And the list is as follows
The Code of Steam and Steel by Simon Burley
Mutant Year Zero by Modiphius Games
You are the Hero by Jonathan Green
The Long Con by Adam Gauntlett
River of Heaven by John Ossoway
Hellfrost Rassilon Expansion 2 by Triple Ace Games
Sleeper: Orphans of the Cold War by Death Spiral Games
As always, we keep the judging on five different criteria
Quality - Not just the amount of shiny art in the book, but how well it's been laid out, is the artwork appropriate to the subject matter, does the book feel like it's going to fall apart... Does it feel like something that'll still be intact in ten years time...?
Theme/Originality - Is it the latest clone of a clone, or is it something new, something that makes a big difference in the RPG world, is it something everyone's seen before with a new skin...?
Balance - Is the game balanced, are there equal reasons to want to play the different character types, or does everyone want to be a Black Numenorean...?
Playability - As well as the balance, does the game play well, do the rules get in the way of the setting or do they complement it, when someone says it's innovative, do they mean that it's never been done like that or that it's never been done like that for a reason...?
Value - With costs always going up, the question of value is always asked, if you're putting something out for a tenner, it stands to reason that you won't have the production values and quality of something that costs a hundred, but regardless of anything else, is this something that is worth what's being asked for it?
First commentary is starting tomorrow, with one a day till we're through all the entries, as always, the public votes made at Expo on the day make a big difference in who eventually wins...
