The 2011 Award

The WinnerThe FinalistsThe Award Ceremony

The 2011 Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming has been given to Fiasco.

FIASCO

A roleplaying game by Jason Morningstar

With Fiasco, Jason Morningstar continues to break ground in tackling a roleplayer’s dream: a satisfying story-telling experience that requires no preparation or GM. When Jason released Grey Ranks in 2008, which also won the Diana Jones Award, he proved the model’s worth and was recognized for having nailed it. But with Fiasco, he took this great foundation pioneered in Grey Ranks to the next level.

Fiasco is roleplaying stripped down to sheer elegance, to virtually zero ramp-up time. The notion of playing ambitious crooks with poor impulse control — inspired by a host of movies like Fargo or Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels — is both inspiring and immensely replayable. But the real genius of Fiasco over Grey Ranks is that now you can enjoy it in almost any setting you like. It’s supported with ongoing free website posts of playsets of the month, and it inspires fans to create and post playsets of their own.

It is the opinion of the Diana Jones Award committee, that Fiasco exemplifies excellence in gaming, and we are proud to award it our trophy for this year.

The committee of the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming is happy to announce the finalists for its 2011 award. Selected from 22 nominees, this year we recognize five finalists that in the opinion of the committee exemplify the very best that hobby-gaming has produced in the last twelve months. In alphabetical order, they are:

CATACOMBS

a board game by Ryan Amos, Marc Kelsy, and Aron West
Published by Sands of Time Games

Catacombs is an action/dexterity-based adventure board game designed for quick setup and fast play, in which players flick wooden discs representing monsters, heroes, missiles, and fireballs. Contact with an opposing piece inflicts damage. One player also controls the Overseer, directing the monsters of the catacombs, and wins if all of the heroes are defeated.

THE DRESDEN FILES ROLEPLAYING GAME

by Leonard Balsera, Jim Butcher, Genevieve Cogman, Rob Donoghue, Fred Hicks, Kenneth Hite, Ryan Macklin, Chad Underkoffler, and Clark Valentine
Published by Evil Hat Productions

Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series of books is brought to life in this RPG of the modern-day supernatural, where the creatures of the NeverNever prowl through every shadow. Only mortals like supernatural cops, wizards, werewolves, changelings, or just plain ordinary Joes stand against the rising darkness.

ESCAPE FROM THE ALIENS IN OUTER SPACE

A board game by Mario Porpora, Pietro Righi Riva, Luca Francesco Rossi, and Nicolò Tedeschi
Published by Santa Ragione and Cranio Creations

Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space is a game of strategy and bluff set on a badly-damaged deep space research ship. Each player is either a human trying to reach an escape hatch, or an alien hunting down all the humans. Player identities and positions are secret, requiring them to interpret each other’s movements and behaviors to discover who and where they really are.

FIASCO

A roleplaying game by Jason Morningstar
Published by Bully Pulpit Games

With Fiasco, Jason Morningstar continues to break ground in tackling a roleplayer’s dream: a satisfying story-telling experience that requires no preparation or GM. The notion of playing ambitious crooks with poor impulse control is both inspiring and immensely replayable. You can enjoy it in almost any setting you like, and it’s supported with ongoing free website posts of playsets of the month, inspiring fans to create and post playsets of their own.

FREEMARKET

A roleplaying game by Luke Crane and Jared Sorensen
Published by Sorencrane MCRZ

Freemarket is an RPG designed by Luke Crane (Burning Wheel, Mouse Guard) and Jared Sorensen (Parsely Games, Lacuna, Inspectres). In this RPG, players take on the role of transhumanist characters who are functionally immortal, cybernetically modified, telepathic infovores. The setting is Freemarket Station, a toroid space habitat near Saturn, with a population of 80,000 people. Here, humankind is in the midst of a singularity event that will end aging and disease through cloning and memory implants, and matter printers will create anything one can possibly need. Immortal and free of want, societal status means everything.

The winner of the 2011 Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming was announced on the evening of Wednesday 3rd August, at the annual gathering of hobby games industry professionals in Indianapolis, the unofficial start of the Gen Con Indy games convention.

As one of the few publicly known members of the Diana Jones Award committee, Matt Forbeck revealed this year’s winners before the packed house. Jason Morningstar accepted the award and made a short and enthusiastic acceptance speech. Afterward, the celebration continued into the night.

Special thanks to the sponsors of this year’s Diana Jones Award ceremony: