The Indie Game Developer Network (IGDN) is a trade association for developers of indie role-playing games, board games, card games, and LARPs.[1] They present the annual Indie Groundbreaker Awards at Gen Con.[2][3][4] Their other programs include a scholarship to attend the game designer convention Metatopia, a mentorship program, and a peer coaching program.[5][6]
Indie Groundbreaker Awards
editThe Indie Groundbreaker Awards began in 2016 and are offered in 5 categories: Game of the Year, Best Art, Best Setting, Best Rules, and Most Innovative. They are judged by a rotating panel of game designers. After the Indie RPG Awards gave their final set of awards in 2017,[7] IGDN's Indie Groundbreaker Awards took on their function in the tabletop role-playing game community of evaluating and recognizing achievements in independent game design.
Award Winners by Year
2016
| Award | Game | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year | A Real Game[8] | Aura Belle |
| Best Art | Fall of Magic[9] | Ross Cowman (Heart of the Deernicorn) |
| Best Setting | Downfall[10] | Caroline Hobbs (Less Than Three Games) |
| Best Rules | Death of Legends[11] | Imaginary Empire |
| Most Innovative | 183 Days[12] | Tiny Knives |
2017
| Award | Game | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Seven Wonders[13] | Pelgrane Press |
| Best Art | Fellowship[14] | Liberi Gothica Games |
| Best Setting | War Birds | |
| Best Rules | Masks: A New Generation[15] | Magpie Games |
| Most Innovative | The Beast |
2018
| Award | Game | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Bluebeard's Bride[16] | Whitney "Strix" Beltrán, Marissa Kelly, Sarah Doombringer (Magpie Games) |
| Best Art | Bluebeard's Bride[17] | Whitney "Strix" Beltrán, Marissa Kelly, Sarah Doombringer (Magpie Games) |
| Best Setting | Arecibo[18] | Evil Hat Productions |
| Best Rules | Damn the Man, Save the Music[19] | Hannah Shaffer |
| Most Innovative | Feast[20] | Sharang Biswas |
| Groundbreaking Supplement | Harlem Unbound[21] | Chris Spivey |
2019
| Award | Game | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Dialect: A Game About Language and How It Dies[22] | Kathryn Hymes and Hakan Seyalıoğlu (Thorny Games) |
| Best Art | Bluebeard's Bride: Book of Rooms[23] | Whitney "Strix" Beltrán, Marissa Kelly, Sarah Doombringer (Magpie Games) |
| Best Setting | The Way of Pukona[24] | Evil Hat Productions |
| Best Rules | Good Society (game)[25] | Storybrewers Roleplaying (Vee Hendro and Hayley Gordon) |
| Most Innovative | Verdure[26] | Sharang Biswas |
2020
| Award | Game | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Companions' Tale[27] | Laura Simpson |
| Best Art | Humblewood[28] | Hit Point Press |
| Best Setting | Afterlife: Wandering Souls[29] | Angry Hamster Publishing |
| Best Rules | Mazes[30] | 9th Level Games |
| Most Innovative | If I Were a Lich, Man[31] | Lucian Kahn |
2021
| Award | Game | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Crescendo Giocoso Ritornello[32] | The Italian Chamber Orchestra |
| Best Art | Lutong Banwa[33] | Diwata ng Manila |
| Best Setting | Karanduun - Make God Bleed[34] | Joaquin Kyle Saavedra |
| Best Rules | Slayers[35] | Spencer Campbell |
| Most Innovative | This Discord Has Ghosts In It[36] | Will Jobst and Adam Vass (World Champ Game Co.) |
2022
| Award | Game | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Brave Zenith[37] | Giuliano Roverato and Rodrigo Melchior |
| Best Art | A Fantastic Longing for Adventure[38] | Tim Hutchings |
| Best Setting | Arcon: City of Neon Daylight[39] | Kienna Shaw and Jason Cutrone |
| Best Rules | GUN&SLINGER[40] | Nevyn Holmes |
| Most Innovative | My Body is a Cage[41] | Batts |
2023
| Award | Game | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Slugblaster: Kickflip Over a Quantum Centipede[42][43] | Mikey Hamm |
| Best Art | Dinocar[42][44] | Julie-Anne Muñoz |
| Best Graphic Design | Butter Princess[42] | Brian Sago, graphic design by Mike Martens |
| Best Setting | Gubat Banwa[42] | Joaquin Kyle Saavedra |
| Best Rules | Saltfish and Almanacs[42] | Storybrewers Roleplaying (Vee Hendro and Hayley Gordon) |
| Most Innovative | The Sticker Game[42][45] | Cassi Mothwin and Joshua Peters |
References
edit- ^ "The Gaming Shelf Celebrates the Indie Groundbreaker Awards". Gizmodo. 2022-08-02. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Indie Game Developer Network". Indie Game Developer Network. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Indie Game Developer Network". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ Wieland, Rob (August 2, 2018). "THESE 5 INCREDIBLE INDIE RPGS ARE GROUNDBREAKING (AND AWARD-WINNING)". Nerdist.
- ^ Girdwood, Andrew (2022-09-11). "2022 IGDN Diversity Sponsorship opens applications and funding". Geek Native. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Serena and the Power of Collaborative Indie Game Development". the-artifice.com. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
- ^ "Indie RPG Awards". www.indie-rpg-awards.com. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ https://auramakesgames.itch.io/
- ^ "Fall of Magic – Heart of the Deernicorn".
- ^ "Downfall: Less Than Three Games".
- ^ "DriveThruRPG".
- ^ https://www.drivethrucards.com/product/144510/183-Days
- ^ "Seven Wonders – A Story Games Anthology". 18 November 2015.
- ^ "DriveThruRPG".
- ^ "Masks".
- ^ "Bluebeard".
- ^ "Bluebeard".
- ^ "DriveThruRPG".
- ^ "Damn the Man, Save the Music! By Turtlebun".
- ^ "Feast by astrolingus".
- ^ "Harlem Unbound - 2nd Edition - PDF".
- ^ "Dialect: A Game about Language and How it Dies".
- ^ "Book of Rooms".
- ^ "DriveThruRPG".
- ^ "Good Society: A Jane Austen Roleplaying Game".
- ^ "Verdure by astrolingus".
- ^ "Companions' Tale [Print+PDF] :: Print+PDF Bundles :: IPR".
- ^ "Humblewood".
- ^ "Afterlife: Wandering Souls [Book & PDF] | Angry Hamster Publishing". 11 September 2019.
- ^ "Mazes | 9th Level Games".
- ^ http://ifiwerealichman.com
- ^ "Crescendo Giocoso Ritornello by NessunDove".
- ^ https://diwatamnl.itch.io/lutong-banwa
- ^ "Karanduun - Make God Bleed Edition by makapatag".
- ^ "Slayers by Gila RPGS".
- ^ "This Discord Has Ghosts in It by will jobst, World Champ Game Co".
- ^ "Brave Zenith by Roll 4 Tarrasque".
- ^ "A Fantastic Longing for Adventure by timhutchings".
- ^ "Arcon by KiennaS, JustJasonPls".
- ^ "GUN&SLINGER by Nevyn Holmes".
- ^ "My Body is a Cage by Batts".
- ^ a b c d e f Carter, Chase (2023-08-01). "IGDN's 2023 Groundbreaker winners include a 90-pound butter heist, reality-spanning stickers and dinos in cars". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
- ^ https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/slugblaster/news/slugblaster-tabletop-rpg-kickstarter
- ^ https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/best-games/zine-month-2023-rpgs
- ^ https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/the-sticker-game/news/sticker-game-rpg