The Obies 2008!

Rules: Nominations are made from Amber games actually played during one of the Slots during the relevant year of ACNW. (Golf games, drinking games, head games etc. are not eligible.) Each Ambercon Northwest member may submit as many nominations per category as they wish. Please do not submit the same nominee more than once in a single category. You may, however, submit the same nominee in a different category. Nomination forms, ballot boxes and rules are available at registration and in the Winery Wing near the games posting. Presentation and Awards: The Awards Ceremony is held during the post-convention party on Sunday. Winners are presented with a Trump bearing the image of Oberon as the Black Rabbit - an "Obie." Winners are also posted on the ACNW web site. Small Print: This "contest" (meant to be a helpful descriptor, not a legal definition) is open to all ACNW members regardless of age, rank or Shadow of origin. House Lightfoot and the "Obies" competition are not affiliated with Ambercon Northwest. ACNW organizers, volunteers, and staff of the McMenamins Edgefield are in no way responsible for its content or competence. Nominations, like courtesans, are judged by frequency and quality of their submission. All entries become lost property and are tabulated non-scientifically by the Amber Northwest Academy of Skills & Silliness (A.N. A.S.S.) Decisions of A.N. A.S.S. are arbitrary and may not be appealed to any higher authority including the Unicorn, the Serpent or the Simone. All awards have no cash value and may be declared to be non-existent. Special thanks to - Cort Oderkirk and Chris Lightfoot for Obie Art, Simone Cooper for hosting ACNW, and the staff of the McMenamins Edgefield.

Our mission is to recognize and possibly ridicule excellence in role-playing at Ambercon NW.

Past Cons: [ 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 ]

This year's winners:

Best Original Dialogue or Quote

Winner - Murray Whittle (with Assist by Madeline Ferwerda)

Game: Where There's Smoke
Description: After finding the Unicorn's bones, Murray says "That Unicorn wouldn't go voom if you put 4,000,000 volts through it." Madeline responds with "That is an ex-Unicorn. It's run up the curtain and joined the choir invisible."

Runners-Up

Game: Merlin's Regular Game
Nominee: James Craig as Jurt playing Belkan
Description: Bleys had been hanging back and letting the other players lead when Jurt as Belkan calls from the front, "Bleys, I found something over here on the floor. I believe these are your testicles."

Game: Prime-Time Adventures: Erection
Nominee: Jennifer Zimmerman as Paula, the Psycho Janitor
Description: After overhearing that co-worker Sam has a date coming up, Paula tells him "The first date is just the first step to heartbreak... and chlamydia."

Most Heinous Betrayal or Offense

Game: Shadow World
Description: Van was supposed to modify the security protocols on an immensely powerful, not-understood, self-aware artifact so that the artifact could protect itself and save the team. Instead he removes all the security protocols, thereby imbibing it with complete freedom, ambition and the ability to eat human souls.

Runners-Up

Game: Blackmoore
Nominee: Simone Cooper as Prince Cyric of Regot
Description: Cyric hugs his father, Ulric, and says how much he loves him. Ulric hugs his son back and tells him how much he loves him. Then, Cyric stabs his father through the heart.

Game: Tom Amberite
Nominee: Ken Cassidy as Argent
Description: Argent, completing his scavenger hunt 20 minutes early, went about sabotaging Eddie by taking all his materials and hiding them. Leaving Eddie 5 minutes to redo the entire scavenger hunt.

Outstanding Performance by an Item/Creatue/Shadow in a Supporting Role

Game: Being Prince Benedict
Description: The dishwasher and the scullery maid had to present a dented pot to "The Sculler". John stepped into the bathroom and mostly-closed the door, extending only his hand through the opening. The hand alone then conducted a 15-minute audience.

Runners-Up

Game: Top Amberite
Nominee: Cort Oderkirk, Andy Blija & Kai Ford as the NY Times Square Jumbotron
The team was searching New York for Corwin advertised him as a missing person on the Jumbotron, thereby recruiting all of New York to aid their search.

