On March 28th, 2009, at 3:00 P.M. EDT, the XYZZY Awards Ceremony was held at ifMUD. Below is the transcript of the event, including side-comments that those in attendance made on the #peanut-gallery channel. Should you not wish to see those comments, an expurgated version is also available.

 

inky says, "but now for the big award, the one everyone's been waiting for"
djfletch gasps
Lucea says, "yay CF!"
Lucea says, "and, uh, yay Best Game"
inky says, "what makes a game good is complicated -- it's about the individual parts being good, but also about the thing as a whole being greater than their sum"
Fang executes heimlich maneuver on djfletch
inky says, "still, all our finalists for best game have demonstrated the quality of their individual parts by numerous other nominations"
Jacqueline listens to inky with a pensive expression.
inky says, "so, please, a big hand for our Best Game finalists:"
inky says, "Everybody Dies, by Jim Munroe"
Jota claps
Taleslinger aclsp
Lucea claps
djfletch cheers
Jacqueline cheers.
Maryam cheers.
inky says, "Gun Mute, by C. E. J. Pacian"
radix enlarges hands!
Otto plays banjo
Jota claps.
Lucea claps
Ellison holds up a giant foam hand for the finalists
Jacqueline cheers some more.
maga claps
Taleslinger sclap
vimes claps until his hands bleed.
inky says, "Nightfall, by Eric Eve"
Jota claps.
Firion goes home.
Lucea continues to clap
Taleslinger alsp
[peanut-gallery] Jacqueline says (to Ellison), "That is *so* Wisconsin."
Jacqueline cheers again.
Taleslinger +c
djfletch claps
inky says, "Piracy 2.0, by Sean Huxter"
Lucea clasps
[peanut-gallery] Jacqueline says, "Next you shall have to don a cheese hat."
violet applauds the finalists
Jota claps.
[peanut-gallery] Ellison says, "haha, they don't do it as much other places? I did not know that!"
Jacqueline cheers even more.
inky says, "and Violet, by Jeremy Freese"
Jota claps.
Taleslinger psalc
Lucea claps
maga says, "yay"
DavidW says, "yay to all the finalists! Good games, all!"
[peanut-gallery] Jacqueline says, "When I think foam fingers (and cheeseheads) I think of Wisconsin for some reason."
[peanut-gallery] Ellison says, "I haven't had a cheese hat in ages- not that I lost it intentionally"
[peanut-gallery] Ellison says, "cheeseheads, definitely"
fake_eileen comes up on stage in an ill-fitting black dress.
fake_eileen says, "and the winner is ..."
DavidW says, "ha ha"
radix eyes the announcer...
inky says (to fake_eileen), "hey, wait a minute!"
inky rips mask off.
Maryam gasps.
NamelessAdventurer exclaims, "curses, foiled again!"
DavidW asks, "Patrick McGooghan?"
Taleslinger asks, "Jwalrus?"
[peanut-gallery] Ellison says, "now rip HIS mask off!"
maga exclaims, "Graham!?!"
NamelessAdventurer exclaims, "the winner is NPCs! NPCs everywhere!"
Jacqueline says, "Heehee"
NamelessAdventurer is led offstage by burly security guards.
Lucea says, "heh"
Jacqueline says, "Oh dear."
Ellison says, "haha"
olethros says, "his case is advanced"
inky says, "hrm, actually, I don't think those security guards were played by anyone human"
Jacqueline says, "NamelessAdventurer, taken by The Man."
Fang says, "yay pesky kids"
Taleslinger says, "Oh, good thing Mute wasn't here"
NamelessAdventurer cackles and drives off with his confederates
nm applauds
JimMunroe chuckles at the hijinx.
inky says, "anyway! the envelope!"
inky rips it open and reads it over.
Jacqueline leans forward one last time.
inky says, "the winner of the 2008 XYZZY for Best Game is .. Violet, by Jeremy Freese!"
Jota applauds!
Guest2 applauds
olethros says, "hooraaay!"
DavidW says, "hooray!!!"
nm woots
Maryam exclaims, "hooray!!!"
zarf applauds
vimes says, "Hurrah!"
Lucea says, "hooray!"
olethros throws extra exclamation marks around
djfletch cheers
maga exclaims, "yay!"
Taleslinger says, "Yay!"
violet wishes jeremy had been more presumptuous
McMartin claps
olethros says, "woop woop woop"
Jacqueline stands to applaud again.
