Yearly, the tabletop RPG group votes on a set of the most effective TTRPGs and different merchandise proven off at Gen Con. Often called the Ennie Awards, video games and different merchandise could be nominated for quite a lot of classes, together with excellence in artwork route, design mechanics, writing, and extra.
In case you’re excited to attempt a few of these new titles, you’ll be happy to know that most of the winners featured at Gen Con 2024 are already accessible to buy.
Beneath, you’ll discover hyperlinks to all the first-place and second-place winners in all the related classes featured on this 12 months’s Ennie awards.
Product of the 12 months
This class represents the general fan favourite showcased at Gen Con 2024. This 12 months, that distinction belongs to Shadowdark RPG, which could be bought immediately from The Arcane Library in each PDF and hardcover codecs. Second place went to Outgunned, which is in the stores from DriveThruRPG as a PDF for $11.90.
Greatest Journey – Brief Kind / Lengthy Kind
Awarded to the most effective seeds and one-shots, the gold medal for Greatest Brief Journey this 12 months went to Eat the Reich, which could be bought in each bodily and PDF codecs from writer Rowan & Deckard. Second place went to One-Shot Wonders which is accessible from Roll & Play Press.
The award for finest long-form journey goes to works with superior marketing campaign concepts. This 12 months that distinction belongs to Delta Inexperienced: God’s Tooth, whereas the runner-up Name of Cthulu: Alone In opposition to the Static took residence silver.
Greatest Help/Accent (Digital / Non-Digital)
Further fine details could make a marketing campaign or setting really feel extra actual. This class belongs to the most effective bodily and digital equipment that add just a little additional taste to your recreation. First place within the digital class goes to LegendKeeper, which is accessible as a free trial, however presents month-to-month subscriptions for $7.50. Second place goes to Hexroll 2E, a hex-based world-building instrument that’s accessible at no cost, however presents further advantages to Patreon subscribers at $2.50 a month.
For bodily equipment, first place went to the luxurious Arkham Investigator’s Pockets, a $100 prop set developed for Name of Cthulu. Whereas second place belongs to the Hexcrawl Toolbox.
Greatest Artwork (Cowl)
You’ll be able to’t all the time decide a e book by its cowl, however sometimes you possibly can. This 12 months, the most effective cowl artwork belongs to Eat the Reich, with illustrations from artist Will Kirkby. Koriko: A Magical 12 months was the runner-up with its cozy and evocative cowl drawn by Deb JJ Lee.
Greatest Artwork (Inside)
Eat the Reich additionally took residence first place for inside illustrations. However UVG 2E took residence second place, with illustrations by designer Luka Rejc.
UVG 2E
Costs taken at time of publishing.
Greatest Cartography
Just like the warrior poet Karen O as soon as stated, “Maps, they don’t love you want I really like you.” Yearly, Gen Con awards Greatest Cartography to video games that ship excellent artwork and method to flesh out the topography of a given setting. This 12 months, first place went to the Dragonbane Core Set, which is accessible from Amazon and Modiphius for round $44. The enlargement for the Alien RPG, Constructing Higher Worlds, took residence second.
Greatest Household Sport
The gold award for Greatest Household Sport from Gen Con 2024 goes to BREAK!! Tabletop RPG, which could be bought as a $25 PDF immediately from the writer. Second place goes to the cleverly named If I Had been A Lich, Man, which could be bought as a $35 hardcover from Hit Level Press.
Greatest Sport
Able to play out of the field, the Greatest Sport class is all about RPGs that deliver collectively the most effective total artwork, writing, and guidelines beneath one roof. This 12 months, that distinction belongs to the Shadowdark RPG, whereas Outgunned took residence second place.
Outgunned
Costs taken at time of publishing.
Greatest Structure and Design
Shadowdark RPG once more took residence the gold medal for structure and design at Gen Con 2024. Nevertheless, the silver medal belongs to CBR+PNK: Augmented, which is accessible as a deluxe, $30 field set from the writer, or a $10 PDF from itch.io.
Greatest Monster/Adversary
The Greatest Monster/Adversary class is awarded completely to books stuffed with beasties, baddies, and different XP-granting nightmares. The 2024 gold medal on this class was tied between Warhammer 40,000 Wrath & Glory Risk Evaluation Xenos and Monsterous.
Greatest Manufacturing Values
The satan is really within the particulars. Greatest Manufacturing Values is a class that acknowledges consideration to element and high quality. This 12 months, first and second place replicate the recipients of the most effective bodily equipment of 2024. The Arkham Investigator’s Pockets and the Hexcrawl Toolbox.
Greatest RPG Associated Product
Not essentially awarded to video games, this class is awarded to merchandise impressed by TTRPGs and their communities. This 12 months, first place goes to the long-winded, however extraordinarily useful GM textual content, So You Need to Be a Sport Grasp: Every thing You Have to Begin Your Tabletop Journey for Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, and Different Programs. Second place on this class went to the KOBOLD Information to Roleplaying.
Greatest Guidelines
Often known as the “crunchiest recreation,” like completely interlocking gears that flip one another with Swiss precision, Greatest Guidelines is awarded to video games that includes glorious mechanical design. This 12 months, Shadowdark RPG took the gold, and the Pathfinder Participant Core set was the runner-up.
Greatest Setting
A pair of clear favorites from Gen Con 2024 took residence awards for finest setting, fleshing out their respective worlds with a strong mixture of wealthy textual content and illustrations. This 12 months, first place went to Pathfinder Misplaced Omens: Tian Xia World Information, and second place went to Valley of Flowers.
Greatest Complement
Constructing Higher Worlds, the enlargement for the Alien RPG, took residence first place for the most effective supplementary content material of 2024, whereas The Griffon’s Saddlebag: E book Two obtained second place honors.
Greatest Writing
This class is awarded to video games with the most effective prose and different descriptive textual content. The gold medalist, Name of Cthulhu: Alone In opposition to the Static is accessible from Amazon or Chaosium in print format for $29.99, or from Chaosium as a $15 PDF. Runner-up Cloud Empress: Land of Cicadas, a fantasy marketing campaign setting for the Mothership RPG system, could be bought from DriveThruRPG as a PDF for $11.99.
Greatest Free Sport/Product
The open-source nature of tabletop gaming is considered one of its biggest strengths, evidenced by the wealth of free instruments, methods, and campaigns accessible on-line. This award celebrates the most effective stuff you should use to juice up your subsequent marketing campaign, freed from cost. Whereas these all deserve a gold medal in my e book, first place went to Rivers of London: The Home, and second place went to Degree 1: The Free RPG Day Indie RPG Anthology 2023.