Game: Prime-Time Adventures
Nominee: Pol Jackson , GM, for the Erection Logo
Description: The Erection logo is of a large, towering side profile of a skycraper being built with a massive base. Once the logo on Sam's notepad was used to block Xavier's 'package' as Xavier prepared for his tanning both session. Another time, during the "Next on Erection..." preview, a nude Valkyrie statue is presented at a boardroom meeting, with the logo on all the folders being raised.

Special Achievement in Persistent Mental Imaging

Game: Life, the Universe and Everything
Description: In the first round, the God of Life declares "I'm gonna make a priest class... of hyena fuckers." This became a running joke and it took 14 ages for humans to outgrow hyena fucking.

Runners-Up

Game: Pulp Chaos
Nominee: Karrin Jackson as Vinny the Bat
Description: In regards to experimentation with individuals of the male persuastion, Vinny said "Let me tell you, that ain't an ovipositor. That's the kind of mistak a man makes only once."

Game: Endless Starlight: Far from Heaven
Nominee: Kai Ford as Jenna
Description: Morgenstern and Hellhounds prancing and frolicking with all of Arden's cute woodland animals.

Most Intrusive Interruption of a Drama or Comedy

Game: Sunday Slackers' Roleplaying
Description: The game came to a total stop so that the players could all watch the baby eating. his baby food. "Aaaawwwwww...."

Game: Pattern Authority
Nominee: Joe Saul as Himself
Description: Joe kept spanking Thaddeus everytime he bent over the talbe to play a card. "Watch it, watch it, wait for it... here it goes!"

Game: The Blood Dimmed Tides
Nominee: The GMs as Themselves
Description: The GMs split timestreams, leaving us with a false Corwin, a fake Excalibur and a bar tab for Puck.

The Prince Brand Memorial Award for Necrotic Merit

Game: Grindhouse 2: Amazon Chain-Gang vs. the Snake-a-Gator
Description: Kiki is dying in Suzanne's arms when Suzanne says "Darling, I want you to know that when you're gone, I'm gonna name one of the Snake-a-Gator babies after you." Kiki replies, "At last.... I'll finally be... (cough) pretty." And dies.

Runners-Up

Game: Ahead of the Storm
Nominee: Keith Amling as Harold
Description: Harold volunteered to be impaled and tortured to fuel the Pattern Battery.

Game: Ahead of the Storm
Nominee: Dana ? as Legh
Description: Legh slices his own neck rather then have Benedict power his artifact with his life.

Honorable Mentions

Game: Ahead of the Storm
Nominee: Eric Todd, GM & John Schippers as Lucian
Description: GM - "Do you cut eyeholes in the severed head?"
John - "No, I just put the whole thing on."

Game: Amber world
Nominee: Emma Sansome, GM & Cort Oderkirk
Description: GM - "Waiting for the Unicorn reminds you of when you were young waiting for Santa Claus."
Cort - "Only this one doesn't bring presents, it brings sexual inappropriateness."

Game: The Ambrato Project
Nominee: Jim ? as Random
Description: In the Pattern Room, Dara is bleeding from an arrow in the chest, Bleys & Corwin have Julian on the floor and are gleefully beating the snot out of him, Caine & Fiona are standing back looking innocent, when the Guards charge in.
Guards - "Your Majesty! What's happening?!?"
Random - "Did I call for you? No?" (makes shooing gestures)

Game: Aurellis
Nominee: Madeline Ferwerda as Jade Fang
Description: "Let's not be greedy. Let's just steal all the gold in this Shadow."

Game: Between Venus & Mars
Nominee: Thaddeus Rice, GM as an NPC
Description: Describing the way the artist body-painted an NPC - "Oh, I like what you've done with the albino."

Game: Between Venus & Mars
Nominee: Pol Jackson as Virgil White, Professional Dick
Description: In a British accent, "Pip, pip, cheerio and fuck yeah!"

