Indie RPG Awards

The Indie RPG Awards are annual, creator-based awards for Indie role-playing games and supplements. They were established in 2002^[1]: 143 by Andy Kitkowski, and are the most sought-after awards in the Indie RPG community.

For the purposes of the Awards, there exists a following "definition" of an Indie role-playing game:^[2]

• 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.
• A game where the creator is the publisher, with full control over expenses and profits.

Categories[]

The following categories for nominations have been used throughout the history of the awards:

• Indie Game of the Year - the main award for Indie Games.
• Indie Supplement of the Year - for best Supplement for an Indie Game.
• Best Free Game - for free Indie Games.
• Best Support - for the publisher has best supported a previously published game or supplement.
• Best Production - for best written and most attractive Indie Games.
• Most Innovative Game - for games that stretch the RPG experience in new ways.

Additional categories were awarded in the first years of the awards:

• Best Use of the d20 License - presented only in 2002
• Indie RPG Zine of the Year - presented only in 2002
• Best Synergy - a game with a synergistic relationship between the setting and the rules; presented only in 2002 and 2003.
• Indie RPG "Human of the Year" - for Indie RPG creators and supporters; presented only in 2002 and 2003.
• Andy's Choice Award - determined by the originator of the awards; presented only in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
• People's Choice Award - decided by popular vote for best game and best supplement; presented only in 2004.

Winners[]

2002[]

• Indie Game of the Year: Dust Devils by Matt Snyder
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Charnel Gods by Ron Edwards
• Best Free Game: Nicotine Girls by Paul Czege
• Best Use of the d20 License: The Kid's Colouring Book o Critters - Celebrity Edition by M. Jason Parent
• Best Production: Children of the Sun by Lewis Pollack
• Best Support: The Riddle of Steel by Jacob Norwood
• Best Synergy: Dust Devils
• Most Innovative Game: Universalis by Ralph Mazza and Mike Holmes
• Indie RPG "Human of the Year": Ron Edwards
• Indie RPG Zine of the Year: The Shadowrun Supplemental
• Andy's Choice: Charnel Gods by Scott Knipe

2003[]

• Indie Game of the Year: My Life with Master by Paul Czege
• Indie Supplement of the Year: JAGS Have-Not
• Best Free Game: FATE^[3]: 422 by Fred Hicks
• Best Production: My Life with Master
• Best Support: FATE
• Best Synergy: My Life with Master
• Most Innovative Game: My Life with Master
• Indie RPG "Human of the Year": (spelled as Power of the Year)
• Andy's Choice: FATE

2004[]

• Indie Game of the Year: Dogs in the Vineyard by D. Vincent Baker
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Monster Burner by
• Best Free Game: The Shadow of Yesterday by Clinton R. Nixon
• People's Choice - Best Game: Dead Inside by Chad Underkoffler
• People's Choice - Best Supplement: Monster Burner
• Best Production: A/State by Malcolm Craig
• Best Support: Monster Burner
• Most Innovative Game: Dogs in the Vineyard
• Andy's Choice: Primetime Adventures by Matt Wilson

2005[]

• Indie Game of the Year: Polaris by Ben Lehman
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Burning Sands: Jihad by
• Best Free Game: Perfect20 by Levi Kornelsen
• Best Production: Artesia by Mark Smylie
• Best Support: Truth & Justice by Chad Underkoffler
• Most Innovative Game: Polaris

2006[]

• Indie Game of the Year: Spirit of the Century by Fred Hicks
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Dictionary of Mu by Judd Carlman
• Best Free Game: JAGS Revised by Marco Chacon
• Best Production: Burning Empires by
• Best Support: Burning Empires
• Most Innovative Game: Lacuna Part 1, second attempt by Jared Sorensen

2007[]

• Indie Game of the Year: Grey Ranks by Jason Morningstar
• Indie Supplement of the Year: The Blossoms are Falling by
• Best Free Game: Classroom Deathmatch by Jake Diamond and Matt Schlotte
• Best Production: by Greg Stolze
• Best Support: The Blossoms are Falling
• Most Innovative Game: Grey Ranks

2008[]

• Indie Game of the Year: Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game by and David Petersen
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Don't Lose Your Mind by
• Best Free Game: (tie) Sea Dracula by Jake Richmond and Nick Smith and Sufficiently Advanced by Colin Fredericks
• Best Production: Mouse Guard
• Best Support: Mouse Guard
• Most Innovative Game: Sweet Agatha by Kevin Allen Jr.

