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]
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 |