Game: The Blood-Dimmed Tides Are Loosed
Nominee: Pol Jackson as Rune & Drew Wood as Merlin
Description: Rune, who worships Corwin, confronts a disguised Merlin.
Rune - "Why are you pretending to be Corwin?"
Merlin - "Why are you?"

Game: Brand & Fi Make a Porno
Nominee: Joe Saul as ?
Description: "Is there any other aspects of our arrangments that you'd like to inspect?"

Game: Burn the Land & Boil the Sea
Nominee: Jeremy Franklin as Jeremiah Jones, sheperd
Description: When asked if he was good in a fight, "There are stern words I could use."

Game: Children of the Storm
Nominee: Kai Ford as April
Description: The GM described the surroundings to a character that was out of phase and was trying to explain what they could feel of the blizzard around them.
April - "It's like a sketch of cold."

Game: Children of the Strom
Nominee: Simone Cooper as Milo
Description: One of the players was trying to sink partially down into the floor. The group determined that they should go completely through the floor.
Milo - "Besides walking through the floor would cut you off at the knees and that makes even the thinnest woman look a little fat."

Game: Children of the Storm
Nominee: Darren King as ?
Description: Explained his power as "I can electrocute things in the bathroom with my trick knee."

Game: The Clan of Wandering Shadows
Nominee: Malcolm Heath, GM
Description: "Actually, I only designed this scenario because I like to make people say 'puppet'."

Game: Doctor Who - the Changing Land
Nominee: Cort Oderkirk as Captain Jack Harkness
Description: The 4th Doctor prepares to counsel the Master's insane Tardis using the Tardises of the 4th, 5th and 10th Doctors.
5th Doctor - "Three Tardises are better than one."
Jack - "Even if the three... are one."

4th Doctor - "It's a trinity."
Jack - "You've got some sort of neo-christian Tardis!"

Game: Firefly - Criminal Element
Nominee: Malcolm Health as Hammers
Description: "I'm going to put my arm around his throat in a companion-like way."

Game: A Friendly Exchange
Nominee: Meera Barry, GM, as Fiona
Description: "Do you want to meet your cousin Rinaldo before or after I flay his mind?"

Game: Grendel - Critical Mass
Nominee: Simone Cooper, GM & Eric Todd as Frank O'Malley, PTSD Sufferer
Description: Frank - "I ask my wife how our kids... are... kid... daughter? I forgot the kid's sex."
GM - "That may be why you're having marital problems."

Game: Grindhouse 2 - Amazon Chain-gang vs the Snake-A-Gator
Nominee: Thaddues Rice as Alabama "Allie" Watkins
Description: Running from the Snake-A-Gator
Allie - "Run, bitch, like your brothers just woke up with a hard-on."
Catherine - "What brothers?"
Allie - "All of them!"

Game: Grindhouse 2 - Punk Rock Apocalypse
Nominee: Jeremy Zimmerman as Turk, Tiffany ? as Roxy and Karrin Jackson as Bulldog
Description: After getting shot and killing a cop, Bonecrusher drives the gang to his 'place to party.'
All - "You live in the suburbs!?!"

Game: Ho-ho-ho Chi Minh Trail
Nominee: John Kim as Isaac Kransberg, pfc
Description: Pfc Kransberg went to Narnia and brought the Cold War with him.
Isaac - "Did it look like a Russian beaver?"

Game: In the Kingdom of the Blind
Nominee: Lee Short as Caine
Description: After watching Vialle transform into a demon-Dworkin and rip off King Eric's head, "You don't find Dworkin as hot as I do?"

Game: Justice Legion
Nominee: Edwin Voskamp as Dr. Faust
Description: To Savant 7, a hero who had turned the West Coast into a volcanic hell, "I'm a villain? Sure, I suggested this course of action, but you chose to do it."

