OriginsLogo.pngPaul Tevis (podcaster, game author and generally nice guy – oh yeah…also chair of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design which handles the Origins Awards for GAMA) has announced this year’s nominees for the Origins Awards on his blog. For those who aren’t aware, the Origins Awards are an annual set of awards covering the gamut of hobby gaming, with the nominees selected by retailers attending the GAMA Trade Show (this week!) and the winners selected by attendees at the Origins Game Fair. The awards has always been considered a bit of a mixed bag as some publishers have been very active in promoting their titles at Origins (we’re looking at you Looney Labs…). One big change this year – each of the nominees will have a dedicated demo area, which is a great way to make sure voting is a bit more informed. The nominees this year look like a solid bunch, though I might quibble over one or two (Castle Panic for best board game? Good game, but best?), but the one thing that really caught my attention is that there isn’t a single Wizards of the Coast title on the list – this has happened before, but not often.