The Playmaker Awards for tabletop rpgs

#thankyourplaymaker

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 07:50:00 +0000

This week please think of someone in your life who makes or has made play possible for you - an organiser, a club admin, a GM or a good friend - and say thank you to them. Do it however you want, in person, over email, on social media.

Right now, this hashtag has no hits on google or twitter. Let's see how many we can all get by the end of the week.

Winner - Scratticus Academy

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 07:19:00 +0000

Nomination
“Scratticus Academy (@Scratticus_) Twitch channel actively looks to provide play-space for new and returning roleplayers and provides gaming sessions almost every day. They're passionate about helping others and their core values focus on inclusion and safety at the table for everyone.”

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The Playmaker Awards zine kickstarter is running through February 2019 and will be a unique look at the creation of public play in the world of tabletop roleplaying today. Back it today!

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Disclosure
After Scratticus Academy was nominated and won, I (Richard) learned of their service to create and edit interview videos for promotional purposes. In supporting their work, I subsequently paid them to create such a video for the Playmaker Awards zine kickstarter.

Winner - Josh Fox

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Nomination
“Josh Fox for organising Games on the Hour at Dragonmeet.

Dragonmeet is London’s biggest roleplaying event and Games on the Hour is the most approachable, accessible roleplaying there. Dozens, if not hundreds, of con-goers over the years have walked-up, sat-down and been introduced to a whole new gaming experience.”

From the Winners
“Thank you very much for this award. Really it is shared with all the hard-working GMs and hosts who helped make the event happen.

It has been wonderful to see Indie Games on the Hour going from strength to strength, and I hope we'll see ever more indie games being played at UK cons in future!
- Josh”

The Playmaker Awards zine kickstarter will run through February 2019 and will be a unique look at the creation of public play in the world of tabletop roleplaying today.

Winners - Rob Deobald, Rach Shelley & Kate Bullock

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 06:52:00 +0000

Nomination
Kate Bullock, Rach Shelkey, Rob Deobald
“Rob, Rach & Kate, organizers of Breakout Con and the monthly RPG meetups here in Toronto. I was introduced to several indie rpgs through them, and they've playtested many games as well.”

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The Playmaker Awards zine kickstarter will run through February 2019 and will be a unique look at the creation of public play in the world of tabletop roleplaying today.

Winner - The Gauntlet

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 06:13:00 +0000

Nomination
“The Gauntlet is not only welcoming to everyone and has a diverse group of players, they’ve also made safety tools to keep everyone’s comfort and trust level a constant part of their gaming environment.”
- -
“The Gauntlet gaming community is all about this!”
- -
“The Gauntlet has carved out an amazing space for top-notch, emotional play! They’re also vigorous supporters of queer players & play experiences. Plus, they’re flooding Youtube with Actual Plays showing off supportive, story-focused gaming to the world.”

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The Playmaker Awards zine kickstarter will run through February 2019 and will be a unique look at the creation of public play in the world of tabletop roleplaying today.

Winner - Lloyd Gyan

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 06:34:00 +0000

Nomination
“Lloyd Gyan - for single-handedly creating, organising and running Games on Demand at UK Games Expo and volunteering at more rpg events than anyone (perhaps even he) knows!”

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The Playmaker Awards zine kickstarter will run through February 2019 and will be a unique look at the creation of public play in the world of tabletop roleplaying today.

Winners - Graham Spearing, Dom Mooney, Elaine McCourt

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 06:40:00 +0000

Nomination
“Graham, Dom and Elaine and everyone else who makes the Garrison cons happen! They manage to both create and maintain a close-knit group of gaming friends, while also being friendly and welcoming to newcomers. And they have kept on creating space for new gamers to join in at the the unique (but restricted) Garrison venue by simple dint of running more cons there!”

From the Winners
“We create spaces where people can come together, play and share our love of tabletop roleplaying games. Our mini conventions are communities of fun, welcoming to all, islands where we can enjoy time to express ourselves through play, make new friends, create, invent, laugh, relax and absorb in new stories. Good times.
- Graham, Dom & Elaine”

The Playmaker Awards zine kickstarter will run through February 2019 and will be a unique look at the creation of public play in the world of tabletop roleplaying today.

Winner - Mark Whittington

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 06:23:00 +0000

Nomination
“Mark Whittington for his quiet work behind the scenes and design-work for Games on Demand at UK Games Expo.”

From the Winner
“Thank you, this was totally out of the blue and I'm super chuffed. People can catch up with what I do at www.dicemachine.com or come see me and the rest of the team at Games On Demand at UK Games Expo.
- Mark”

Winner - Simon Fletcher

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 06:48:00 +0000

Nomination
“Simon Fletcher from the UK Games expo volunteer team: his work has gotten more and more complex with every year, and he's managed to keep it fresh each and every single time.”