Game: The Keep
Nominee: Nick Lightfoot as Marcus, son of Gerard and Kingsley Lintz as Vrazda, daughter of Caine
Description: Marcus - "Should I kill her (pointing to Random's daughter) or it (pointing to the Chaos Beast)?"
Vrazda - "If they find either body, they'll know we came this way."

Game: The Lost Room
Nominee: Kai Ford as April
Description: When asked what the group's next action would be, "Let's get out our good stuff characters and rub them together."

Game: The Lost Room
Nominee: Kai Ford as April
Description: When the GM announced that the plot had gone off-course and the group was going to have to ret-con some things, "Oh, we're going to have to sacrifice the kids for the plot."

Game: The Lost Room
Nominee: Kai Ford as April
Description: GM - "You have three days to kill. What do you want to do?"
Kai - "I want to kill Saturday. I don't think it fits into the schedule anymore."

Game: The Lost Room
Nominee: Amy ? as Brian
Description: Trying to convince the kids not to go back into the Lost Room, "Do you want the magical room to eat you?"

Game: The Lost Room
Nominee: Amber Cook, GM & Drew Wood, GM
Description: Drew, catching Amber up on the plot conducted out of the room, "She's got the necklace and he went after her with the alarm clock."

Game: The Lost Room
Nominee: Amy ? and Lisa ? as the Parents
Description: "I'm willing to sacrifice the children for the plotline."

Game: Merlin's Regular Game
Nominee: James Craig as Jurt, playing Belkar
Description: "Here, Bleys. I found this under the table. I think it's your testicles."

Game: Merlin's Regular Game
Nominee: Melissa Kocher as Dara, playing Haley
Description: "Can I make a grapple check and spank Belkar?"

Game: Midnight on the Firing Line
Nominee: Sara Mueller, GM and Louisa McGuiness, GM
Description: Sara - "Bleys is perfectly willing to cower behind you, thank you very much."
Louisa - "And how often do you get to say that in a game?"

Game: NINF - Where There's Smoke
Nominee: Madeline Ferwerda as Cheslyn and John Kim as Jubal, son of Flora
Description: Cheslyn - "I inherited the Cloak of Shadows from my mother."
Jubal - "All we got was baldness."

Game: NINF - Where There's Smoke
Nominee: Sara Muellar, GM as Flora
Description: "We will be chopping his head off his body... that should kill even Coriwn."

Game: The Pattern Authority
Nominee: Julian Morley as Julian, the Briar Knight
Description: GM - "Do you want to play any cards to make the killings more awesome?"
Julian - "No, just mundanely killing Corwin's guards. I might be humming a little tune while I'm doing it though."
Note - Coriwn is Julian's ally on the Superhero team.

Game: The Pattern Authority
Nominee: Thaddeus Rice, GM, Jeremy Zimmerman as Pendragon and Joe Saul
Description: Jeremy - "Am I the only one without a dark secret?"
GM - "Yeah, 'cause you're Corwin. It's kinda obvious."
Joe - "Your dark secret is that you're a dumbass. It's not that dark and it's not a secret."

Game: PTA - Erection
Nominee: Jennifer Zimmerman as Paula Jackson
Description: "You know, the first dates is the first step to heartbreak... and chlamydia."

Game: PTA - Erection
Nominee: Julian Morley as Dick John-Thomas
Description: "Every episode is a spotlight on my John-Thomas."

Game: Professor Dworkin's Sing-A-Long Blog
Nominee: Roberta Tower as Madame Mayhem and Kris Fazzari as Acid Rain
Description: Madame Mayhem - "I got my whole costume at Wal-Mart."
Kris - "Where super-villains go to shop."

Game: Professor Dworkin's Sing-A-Long Blog
Nominee: Chris Lightfoot, GM and Meera Barry as Madame Merikal
Description: GM - "It's a touching love song about world domination."
Meera - "Aren't they all?"

