After literally having the task on my “to do” list for years, I’ve finally succeeded (fingers crossed) in migrating, upgrading, restoring, and re-hosting the old site and forums of the Academy for Modding Excellence (AME). The software should now be fully up-to-date. Absent further developments I should be able to keep them operational indefinitely in their current deployment.

This restoration of the AME site and forums is intended for historical purposes. The Academy has been inactive since the first half of 2014, and there are no plans for it to resume work. However, I believe that a historical archive of the AME, and its Golden Dragon Awards, is worth preserving. I did not want to let it simply disappear, as so many other resources in the Neverwinter Nights community have done. That includes the tragic loss of three iterations of the old Bioware forums, as well as IGN’s old NWN Vault, which imploded and disappeared eight years ago.

The original NWN just celebrated its 20th anniversary. The ongoing interest it enjoys today is frankly extraordinary in a 20 year old computer game. That interest has been further renewed in recent years by the release of Beamdog’s Enhanced Edition. Most of old Vault’s priceless library of NWN and NWN2 mods was saved by the heroic efforts of a dedicated group of community members, and now survives on the NEW Neverwinter Vault. For all these reasons and more, I’m happy to be able to help preserve a small part of this remarkable game’s history.

Speaking personally, I believe in the future of Neverwinter Nights modding. For anyone interested, I wrote a bit about why in a recent post to my blog at Andarian Publishing.

Neverwinter Nights’ 20th Anniversary

Tony Andarian

Note: Although the site’s data is largely intact, it will still require a bit more “fixing up” after the conversion. That unfortunately includes most of the links to the old NWN Vault, which are now dead since it no longer exists. I’ll be taking care of that over time. In the interim, don’t be surprised if you find a few errors here and there. 🙂

The Academy for Modding Excellence is pleased to announce the latest Golden Dragon Award winner!

NWN2 Best Storytelling Module of 2010-2011: The Last Days of the Raven by PJ156

The Last Days of the Raven provides a strong and interesting story that includes plot twists, happy and sad moments, and well developed characters both old and new. A sequel to Caravan Club, the action takes place in Thunder Bay, a different setting than previous modules in the series. The combat is fun and complements the story by taking place when it makes sense, rather than as a hack and slash fest.

Last Days of the Raven starts after the eventful Caravan Club, bringing the player back on track after what only seemed a time of rest. Defining elements, such as the finely crafted environments and innovative sense of time, are brought to a height as exciting as the events surrounding Thunder Bay. At the same time, those searching for action are drawn to fights stacked against all odds. It provides an experience that is also backed by a soundtrack bound to sway the bravest adventurer.

The Academy for Modding Excellence is pleased to announce the winner of the NWN2 2009-2011 Most Replayable Module Award!

NWN2 2009-11 Most Replayable Module: Dark Waters by Adam Miller

Dark Waters is a series of three modules set in a customised world made up of a series of islands. The full version released in 2009 includes the third and final chapter of the saga and integrates it with the first two.

Littered with inventive scripting, custom content, interesting side quests and mini games there is plenty to keep the player coming back to this campaign, indeed the side diversions can, at times, keep the player from progressing the modules main story line. The story starts out very linear in construction but soon opens out allowing the player to engage in a more sand box style play. This is particularly the case with the bucaneering system allowing the PC to sail the seas in search of treasure and adventure.

The combination of a strong story, interesting npc’s and an ample serving of in game diversions in the form of mini games, makes this a worthy winner of the award for the most replayable module 2009 – 2011.

Congratulations to Adam for winning the award!

The Academy for Modding Excellence is pleased to announce the winner of the NWN2 2009-2010 Best Roleplaying Module Award!

NWN2 2009-10 Best RPG: The Maimed God’s Saga by Tiberius209

In The Maimed God’s Saga you get the chance to play a cleric of Tyr, the Faerunian god of justice. Answering a call for help from one of the church’s devotees in a remote village, you become involved in a dark and twisted plot that will take you from the most radiant cities to the harshest wilds.

The Maimed God’s Saga includes some unique gameplay additions, such as praying in order to commune with Tyr and spellcasting through conversation. These and other interesting features increase the roleplaying value of the module and make the player feel like he or she is really walking the path of a true divine champion.

Congratulations to Tiberius for winning the award!

The Academy for Modding Excellence is pleased to announce new finalists for Neverwinter Nights 1!

NWN1 2010-2011 Best Storytelling Module – Finalists

Prophet – Chapter II – The Century of Sorrow by Baldecaran

The Prophet series features one of the most gripping plots ever written for a NWN module. A mystery thriller set in a fantasy universe, it is the NWN equivalent of a page-turner.

The PC has a strong personal involvement in the story right from the beginning and it’s kept up all through the series, never losing anything of the menace and mystery connected to it. This is conveyed by the convincing and highly polished writing as well as by the use of cutscene and atmospheric scenery, featuring intelligently complex construction and stunning cinematic presentation. Baldecaran makes perfect use of selected custom music and some of the best tilesets available, and he manages to exploit their full potential by careful use of lighting and well thought-out area design. Every new area is a surprising sight, and every conversation is interesting and adds to the plot.

