Yearly, the tabletop RPG group votes on a group of the most effective TTRPGs and different merchandise proven off at Gen Con. Generally known as the Ennie Awards, video games and different merchandise could be nominated for a wide range of classes, together with excellence in artwork route, design mechanics, writing, and extra.
If you happen to’re excited to strive a few of these new titles, you’ll be happy to know that lots of the winners featured at Gen Con 2024 are already accessible to buy.
Under, you’ll discover hyperlinks to all the first-place and second-place winners in all the related classes featured on this yr’s Ennie awards.
Product of the Yr
This class represents the general fan favourite showcased at Gen Con 2024. This yr, that distinction belongs to Shadowdark RPG, which could be bought straight from The Arcane Library in each PDF and hardcover codecs. Second place went to Outgunned, which is that can be purchased from DriveThruRPG as a PDF for $11.90.
Greatest Journey – Quick Kind / Lengthy Kind
Awarded to the most effective seeds and one-shots, the gold medal for Greatest Quick Journey this yr 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 obtainable from Roll & Play Press.
The award for greatest long-form journey goes to works with superior marketing campaign concepts. This yr that distinction belongs to Delta Inexperienced: God’s Enamel, whereas the runner-up Name of Cthulu: Alone In opposition to the Static took house silver.
Greatest Assist/Accent (Digital / Non-Digital)
Additional ins and outs could make a marketing campaign or setting really feel extra actual. This class belongs to the most effective bodily and digital equipment that add somewhat additional taste to your recreation. First place within the digital class goes to LegendKeeper, which is obtainable as a free trial, however affords month-to-month subscriptions for $7.50. Second place goes to Hexroll 2E, a hex-based world-building instrument that’s accessible free of charge, however affords extra 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 at all times decide a guide by its cowl, however sometimes you may. This yr, the most effective cowl artwork belongs to Eat the Reich, with illustrations from artist Will Kirkby. Koriko: A Magical Yr was the runner-up with its cozy and evocative cowl drawn by Deb JJ Lee.
Greatest Artwork (Inside)
Eat the Reich additionally took house first place for inside illustrations. However UVG 2E took house second place, with illustrations by designer Luka Rejc.
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 approach to flesh out the topography of a given setting. This yr, first place went to the Dragonbane Core Set, which is obtainable from Amazon and Modiphius for round $44. The growth for the Alien RPG, Constructing Higher Worlds, took house second.
Greatest Household Recreation
The gold award for Greatest Household Recreation from Gen Con 2024 goes to BREAK!! Tabletop RPG, which could be bought as a $25 PDF straight from the writer. Second place goes to the cleverly named If I Have been A Lich, Man, which could be bought as a $35 hardcover from Hit Level Press.
Greatest Recreation
Able to play out of the field, the Greatest Recreation class is all about RPGs that convey collectively the most effective general artwork, writing, and guidelines beneath one roof. This yr, that distinction belongs to the Shadowdark RPG, whereas Outgunned took house second place.
Greatest Format and Design
Shadowdark RPG once more took house the gold medal for structure and design at Gen Con 2024. Nonetheless, the silver medal belongs to CBR+PNK: Augmented, which is obtainable 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 solely 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 yr, 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 yr, first place goes to the long-winded, however extraordinarily useful GM textual content, So You Need to Be a Recreation Grasp: Every part You Have to Begin Your Tabletop Journey for Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, and Different Methods. 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 wonderful mechanical design. This yr, 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 house awards for greatest setting, fleshing out their respective worlds with a strong mixture of wealthy textual content and illustrations. This yr, 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 growth for the Alien RPG, took house first place for the most effective supplementary content material of 2024, whereas The Griffon’s Saddlebag: Guide Two acquired 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 obtainable 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 Recreation/Product
The open-source nature of tabletop gaming is certainly one of its best strengths, evidenced by the wealth of free instruments, techniques, 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 guide, first place went to Rivers of London: The Home, and second place went to Stage 1: The Free RPG Day Indie RPG Anthology 2023.