WHAT ARE THE ENNIE AWARD DREAM DATES?
The ENNIE Awards are the best-known fan awards for tabletop roleplaying video games. To financially help the ceremony, the ENNIEs provide “dream dates”. From 2017, once I attended the awards with my dream date, Cubicle 7, and persevering with by way of 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (the pandemic prevented the in-person ceremonies in 2020 and 2021), I provide my ideas on the ENNIE Awards dream date auctions. For the 2022 and 2023 evaluations, I wrote a abstract for the ENNIE Award Dream Date that also holds up as an total assessment of the two-part occasion (“ENNIE Awards Pre-show Cocktail Reception” and/or “The 2026 ENNIE Awards” correct):
The present is hosted on Friday from 6pm to 8pm (pre-show) and 8pm to 11pm (the awards ceremony) on the Crowne Plaza Union Station Grand Corridor in Indianapolis, Indiana throughout Gen Con. Any attendee requires a “legitimate Gen Con badge to attend the ENNIE Awards and is chargeable for any related bills with attending Gen Con in Indianapolis, IN. That is an in-person occasion, nothing will probably be shipped to the winner.”
THE AUCTIONS
ENNIE Award Dream Date With 2026 Judges
EBAY AUCTION END DATE: Sunday, July 26 at 12:00 PM ET
REWARDS: “Come expertise the joy of the ENNIE Awards with the 2026 Judges! Winner of this public sale will obtain the chance to affix Christopher Gath, William Beeson and Hans Cummings, at a specifically designated desk proper in entrance of the stage on the twenty sixth annual ENNIE Awards. The winner may also obtain a specifically curated gaming bundle based mostly in your gaming tastes valued at over $150MSRP!! Winner will probably be contacted after public sale ends for curation particulars. Chris, William and Hans can provide up what it’s wish to learn lots of of books and hear/view hours of content material. Desire a peek beneath the lid of the ENNIE judging course of? That is the prospect to ask them something!”
WHY SHOULD YOU BID? Since you wish to understand how the award nomination sausage is made. Should you win this public sale, you’ll sit with the ENNIE judges permitting you to speak about their gaming requirements and assessment course of. As well as, you’ll see the awards close-up and get an incredible bundle of TTRPGs to hold house.
ENNIE Award Dream Date With Exalted Funeral
EBAY AUCTION END DATE: Sunday, July 26 at 12:15 PM ET
2026 ENNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS:
- Greatest Cartography: Dolmenwood Maps Guide, Exalted Funeral Press by Jonathan Newell, Glynn Seal, and Arlin Ortiz
- Greatest Monster/Adversary: Dolmenwood Monster Guide, Exalted Funeral Press by (Authors) Gavin Norman with Kyle Hettinger, Amelia Luke, James Spahn, and Brian Yaksha with paintings by Bianca Canoza, Pauliina Hannuniemi, Jana Heidersdorf, Aaron Howdle, Chris Huth, Tom Kilian, Jethro Lentle, Ellie Livingston, Kyle Patterson, Mish Scott, Ulla Thynell, Andrew Walter, and Letty Wilson
- Greatest RPG Associated Product: Past the Witching Ring: Dolmenwood Soundtrack Album — 12″” Vinyl LP, Exalted Funeral Press with music by Tales Underneath The Oak
- Greatest RPG Associated Product: Dolmenwood Noble Home Enamel Pins Set, Exalted Funeral Press
- Greatest Setting: Dolmenwood Marketing campaign Guide, Exalted Funeral Press by (Authors) Gavin Norman, Probability Dudinack, Luke Gearing, Yves Geens, Noah Inexperienced, Greg Gorgonmilk, Kyle Hettinger, Clint Krause, Amelia Luke, Scott Malthouse, Jonathan Newell, Frances Northcutt Inexperienced, Amanda P., Doyle Wayne Ramos-Tavener, Glynn Seal, James Spahn, Andrew Walter, and Brian Yaksha
- Product of the 12 months: Dolmenwood Marketing campaign Guide, Exalted Funeral Press
REWARDS: “Come expertise the joy of the ENNIE Awards with the Exalted Funeral crew! Up for public sale is a very distinctive alternative: a Dream Date on the ENNIE Awards, proudly sponsored by the legendary indie RPG writer Exalted Funeral! Whether or not you wish to hobnob with the trade’s most interesting, expertise the fun of tabletop gaming’s largest awards evening, or simply roll deep with the Exalted Funeral crew, that is your golden ticket. However that’s not all. To make sure you do not stroll away empty-handed, Exalted Funeral is showering the public sale winner with a fully large loot drop from the extremely acclaimed Dolmenwood RPG line. You’ll obtain a whole, premium assortment of Dolmenwood necessities, equipment, and collectibles. Whole retail worth over $300! The Final Dolmenwood Loot Bundle contains:
- Dolmenwood Participant’s Guide – The important information for creating characters and exploring the moss-grown realm.