From the Winner
“It's a pleasure to be part of such an enthusiastic and supportive community. We all do our part to make it happen and I couldn't do my part without all the efforts of everyone else at Expo, including the wonderful volunteers.
- Simon”

Winners - Avonelle Wing and Vincent Salzillo

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 06:00:00 +0000

Nomination
“Avonelle Wing and Vincent Salzillo of Double Exposure do a phenomenal job in the cultural construction and fostering of the community that attends their cons: Metatopia, Dreamation and Dexcon. Always looking to evolve the way they adapt the social environment to make new voices heard, to make room for diversity, to make safer spaces a priority and to develop both the industry and the enjoyment of the people in their spaces. Tireless, compassionate, and delightful human beings.”

From the Winners
“Our events are the collective efforts of every attendee who ever contributed their energy and joy to our efforts, every educator and activist who has pushed us to do better, to be better. We aspire to live up to you and to work towards gaming as a truly welcoming, inclusive hobby.
- Avonelle & Vincent”

Winner - Dave Winterbottom

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 06:00:00 +0000

Nomination
“Dave Winterbottom aka ‘Purple’ for singlehandedly carrying the tabletop roleplaying cause into Anime conventions across the UK and encouraging and enabling other volunteers to offer games as well. Indefatigable and inspiring.”

From the Winner
“Thanks to everyone that's come along and played, run, or helped out at the events where I've tried to shove tabletop roleplaying games into the spotlight. I couldn't have done it without you, and you've shown me time and time again how rewarding this hobby can be.
Now, where still needs more games…?
- Dave”

Winner - Marty Bucholz

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 06:00:00 +0000

Nomination
“Marty Bucholz was the RPG coordinator at RinCon this year and it was really fun! Tucson's a community where lots of people come and go, so people shift in positions a lot in local conventions. This year Marty Bucholz not only helped run the RPGs at RinCon but he helped support the Indie Arcade, which attempted a muster-style game assignment system in a casual convention that hasn't ever seen anything like it before. It worked!”

From the Winner
“This was my first year fully involved with Rincon and it has been such an amazing experience helping facilitate the new indie RPG arcade and all the other wonderful RPG that we had this year. I'm so glad to hear that the hard work that me and the rest of the staff put in has been really paying off and that everybody had such a great time.
- Marty”

Winner - Salt Lord Ross

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 06:00:00 +0000

Nomination
“Salt Lord Ross (@SaltLordRoss), a UK based Twitch streamer, provides online game space for people new to RPGs and makes sure to be inclusive as well, both in players and content. He is friendly, helpful and encouraging and takes care everyone in the game feels safe.”

From the Winner
“Creating stories requires several vital things, communication, encouragement, an inclusive environment but most importantly Friends. All are welcome at my table and I look forward to making new friends over the coming year.
- Salt Lord Ross”

Winner - Sean Nittner & Big Bad Con

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 06:00:00 +0000

Nomination
“Sean Nittner and all the folk at Big Bad Con do so much right in running a gaming convention. They run rpgs, larps, seminars, board games, have a strong ethos of inclusivity and keep on pushing to make the con and gaming more accessible, friendly and welcoming. Big Bad Con is a Big Good Thing!”

From the Winner
“Thank you to all the kickstarter backers, attendees, volunteers, and especially staff, who come together every year to make Big Bad Con possible. Because of you, we have a wonderful weekend of gaming, forging new bonds, and catching up with old friends. You are the best!
- Sean”

Winner - Steve Segedy & Games on Demand

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 13:21:00 +0000

Nomination
“Steve Segedy and Games on Demand: Over more than twelve years, Games on Demand has grown and grown, running hundreds if not thousands of gaming sessions at conventions, and have inspired even more ‘on-demand’ event types.

They revolutionised how rpgs, especially indie rpgs, are played at cons and provide a gathering place and focal point where so many designers, game-runners and players have met and become friends.”

From the Winner
“On behalf of the many, many hard-working volunteers who make Games on Demand happen, thanks very much for this honor!

Since it was first created (in 2006 by Kat and Michael Miller at Gen Con) Games on Demand has grown widely and now serves huge crowds of eager gamers every year.

We couldn’t do it without our dedicated organizers, hosts, and GMs.
- Steve”

Winner - Hao Zhang

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 06:54:00 +0000

Nomination
“Hao Zhang, who is a peripatetic community and event organizer, translator and publisher who is doing way too much to get people excited about small press roleplaying games in China. He's a founder of Beijing Khan Kon and has organized events in Shanghai and Guangzhou as well, based on the ‘if I don't do it, who will?’ attitude so common among great organizers.”

From the Winner
“Over the past twenty years, I have tried my best to introduce outstanding works and organize gaming conventions with some like-minded friends. Our dream has been to share our ardent love for games with more people. Luckily, we have not done badly and have helped more and more players get involved with tabletop RPGs. We hope to bring more games, more conventions and more experiences to players in the future.

