June 2021 - Indie Groundbreakers & Events!
Happy Pride Month, IGDN fam!
We’re going to try a new newsletter/blog format this month to highlight the month’s going on in the organization and tabletop community. If you have items to include in this newsletter, fill out this form! If you have suggestions or you’d be interested in helping curate this newsletter, email marketing(at)igdnonline(dot)com.
On to the good stuff!
Submissions for the Indie Groundbreaker Awards are now open!
The Indie Groundbreaker Awards recognize games (and game designers) who are creating new and exciting game designs that push the boundaries in innovation, in promoting diversity, and in expanding what it means to be “indie.” Board games, card games, role-playing games, and LARPS published during 2020 are eligible for 5 award categories, including Most Innovative, Best Art, Best Rules, Best Setting, and Game of the Year. You do not have to be an IGDN member to be eligible! Submissions close on June 30th, so don’t throw away your shot!
For more info on eligibility criteria, awards, prizes, and deadlines, check out the full write up on our website.
5 Questions with Lucian Kahn
We reached out to Lucian Kahn, designer of last year’s Most Innovative Game If I Were a Lich, Man. Here’s what he had to say about the game, the awards, and what he’s cooking up next!
What was the inspiration behind If I Were a Lich, Man?
On the one hand, it’s inspired by my Jewish heritage, including everything from the Passover Seder to Mel Brooks films. On the other hand, it’s inspired by the suspiciously Jewish-coded villains in games like Dungeons & Dragons (what’s with liches and phylacteries?). And on the 3rd hand (we can have 3 hands in fantasy games), it’s a reaction against the rising antisemitism in the United States that started brewing during the Trump era. The game is easy to learn and play, but its concepts ultimately run deep.
Due to the pandemic, last year's show was virtual, as this year's will be too. How did that affect your experience?
In theory, I would have liked to have received my award in person, because it would have felt more real and grounded, but the truth is, I probably wouldn’t have even made it to GenCon 2020 and would’ve been accepting it virtually anyway. I appreciate that the virtual show allows me to participate.
What would you say to folks considering whether or not they should submit their game?
Go for it! There’s no real reason *not* to submit your game, especially since everything this year is digital so you don’t even need to worry about mailing stuff. Who knows, you might win
What did you do with the prize money?
I frittered it away on video games, of course!
What are you working on now?
Keep your eyes out for a very fancy 2nd edition of If I Were a Lich, Man later this year.
Check out Lucian’s games at necromancy.itch.io!
Events & Social Calendar
Upcoming Conventions
Sept 16-19: GenCon
Sept 30-Oct 3: Origins Game Fair
*for questions about IGDN’s participation on these hybrid virtual/in-person cons, contact Matthew at conventions@igdnonline.com or on discord.
Community Kickstarters
Necrobiotic: A Dystopian TTRPG by Penny for a Tale - 3 days left!
Fae’s Anatomy: A Melodramatic Medical Mystery RPG by Caleb Stokes - closes 6/28!
Book of Villainy by Fertessa Allyse - Just launched!
Ready to submit to the Groundbreakers?
Thanks for reading! May all your rolls be natural twenties.