Game: Professor Dworkin's Sing-A-Long Blog
Nominee: Anne Goldberg as Evil Spice
Description: "I'm not bitter... spicy, not bitter."

Game: Pulp Chaos
Nominee: Michelle Ray as Precious, the Way Marshall and Karrin Jackson as Vinnie the Bat
Description: Two Chaosians find themselves in Amber
Precious - "Vinnie! How long have you been up here?"
Vinnie - "I don't know. With the sky all weird - light, dark, light, dark - who can tell?"

Game: Pulp Chaos
Nominee: Carol Anne as Isabelle, a Madame and Todd Worrell as Khaleed, a customer
Description: Isabelle - "How's your choad been lately?"
Khaleed - "I have been having some problems with my choad not flowing smoothly."
Isabelle - "Oh, terrible! You don't want you chi choked up with your choad."

Game: Pulp Chaos
Nominee: Jeremy Zimmerman, GM, as Caine and Karrin Jackson as Vinnie the Bat
Description: To his angry mistress, Caine says "Oh, you're bleeding." and hands her a handkerchief.
Karrin - "STAB! Now you're bleeding too. (one beat pause) Let's get a room."

Game: The Sable Game
Nominee: Kat Lemmer as Odessa St John and Trish Hart as le Comte de Saint-Germain
Description: When trying to figure out how much trouble half the party is in as they are breaking into Gestapo HQ,
Odessa - "Four of our people are in there."
Saint-Germaine - "And they haven't blown anything up yet?"
Odessa - "That's why we're worried."

Game: The Sable Game
Nominee: Andi Blija as Orson
Description: "My heart goes warm at the thought of saving lives... now, let's go kill some Nazis!"

Game: ShadowWorld
Nominee: John Schippers as John Preston and Yi-Mei Chng
Description: John - "When it gets within planetary range, I eat it."
Yi-Mei - "We're traveling with Galactus."

Game: ShadowWorld
Nominee: Yi-Mei Chng as Arocelli
Description: "Can you keep it down over there? Some of us are trying to fight for our lives here."

Game: Sunday Slackers
Nominee: Andi Blija as Stuart
Description: "Everyone has a heart. It may not be in the same place or have as many parts, but they all do the same thing - love."

Game: Sunday Slackers
Nominee: Andi Blija as Stuart
Description: "Like filth from the garbage scow, this is the trash of our lives."

Game: Through the Door with a Gun
Nominee: Michael Hewner as Angel, demon chanteuse
Description: After a sorcerous battle and several walls are destroyed, Angel calmly tells the combatants in the club, "Now you have entirely exhausted this establishment's hospitalty."

Most Heinous Betrayal or Offense

Game: Midnight on the Firing Line
Nominee: Kris Fazzari as Red
Description: By brutally (and unexpectedly) dealling peacefully with officers of the law, she turned the adventure from action to politics, leading to an hours-long discussion about the relative ethics and benefits of the various factions' offers.

Game: Professor Dworkin's Sing-A-Long Blog
Nominee: Anne Goldberg as Evil Spice
Description: She demanded thrice that we ask her what she wanted, what she really, really wanted.

Game: ShadowWorld
Nominee: Edwin Voskamp as GM, John Schippers as John Prestor and Eric Florentz as Van Mohlis
Description: An NPC warns Van, "If you do that, I will kill you."
Van looks to Prestor for support.
Prestor - a powerful god - says, "I've got your back."
Van does the action.
GM: "You're dead."
Prestor: "No, he's not."
GM: "Yes, he is."
Prestor: "No, he's not."
GM: "Yes, he is."
Prestor: "No, he's not."
GM: "Man, he is so dead."
Prestor: "I stand him up."
GM: "You stand up the body. It flops. There is no soul. No life energy. You've never seen anyone so dead."
Prestor (looks thoughtful): "I lay him down and fold his hands on his chest."
Eric: "Whaaa-aaa-a?!?"

