How are the Al and the Dave Awarded?

The Dave is the award for the Best of Show. It is a memorial to Dave Donovan, BGB member, who was known for his good sportsmanship and enthusiasm for gaming.

The Dave will be awarded to the game determined to be the best game at HAVOC that year. The criteria for the best game includes excellent concept and execution in game play, and player enjoyment. The presentation is considered as part of the Dave, but being pretty is not the prime determinate of the award. The award goes to the game everyone is talking about after or during the convention.

The Al is the award for the Best Presentation at the Convention. It is a memorial to Al Garnache, another member of BGB, who was one of the best artists and competition gamers of our club. Al was an art teacher, so he always had an eye for a good-looking game.

The criteria for the Al is excellence in presentation, the figures, the terrain, and buildings. The award goes to the game with the most WOW factor: jaw-dropping table appeal. The game play is not a major criterion, but can be considered as a factor.

It is possible for a single game to win both the Al and the Dave, but it would have to a true tour de force of gaming.

Immediately after clean up at the conventions, we have the Courts Martial and Recriminations Meeting. All people who hang around and help with the clean up, whether BGB members or not, may participate in the nominations and voting for the Dave and the Al.

The process we follow is this:

First up are the nominations:

All Best of Period games are automatically nominated for the Dave.
Additional games may be nominated for the Dave by acclaim.
Games nominated for the Al are done so by acclaim.

Once the games are nominated, they are then presented.

Once presented, people are allowed to discuss the game. Everyone who played in the game, or talked to others who played in the game, may relate their experiences, both pro and con.
Each game will be discussed for no longer than 10 minutes.
Finally, we recap the discussions.

Then comes the voting phase.

Depending on number of nominations, we normally allow a hidden ballot with each voter allowed to pick 2 or 3 games. (Specific rules are decided prior to voting).
The Final Nominees (winners of the first round of voting) are give another period of time for the faithful to convert the masses.
After the attempted conversion, the final hidden ballot is passed and the winner of the Dave and the Al are determined.
It is possible for a tie, but it's rare.

The Dave and the Al are awarded to the winners the following year.