The Relbonian Chronicles – Chapter One by Quillmaster

This is a strong story driven module with a good immersion factor. The attention to detail, area design, well written conversations, cutscenes and last but not least the numerous custom books, were all impressive features of this work. Relbonian Chronicles is not set in the Forgotten Realms but has an original and interesting setting with its own history, pantheon and a mythology that’s exciting to learn about.

FA1 – Halls of the High King by Udasu

This module has a strong story/plot that keeps the player interested. The polish level is very good, and there is lots of background information to be had as the story progresses. It is visually impressive, with lots of attention to detail and a fun romp for low level PC’s. At first glance it may seems more of an hack and slash action module with only basic story and NPC development, but the care towards atmosphere, area design, lighting and music, as well as some hidden side stories and books add greatly to the storytelling experience and drive the player on with curiosity to see what’s next.

NWN1 Special Recognition Award: ‘Coffeebreak Module’ – Finalists

This is a special recognition category covering the whole of the history of NWN1, for development of a short module that can be played “on a coffee break” (typically under an hour).

Celestial Chronicles Part 1 by Madhenchbot

This short module is a very polished and professional-looking work, and an excellent example stylistically of a dramatic NWN module. The writing, scripting, cutscenes, structure, pacing, and attention to detail are all flawless. The area design was well done, the story pulls you in nicely, and all the NPCs had well written believable dialogue.

Science Macabre by Tempered Moon

Science Macabre is a very well written and dialogue-heavy module that packs a great deal of reading into its short, “coffeebreak” format. Designed essentially as a “portfolio work” to showcase the author’s writing skills, it combines well structured dialogue and conversation options with an intriguing “alternate history” setting that does a good job of delivering what the title claims: a combination of science and the macabre.

The Sunken Shrine of Ahmenkatja by Jesse Sky

This is a short and enjoyable mini-mod from 2007 that feels just like a full NWN story, only more compressed. Its forte is the story-telling, drawing you in with just the right amount of background information and well-made cutscenes to get the story across, without requiring lots of reading. But it also features exploration, combat, puzzles and neat scripting ideas. A good recommendation for anyone who wants to learn what NWN is about in less than an hour!

Congratulations to all the finalists!

The Academy for Modding Excellence is pleased to announce the 2009 thru 2011 winners of the NWN2 Debut Author Award!

NWN2 2009 Debut Author: Tsongo (for Serene)

This module, the first of three to date, has you playing the role of the younger sibling of your sister, Serene. The module opens with you following in her footsteps, initiating into the Order of the Moon — a group of monks who, you hope, will give you training, a life outside the small village you live in and a chance to see your sister again. Things don’t turn out the way you hoped, and you soon find yourself embroiled in a tale of deception and revenge — locked on a twisting path that you hope will lead you to your lost sister, before it is too late.

Serene is a strong first module and has been well recieved by the community at large. It is a linear, story led, module which takes you through a number of environments in your quest to find Serene. The areas are well made and the story well thought out, and the pace of the module keeps the player interested all along the way. It has good, well fleshed out NPCs and companions, and a challenging set of enemies to fight along the way. All in all a worthy first module and winner of the 2009 Debut Author award.

NWN2 2010-2011 Debut Author: Shaughn78 (for Risen Hero)

Risen Hero is a story-driven module that carries the protagonist on a journey of self-discovery, from a mysterious beginning to an epic ending against a world-shattering threat. All along the way, the player has the opportunity to recruit an unusually high number of companions, as well as completing quests through stealth, smooth talking, or in many other ways, making this one of the most replayable modules of its year.

Congratulations to the winners!

The Academy for Modding Excellence is pleased to announce the finalists for the NWN2 2010-2011 Debut Author Award!

Kamal (for Path of Evil)

“Villains have to start somewhere.” This is the motto of Path of Evil, where you play the unusual role of the villain of the story, from the humble begginings to the rise in power, until you become a serious menace to the realms.

Path of Evil is a huge sandbox module where you can do evil deeds while you explore the whole map of Faerun. Unlike in many other modules, you are the one who creates the story, always a step forward of the heroes who are trying to stop you. It also allows the player to be evil in an intelligent and manipulative way, rather than the usual psychopatic, mass-murderous one.

Matt Rieder (for The Wizard’s Apprentice)

As its name implies, the first installment in Matt Rieder’s acclaimed trilogy narrates – often in a Python-esque style – the story of a young wizard student and his/her early adventure days. Class-specific as it is, the module features a good deal of wizard-related content, as well as challenging combat and an increasingly complicated plot.

Shaughn78 (for Risen Hero)

Risen Hero is a story-driven module that carries the protagonist on a journey of self-discovery, from a mysterious beginning to an epic ending against a world-shattering threat. All along the way, the player has the opportunity to recruit an unusually high number of companions, as well as completing quests through stealth, smooth talking, or in many other different ways, making this one of the most replayable modules of its year.

Congratulations to all the finalists!

The AME is pleased to announce the results of our Fall 2012 Quarterly review!

