Indie RPG Awards

The Indie RPG Awards are annual, creator-based awards for Indie role-playing game products. The creator of the Awards is Andy Kitkowski. It was established in 2002.

For the purposes of the Awards, there exists a following "definition" of an Indie role-playing game:^[1]

• A game where the creator is the person who has written at least 50% of the actual game content.
• A game where the creator has full control of content and publishing. They can say, "I'd like to print 200 more copies" or "I'll drop the price by 50%", "I think this game needs more ninjas..." and do so without asking permission or checking with anyone else.
• A game where the creator is the publisher: They alone are responsible for paying all the costs of printing, art, advertising, etc. They also have full executive receipt and full control over the disbursement of profits.

Categories

The following categories for nominations were used throughout the awards history:

• Indie Game of the Year - main award for Indie Games.
• Indie Supplement of the Year - sub-award for best Supplements of Indie Games.
• Best Free Game - sub-award for free Indie Games.
• Best Support - sub-award for publisher who displayed best support for previously published game or supplement.
• Best Production - sub-award for best written and most attractive Indie Games.
• Most Innovative Game - sub-award for games that stretch the RPG experience in new ways.
• Andy's Choice Award - Awards creator personal award; presented only in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
• People's Choice Award - sub-award decided by popular vote rather than by peers for best game and best supplement; presented only in 2004.
• Best Synergy - sub-award for a game for which the game rules have been tailor-made to reflect the setting they take place in, and the setting is clearly reflected in the rules; presented only in 2002 and 2003.
• Indie RPG "Human of the Year" - sub-award for Indie RPG creators and supporters rather than games; presented only in 2002 and 2003.
• Best Use of the d20 License - presented only in 2002
• Indie RPG Zine of the Year - presented only in 2002

Winners

2002

• Indie Game of the Year: Dust Devils
  • Runners-up: The Riddle of Steel (2nd), Cartoon Action Hour (3rd)
  • Finalists: Children of the Sun, Cartoo Action Hour, Lightspeed, InSpectres, Donjon
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Charnel Gods
  • Runners-up: JAGS C-13: The Colonies (2nd), Vendetta (3rd)
  • Finalists: Demon Cops, InSpeckers
• Best Free Game: Nicotine Girls
  • Runners-up: Active Exploites (2nd), Shadows (3rd)
  • Finalists: Metal Opera, Console
• Best Use of the d20 License: The Kid's Colouring Book o Critters - Celebrity Edition
  • Runners-up: Deeds not Words (2nd), 101 Mundane Treasures (3rd)
  • Finalists: Thee Compleat Librum ov Gar'Udok's Necromantic Artes, d20Zine!
• Best Production: Children of the Sun
  • Runners-up: Dust Devils (2nd), octaNe
  • Finalists: The Colonies, Trollbabe
• Best Support: The Riddle of Steel
  • Runners-up: Cartoon Action Hour (2nd), InSpectres (3rd)
  • Finalists: Mean Streets, Trollbabe
• Best Synergy: Dust Devils
  • Runners-up: Kayfabe (2nd), InSpectres (3rd)
  • Finalists: Nicotine Girls, The Riddle of Steel
• Most Innovative Game: Universalis
  • Runners-up: Soap: The Game of Soap Opera Mayhem (2nd), Donjon (3rd)
  • Finalists: Dust Devils, Trollbabe,
• Indie RPG "Human of the Year": Ron Edwards
  • Runners-up: Brett Bernstein (2nd), Clinton R. Nixon (3rd)
  • Finalists: Jared A. Sorensen
• Indie RPG Zine of the Year: The Shadowrun Supplemental
  • Runners-up: Places to go, People to meet (2nd), Critical Miss (3rd)
  • Finalists: Roleplaying Tips Weekly, d20Zine!
• Andy's Choice: Charnel Gods
  • Nod: Paladin

