Chase is joined by designer and blogger Clayton Notestine of Explorer's Design to discuss the ENNIEs, both as a former judge and as a current nominee! Awards are a strange beast for tabletop RPGs, mattering very little but able to change smaller designers' career trajectory. How does the public's misapprehensions about these awards for ostensible "excellence" muddy the waters? And who is responsible for correcting course?

The duo also talk about generative AI sneaking into tabletop publishing via Adobe software backends. Later, Clayton explains his dual metric for rating board games (which involves mouthfeel), while Chase is still not facing consequences for quadruple-dealing in Diplomacy. Finally, they wade into the The Question Dungeon's muck and scare out a discussion on why more RPGs should play their genres straight.

Read Clayton's work on Explorers Design.

Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring guest Clayton Notestine (@explorersdesign.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Games we discuss:

Intergalactic Bastionland

The One Ring

Mothership

Diplomacy

Carin 2E

Stonetop

Snakes of Wrath

Clayton's official statement on his ENNIEs nom.

The Awards Debrief 2025, an ENNIEs post-mortem.

On why I hate awards, or "Please vote for me at the Ennies", by Em Acosta.