It’s that time again: this year’s Origins Award nominees have been announced. The shortlists in categories that range from Best RPG and Best Board Game to Best Miniatures Rules are posted, and feature many of the past year’s most popular game releases. The winners will be decided by attendees at this year’s Origins Game Fair (June 22-26), but until then we can look over the lists (below) and make our own selections.
37th Annual Origins Awards Nominees
Best Roleplaying Game
DC Adventures (Green Ronin Publishing)
Dragon Age, Set 1 (Green Ronin Publishing)
The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)
Fiasco (Bully Pulpit Games)
Gamma World RPG (Wizards of the Coast)
Best Roleplaying Supplement
A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide for A Song of Ice and Fire RPG (Green Ronin Publishing)
The Dresden Files: Our World for The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)
Advanced Player’s Guide for Pathfinder RPG (Paizo Publishing)
Sixth World Almanac for Shadowrun RPG (Catalyst Game Labs)
Sunward: The Inner System for Eclipse Phase RPG (Posthuman Studios)
Best Board Game
Castle Ravenloft (Wizards of the Coast)
Defenders of the Realm (Eagle Games)
Fresco (Queen Games)
Lords of Vegas (Mayfair Games)
Nuns on the Run (Mayfair Games)
Best Traditional Card Game
Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer (Gary Games)
Back to the Future: The Card Game (Looney Labs, Inc.)
Hecho (Glowfly Games)
Hex Hex XL (Smirk & Dagger Games)
Railways of the World: The Card Game (Eagle Games)
Best Family, Party or Children’s Game
Ligretto Dice (Playroom Entertainment)
Telestrations (USAopoly, Inc.)
Wits and Wagers Family Edition (North Star Games)
Word on the Street Junior (Out of the Box Publishing)
Zombie Dice (Steve Jackson Games)
Best Gaming Accessory
Color Primer: Dragon Red (The Army Painter)
Adventurers Tiles (Battle Bunker Games)
Battlefield XP Swamp Tufts (The Army Painter)
Cthulhu Dice Bag (Steve Jackson Games)
BattleTech Hex Pack: Lakes & Rivers (Catalyst Game Labs)
Best Miniatures Rules
Adventures in the Lost Lands (Two Hour Wargames)
BattleTech Technical Readout: 3085 (Catalyst Game Labs)
DC HeroClix Blackest Knight Starter Game (WizKids/NECA)
Hordes: Primal MK2 (Privateer Press)
MERCS Games Rule (MERCS Miniatures, LLC)
Best Historical Board Game
Warlords of Europe (GameBuilders)
Conflict of Heroes: Price of Honour Poland 1939 (Academy Games)
Catan Histories – Settlers of America: Trails to Rails (Mayfair Games)
Panzer General: Allied Assault (Petroglyph Games, Inc.)
Best Game-Related Publication
No Quarter Magazine (Privateer Press)
Hamlet’s Hit Points (Gameplaywright)
Family Games: The 100 Best (Green Ronin Publishing)
Shadowrun: Spells and Chrome (Catalyst Game Labs)
World at War: Revelation (Lock ‘n Load Publishing)