Indie RPG Awards

The Indie RPG Awards were annual, creator-based awards for Indie role-playing games and supplements. They were established in 2002 by Andy Kitkowski. The final round of awards was given in 2017.

For the purposes of the Awards, there exists a following "definition" of an Indie role-playing game:


 * A game where the creator is the person who has written at least 50% of the actual game content.
 * A game where the creator has full control of content and publishing.
 * A game where the creator is the publisher, with full control over expenses and profits.

Categories
The following categories for nominations have been used throughout the history of the awards:
 * Indie Game of the Year - the main award for Indie Games.
 * Indie Supplement of the Year - for best Supplement for an Indie Game.
 * Best Free Game - for free Indie Games.
 * Best Support - for the publisher has best supported a previously published game or supplement.
 * Best Production - for best written and most attractive Indie Games.
 * Most Innovative Game - for games that stretch the RPG experience in new ways.

Additional categories were awarded in the first years of the awards:
 * Best Use of the d20 License - presented only in 2002
 * Indie RPG Zine of the Year - presented only in 2002
 * Best Synergy - a game with a synergistic relationship between the setting and the rules; presented only in 2002 and 2003.
 * Indie RPG "Human of the Year" - for Indie RPG creators and supporters; presented only in 2002 and 2003.
 * Andy's Choice Award - determined by the originator of the awards; presented only in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
 * People's Choice Award - decided by popular vote for best game and best supplement; presented only in 2004.

2002

 * Indie Game of the Year: Dust Devils by Matt Snyder
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: Charnel Gods by Ron Edwards
 * Best Free Game: Nicotine Girls by Paul Czege
 * Best Use of the d20 License: The Kid's Colouring Book o Critters - Celebrity Edition by M. Jason Parent
 * Best Production: Children of the Sun by Lewis Pollack
 * Best Support: The Riddle of Steel by Jacob Norwood
 * Best Synergy: Dust Devils
 * Most Innovative Game: Universalis by Ralph Mazza and Mike Holmes
 * Indie RPG "Human of the Year": Ron Edwards
 * Indie RPG Zine of the Year: The Shadowrun Supplemental
 * Andy's Choice: Charnel Gods by Scott Knipe

2003

 * Indie Game of the Year: My Life with Master by Paul Czege
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: JAGS Have-Not
 * Best Free Game: FATE by Fred Hicks
 * Best Production: My Life with Master
 * Best Support: FATE
 * Best Synergy: My Life with Master
 * Most Innovative Game: My Life with Master
 * Indie RPG "Human of the Year": Luke Crane (spelled as Power of the Year)
 * Andy's Choice: FATE

2004

 * Indie Game of the Year: Dogs in the Vineyard by D. Vincent Baker
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: Monster Burner by Luke Crane
 * Best Free Game: The Shadow of Yesterday by Clinton R. Nixon
 * People's Choice - Best Game: Dead Inside by Chad Underkoffler
 * People's Choice - Best Supplement: Monster Burner
 * Best Production: A/State by Malcolm Craig
 * Best Support: Monster Burner
 * Most Innovative Game: Dogs in the Vineyard
 * Andy's Choice: Primetime Adventures by Matt Wilson

2005

 * Indie Game of the Year: Polaris by Ben Lehman
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: Burning Sands: Jihad by Luke Crane
 * Best Free Game: Perfect20 by Levi Kornelsen
 * Best Production: Artesia by Mark Smylie
 * Best Support: Truth & Justice by Chad Underkoffler
 * Most Innovative Game: Polaris

2006

 * Indie Game of the Year: Spirit of the Century by Fred Hicks
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: Dictionary of Mu by Judd Carlman
 * Best Free Game: JAGS Revised by Marco Chacon
 * Best Production: Burning Empires by Luke Crane
 * Best Support: Burning Empires
 * Most Innovative Game: Lacuna Part 1, second attempt by Jared Sorensen

2007

 * Indie Game of the Year: Grey Ranks by Jason Morningstar
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: The Blossoms are Falling by Luke Crane
 * Best Free Game: Classroom Deathmatch by Jake Diamond and Matt Schlotte
 * Best Production: Reign by Greg Stolze
 * Best Support: The Blossoms are Falling
 * Most Innovative Game: Grey Ranks

2008

 * Indie Game of the Year: Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game by Luke Crane and David Petersen
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: Don't Lose Your Mind by Benjamin Baugh
 * Best Free Game: (tie) Sea Dracula by Jake Richmond and Nick Smith and Sufficiently Advanced by Colin Fredericks
 * Best Production: Mouse Guard
 * Best Support: Mouse Guard
 * Most Innovative Game: Sweet Agatha by Kevin Allen Jr.

