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INNOVATION IN A ROLEPLAYING GAME, 2006
This Sub-Award is awarded to the game that stretches the RPG experience in new ways. It may be a particular innovative mechanic that has never been used in other games (or never been used as well as previous games), or it changes the dynamics of a regular game group (the standard 3-6 players and one gamemaster). Or, it might even turn the concept of "RPG" on its ear. Innovation and exploration is what this Sub-Award honors.
For the 2006 award, this was a close contest of many games with no clear break.
THE AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN 2006 GOES TO...
Lacuna Part I (second attempt) by Jared Sorensen / with 38 points
Selected Peer Feedback:
"Sorensen still leads the way."
"Jared is always on the bleeding edge."
RUNNERS UP:
Don't Rest Your Head by Fred Hicks / with 30 points
"Those dice mechanics are not only fun but really damned cool. I bet we'll be seeing more games inspired by DRYH for years to come."
"Fully embodies drama through destruction. Fearless."
A Thousand and One Nights, by Meguey Baker / with 26 points
"A storytelling game about storytelling - two levels of abstraction that mesh well and influence each other. It's all new to me, and what's more it works."
"This game takes your ideas about what role playing is, turns them on their head then cuts it off. What group storytelling is really about."
"A game to play with non-gamers! Draws on the power of the five senses to conjure the players' imaginations."
Shock: Social Science Fiction, by Joshua A.C. Newman / with 22 points
"Shock gets to the essence of good SF by matching up a modern issue with future tech in a way that forces you to confront the issues. That is its triumph."
"One of the few Science Fiction games that has really gotten at the heart of Social Science Fiction as a genre, the combination of shocks and social issues and the combination of minutiae with player controls over different areas makes Shock a game worth noting. It shows, if not always clearly, how a game can be used to address issues from the serious to the silly in ways that are intimately human."
"Too bad it isn't as playable out of the box as it should be. But very interesting stuff."
Agon, by John Harper / with 20 points
"Competitive play, strong in tone and direction, makes Agon an innovative breath of fresh air to Indie Gaming. Soon we will all be holding dice in both hands."
"A real advance in competitive RPGs, a comparatively neglected field. Plus, solid design throughout."
OTHERS
Mortal Coil (15 pts), The Shab-al-Hiri Roach (13 pts), The Zorcerer of Zo (11 pts), Spirit of the Century (10 pts), Shooting the Moon (10 pts)