2003

• Indie Game of the Year: My Life with Master
  • Runners-up: Unbidden (2nd), Fate (3rd)
  • Finalists: vs Monsters, Wushu
• Indie Supplement of the Year: JAGS Have-Not
  • Runners-up: Island Nations & Daedalus (2nd; tie), Sex & Sorcery (3rd; actually 4th but listed as 3rd)
  • Finalists: Smuggler's Run, A Cast of Thousands
• Best Free Game: Fate^[2]:422
  • Runners-up: The Basic System (2nd), Active Exploites, 2nd edition (3rd)
  • Finalists: vs Monsters, The Valedictorian's Death,
• Best Production: My Life with Master
  • Runners-up: vs Monsters(2nd), Unbidden
  • Finalists: Orbit, Daemon Codex, Daedalus
• Best Support: Fate
  • Runners-up: Active Exploits, second edition(2nd), Pax Draconis
  • Finalists: Wushu, My Life with Master,
• Best Synergy: My Life with Master
  • Runners-up: Promised Sands (2nd), Wushu(3rd)
  • Finalists: Orbit, The Valedictorian's Death
• Most Innovative Game: My Life with Master
  • Runners-up: Orbit(2nd), Tooth and Claw (3rd)
  • Finalists: Wushu, The Valedictorian's Death
• Indie RPG "Human of the Year": Luke Crane (spelled as Power of the Year)
  • Finalists (no runners-up): Matt Snyder, Cynthia Celeste Miller, Phil Reed, Ron Edwards, Jay Libby, S. John Ross, Jason L Blair, Paul Czege, Mike Holmes, Andy Kitkowski, Samantha Downing, Todd Downing, Steve Darlington, Paul Tucker, Marco Chacon, Jared Sorenson, Matt Forbeck, Mike Rennaker, Jay Carpio AKA Carpio Dregg, Jeremy McHugh, Sandy Antunes, Justin Dagna, Dan Bayn, Chad Underkoffler, Nicole Lindross, Ann Dupius, Otto Blix, Andrew Kenrick, James Mathe
• Andy's Choice: Fate
  • Nods: Barbarians of Lemuria, Wushu

2004

• Indie Game of the Year: Dogs in the Vineyard
  • Runners-up (in order): Primetime Adventures, Dead Inside, The Shadow of Yesterday, Cat, A/State, Hardnova II, Wyrd is Bond, Lacuna, Nine Worlds, Iron Gauntlets, Pulp Fu, Book of Jalan, Conspiracy of Shadows
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Monster Burner
  • Runners-up (in order): Places to go, people to be, Inside, Cold Hard World, Fuzion Forum Yearbook 2003, Rune Companion, La Famiglia Amalfi, The Hidden Temple, The Lostfinders Guide to Mire End
• Best Free Game: The Shadow of Yesterday
  • Runners-up (in order): JAGS-2, Battleaxe, Basic System, Roleplaying Game Designate: Robots, Formless, Have-a-go Heroes
• People's Choice - Best Game: Dead Inside
  • Runners-up: Primetime Adventures(2nd), Dogs in the Vineyard(3rd)
  • Finalists (not in order): A/State, No Press RPG Anthology, Conspiracy of Shadows, Monkey Ninja Pirate Robot, the farm
• People's Choice - Best Supplement: Monster Burner
  • Runners-up: Cold, Hard World(2nd), Fuzion Forum Yearbook 2003(3rd)
  • Finalists (not in order): Rune Companion, PTGPTB
• Best Production: A/State
  • Runners-up (in order): Nine Worlds, Dogs in the Vineyard, Monster Burner, The Shadow of Yesterday, Battleaxe, No Press RPG Anthology & Lacuna & Wyrd is Bond (tie), Primetime Adventures, Code of Unaris
• Best Support: Monster Burner
  • Runners-up (in order): Dogs in the Vineyard, A/State, The Shadow of Yesterday, JAGS-2 & Conspiracy of Shadows (tie), Dead Inside, Iron Gauntlets, Battleaxe & Basic System (tie), Hardnova II
• Most Innovative Game: Dogs in the Vineyard
  • Runners-up (in order): Primetime Adventures, Lacuna, Code of Unaris, Dead Inside, The Shadow of Yesterday, Fastlane, Bones, No Press RPG Anthology, Wyrd is Bond, Cat, Nine Worlds
• Andy's Choice: Primetime Adventures
  • Nods (not in any order): The Shadow of Yesterday, Infinite Legends, LACUNA PART I, Battleaxe, Roma Imperious, Cat: Little Game About Little Heroes, Pie Shop, Dog Town: Core Rules, Dead Inside