- Dolmenwood Marketing campaign Guide – The last word referee’s information detailing the secrets and techniques, factions, and lore of the forest.
- Dolmenwood Monsters Guide
- Dolmenwood Maps Guide
- Official Journey Situation: The Fungus That Got here to Blackeswell – An exciting, ready-to-play journey.
- Dolmenwood Adventuring Occasion Miniatures Set
- Dolmenwood Fungal Foraging Cube Bag
- Dolmenwood Referee’s Display
- Dolmenwood Fabric Referee’s Map
- Dolmenwood Mossy Dolmen Cube Set
- Past the Witching Ring: Dolmenwood Soundtrack Album – A surprising 12″ Vinyl LP to set the right eerie, magical environment to your recreation nights.
- Dolmenwood Noble Home Enamel Pins Set”
WHY SHOULD YOU BID? Dolmenwood is among the hottest OSRs in roleplaying, its writer, Exalted Funeral, is among the main distributors in indy tabletop, and the sport’s creator, Gavin Norman, is the person who cracked the code when he turned D&D B/X into Outdated-College Necessities. Should you’re an OSR gamer, that is the desk providing essentially the most old skool enjoyable. Should you’re a creator and writer on the lookout for recommendation for how you can take your model from hobbyist to a trendsetter within the trade, that is the desk you’ll desire a seat at.
ENNIE Award Dream Date With The Panic Desk Creators of How’s My Driving
EBAY AUCTION END DATE: Sunday, July 26 at 12:30 PM ET
2026 ENNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS:
- Greatest Streaming Content material: How’s My Driving?, The Panic Desk & DNGN CLUB GAMES
REWARDS: “Lock the doorways, examine your blind spots, and prepare for a killer evening. Up for public sale is an unbelievable, high-octane alternative: a Dream Date on the ENNIE Awards, proudly sponsored by the grasp storytellers and cinematic creators at The Panic Desk! Contemporary off their large success and 2026 ENNIE nomination for How’s My Driving? (the sensational, pulse-pounding early-2000s slasher hack of the Daggerheart system), the crew is able to give one fortunate winner an unforgettable night. Should you love tense horror, cinematic precise performs, sensible recreation design, and hanging out with a number of the coolest people within the trade, that is your final ticket. The Panic Desk is not sending you house empty-handed. Whereas the complete contents of this loot drop are shrouded in thriller (similar to the identification of the Plastic Bagman), they’ve explicitly promised oodles of swag!”
WHY SHOULD YOU BID? This public sale sits you with The Panic Desk, a bunch of precise play players that have been nominated for his or her movies enjoying How’s My Driving?, a horror hack of the Daggerheart TTRPG. Do you wish to watch the awards with grasp storytellers that elevate their recreation with immersive roleplaying? Then that is the public sale for you.
ENNIE Award Dream Date With Son of Oak Studio Celebrating Legend within the Mist
EBAY AUCTION END DATE: Sunday, July 26 at 12:45 PM ET
2026 ENNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS:
- Greatest Artwork, Inside: Legend In The Mist – Core Guide, Son of Oak Sport Studio by (Artists) Alejandra Pinal, Mariusz Szulc, Mark Hretskyi, and Zach Causey
- Greatest Free Sport / Product: Legend Within the Mist Study-To-Play Comedian Guide Journey, Son of Oak Sport Studio LLC by (Authors) Amit Moshe, Eran Aviram, Itamar Karbian, and Kelly Black
- Greatest Sport: Legend In The Mist – Core Guide, Son of Oak Sport Studio by (Authors) Amit Moshe, Eran Aviram, Itamar Karbian, and Kelly Black with enhancing by Eran Aviram and paintings by Alejandra Pinal, Marius Zszulc, Mark Hretskyi, and Zach Causey with structure by Manuel Serrasáez
- Greatest Manufacturing Values: Legend Within the Mist – Ravenhome Slipcase, Son of Oak Sport Studio LLC
- Greatest Guidelines: Legend In The Mist – Core Guide, Son of Oak Sport Studio by (Authors) Amit Moshe, Eran Aviram, Itamar Karbian, and Kelly Black
- Greatest Complement: Legend In The Mist – Motion Grimoire, Son of Oak Sport Studio by (Authors) Amit Moshe, Eran Aviram, Itamar Karbian, and Kelly Black
- Product on the 12 months: Legend In The Mist – Core Guide, Son of Oak Sport Studio
REWARDS: “Step right into a world of delusion, fireplace tales, and award-winning recreation design! Up for public sale is a rare alternative: a Dream Date on the ENNIE Awards, proudly sponsored by the masterful creators at Son of Oak Sport Studio! Recognized for his or her revolutionary narrative programs like Metropolis of Mist, :Otherscape, and their breathtaking fantasy RPG Legend within the Mist (which has pulled in a staggering 7 ENNIE Award nominations!), the Son of Oak crew is able to deal with you to an unforgettable night. If you wish to speak recreation mechanics, narrative worldbuilding, or simply have a good time tabletop’s largest evening with an unbelievable indie studio, that is your golden ticket. Son of Oak is ensuring you stroll away with their crown jewel fantasy assortment. The winner of this public sale will obtain a large bodily prize bundle (The Legend within the Mist: Ravenshome Slipcase Set – The entire, premium tabletop RPG field set + Studio T-Shirt):
- Legend within the Mist: The Corebook – The narrative-first guidelines for rustic, legendary fantasy storytelling.