2009[]

• Indie Game of the Year: by Danielle Lewon
• Indie Supplement of the Year: by Kenneth Hite
• Best Free Game: Lady Blackbird: Adventures in the Wild Blue Yonder by John Harper
• Best Production: Lady Blackbird: Adventures in the Wild Blue Yonder
• Best Support: Fiasco by Jason Morningstar
• Most Innovative Game: A Penny for My Thoughts by Paul Tevis

2010[]

• Indie Game of the Year: Apocalypse World by D. Vincent Baker
• Indie Supplement of the Year: The Hot War Transmission by Malcolm Craig and Scott Dorward
• Best Free Game: Stars Without Number by Kevin Crawford
• Best Production: Freemarket by and Jared Sorensen
• Best Support: Apocalypse World
• Most Innovative Game: Apocalypse World

2011[]

• Indie Game of the Year: Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple by Daniel Solis
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Fiasco Companion by Jason Morningstar and Steve Segedy
• Best Free Game: Anima Prime by Christian Griffen
• Best Production: Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple
• Best Support: Fiasco Companion
• Most Innovative Game: Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple

2012[]

• Indie Game of the Year: Dungeon World by Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel
• Indie Supplement of the Year: American Disasters (for Fiasco) by Jason Morningstar and Steve Segedy
• Best Free Game: Mythender by Ryan Macklin
• Best Production: Dungeon World
• Best Support: Dungeon World
• Most Innovative Game: Dog Eat Dog by Liam Burke

2013[]

• Indie Game of the Year: Hillfolk by Robin D. Laws
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Adventures on Dungeon Planet by Johnstone Metzger
• Best Production: by Thor Olavsrud and
• Best Support: Hillfolk
• Most Innovative Game: The Quiet Year by Joe Mcdaldno

2014[]

• Indie Game of the Year: The Clay That Woke by Paul Czege
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Deep Carbon Observatory by Patrick Stewart, Scrap Princess
• Best Free Game: Dream Askew by Joe Mcdaldno
• Best Production: A Red and Pleasant Land by Zak S.
• Best Support: Deep Carbon Observatory
• Most Innovative Game: The Clay That Woke

2015[]

• Indie Game of the Year: by Jason Morningstar
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Fiasco Playset Anthology by Bully Pulpit Games
• Best Free Game: Sign by Hakan Seyalioglu and Kathryn Hymes
• Best Production: Fall of Magic by Ross Cowman
• Best Support: World-Wide Wrestling Role-Playing Game by Nathan D. Paoletta
• Most Innovative Game: Fall of Magic

2016[]

• Indie Game of the Year: Blades in the Dark by John Harper
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Microscope Explorer by Ben Robbins
• Best Free Game: Quill: A Letter-Writing Roleplaying Game for a Single Player by Scott Malthouse
• Best Production: Blades in the Dark by John Harper
• Best Support: Blades in the Dark by John Harper
• Most Innovative Game: #Feminism: A Nano-Game Anthology by Edited by Misha Bushyager, Lizzie Stark, and Anna Westerling

2017[]

• Indie Game of the Year: by Anna Kreider and Andrew Medeiros
• Indie Supplement of the Year: Itras By: The Menagerie by Ole Peder Giaver and others
• Best Production:Timewatch by Kevin Kulp and others
• Best Support: Timewatch
• Most Innovative Game: Alas for the Awful Sea by Hayley Gordon, Vee Hendro

Notes[]

External links[]

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