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INDIE GAME OF THE YEAR, 2014
This is the highest honor of the Indie RPG Awards. It is awarded to the best overall Independently produced RPG of the year, as chosen by peers and members the gaming community. It is given to the RPG and the designer who made it. Everything which makes a game good; from game elements of story, setting, rules, innovation, and overall game design; to physical qualities like graphical design and layout, are taken into account for the awarding of this honor.
THE Indie Game of the Year FOR 2014 IS...
The Clay That Woke by Paul Czege / with 26 points
Beautiful, fantastic. The most innovative fantasy game I've seen in a long time.
Paul got us thinking about minotaurs with the same passion and creativity that got us thinking about servants and masters.
The Clay That Woke is a deep, complex game that evokes a breadth of play that belies its premise.
THE RUNNERS UP:
Blueholme Prentice Rules by Michael Thomas / with 23 points
A welcome new entry in the world of OSR retroclones. Holmes' D&D is underrated, and it's nice to see someone take it up.
Very evocative of the concept of both the OSR and indie publishing. Crisp mechanics, crisp writing, and fun to play.
Dream Askew by Joe Mcdaldno / with 23 points
Taking the Apocalypse Engine into diceless territory and making it about queer communities? Not just an amazing concept, but brilliant execution.
One of the few AW adaptations that actually means something.
A brilliant and groundbreaking game. Sets the bar for mechanical elegance and instructional clarity. And breaks your heart, yearning for the hope of a queer utopia in the midst of civilization's downfall.
A queer mindfuck of a game. I was really apprehensive when I started to play it, but man I had a lot of fun (not "cutting self with friends" fun, but actual "fun fun") while doing some pretty dramatic self-exploration. A high mark in the field.
Golden Sky Stories by Ryo Kamiya, Tsugihagi Honpo / with 12 points
Sweet storytelling game where the default solution is not "we kill it." Anime fans will adore.
A triumph. Heart-warming and moving. A game about friendship and true heroism we can all aspire to--feeling empathy and care for those around us. With magical animals, to boot!
Alienór by Maracanda / with 11 points
A beautiful, spare, lyrical game about an unconventional subject, wonderfully illustrated. Plays great. I want more games like Alienor.
Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine by Jenna Katerin Moran / with 10 points
Chuubo's is a novel design, beautiful both in its presentation and the kinds of stories it helps us create.