The 2004 Origins Awards were announced at Origins Game Expo in Columbus, Ohio last weekend, and although there were still plenty of wins by larger companies, there were also a lot of wins by companies at the smaller end of the spectrum. Perhaps most notable in that regard, in a year that saw numerous well-financed introductions, the largest game category in dollars (Best CCG) was won by Z-Man Games for Seven Masters vs. the Underworld.
The Origins Awards represent a marketing opportunity by providing a list of games that come highly recommended by the creators' peers; and with this year's mix of winners, they provide the opportunity to expose consumers to a whole new range of manufacturers and products.
Best Board Game
Days of Wonder
Ticket to Ride
Best Miniatures Game
Ad Astra Games
Attack Vector: Tactical
Best Miniature Line
Dark Sword Miniatures, Inc.
Elmore Dragons
Best Collectible Card Game
Z-Man Games, Inc.
Seven Masters vs. the Underworld
Best Traditional Card Game
Atlas Games
Cthulhu 500
Best Role Playing Game
Atlas Games
Ars Magica: 5th Edition
Best Role Playing Game Supplement
Wizards of the Coast
Eberron Campaign Setting
Best Play-By-Mail Game
Enlightened Age Entertainment
Fall of Rome
Best Historical Board Game
GMT Games LLC
Sword of Rome
Best Historical Miniatures Line
Brigade Games
WWI: Western Front 28 mm
Best Historical Miniatures Game
Clash of Arms Games
Dawn of the Rising Sun:
The Russo Japanese War 1904-1905
Best Fiction Publication
Guardians of Order
Path of the Bold
Best Non-Fiction Publication
Steve Jackson Games
Pyramid Magazine
Best Game Accessory
Steve Jackson Games
Cardboard Heroes Castles
Vanguard Award
All Wound Up
Twilight Creations, Inc.
Flames of War
Battlefront
Fire as She Bears! 2.1
Starboard Tack Press
Pirates of the Spanish Main
WizKids, Inc
Gamers' Choice Award
Legends
Harlequin Games
Desert Rats - British in the Desert
Battlefront
Axis and Allies D-Day
Avalon Hill
A Call to Arms (Babylon 5)
Mongoose Publishing
VS System
Marvel Origins and X-Men VS The Brotherhood
The Upper Deck Entertainment
Cthulhu 500
Atlas Games
World of Darkness Storytelling System Rulebook
White Wolf
Betrayal at House on the Hill