Happy Birthday, Robot!'s Ennie Awards and Indie RPG Awards


Happy Birthday, Robot! was up for several awards at GenCon 2011.

First up, HBR didn't win any of the categories in which it was nominated – but an awesome thing happened instead. Every time HBR was nominated, the presenters would each make a complimentary comment about the game. Heck, even the winner of Best Game took the time in his speech to talk about how much he wanted HBR to win. I also got some personal compliments from the host, so that was even more awesome.

HBR had a very strong showing at the Indie RPG Awards, winning second-place in a number of categories. Here is the placement and judges' commentary from each category.

Indie Game of the Year: First Runner Up with 21 points
"Zagging when everything else zigs. I love that I'm seeing games aimed as intro games--and for youngins--that are less crunchy and more Narrativist. I've long wondered what the RPG world would look like if the jumping off point had been, say, fanfic rather than wargames."

Best Support: First Runner Up with 23 points
"I've been hearing people talking about this game since it came out."

Best Production: First Runner Up with 40 points
"Saul Bass-flavored goodness! Beautiful. The whole package is a glorious presentation for children and adults alike. A beautiful book - the art, layout, and instructional sequences are all top notch. This raises the bar for everyone else. Happy Birthday, Robot! has outstanding production values. So slickly done. A delightfully cheerful burst of colour and fun in a games marketplace saturated with the dull and the obvious. A beautiful, happy book."

So that's HBR's awards haul this year! Our happy robot was up against some big dogs like Pathfinder, Dresden Files, Freemarket, and Apocalypse World. I'm pleased as punch about how much of an impact the game's made so far. Well done, Robot!

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