EN World
Encyclopedia
EN World is a role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
news and reviews website, which has grown from the earlier "Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News" site (which was active from 1999-2001).
Description
The main focus of EN World is on d20 SystemD20 System
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
-based role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s, Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
in particular, although discussion of other types of role-playing games also takes place. Currently, the website is run and owned by Russell Morrissey.
EN World publishes news about new product releases, and also acts as a database of different d20 products. The members can review and comment on different products. In addition to this, the website also has forums focused on D&D and other d20 games. An international community of gamers constitutes the forum members. Areas of EN World devoted to other RPGs, such as Star Wars Saga Edition (d20), d20 Modern, d20 Babylon Five, and GURPS, and GURPS Traveller. Play-by-post games are also played using the EN World message boards. The Living EN World games use a "communal rogues' gallery" for all characters that have been accepted into the "living world"; these characters, once approved, may be used in any game being run in the particular "living world."
The website also hosts other sites, such as the Creature Catalog, which features monsters from previous editions of the D&D game that have been converted to d20 format.
Every year in association with the Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
gaming convention, beginning in 2002, ENWorld has hosted the ENnies
ENnies
The Annual Gen Con EN World RPG Awards are annual, fan-based awards for role-playing game products and publishers hosted at Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana...
- an award show recognizing the best role-playing game products and publishers for the preceding year. The first ENnies were held online in 2001, and the following year they were officially announced at Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
. The ENnies are now officially known as the "Gen Con ENWorld Awards" show, for both d20 and non-d20 games.
In October 2005, the EN World GameStore opened, selling downloadable RPG products. Sellers on the GameStore can use their profits to buy other people's products, or transfer the money to PayPal to make it otherwise usable. Likewise, buyers must transfer cash from PayPal or a similar service to purchase any non-free product. The GameStore closed a year later, in 2006.
History
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News was the primary source of information about the third edition of the Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game prior to its release by Wizards of the Coast. The site gathered rumors and released information about the game, and many members were playing a hybrid game using the rules from this site along with the existing second edition rules.
In 2001, Eric Noah announced that he was closing the website for personal reasons. A diaspora of other d20 news sites sprung into action at that time to replace it, of which EN World was the best known and most used. EN World was originally created as a message board to support a community project that had originally been launched on Eric Noah's site to design a campaign world for 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons. As such, it already had a large number of members from Eric Noah's site using the site at enworld.org