‘Shadowdark’ Takes Home ENnie Gold for Best Game, Best Product, Best Rules
Shadowdark won big at this year’s ENnies, but who else took home that sweet sweet tabletop gold? Find out within!
Gen Con is host to the ENnie Awards every year; since their inception they’ve given out awards to games, books, podcasts, even arcane concepts if you look at the Diana Jones Award (and count it as part of the ENnies). And this year, Shadowdark won big time, captivating fans across the RPG community with its streamlined fantasy dungeon crawling, and rogue-like-ish character rules that can leave your fate entirely in the hands of your dice.
But aside from Shadowdark, there were many other good titles in the winners’ circles this year. Who won? Was it one of your favorites? Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the 2024 ENnies.
Shadowdark Wins Big at the 2024 ENnies
First up, let’s talk Shadowdark. What a sweep, and what a well-deserved sweep. If you are unfamiliar with Shadowdark, our very own Meaghan Colleran has a writeup for you, but suffice it to say it is one of the most delicious fantasy RPGs to come along in a while. With mechanics like torches that burn out over the course of a real time hour (and you don’t have a timer for it, only the DM), and a “straight down the line” stat rolling system, it is a decidedly old school style game, but with masterfully modern design.
Which is why the game took home ENnie gold for four different awards:
- Best Game
- Best Rules
- Best Layout/Design
- Product of the Year
Huge congratulations to Kelsey Dionne and The Arcane Library for putting out one of 2023’s best RPGs.
But there were other big winners this weekend as well, including Pathfinder, which took home the Silver ENnie for Best Rules with its Player Core 2, and ENnie Gold for Best Setting for Pathfinder: Lost Omens -Tian Xia World Guide. I’m excited about it because two professional acquaintances of mine worked on the book and at least one of them deserves the win.
Cthulhu and Cthulhu Accessories also did well this year. Both Call of Cthulhu and Delta Green, two mythos-laden RPGs took home the Silver and Gold (respectively) for Best Long Form Adventure. Meanwhile Call of Cthulhu’s Los Hobos and the Wolves of Carcosa won Best Community Content, and Call of Cthulhu: Alone Against the Static won Best Writing.
You can find a full list of the winners at the link below. Check and see if one of your favorites won. And if you’re inspired, any of these games is a great way to broaden your rpg horizons.
Congratulations to this year’s ENnie winners!