2005

• Indie Game of the Year: Polaris
  • Runners-up (in order): Truth & Justice, The Mountain Witch, Breaking the Ice, With Great Power..., Artesia, Coyote Trail, Bacchanal, Cold Space
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Burning Sands: Jihad
  • Runners-up (in order): JAGS Wonderland, Conspiracy of Shadows Companion, The Fringe, Dial S for Superhumans
• Best Free Game: Perfect20
  • Runners-up (in order): Burning Sands: Jihad, JAGS Wonderland, Bacchanal, Dial S for Superhumans, Basic V
• Best Production: Artesia
  • Runners-up (in order): The Mountain Witch, Polaris
• Best Support: Truth & Justice
  • Runners-up (in order): With Great Power..., Cold Space, Breaking the Ice, Polaris, Burning Sands: Jihad, The Mountain Witch
• Most Innovative Game: Polaris
  • Runners-up (in order): Breaking the Ice, The Mountain Witch, Bacchanal, With Great Power..., Truth & Justice

2006

• Indie Game of the Year: Spirit of the Century
  • Runners-up (in order): Burning Empires, The Zorcerer of Zo, Lacuna Part 1 (second attempt), Don't Rest Your Head,^[2]:424 A Thousand and One Nights, Shock: Social Science Fiction, Faery's Tale & The Shab-al-Hiri Roach & In Harm's Way: A Napoleonic Naval Roleplaying Game (tie)
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Dictionary of Mu
  • Runners-up (in order): Push Volume 1, Steampunk Musha
• Best Free Game: JAGS Revised
  • Runners-up (in order): EABAlite, Mexican Standoff, Unistat, Simple20, Beat the Clock, Inntil vi synker, Chimaera, Kazekami Kyoko Kills Kublai Khan
• Best Production: Burning Empires
  • Runners-up (in order): Spirit of the Century, Dictionary of Mu
• Best Support: Burning Empires
  • Runners-up (in order): Spirit of the Century, The Zorcerer of Zo, JAGS Revised
• Most Innovative Game: Lacuna Part 1, second attempt
  • Runners-up (in order): Don't Rest Your Head,^[2]:424 A Thousand and One Nights, Shock: Social Science Fiction, Agon

2007

• Indie Game of the Year: Grey Ranks
  • Runners-up (in order): Reign, Steal Away Jordan, Beast Hunters and Bliss Stage, Forward... To Adventure!, Classroom Deathmatch, Dirty Secrets and The Princess Game, The Committee for the Exploration of Mysteries
• Indie Supplement of the Year: The Blossoms are Falling
  • Runners-up (in order): Cold City Companion, Engines of War, Ave Molech, Elemental Gemstones
• Best Free Game: Classroom Deathmatch
  • Microcosm, Labyrinth Lord, The Dead
• Best Production: Reign
  • The Blossoms are Falling, Alpha Omega, Cold City Companion, Grey Ranks
• Best Support: The Blossoms are Falling
  • Reign, Cold City Companion, Grey Ranks, Fae Noir, Labyrinth Lord
• Most Innovative Game: Grey Ranks
  • Steal Away Jordan, Dirty Secrets, Bliss Stage, The Princess Game, Beast Hunters

2008

• Indie Game of the Year: Mouse Guard
  • Runners-up (in order): 3:16 Carnage Among the Stars, Hot War, Starblazer Adventures, Sweet Agatha and Zombie Cinema, In a Wicked Age: sword & sorcery roleplaying, Barbarians of Lemuria, Desolation and Houses of the Blooded, A Flower for Mara, A Dirty World, Duty & Honour and Story Cards, It's Complicated and Sea Dracula and Serial Homicide Unit
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Don't Lose Your Mind
  • Runners-up (in order): Magic Burner, Obsidian Portal, Archipelago, Forbidden Tiger Manual
• Best Free Game: Sea Dracula and Sufficiently Advanced (tie)
  • Runners-up (in order): Mutant Future, Gates & Gorgons and Shell Shock
• Best Production: Mouse Guard
  • Runners-up (in order): 3:16 Carnage Among the Stars, Hot War, Hellas: Worlds of Sun and Stone, Starblazer Adventures, Desolation, Houses of the Blooded and Sweet Agatha, Alpha Omega and Serial Homicide Unit
• Best Support: Mouse Guard
  • Runners-up (in order): Don't Lose Your Mind, 3:16 Carnage Among the Stars, Houses of the Blooded, Starblazer Adventures, Desolation, Somers, Mutant Future, Arsenal of Heaven and Duty & Honour and In a Wicked Age: sword & sorcery roleplaying and Magic Burner, Hot War (role-playing game)
• Most Innovative Game: Sweet Agatha
  • Runners-up (in order): In a Wicked Age: sword & sorcery roleplaying, 3:16 Carnage Among the Stars and Zombie Cinema, A Flower for Mara and Sea Dracula, Serial Homicide Unit, It's Complicated, Barbarians of Lemuria, A Dirty World and Duty & Honour, Hot War, Poison'd and The Cog Wars: Zero Edition

