I had the pleasure of attending the GAMA Trade Show again this year. It's one of my favorite shows because it's not as hectic as the consumer shows and you get to spend more time with the friends you only get to see a couple times a year. The show and the people who attend it kind of remind me of one of my favorite stories. You see, there's these ten special forces soldiers in a plane. They've all got their parachutes strapped to their backs and they're getting ready to make their very first jump. The Sergeant walks up to the first guy and shouts nght in his face "Soldier! Why do you want to jump out of a perfectly good plane?" "Sergeant, I love the excitement!" is the reply. The sergeant keeps his grin to himself and moves on to the next soldier. "How 'bout you son? You like jumping out of planes?" "Sergeant, I love it, sergeant!" He works his way down the line asking the same question and getting the same answer ... until he gets to the last guy. This guy is a little smaller than the rest of them and obviously a little nervous, so the sergeant gets right up in the guys face and shouts "You think jumping out of this plane is a good idea soldier?" "Sergeant, no sergeant! It scares the hell out of me!" The sergeant's surprise lights up his eyes and he asks, "Why the hell are you doing it, son?" "Because it's the only way I can hang out with guys who love to jump out of planes!" Now, I love games. I enjoy playing them and watching the joy they bring when I publish them. Unfortunately, I am not one of the geniuses who make them. I'm not the math wizard who can build and balance a collectible card game or a writer/storyteller who can make playing in a roleplaying world a magical experience. Yes, I own a game company, but the brains behind the product are the guys who work for me and who are sitting behind those booths at GAMA trying to sell that product. I'm the guy who jumps out of planes even though he's afraid because of the quality of people I get to be with. The people who bring you new game products in this industry are the finest people I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with and I look forward to jumping out of many planes with them in the future. So, take a look to your right. This is the Origins 1995 Award Ballot. By spending 32 cents, you can show your appreciation for a game that has brought joy into your life. There are quite a few quality products listed, but to tell the truth, a couple of my favorites got left off this year, so I'll probably be doing some write-ins. Even if your favorite wasn't listed, dopn't let that stop you for voting. Shadis Magazine came 3 votes away from winning last year, so believe me when I tell you that every vote counts! (As a side note, I was very surprised to learn that in the many years of the Origins awards, a write-in has never won, not even once. Also, in the ten years of publishing, Palladium Books has also never won a single award. Just in case you wanted to know.) So I urge you to vote, but I strongly urge you to get behind a product you and your friends love and send in a write-in. This award means a lot to a lot of people, as if you ever wanted a way to say "Thank You" to your favorite publisher or game designer, here's your chance. Back to Shadis #25 Table of Contents Back to Shadis List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1996 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com