The Origins Awards are a 27-year tradition sponsored by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design.  Nominees are selected by the Academy and then voted on by the gaming public and the Academy.  The Origins Awards are the most comprehensive set of gaming awards, and in many ways the most prestigious.  The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design is a subcommittee of GAMA (the Game Manufacturers Association), and GAMA is producing a poster featuring all the winners of this year's Origins Awards.  The poster is perfect for in-store display and will be mailed to every retailer, distributor and manufacturer on GAMA's mailing list. Retailers who are not members can join GAMA for a small fee (see http://www.gama.org ) and receive the poster along with other benefits.

 

The Awards

The big winners this year were Wizards of the Coast, which won three awards for its revamped Dungeons and Dragons lineup, Steve Jackson Games, which won for Best Professional Game Periodical (Pyramid), Best Roleplaying Supplement (GURPS Steampunk), and Best Game Aid or Accessory (Munchkin's Guide), and the upstart Cheapass Games which also won three awards.  Other winners of note include WizKids for its highly popular Mage Knight Rebellion (Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Miniatures Rules), Dork Storm Press for Best Game-Related Short Work ('Matt and Gilly's Big Date' from Dork Tower #11), and Dart Flipcards, which won Best Trading Card Game for its Sailor Moon CCG.  Here's a complete list of the awards:

 

Best Abstract Board Game

Icehouse: The Martian Chess Set

Designers: Andrew Looney, John Cooper

Looney Labs

 

Best Historical Board Game

Axis & Allies: Europe

Designer: Larry Harris

Avalon Hill

 

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Board Game

The Great Brain Robbery

Designer: James Ernest

Cheapass Games

 

Best Graphic Presentation of a Board Game

The Hills Rise Wild!

Art Director: Jasper Myrfors; Graphic Designer; John Tynes

Pagan Publishing

 

Best Trading Card Game

Sailor Moon Collectible Card Game

Designers: Mark C. MacKinnon; Jeff Mackintosh, Karen McLarney, John R. Phython, Jr.

Dart Flipcards

 

Best Traditional Card Game

Chrononauts

Designer: Andrew Looney

Looney Labs

 

Best Card Game Expansion or Supplement

BRAWL: Club Foglio

Graphic Designer: James Ernest

 

Best Graphic Presentation of a Card Game

BRAWL: Club Foglio

Graphic Designer: James Ernest

 

Best Game-Related Novel

Dragons of a Fallen Sun

Authors: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Wizards of the Coast

 

Best Game-Related Short Work

'Matt and Gilly's Big Date'

Author: John Kovalic

Dork Storm Press

 

Best Historical Miniatures Rules

Fields of Honor

Designer: Shane Lacy Hensley

Pinnacle Entertainment Group

 

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Miniatures Rules

Mage Knight: Rebellion

Designers: Jordan Weisman, Kevin Barrett

WizKids

 

Best Historical Figure Miniature Series

Hammer's Hellhounds (U.S. Paratroopers)

Sculptor: Jim Bland

Easy Eight Enterprises

 

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Figure Miniature

Beholder

For Dungeons & Dragons

Sculptor: Kim Graham, Will Hannah

Wizards of the Coast

 

Best Vehicular Miniature

Shadowsword Titan Hunter

For Warhammer: 40,000

Sculptor: Brian Fawcett

Forge World

 

Best Amateur Game Periodical

Alarums & Excursions

Publisher: Lee Gold

 

Best Professional Game Periodical

Pyramid

Editor: Steven Marsh

Steve Jackson Games

 

Best Play-By-Mail Game

Starweb

Designer: Rick Loomis

Flying Buffalo, Inc.

 

Best Roleplaying Adventure

Death in Freeport for the d20 system

Designer: Chris Pramas

Green Ronin Publishing

 

Best Roleplaying Game

Dungeons & Dragons

Designers: Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams

Wizards of the Coast

 

Best Roleplaying Supplement

GURPS Steampunk

Designer: William H. Stoddard

Steve Jackson Games

 

Best Graphic Design of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement

Monster Manual for D&D

Graphic Designers: Sean Glenn, Sherry Floyd

Wizards of the Coast

 

Best Game Aid or Accessory

The Munchkin's Guide to Powergaming

Designers: James Desborough, Steve Mortimer, Phil Masters

Steve Jackson Games