TJSay stands and applauds.
violet exclaims, "thank you again!"
Taleslinger says (to violet), "Improvise"
Jacqueline says, "Well done, Jeremy!"
vimes claps with great vigor
radix cheers
Cornelius cheers loudly.
Maryam exclaims, "Bravo!"
Pacian both claps and applauds.
JimMunroe claps til his hands go numb.
Taleslinger jumps on his seat.
inky says, "also, I should mention I had dinner with him last night and he very tactfully didn't shake me by the collar and demand to know if he won or not"
maga says, "woo"
Ellison says, "haha"
Guest2 exclaims, "Jeremy!"
DavidW says, "hee"
vimes says, "That is rather tactful! Hurrah for tact and best game both!"
olethros says, "hahaha"
Lucea says, "heh"
Jacqueline says, "Hahaha"
olethros asks (of inky), "really?"
JimMunroe exclaims, "Speeeech!"
Jacqueline says, "Indeed... speeeech!"
Taleslinger says, "Speeeeeeeeeeech"
vimes says, "SPAAAAAATCH! Wait. SPEEEEECH!"
Fang says, "peeeeach"
Taleslinger eyes empty mug.
violet is more shy than she appears in the game
Lucea says, "bleach!"
Pacian exclaims, "A song would do!"
inky says (to violet), "well, you'd have to be"
[peanut-gallery] Jacqueline says (to vimes), "A spatch would be good, too."
Taleslinger says, "You'll captivate everyone with you're cute Australian accent"
[peanut-gallery] vimes says, "Quite so."
jdouglass begins clapping and stomping rythmically
Lucea refuses to make a 'shrinking violet' joke
vimes asks, "Perhaps just a quick craft workshop instead?"
Guest2 leaves the auditorium to the west.
Wendymoon goes home.
radix asks (of vimes), "How to Not Piss Off Your Better Half While You Write Your Game?"
Ellison says (to violet), "now is a good time to advertise upcoming curiosity shop openings"
vimes says (to radix), "Man, that's not just a workshop, that's a lifetime of study"
violet says, "maybe I will have to recreate the trophy for this occasion"
inky says (to vimes), "hee hee"
violet exclaims, "coming soon to Adelaide, Ellison!"
Ellison laughs
Jacqueline says (to vimes), "heehee"
vimes lights the band and signals the fireworks to start playing
inky says, "well, I think that about wraps things up. thanks to everyone for coming!"
inky says, "also, thanks to everyone involved here! lpsmith, who organized things behind the scenes, all our presenters, and of course eileen!"
DavidW claps
violet cheers
maga claps
Lucea applauds
Ellison says, "yay everybody"
Jacqueline says, "Thanks, everyone! Congratulations, everyone!"
Fang cheers.
vimes clap clap, clapclaps
McMartin cheers for another successful ceremony
zarf says, "yay"
SkinnyMike exclaims, "Congrats nominees and winners!"
JimMunroe whoo-hoos.
Taleslinger says, "Congratulations, everyone!"
nm says, "congrats to all!"
olethros says, "congrats!"
Taleslinger says, "Let's hear it for inky!"
vimes says, "IT! IT! IT!"
Otto says, ""congrats for the great games!""
radix exclaims (at vimes), "don't summon it!"
Nitku says, "Congrats to winners"
Ben unmanifests his avatar.
radix drunkenly cheers at whoever happens to be near him at the time.
[peanut-gallery] Ellison says, "nice work on the NamelessAdventurer/NPC-love running joke. more awards ceremonies need a subplot like that"
Taleslinger says, "Yay for the cabal!"
Taleslinger says, "Which of course, doesn't exist!"
[peanut-gallery] McMartin says, "Though it's somewhat odd, since NamelessAdventurer is classically the most exploitive of them all."
Fang asks, "what cabal?"
McMartin says, "No cabal here, move along citizen"
vimes says, "That one! Right there!"
[peanut-gallery] Ellison says, "sure, but with his amnesia, he doesn't remember that"
[peanut-gallery] McMartin says, "Also, I forgot about how he was an NPC once."
[peanut-gallery] McMartin says, "But he got *treasure* when he was an NPC."
[peanut-gallery] McMartin says, "... and then, at least if I was the PC, he got locked in a magic box for the remainder of the game."
[peanut-gallery] inky says, "hee hee"