2009

• Indie Game of the Year: Kagematsu

Fiasco, Beat to Quarters and Little Fears Nightmare Edition, Diaspora, Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies and Montsegur 1244, On Her Majesty's Arcane Service and A Penny for My Thoughts and 44: A Game of Automatic Fear, Chronica Feudalis: A Game of Imagined Adventure in Medieval Europe, Ganakagok, Escape from Tentacle City, Hellcats and Hockeysticks: A Role-Playing Game of chaos, anarchy, and decidedly unladylike behavior and S/Lay w/Me, Lady Blackbird: Adventures in the Wild Blue Yonder, Shotgun Diaries: A Zombie Survival Roleplaying Game and Time & Temp, Atomic Highway - Post Apocalyptic Roleplaying and Slasher Flick, Norwegian Style and The Drifter's Escape and Umläut: Game of Metal

• Indie Supplement of the Year: The Day after Ragnarok

Thou Art But A Warrior: A Polaris Supplement, RPG = Role Playing Girl 2009, Tour de Lovecraft: The Tales, Bloodstained Stars, The World of Near

• Best Free Game: Lady Blackbird: Adventures in the Wild Blue Yonder

44: A Game of Automatic Fear, Last Train Out of Warsaw

• Best Production: Lady Blackbird: Adventures in the Wild Blue Yonder

Fiasco, Atomic Highway - Post Apocalyptic Roleplaying, A Penny for My Thoughts and Diaspora, Umläut: Game of Metal, The Drifter's Escape, 44: A Game of Automatic Fear, Ribbon Drive and Witch Girls Adventures and The Day After Ragnarok, Montsegur 1244, Kagematsu, Bloodstained Stars, Freedberg and The Dance and the Dawn and Chronica Feudalis: A Game of Imagined Adventure in Medieval Europe

• Best Support: Fiasco

Beat to Quarters, Atomic Highway - Post Apocalyptic Roleplaying, Lady Blackbird: Adventures in the Wild Blue Yonder, Diaspora, Action Castle, The Day After Ragnarok, Time & Temp, Tour de Lovecraft: The Tales and On Her Majesty's Arcane Service

• Most Innovative Game: A Penny for My Thoughts

Ribbon Drive, Kagematsu and Fiasco and Ganakagok, S/Lay w/Me, Action Castle, Montsegur 1244, Misery Bubblegum and Little Fears Nightmare Edition, Hellcats and Hockeysticks: A Role-Playing Game of chaos, anarchy, and decidedly unladylike behavior and Lady Blackbird: Adventures in the Wild Blue Yonder, On Her Majesty's Arcane Service

2010

• Indie Game of the Year: Apocalypse World
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Hot War Transmission
• Best Free Game: Stars Without Number
• Best Production: Freemarket
• Best Support: Apocalypse World
• Most Innovative Game: Apocalypse World

2011

• Indie Game of the Year: Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Fiasco Companion
• Best Free Game: Anima Prime
• Best Production: Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple
• Best Support: Fiasco Companion
• Most Innovative Game: Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple

2014

• Indie Game of the Year: The Clay That Woke
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Deep Carbon Observatory
• Best Production: A Red and Pleasant Land
• Best Support: Deep Carbon Observatory
• Most Innovative Game: The Clay That Woke

Notes

1. https://web.archive.org/web/20131116080451/http://rpg-awards.com/faq.shtml#1a
2. Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7.

External links

• Current Indie RPG Awards website
• previous Indie RPG Awards website (archived)