- Legend within the Mist: Hearts of Ravensdale (Setting Guide) – Discover a world of cozy villages and creeping twilight.
- Legend within the Mist Premium Slipcase – Sturdy, lovely safety to maintain your volumes cosy on the shelf.
- Legend within the Mist Narrator Display – A beautiful 3-panel display screen that includes beautiful paintings.
- Legend within the Mist Character Pack – 20 fantastically illustrated pre-generated character folios.
- Official Son of Oak Studio T-Shirt – Put on your love for indie RPG design with satisfaction.”
WHY SHOULD YOU BID? The Mist line of video games are an achievement. Legend within the Mist is, certainly, among the best examples of revising a system – Powered by the Apocalypse – and mixing it with components of one other well-known engine – Destiny – to create one thing even higher. PbtA includes rolling 2d6 in opposition to a static chart with three outcomes: failure, success at a price, or full success. Destiny includes phrases as descriptors and powers. In Legend within the Mist, your fantasy character is an evolving assortment of brief phrases that describe them, their angle, their gadgets, and their missions/adventures. As you describe your actions, use (and spend) your phrases so as to add to your roll. Character sheets are brief, descriptive, and at all times leveling up into the right character construct. Add to that, gameplay is defined by way of both technical prose or in a comic book e book. If you wish to sit with creators that mixed the most effective components of a pair of programs into one thing distinctive, and used the tried and true Tunnels & Trolls select your individual journey methodology as a comic book e book to clarify a TTRPG to the gamers, that is the desk you must bid on.
ENNIE Award Dream Date With Gene Koo (Bonsai Diary)
EBAY AUCTION END DATE: Sunday, July 26 at 12:40 PM ET
2026 ENNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS:
- Greatest Solo Sport: The Bonsai Diary, Sticky Doodler by (Writer) Gene Koo
- Product of the 12 months: The Bonsai Diary, Gene Koo
REWARDS: “An evening of quiet reflection, sensible design, and large celebrations. Up for public sale is a singular, deeply particular alternative: a Dream Date on the ENNIE Awards, proudly sponsored by the visionary recreation designer Gene Koo! Gene is the artistic thoughts behind The Bonsai Diary, the phenomenally acclaimed, conscious draw-and-journal recreation that has captured hearts throughout the tabletop neighborhood. It stands as an unbelievable 2026 ENNIE Award Nominee for Greatest Solo Sport and a 2026 Origins Award Finalist! In case you are a fan of indie RPG design, the comfy/conscious gaming motion, or just wish to share an interesting dialog with one of many yr’s most celebrated creators on tabletop’s largest evening, that is the seat you wish to win. Gene Koo will not allow you to depart empty-handed! The winner of this public sale will obtain a specifically curated reward.”
WHY SHOULD YOU BID? Regardless of being up for an ENNIE Award for a solo TTRPG, don’t depart Gene Koo at a desk alone! If he’s, he may make a recreation about it! (Which, now I kinda need…) No recreation, even a solo recreation resembling The Bonsai Diary, is created in a silo; to be an award profitable recreation, the creator and gamers have to purchase into the idea and love the gameplay. If you wish to learn to create an award nominated solo RPG, bid on this public sale and choose Gene’s mind!
