The 2016 Squiddie Award Winners
Ongoing Worlds Medal for Superior Online Role Playing
Last month, we asked for nominations for our top award, the Ongoing Worlds Medal for Superior Online Role Playing (aka the Squiddie). You responded with 29 absolutely outstanding nominations. For anyone who missed those posts, the Squiddie is presented annually to one person, one game, and one club. Each of the three winners is awarded for one of the following respective areas:
- Excellence in Role Playing
- Originality & Innovation
- Facilitating the Community Experience
As you can imagine, narrowing the list of 29 nominees down to 3 winners was extremely difficult as there were many top-notch people, games, and clubs recommended. But we had to do it! Without and further ado, here are your 2016 winners…
Excellence in Role Playing: USS Vindicator of UCIP (game)
The USS Vindicator is arguably today’s best example of simming quality. Caping over 20 years of excellence since its founding, the Vindicator’s 2015 campaign was one for the ages. Not only did the game take home its seventh (and second in a row) Andrew Bergen award, presented annually by UCIP to its best sim, but the Vindicator also won top prize in the 2015 Tournament of Simulations (TOS). According to one TOS judge: “Wow… I didn’t know sims like this existed! What are the odds of getting several talented writers all in one spot?” Outstanding detailed action sequences combined with excellent character interactions and development are the norm here. The posts flow seamlessly together to create an unparalleled narrative of Trek lore.
Originality & Innovation: LooneyBird (person)
LooneyBird (aka FruitLoop) launched Sci-Fi Avatars (originally known as Star Trek Avatars) more than 15 years ago with fellow role player Artemis. Since its humble beginnings, the site has provided countless online role players with character avatars to enhance the simming experience. Sci-Fi Avatars now boasts an interactive avatar profile builder to assist all players in creating the perfect Star Trek or Stargate avatars for their characters. The site also houses hundreds of other images for games and clubs to use. Not only did LooneyBird see and fill a need in the early 2000s, but she has also continually updated and altered her site, and enlisted the help of others, to keep it relevant in the ever-changing simming environment. Indeed, Sci-Fi Avatars remains the place to find quality avatars and images within the community.
Facilitating the Community Experience: UFOP: StarBase 118
Over the last few years, UFOP: StarBase 118 has been the leader in balancing internal and external community. In 2015, the club hosted its second FallFest and continued to present writing workshops and other events with published authors for both its own players and individuals from other clubs and games. These experiences have led to both improved relations and cooperation within the greater simming community and continuing simming excellence back home. UFOP’s outstanding games include the USS Darwin, Squiddie Laureate StarBase 118: Operations, and more. In addition, UFOP remains one of the last bastions of the script posting format, an integral part of simming history. All-in-all, UFOP does community and does it right.
Congratulations!
Well done to our three newest Squiddie Laureates! And thank you to everyone for all of the wonderful nominations! Be on the look out for next year’s Squiddie nomination period to begin in early 2017.
This winners of this award were decided by David Ball, Leon Archer, Mister Xanadu, Tiberius Creations, Diego Herrera, and Charles Star. All results are final and not subject to appeal. Be sure to also check out the 2013, 2014 & 2015 winners.