Outstanding Performance by an Item/Creature/Shadow in a Supporting Role

Game: Grindhouse 2 - Punk Rock Apocalypse
Nominee: ?? as Bone Breaker for his car
Description: For supplying an unending supply of convenience store junk to be turned into explosives by the other players.

Game: Professor Dworkin's Sing-A-Long Blog
Nominee: Chris Lightfoot, GM, for game accessories
Description: An entire soundtrack and lyrics for the Sing-A-Long Blog with songbooks & CD's. The lyrics were amazing.

Game: ShadowWorld
Nominee: Edwin Voskamp, GM, for the roses
Description: A 500' x 500' x 500' pyramid of carnivorous, self-aware roses attacked a PC mage, attempting to destroy her using 4" thorns. Subsequently, the same roses attacked the God of Thievery to punish him for attempting to steal them.


Special Achievement in Persistent Mental Imaging

Game: Brand & Fi Make a Porno
Nominee: Liz Trumitch as Mandy Dore, Porn Actress
Description: "I want a t-shirt that says 'I took the rocket.'"

Game: Children of the Storm
Nominee: Simone Cooper as Milo
Description: Described the de-beaking of baby chicks

Game: Clan of Wandering Shadows
Nominee: John Schippers as "the Puppet Fluffer"
Description: John Schippers played a Puppet Fluffer, what more do you need to know? Okay, you can sing 'Puppet Fluffer, you're the one.' to the tune of "Rubber Duckie."

Game: A Friendly Exchange
Nominee: Denise Gibbons as Roewyn of Hendrake and Stephanie McMechan as Kaila of Hendrake
Description: Executing 'House Justice' by the slow, torturous death by burning poor, sweet, sobbing Gilva of Hendrake, just because she accidentally ate Gerard.

Game: In the Kingdom of the Blind
Nominee: John Kim, GM, and ??
Description: While Dworkin is in disguise as Vialle, the GM says "I wouldn't put Random above being a wife-beater."
Player: "Dworkin might enjoy that."

Game: Merlin's Regular Game
Nominee: Craig ?? as Jurt playing Belkar
Description: "I think I"d like to mount my dog now."

Game: Merlin's Regular Game
Nominee: Craig ?? as Jurt playing Belkar
Description: Belkar couldn't convince his dog to take a dump in the monster's mouth after failing his roll. So he said he'd just have to do it himself. He wanted to wipe on Miko's clothing but Miko was in the other room. So he ran after Miko and Miko ran away as this is not out of character for either Jurt or Belkar. There was a fountain in the next room where we were allowed to compete to dunk Belkar. It's hard for him to run away with his pants like that.

Game: The Pattern Authority
Nominee: Todd Worrell as Efreet aka Bleys
Description: Using his 'Heat of Passion' power, even though both of his arms are held tightly by Shiva, Efreet manages to bludgeon and pelvic thrust her into submission.

Game: Professor Dworkin's Sing-A-Long Blog
Nominee: Mike Hewner as Abashect Akshay , the Evil Bus Driver
Description: In his application to the Chaotic League of Chaos, TEBD describes spraying gasoline out of his nipples.

Game: PTA - Erection
Nominee: Jennifer Zimmerman as Paula Jackson and Ogre Whiteside as Chloe
Description: Paula, pretending to be an architect, meeting with the client while scissosring her legs around Chloe's head under the desk.

Game: PTA - Erection
Nominee: CJ
Description: "Like Betty White who's been dating Christopher Walken too long."

Game: The Sable Game
Nominee: Trish Hart, GM and players
Description: Henry Gissen & Alexia Mertin in "Nazi Nooner"
During discussions of which facility to go into first (the Reich research lab or the Geshtapo HQ), it was decided to hit the lab first, because we suspected that the scientist had visisted Geshtapo HQ for a "nooner" with his girlfriend. Besides the lasting visual of nazis making out in a Geshtapo office, there were also mentions of "heavy desktop ornaments" and the "sturdy" manufacturing of Reich furniture.