Indie Game Developer Network

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

The 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

  1. ^ "The Gaming Shelf Celebrates the Indie Groundbreaker Awards". Gizmodo. 2022-08-02. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  2. ^ "Indie Game Developer Network". Indie Game Developer Network. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  3. ^ "Indie Game Developer Network". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  4. ^ Wieland, Rob (August 2, 2018). "THESE 5 INCREDIBLE INDIE RPGS ARE GROUNDBREAKING (AND AWARD-WINNING)". Nerdist.
  5. ^ Girdwood, Andrew (2022-09-11). "2022 IGDN Diversity Sponsorship opens applications and funding". Geek Native. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  6. ^ "Serena and the Power of Collaborative Indie Game Development". the-artifice.com. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  7. ^ "Indie RPG Awards". www.indie-rpg-awards.com. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  8. ^ https://auramakesgames.itch.io/
  9. ^ "Fall of Magic – Heart of the Deernicorn".
  10. ^ "Downfall: Less Than Three Games".
  11. ^ "DriveThruRPG".
  12. ^ https://www.drivethrucards.com/product/144510/183-Days
  13. ^ "Seven Wonders – A Story Games Anthology". 18 November 2015.
  14. ^ "DriveThruRPG".
  15. ^ "Masks".
  16. ^ "Bluebeard".
  17. ^ "Bluebeard".
  18. ^ "DriveThruRPG".
  19. ^ "Damn the Man, Save the Music! By Turtlebun".
  20. ^ "Feast by astrolingus".
  21. ^ "Harlem Unbound - 2nd Edition - PDF".
  22. ^ "Dialect: A Game about Language and How it Dies".
  23. ^ "Book of Rooms".
  24. ^ "DriveThruRPG".
  25. ^ "Good Society: A Jane Austen Roleplaying Game".
  26. ^ "Verdure by astrolingus".
  27. ^ "Companions' Tale [Print+PDF] :: Print+PDF Bundles :: IPR".
  28. ^ "Humblewood".
  29. ^ "Afterlife: Wandering Souls [Book & PDF] | Angry Hamster Publishing". 11 September 2019.
  30. ^ "Mazes | 9th Level Games".
  31. ^ http://ifiwerealichman.com
  32. ^ "Crescendo Giocoso Ritornello by NessunDove".
  33. ^ https://diwatamnl.itch.io/lutong-banwa
  34. ^ "Karanduun - Make God Bleed Edition by makapatag".
  35. ^ "Slayers by Gila RPGS".
  36. ^ "This Discord Has Ghosts in It by will jobst, World Champ Game Co".
  37. ^ "Brave Zenith by Roll 4 Tarrasque".
  38. ^ "A Fantastic Longing for Adventure by timhutchings".
  39. ^ "Arcon by KiennaS, JustJasonPls".
  40. ^ "GUN&SLINGER by Nevyn Holmes".
  41. ^ "My Body is a Cage by Batts".
  42. ^ 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.
  43. ^ https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/slugblaster/news/slugblaster-tabletop-rpg-kickstarter
  44. ^ https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/best-games/zine-month-2023-rpgs
  45. ^ https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/the-sticker-game/news/sticker-game-rpg