Diana Jones Award Shortlist Announced
PRESS RELEASE
Annual award ‘for Excellence in Gaming’ to be presented 15th August
London, 27th June-After much debate the shortlist for the seventh
annual Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming, covering the year
2006, has been announced.
The Diana Jones Award is given to whatever the Diana Jones Committee
believes has best demonstrated ‘excellence in gaming’ in the previous
year. This year the committee has shortlisted three potential
winners. In alphabetical order, they are:
The Great Pendragon Campaign by Greg Stafford (White Wolf)
In terms of sheer scope alone, Greg Stafford's Great Pendragon
Campaign breaks new ground, presenting almost a century's worth of
continuous story with gemlike clarity; in almost fractal fashion, any
given year can become its own campaign. Its greatest structural
successes are those of Stafford's Pendragon: a superbly compact yet
never sketchy adventure format, seamless hard-wiring of characters
into setting and continuity, and unprecedented emphasis on epic,
generational storytelling. Thematically, it is a triumph of Arthurian
art in its own right, the roleplaying form's equivalent of Tennyson's
‘The Idylls of the King’ or Wagner's ‘Parsifal’-a brilliant personal
engagement with one of the foundation myths of Western fantasy.
Pieces of Eight by Jeff Tidball (Atlas Games)
In Jeff Tidball’s Pieces of Eight, each player in the game holds a
customizable stack of coins in one hand. This represents a pirate
ship, complete with captain, and the players do battle with each
other by moving and using the coins in their hands to harm other
ships and help their own. It's a perfect example of a game that is
simple to learn but fun to play for beginners and long-time gamers
alike, it can be played just about anywhere, and it offers layers of
customization and strategy found in few games of any kind, as well as
an elegance for which all great game designers strive.
Stefan Pokorny, creator, sculptor and painter of the Master Maze line
of miniature terrain from Dwarven Forge.
Stefan Pokorny is a fine artist by trade who has studied extensively
in the US and abroad. He holds a Master's Degree in Fine Arts from
the University of Hartford and he has taught at some recognized fine
art schools. For the past 11 years he has been pouring his artistic
energies into the creation of the finest miniature terrain in the
world-the Master Maze line from his company Dwarven Forge. While his
efforts have always garnered much praise, the year 2006 was an
especially rewarding year for Stefan and his work. He released three
new incredible sets: the Cavernous River and Walls Set, the Cavernous
Lake Set and the Medieval Building Set. Each of these is not only an
incredible work of art and craftsmanship, but also represents the
absolute pinnacle of game accessory quality. They serve to remind
everyone of the unmatched artistic work that Stefan has accomplished
over the last 11 years.
About the Award
The Diana Jones Award was established in 2000 to celebrate the
principle of excellence in gaming. Each year the Award is given to
the person, company, product, event, trend or item that in the
opinion of the committee has best demonstrated ‘excellence’ in the
field of gaming in the previous year.
The award is announced and the trophy presented at a ceremony the day
before the opening of Gen Con Indianapolis (this year on Wednesday
15th August). Winners receive the Diana Jones Trophy and the
admiration of their peers. The award is administered and decided by a
mostly anonymous committee of games-industry luminaries in three
countries.
Previous winners of the Diana Jones Award include Peter Adkison,
former CEO of Wizards of the Coast; Wizkids Inc.; the games Sorcerer,
Nobilis, My Life with Master and Ticket to Ride; and the generosity
of the charity auctions at Irish games conventions.
A fuller description of the history of the Diana Jones Award and its
extraordinary trophy, plus details of all the previous winners and
shortlists, can be found at the award’s website.
More information
For more information on the award and on how to gain access to the
award party on August 15th, please contact the designated public
representatives of the Diana Jones Committee:
Matt Forbeck matt@forbeck.com
James Wallis james@erstwhile.demon.co.uk