As a organizer and publisher, I’m very lucky to get support and trust from most gamers and other publishing houses.
- Hao Zhang”

Winner - John Dodd

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 06:54:00 +0000

Nomination
“John Dodd has organised the RPG track at UK Games Expo since it’s inception. He champions the concept of rewarding people who offer their time to make good things happen, including RPG referees. Behind the scenes, he supports and empowers volunteers creating a family atmosphere and a real team spirit. He also organises and advises many RPG conventions in the UK - probably more than we’ll ever know. The RPG Convention scene in the UK wouldn’t be the same without him.”

From the Winner
“It’s a team effort, and it’s worth all the work when even one person goes home happy.
- John”

Disclosure
I (Richard) - as many others - have GMed and hosted other rpg track items at UK Games Expo and other events John has helped organise.

Winner - Eunice Hung

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 08:46:00 +0000

Nomination
“Eunice Hung for taking over the running of the main (only?) London Indie RPG group and pushing to keep it going and making it a friendly welcoming place for everyone.”

From the Winner
“I’m so happy when gamers find new games and experiences at the London Indie RPG Meetups, especially newbies - that's the main reason I keep at it. In addition, I really appreciate every gamer who has turned up to a meetup; thanks for joining me in some great games everyone! I hope we can continue to play together for a long time yet.
- Eunice”

Disclosure
I (Richard) used to help run London Indiemeet and Eunice and I have gamed together several times.

Winner - Jim Crocker

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 07:46:00 +0000

Nomination
“Jim Crocker, once of Modern Myths and now of Jim Likes Games. He is a staunch advocate of indie RPGs and does everything he can to support new design financially and socially. He knows every game he sells and can give recommendations and advice for any taste. A lot of the games I consider foundational I discovered through him.”

From the Winner
“Thanks to all the talented designers and tireless con organizers that make my work even possible.
- Jim”

Winner - Réka Korcsmáros

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 07:14:00 +0000

Nomination
“Réka Korcsmáros organizes not just a big online RPG community (Árnyékszféra ~Sphere of Shadows) but also two monthly meetups in my country. At the first one (Szférák vándorai ~Wanderers of the Spheres) you can participate in around 5-10 tables of different one-shot RPGs (a few story games too) and the second is basically a Vampire RPG club (all editions)..

With these I'm pretty sure that she is one of the greatest Playmakers in my country and definitely the greatest in the younger (18-30) age group.”

From the Winner
“We always try to improve and we hope our community will become better and better. We love those amazing people we had the chance to get know. we are very grateful to have this experience and grateful to be part of this amazing community.

We are very happy that there are lots of people who think the similar way. This is a beautiful era to our hobby, and we should use this. We have to show this amazing hobby to others. And… Let’s play!

‘To infinity and beyond’
- Réka”

Winners announced through January 2019

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 22:17:00 +0000

The Playmaker Awards are for those who do the admin and scudwork to create spaces for others to play tabletop roleplaying games.

The winners have almost all now replied as to whether they're happy in accepting the award. I'll be announcing the winners, day-by-day, through January 2019.

Nominations now closed

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Sun, 18 Nov 2018 23:59:00 +0000

The Playmaker Awards are for those who do the admin and scudwork to create spaces for others to play tabletop roleplaying games. Nominations are now closed and I'll starting the process of contacting the winners.

Nominations close end of Sunday, November 18th

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Wed, 14 Nov 2018 22:09:00 +0000

The Playmaker Awards are for those who do the admin and scudwork to create spaces for others to play tabletop roleplaying games. Nominations opened on November 7th and close at the end of this Sunday, November 18th.

Nominate through any of the shared posts on social media such as the below:

https://twitter.com/richardauthor/status/1060272410744836097

https://plus.google.com/104855606903841258736/posts/YwgGCGziqtr

https://twitter.com/richardauthor/status/1062844441793359872

https://plus.google.com/104855606903841258736/posts/Ut4TEgNxc2x

Playmaker Awards announced

noreply@blogger.com (Epistolary Richard) — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 21:49:00 +0000

As November is a month of giving thanks in various different ways, I'm delighted to announce a new award. This award is not for amazing designers, GMs or even players, but for those who have worked hard during the year to make the space in which we play. They are the Playmakers.

They might organise a convention, a gaming meetup, an online space or do any other of the admin or scutwork that enables others to play.

This is not a traditional award with a single or small group of winners. I want it to be a thank you to everyone making play possible. I'll be contacting each nominee for their permission to include them and then publish their names and nominations together. I am also hoping to gather a pool of funds together to split as drivethru vouchers between the nominees to help them buy something for their own gaming during the holidays.

My thanks to OneBookShelf for additional financial support and the Story Games admin for endorsing this award.