2009

 * Indie Game of the Year: Kagematsu by Danielle Lewon
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: The Day after Ragnarok by Kenneth Hite
 * Best Free Game: Lady Blackbird: Adventures in the Wild Blue Yonder by John Harper
 * Best Production: Lady Blackbird: Adventures in the Wild Blue Yonder
 * Best Support: Fiasco by Jason Morningstar
 * Most Innovative Game: A Penny for My Thoughts by Paul Tevis

2010

 * Indie Game of the Year: Apocalypse World by D. Vincent Baker
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: The Hot War Transmission by Malcolm Craig and Scott Dorward
 * Best Free Game: Stars Without Number by Kevin Crawford
 * Best Production: Freemarket by Luke Crane and Jared Sorensen
 * Best Support: Apocalypse World
 * Most Innovative Game: Apocalypse World

2011

 * Indie Game of the Year: Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple by Daniel Solis
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: Fiasco Companion by Jason Morningstar and Steve Segedy
 * Best Free Game: Anima Prime by Christian Griffen
 * Best Production: Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple
 * Best Support: Fiasco Companion
 * Most Innovative Game: Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple

2012

 * Indie Game of the Year: Dungeon World by Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: American Disasters (for Fiasco) by Jason Morningstar and Steve Segedy
 * Best Free Game: Mythender by Ryan Macklin
 * Best Production: Dungeon World
 * Best Support: Dungeon World
 * Most Innovative Game: Dog Eat Dog by Liam Burke

2013

 * Indie Game of the Year: Hillfolk by Robin D. Laws
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: Adventures on Dungeon Planet by Johnstone Metzger
 * Best Production: Torchbearer by Thor Olavsrud and Luke Crane
 * Best Support: Hillfolk
 * Most Innovative Game: The Quiet Year by Avery Alder

2014

 * Indie Game of the Year: The Clay That Woke by Paul Czege
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: Deep Carbon Observatory by Patrick Stewart, Scrap Princess
 * Best Free Game: Dream Askew by Avery Alder
 * Best Production: A Red and Pleasant Land by Zak S.
 * Best Support: Deep Carbon Observatory
 * Most Innovative Game: The Clay That Woke

2015

 * Indie Game of the Year: Night Witches by Jason Morningstar
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: Fiasco Playset Anthology by Bully Pulpit Games
 * Best Free Game: Sign by Hakan Seyalioglu and Kathryn Hymes
 * Best Production: Fall of Magic by Ross Cowman
 * Best Support: World-Wide Wrestling Role-Playing Game by Nathan D. Paoletta
 * Most Innovative Game: Fall of Magic

2016

 * Indie Game of the Year: Blades in the Dark by John Harper
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: Microscope Explorer by Ben Robbins
 * Best Free Game: Quill: A Letter-Writing Roleplaying Game for a Single Player by Scott Malthouse
 * Best Production: Blades in the Dark by John Harper
 * Best Support: Blades in the Dark by John Harper
 * Most Innovative Game: #Feminism: A Nano-Game Anthology edited by Misha Bushyager, Lizzie Stark, and Anna Westerling

2017

 * Indie Game of the Year: The Watch by Anna Kreider and Andrew Medeiros
 * Indie Supplement of the Year: Itras By: The Menagerie by Ole Peder Giaver and others
 * Best Production:Timewatch by Kevin Kulp and others
 * Best Support: Timewatch
 * Most Innovative Game: Alas for the Awful Sea by Hayley Gordon, Vee Hendro