ENNIE Award Dream Date With Darrington Press that includes Daggerheart
EBAY AUCTION END DATE: Sunday, July 26 at 1:19 PM ET
2026 ENNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS:
- Greatest Free Sport / Product: Daggerheart Quickstart Journey: The Sablewood Messengers, Darrington Press by (Authors) Spenser Starke, Rowan Corridor and Mike Underwood
- Greatest Sport: Daggerheart Core Set, Darrington Press by (Authors) Spenser Starke, Carlos Cisco, Rowan Corridor, John Harper, Matthew Mercer, Alex Uboldi, Mike Underwood, Layla Adelman, Meguey Baker, Banana Chan, Chris Davidson, Rue Dickey, Felix Isaacs, Erin Roberts, Deven Rue, Rogan Shannon, Mark Thompson, Eugenio Vargas, and Chris Willett with edits by Laura Hirsbrunner, Amber Litke, Sadie Lowry, Ashley Michaela “Navigator” Lawson, Scott Grey, and Sebastian Yūe and paintings by Nick Acuna, Juan Salvador Almencion, Mauro Alocci, Ana Amaral, Anthony Avon, Mike Azevedo, Zoe Badini, Diana Bakieva, Adam Barker, Eliot Baum, Paul Scott Canavan, Carlos Cardona, Edgar Cardona, Kristina Carroll, Stephanie Value, Luísa Costa, Katya Cyan, Cybercatbug, Daarken, Nikki Dawes, Carlos C. Díaz, Benjamin Ee, Geoffrey Ernault, Letícia Freitas, Bear Frymire, Gaboleps, Laura Galli, Kristina Gehrmann, James Inexperienced, Grant Griffin, Arturo Gutiérrez González, Juan Gutierrez, Leesha Hannigan, Rick Hefner, Suzanne Helmigh, Hendry Iwanaga, Jessketchin, Anthony Jones, Jack Jones, KarrahE, Sam Key, Ivan Koltovich, Alex Konstad, Samantha Kung, Linda Lithén, Samantha B. Lucas, Danil Luzin, Dominik Mayer, Julia Metzger, Maxime Minard, Andrea Tentori Montalto, José Muñoz, Reiko Murakami, Laura Marie Neal, Irina Nordsol, Tamara Osborn, Mike Pape, Jen Estirdalin Pattison, Mila Pesic, Henry Peters, Rafater, Andreas Rocha, Ryan Christian Rodero, Joshua Rodriguez, Henrik Rosenborg, Ilya Royz, Allan Santos, Stanislav Sherbakov, Ernanda Souza, Fernanda Suarez, Jenny Tan, Mat Wilma, and Maciej Wojtala beneath layouts by Matt Paquette & Co., John Harper, and Vee Hendro
- Greatest Guidelines: Daggerheart, Darrington Press by (Authors) Spenser Starke, Carlos Cisco, Rowan Corridor, John Harper, Matthew Mercer, Alex Uboldi, Mike Underwood, Layla Adelman, Meguey Baker, Banana Chan, Chris Davidson, Rue Dickey, Felix Isaacs, Erin Roberts, Deven Rue, Rogan Shannon, Mark Thompson, Eugenio Vargas, and Chris Willett
- Greatest Streaming Content material: Get Your Sheet Collectively, Darrington Press
- Product of the 12 months: Daggerheart, Darrington Press
REWARDS: “Up for public sale is a monumental alternative: a Dream Date on the ENNIE Awards, proudly sponsored by Darrington Press (the publishing arm of Vital Position). That is your probability to sit down, chat, and have a good time the largest evening in tabletop gaming with a rare group of trade titans and artistic minds. Your “date” options an unbelievable, star-studded panel. You may be spending the night rubbing elbows with the core artistic group behind Vital Position’s gaming universe:
- Spenser Starke – Senior Sport Designer (Daggerheart, Candela Obscura)
- Rowan Corridor – Sport Designer (Candela Obscura)
- Rob Hebert – Sport Designer (Daggerheart)
- Elise Rezendes – Senior Producer
- Jeremy Crawford – Video games Director, a legend within the RPG trade!
The Loot: Signed, Extremely-Premium Deluxe Editions. To make this unforgettable night tangible, the public sale winner will stroll away with a premium assortment of signed, deluxe gaming gear from Darrington Press. The bundle contains:
- Daggerheart Core: Deluxe Version (Signed!)
- Daggerheart: Hope & Worry Deluxe Version (Signed!)”
WHY SHOULD YOU BID? The creators populating this desk are a who’s who of gaming. The people listed are price speaking to. Add to that, that is the publishing arm for Vital Position, so there’s no telling who may come sit on the recreation. Oh, and also you’ll be capable to speak 5e, Daggerheart. and Candela Obscura to your coronary heart’s content material. This can be a seat you’re going to wish to bid on if you wish to speak to a number of the best-known names in TTRPG.
DISCLAIMER
The ENNIE Awards have been part of EN World and EN Publishing. In 2019, EN Publishing (and EN World) divested themselves of the awards to unaffiliate the group devoted to recognizing excellence in tabletop roleplaying video games.
Egg Embry doesn’t use AI in any of his writing. He participates within the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Video games’ Affiliate Program, Kobold Press Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Affiliate. These packages present promoting charges by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Video games, Kobold Press, and Amazon. Should you just like the articles at EN World please think about supporting the Patreon.
