Greg Stafford Memorial Award for Gloranthan Fandom presented for 2019 and 2020
Posted by Michael O'Brien on 14th Oct 2020
The Greg Stafford Memorial Award for Gloranthan Fandom was established in November 2018 in memory of Chaosium's revered founder and original creative visionary Greg Stafford. With the blessing of Greg's family Chaosium will occasionally and irregularly present the award to recognise a significant and exceptional contribution to Gloranthan Fandom in a current year.
The inaugural recipient of the award, in November 2018, was Lev Lafayette, the driving force behind successfully bringing back RQ Con Down Under after a hiatus of twenty years.
This week marks the second anniversary of Greg Stafford's passing, and we are pleased to present the awards for both 2019 and 2020.
The 2019 Award
The 2019 Greg Stafford Memorial Award for Gloranthan Fandom goes to Martin Helsdon.
Martin created the impressive fan work The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass, based on Greg's writings. This 382 page opus has been a bestseller on our Jonstown Compendium community content platform, received rave reviews, and done much to promote interest in Gloranthan scholarship. (Martin has since followed this up with a new 182 page sequel and Art Packs from the series that can be used by other creators.)
On receiving the award, Martin said:
"I would like to express my thanks and gratitude in accepting the Greg Stafford Memorial Award for 2019. I am indebted to Greg Stafford and all the creators of Glorantha, past and present, for building a world of such inventive depth and extraordinary color for all of us to play in, whether we adventure there, run games there, or attempt to add to it.
Glorantha is one of the few fictional worlds that really takes on a life of its own. For me it came alive when reading Cults of Prax, long ago, and I believe it still stands as one of the most influential and imaginative game books ever written. This was a world, I realized, with its own mythology and history, its own secrets and wonders, and every new boxed set and book became an object of anticipation, for the glimpses and insights they offered.
I am deeply honored that my own contribution is thought a worthy addition. Thank you."
The 2020 Award
The 2020 Greg Stafford Memorial Award for Gloranthan Fandom goes to Nick Brooke.
Nick Brooke has been a long-time passionate Glorantha fan and advocate of Gloranthan gaming. This year Nick has kicked that advocacy to another level through his support of the Jonstown Compendium, Chaosium's community content platform for Glorantha on DriveThruRPG.
As well as releasing well-received products of his own, including The Duel at Dangerford, Nick is using the community content format to bring back Gloranthan material from the golden days of the 1990s including the gloriously updated A Rough Guide to Glamour. This is based on the Reaching Moon Megacorp Freeform that Greg so memorably played Great Sister in at RQ Con Down Under in 1998. It's great that via the Jonstown Compendium this sort of long out-of-print yet richly-resonant material has a means to reach an all-new audience of Glorantha fans, and Nick is a driving force behind that.
In addition to releasing highly-received products of his own, Nick has also been very supportive and helpful to other creators, and maintains a comprehensive list of all the content being added on a weekly basis. The list has grown from 5 to 35 pages, and is being updated by Nick on a regular basis, reflecting the success of this fan-driven program and the growing interest in Greg's world.
On receiving the award, Nick said:
I am honoured to receive the Greg Stafford Memorial Award for 2020.
I first met Greg 35 years ago; I think of him every day. He changed my life by introducing me to David Hall and the Reaching Moon Megacorp, the leading Gloranthan fan publisher of the 1990s. Now, through Chaosium's community content programme, everyone can publish works set in Glorantha -- the kind of easy-going creative collaboration Greg always encouraged. "Your Gloranthas Will Vary: please share them with us."
It has been a pleasure to write for the Jonstown Compendium, and to support my fellow creators. My profound thanks go to Suzanne Stafford and the Chaosium board. I dedicate this award to Steve Thomas, who taught me everything I know about layout when we worked on Tales of the Reaching Moon magazine.
