After three years of hiatus, the prestigious Origins Awards are back!
This highly anticipated event marks the return of one of America’s largest and most esteemed honors in the tabletop gaming industry. This continuation is a testament to the resilience and enduring popularity of the gaming community, as well as the dedication and creativity of game designers and publishers
The Origins Awards celebrate excellence in various categories, recognizing outstanding achievements in game design, artwork, innovation, and more. From board games to card games, role-playing games to miniatures, the Origins Awards showcase the diverse and vibrant landscape of tabletop gaming.
The two-player game, Boop. took the Origins Game of the Year award, while Dragons Flamecraft remains a fan favorite.
Without further ado, the following are the winners of the Origins Awards for 2023:
- Retailer Game of the Year – Boop. by Smirk & Laughter Games
- Origins Fan Favorite – Flamecraft by Lucky Duck Games
- Board Games: Social/Light Strategy – Creature Comforts by Kids Table Board Gaming
- Board Games: Strategy – Planet Unknown by Adam’s Apple Games
- Board Games: Thematic – Dead Reckoning by Alderac Entertainment Group
- Card Games – Scout by OINK Games
- Children’s Game – HONK! by Sinister Fish Games
- Collectables – Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond – Warhammer 40K Commanders Deck by Wizards of the Coast
- Miniatures Game – Lion Rampant: Second Edition by Osprey Games
- RPG Core – Coyote & Crow by Coyote & Crow
- RPG Supplements – Agents of Dune by Modiphius
- Accessory – Deluxe Board Game Train Sets by Little Plastic Train Co.
- 2D Art & Illustration – CowBoys with Big Hearts by Bully Pulpit Games
- 3D Art – Fallout: Wasteland Warfare – Super Mutants: Swan by Modiphius
- Graphic Design – Pathfinder for Savage Worlds Boxed Set by Pinnacle Entertainment Group
- Reviews – Mind MGMT Review by Board Game Quest
Aside from announcing the winners, several prominent figures in the tabletop industry have been inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame:
- Mark Rosewater – Magic: The Gathering’s head designer.
- Jeff Easley – Tabletop artist known for his early Dungeons and Dragons artwork, fantastic fantasy art, and work done for various trading card games, including Magic and Hearthstone.
- Martin Wallace – A game designer known for the Brass and Steam game series, as well as London, Discworld: Ankh Morpork, and a deckbuilder Few Acres of Snow.
- Mathias Wigge was identified as a prominent rising star by the Academy. Wigge designed Ark Nova, which currently holds the #4 place on the BGG all-time list.
The following products have been inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame:
- 1829 – A father of all train games and one of the first to include a tech tree structure in a board game. The game came out in 1974 and was designed by Frank Tresham, who sadly passed away in 2019.
- Cyberpunk – RPG designed by Mike Pondsmith for its unusual and unique combat and advancement systems.