Indie RPG Awards

droog · August 16, 2008, 11:56:02 PM

The winners for the 2007 Indie RPG Awards can be found here: http://www.rpg-awards.com/2007/. I see the Poobutt got 16 points for FtA!

Zachary The First · August 17, 2008, 12:13:57 AM

I finally got in a Grey Ranks demo, and I didn't really feel it. I know folks are sold on the whole "grid", but perhaps I just didn't really get a good feel on it. Or maybe it just isn't for me. I think the best two demos I got this year of indie games were likely Misspent Youth and 3:16 (which I'm sorry to say I didn't really get a full look at, but liked what I saw), but those are both new.

Congrats to the Pundit and everyone else receiving votes! :highfive:

Ghost Whistler · August 17, 2008, 03:14:27 AM

Would that game really sell in shops? It sounds far too depressing to be played as a fun game. I don't get it.

mhensley · August 17, 2008, 11:12:44 AM

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;235992Would that game really sell in shops? It sounds far too depressing to be played as a fun game. I don't get it.

I took a look at their demo videos and it looks to be pretentious bullshit that I would never sit down to play. I just want to kill nazis - not experience any psuedo-teenage angst.

RPGPundit · August 17, 2008, 07:16:43 PM

Talk about dubious honors...

RPGPundit

Ian Absentia · August 17, 2008, 07:50:00 PM

All right, let talk about 'em! Congratulations! How does it feel to be recognised as an "indie" game writer?

!i!

David R · August 17, 2008, 08:44:30 PM

IMO FtA has enough flexibility to allow GMs to indulge in their prefered mise-en-scène...

Regards,
David R

KrakaJak · August 18, 2008, 04:59:30 AM

Congrats Pundit!

I thought about doing something like Classroom Deathmatch (more specifically, like Battle Royale), but with a hax0r3d version of D20 modern (mostly just an ample simplification with a whole lot of Diplomacy thrown in for good measure), 2 maps (+1 map per player), 4 GMs and 20+ players as a one off.

I've actually got the majority of those rules on my HD somewhere. Maybe I'll finish them up if I ever decide to run a game at a Con.

Settembrini · August 18, 2008, 05:13:08 AM

How did the voting process go?

droog · August 18, 2008, 05:17:54 AM

From the website:

QuoteExcept for the People's Choice Award, all of these Awards are voted on by RPG Peers only. There is no otherwise popular vote in these awards. This is to try to level the playing field in handing out awards. It would be, of course, impossible for each peer to play, much less read, every single game and supplement that comes through these (or any) awards; However, with tools in place like a weighted voting mechanism based on familiarity with the games, and a pool of peers interested in small press games from all gaming walks of life (both indie and mainstream), and a huge "research gap" time between registration and voting, we feel that all games that submit for these awards will have a fair chance.

QuoteEssentially, in a move away from all the other RPG awards out there, most of these awards (all of them except the "People's Choice Award") will be voted on only by RPG peers, and not by the general public. We tried to find every small press and indie RPG designer who released a commercial game in the past few years to help vote for the awards.

During voting, the voters will receive three weighted votes: a 5 point vote, a 3 point vote, and a 1 point vote. They will put one of each of these votes in for the game of their choice in each category. At the end of the week, we tally the points and the highest point toal wins. The four runners up receive special recognition for coming close.

Because of the extended "research time" available, plus the fact that the peer voters come from all different backgrounds and experiences, we are confident that these awards will be as fair and nonbiased as possible. No "agenda" dominates the awards; rather we see about 100 different designers with 100 different backgrounds and interests pulling in 100 different directions -- and this friction and pulling tends to level the playing field. In other words, just because a game is sold at RPGNow, or often discussed on RPGNet, or has a following at The Forge, does not mean that it stands a better chance of winning. Because of the "100 Designers, 100 Different Directions", the games that are chosen were chosen because they were universally recognized as exemplary.

Ghost Whistler · August 18, 2008, 05:19:29 AM

Quote from: mhensley;236027I took a look at their demo videos and it looks to be pretentious bullshit that I would never sit down to play. I just want to kill nazis - not experience any psuedo-teenage angst.

I'm all for indie games; I'm trying to design my own (an rpg which i suppose would technically count as 'indie')

But playing a shellshocked teenager in wartime Poland?

Much lolz I'm sure.

droog · August 18, 2008, 05:22:16 AM

Peter Adkison liked it....

Warthur · August 18, 2008, 07:32:06 AM

QuoteIn Grey Ranks, you will assume the role of a young Polish partisan before, during, and after the disastrous 1944 Uprising against the Germans.

It's nice to know that the same sort of emotional manipulation that wins you an Oscar can also win you an Indie RPG award.

REIGN was robbed.

Warthur · August 18, 2008, 07:32:37 AM

QuoteIn Grey Ranks, you will assume the role of a young Polish partisan before, during, and after the disastrous 1944 Uprising against the Germans.

It's nice to know that the same sort of emotional manipulation that wins you an Oscar can also win you an Indie RPG award.

REIGN was robbed.

Skyrock · August 18, 2008, 09:02:40 AM

Interestingly, FTA! became last in innovation and support (both not surprising for a dedicated old-school game which didn't bother much with layout and other pretty optical stuff), and in production it only entered the "others" section... So, where did the points come from for #6 in the main award? And can the reasonings for the points somewhere be read in full, as no single snippet of reviewer reaction is added to the FTA! entry?