Rusty Dragon
Ameiko Kaijitsu, Owner of the Rusty Dragon
Milosh Hemlock, Son of Sheriff Belor Hemlock
Shalelu Andosana, Elven bounty hunter.
Abstalar Zantus, Priest of Desna
Veznutt Parooh, Gnomish wizard, owner of the Way North

Milosh and Finn are the only original additions. They are the focus of the Hero’s Journey arc of the play. Milosh to fighter, Finn to Wizard.

Come see us. Support us if you can. And please keep supporting the folks at Paizo.

If you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, or will be in the middle of November, I strongly encourage you to go to this play and support both future gamers and the school. And, if you do plan to go, let folks know on this EN World poll.

This is absolutely, 100% real. In fact, you can check out the schedule for the school here and look for yourself. The best part is that James Jacobs himself has stated that “[s]everal of us here at Paizo are trying to figure out if we can spare a day off work to head down to see the play…”

I love it when kids show so much enthusiasm for RPGs and that schools support them! If you’re in the Portland, OR, area, go and let me know how it went!

(I found this via a thread on EN World.)

Video Embedded Below

You’ve only got five days so go and put your bids in now to spend time with your favorite publisher during the 2009 ENnie Awards as well as support the ENnie Awards itself!

Box Ninja: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180393586762

Cubicle 7 Entertainment: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180393589880

Fantasy Flight Games: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180393589419

Malhavoc Press: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180393588825

Order 66 Podcast: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180393588180

Paizo Publishing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180393587607

White Wolf Publishing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180393590535

http://www.garycon.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=119&start=0

http://okayyourturn.yuku.com/topic/17685

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?p=10706037

http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=28433.0

http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?p=317616

http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?p=19169356

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/general/eNniesMeetYour2010ENniesJudgeNominees

http://www.greenronin.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=76264

http://forums.white-wolf.com/cs/forums/t/10493.aspx

http://www.exilegames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=26341

http://www.circvsmaximvs.com/showthread.php?p=976716

http://www.animalball.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=104452

http://www.story-games.com/forums/comments.php?DiscussionID=10007

http://www.therpghaven.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=561&start=0

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/259962-meet-your-2010-ennies-judge-nominees.html

http://www.ennie-awards.com/nominations/2010judges.asp

Once you’ve looked them over, you can vote here:

http://www.ennie-awards.com/voting/jvoting.asp

If you haven’t voted yet, what are you waiting for?! If you have voted, thank you! We, and all of the nominees, truly appreciate your support. Now go tell others to vote!

http://www.ennie-awards.com/voting/voting.asp

And if you’re thinking of running to be a 2010 ENnies judge, you’ve still got three days to nominate yourself. This Friday, July 31, at midnight is the deadline.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=ckQtTWZwVkhyMzhOekhFZXd5b1I0M1E6MA

Tony Law
ENnies PR Coordinator

The voting booth is open!
Voting for this years ENnie nominees can now commence. The booth will be open until the end of the day, Saturday, August 1st. Tell all your friends!

http://www.ennie-awards.com/voting/voting.asp

Judges can start campaigning!
If you’re interested in becoming a judge for the 2010 ENnies, you can now officially throw your hat into the ring. Prospective judges have until midnight EDT on July 31 to visit the link below and fill out the form. After that, go out and spread your campaign far and wide, telling people to come back and vote for you starting Sunday, August 2nd.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewf…ZXd5b1I0M1E6MA

Polyhedrals to Perform at the 2009 ENnies Awards
The Polyhedrals are America’s ultimate gaming comedy troupe. Combining gamer culture with live theater for a truly peculiar experience, the Polyhedrals will soon have performed live for more than 50 people for over five minutes. Don’t miss them at this year’s ceremony!

http://twitter.com/ENnies

Next Friday, July 24, is a very important day in the life of the ENnies. First, it’s the day the polls open so the fans can vote for their favorite nominees. If you haven’t been there yet, make sure you visit the ENnies site to see the list:

http://www.ennie-awards.com/nominations/nominees.asp

Second, next Friday is the day that fans can also throw their hats into the ring and can register to officially run for a position as a 2010 ENnies judge.

If you are thinking about running, here is the criteria you’ll need to remember. All judges must:

• be at least 18 years of age as of August 14th, 2009 and able to enter into a legal contract;
• not have any professional relationship with any RPG publisher during the period from January 1st, 2008 to August 1st, 2010. Such relationships include unpaid work and work on free products;
• declare any relationship with any publisher (including EN Publishing, except for the Ceramic DM line) in which they receive money, product, or special consideration in exchange for their services;
• be able to read English and communicate clearly therein.

If you have a relationship any with a publisher, even as a playtester, it is important that you notify the ENnies board of this so that they may determine whether you are eligible to seek a judge position. In cases of rule violation, conflict of interest, misrepresentation or other factor(s) detrimental to the awards, the Board of Directors retains the right to alter the composition of the judging panel at any time.

Physical location is irrelevant- so long as you can accept packages year-round.

When you apply, you will be expected to fill out a questionnaire to help people best gauge how well they think you’ll work as a judge. Here a couple of sample questions:

• What styles and genres of RPGs do you enjoy most? Are there any styles or genres that you do not enjoy? Which games best exemplify what you like? Do you consider yourself a particular system’s, publisher’s or genre’s “fanboy/girl”?
• How would you like to see the ENnies change (categories, policies, etc)? What should remain inviolate?

If you want to run, here is what is expected of you. All judges shall:

• access the ENnie Awards boards/e-mailing lists (for the purposes of corresponding with judges and interacting with directors and staff);
  • weekly on the designated ENnies forums and sharing an accurate list of what products they have received;
  • daily on the designated ENnies forums during judge deliberations (expected dates for 2010: June 19 – July 11)
• act in a professional and impartial manner;
• sign a non-disclosure agreement;
• in the event that they are removed from office, bear the expense of returning and/or forwarding the products received for review;
• pay any customs duties charged for submissions;
• if they attend Gen Con – Indy, work a minimum of two hours at the ENnies booth
• if they attend Gen Con – Indy, attend the awards ceremony smartly attired.
• report to the Submissions Coordinator and Business Manager.

And, besides being able to say “I’m an ENnies Judge!” what else do you get?

• upon completion of reviewing, retain for personal use or otherwise dispose of products reviewed;
• receive a free Gen Con Indy 4-day pass.

Hopefully this whets your appetite and pushes you over the edge to applying to be a judge. I’ll be back next week with links to the actual form.

Once again, if you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them. You can either reply here or e-mail me directly at pr@ennieawards.com.