Solo TTRPGs Time to Shine at the ENNIE Awards

There was a lot to celebrate at this year’s ENNIE Awards ceremony, especially for the creators (and players) of Solo Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs).

 The awards ceremony is held annually at GenCon Indianapolis and first included nominees for solo games going back as far as 2019, when plot ARMOR (Mostly Harmless Games) won a Judges’ Spotlight Award and Ironsworn (Shawn Tomkin) received Gold for Best Free Game / Product. Since then numerous other solo games have won medals, including: Thousand Year Old Vampire, Anyone Can Wear the Mask, Colostle, Void 1680 AM, Call of Cthulhu: Alone Against the Static and Koriko: A Magical Year.

 This year marked the first time the category Best Solo Game was included in the lineup. For creators and players of solo games this is very heartening as it not only increases exposure of these games to the general gaming public it also acknowledges the growing popularity of the playstyle.

 The winners and nominees for this year’s Best Solo Game were:

Gold ENNIE: SPINE: A Dark Solo TTRPG About Losing Yourself in a Book, Backwards Tabletop. Contributors: Asa Donald, Furt the Goblin, Nala J. Wu, Holly Freiberg

You play as a researcher who has inherited this strange book from an estranged relative. What’s inside the book is equally peculiar, a collection of excerpts about immortality and several magicians who sought it. You become enthralled and the only way to free yourself from its grasp is by following the prompts and defacing the book. Then you hand the book off to someone else to play through… 

 Silver ENNIE: The Bonsai Diary, Sticky Doodler. Author: Gene Koo

Bonsai trees can live for hundreds of years. Who will inherit this living being? What will they think of you in 2178? Will they think of you at all? A contemplative and cosy drawing game that asks Who are you? What do you hope for the future?

 Nominee: Odyssey of the Giant, Heltung Storytelling

You are the Caretaker, chosen to walk beside one of the last Giants and guide them across a land broken by the Cataclysm. Every choice you make shapes the road ahead and may strengthen or fracture the bond between you. Will you reach the promised haven or will the echoes of the Cataclysm claim you both before the end of your journey?

 Nominee: Pirouette, InnocentGoblin TTRPGs. Author: Michael Sweeney

Solo horror about a ballet dancer performing for an eldritch horror. Each move in your routine brings you closer to exhaustion, closer to that vital mistake which might just be the last you'll ever make. One wrong move can lead to severe injury—The show must go on but how long can you last?

 Nominee: Song of the Scryptwyrm, Almost Bedtime Theater. Author: Dan Bronson-Lowe

Solo mystery game that slowly reveals the culprit as you play. Gather clues from people, places, and fantastical things around the infinite Great Library. For you must find the stolen Song of the Scryptwyrm before the 12th chime or terrible consequences will follow!

 Solo games weren’t limited to just one category. Piroutte was nominated for Best Writing Nominee, while The Bonsai Diary was also nominated for Product of the Year. In addition to strictly solo games, group games are starting to include solo modes and this was reflected in the winners of other categories. For instance Whispers of the Woods (Heltung Storytelling), which won Gold for Best Adventure – Short Form, includes a solo mode. Legend In the Mist Learn-To-Play Comic Book Adventure (Son of Oak Game Studio LLC), which won Gold for Best Free Game / Product, is an illustrated quickstart for a solo player.

 Other games that were nominated which also include solo rules or are solo+ (at least one player) were: Camp Snallygaster, Coriolis: The Great Dark Core Rulebook, Deadline: A Clockwork Press - The Wanderer’s Tome and Midnight Muscadines.

 But wait, that’s not all! Other forms of media and content that showcase solo games were also recognised by ENNIE wins. Cozy RPG Reviews is a Youtuber whose reviews of small, indie and solo games won Silver for Best Streaming Content. While the Solo RPG List is a growing searchable database of solo (and duet) TTRPGs won Silver for Best Online Content.

 Creators and players of solo games will be eagerly awaiting next year’s ENNIE nominations for more solo games!