The following Neverwinter Nights 2 Golden Dragon Awards have now entered the finals:

NWN2 2009-2011 Most Replayable Module Award

• Edinmoor (by Dorateen). As all Dorateen’s modules, Edinmoor features SoZ’s party creation and conversation systems. The author put an effort in providing specific conversation lines for a variety of classes, races and alignments, as well as different quest paths.
• Lowena (by Jezla9). Lowena is a short module that features a surprisingly amount of story paths and endings in roughly half an hour. Its short duration makes exploring the different options much easier than in other, longer modules.
• Dark Waters 3 (by Adam Miller). Following the trail led by its predecessor, Dark Waters 3 is a sandbox module with lots of exploration. Aside from a strong plot with multiple endings, it features naval battles with two factions to choose from, and a remarkable number of minigames, such a “Lute Hero” or “Pirate Cards“, which you may find yourself liking as much as the main story.

Congratulations to all finalists!

The AME is pleased to announce the results of our Mid-Summer 2012 Review!

Neverwinter Nights 2 Best Storytelling Module of 2009

The three finalists in this category were:

• Serene by Tsongo
• Sands of Solvheil III: Crusaders of Shalihir by Raith Veldrin
• Dark Waters III by Adam Miller

The winner of the NWN2 2009 Best Storytelling Module is Sands of Solvheil III: Crusaders of Shalihir by Raith Veldrin. Here are a few thoughts about this module from the AME’s award deliberations:

“I think in Part III the author has finally managed to find the right balance between involving the player in big events and having the story unfold… you can really see the way the themes and ideas shine through the story he’s telling and the world he constructs – and there are some big issues going on here, about religion, science, destiny and free will…

“…my main appreciation for this author’s work springs from his embrace of adventuring as “aggressive archaeology”.  I think there’s a sense often in games that “story” is the thing that happens with all the words.  But what makes SoS really stand out for me is the way story is embedded in the places you visit, often more so than in conversations you have or books you read.  This, to me, is really quality area design and genuinely original story-telling: not just creating a sense of place with the toolset but having the skills also to communicate history, to make a story not just something the player reads but something the player can walk around and look at.”

Neverwinter Nights 2 Debut Author Award of 2009

This category has just completed the nominations phase and has now entered the finals. The finalists are:

• PJ156 for Sheep and Stone
• Tsongo for Serene
• J.E. McKellar for The Last of the Danaan

Please feel free to discuss the new awards on our AME 2012 Awards Discussion Thread, and Congratulations to all of the Finalists and Winners!

And don’t miss our recent Summer 2012 AME News Update, regarding our NWN1 and NWN2 awards activities!

NWN2 Awards and Recruiting News

I’m pleased to announce that thanks to a continuing positive response from the community (as well as tireless recruiting efforts from some of our current staff), we have been able to add several new members during the course of 2012. We have about a dozen now supporting the NWN2 awards, and as I suggested in some of my previous announcements, this marks an important milestone for the AME. The reason is that we need a certain “critical mass” of members to clear nominations and awards in an effective and timely manner. A lack of that in recent years has been the cause of our current backlog of NWN2 awards, but it is a threshold that we have now finally once again begun to cross.

As a result, we expect to see a new stream of nominations and awards for those previous years (as well as for some current ones) from the AME in the coming months. That will begin with the results of the 2012 Summer Review to be announced shortly, and should continue with the 2012 Fall Review results to be announced in early October. And of course, if any of you have an interest in joining our NWN2 membership, don’t let this positive development stop you! The more members we have, the better and faster a job we will be able to do of bringing the NWN2 GDA’s up to date.

NWN1 Awards and Recruiting News

There has, conversely, been a reduction in membership and activity on our Neverwinter Nights 1 awards over the last year. I think that’s partly been due to the game’s continued aging (it’s now 10 years old), and the understandable tendency for players to gradually move on to more recent ones. From my contacts in the community, however, it is clear that there is still considerable interest in Neverwinter Nights 1, and that it is not yet time to draw a line under this remarkable game.

Much of this interest is in the custom content community, with ongoing projects like the monthly Custom Content Challenge and the new release of Project Q v1.5. But there are also a number of ongoing module development projects for it, as well as releases since last year of significant new works such as the conclusion of the Prophet series by Baldecaran. Indeed, Prophet Chapters II and III, which currently constitute 2 of the top 4 modules of all time by vote rating on the NWN Vault, may best exemplify our current conundrum. Due to a lack of participation from the NWN1 player community, we have been unable to clear nominations and awards for these and at least several other worthy candidates over the last two years.

In addition to our ongoing award categories (and as described in my last update), we also began a series of “Special Recognition” awards last year. Spanning the entire history of NWN1 rather than only recent years, each Special Recognition Award will focus on a different theme. So whether you still have an active interest in NWN1, or merely had one in the past, the AME has awards activities that you could participate in — and our “do what you can when you can” procedures make this easy to do.

In Memoriam

As many members of the NWN, NWN2 and Dragon Age communities may already know, Spidercat passed away earlier this year after a battle with cancer. In addition to her other activities, she had been an AME member for several years and was Game Leader for the our NWN2 awards. She was a wonderful person and colleague, and she will be sorely missed.