Where to buy Gen Con’s best RPGs

Each year, Gen Con fans vote on the best RPGs for tabletop and other games. The Ennie Award is given in several categories. Winners are chosen based on art direction, mechanics of design, writing and other factors.

You can buy some of these games today if you’re curious about what the buzz is all about.

Below, we’ve rounded up all the gold and silver medal winners that you can currently pick up. We’ve included links to winners in all categories as well.

The Product of the year

This is the fan-favorite product at Gen Con. This distinction is reserved for the Mythic Britain & IrelandExpanding for Vaesen. The PDF is available from DriveThruRPG at a price of $21.99 or you can purchase a hardcover version from Amazon at a cost of $36.86.

The second place is awarded to JRPGs Fabula UltimaDriveThruRPG offers the PDF for just $11.99. Amazon sells a paperback edition for about $26.91.

Best Adventure

This year, Gold Medal for Best Adventure went to The Adventures of the Year. Seasons of MysteryExpanding for VaesenAmazon sells the hardcover for about $34 or you can purchase it from DriveThruRPG.

Second place went to the D&D campaign Travels through the Radiant CitadelYou can buy the hardcover version of this book on Amazon for about $27.49.

The Best Aid/Accessory Non-Digital

Additional bits and pieces can help make a setting or campaign feel more authentic. This category is for the best physical items to spice up your game. First place is won by DecumaThis world-building tool is based on the tarot and provides players, as well as GMs, with prompts for relationships, places, and more. DecumaWoodburn Games currently offers this game for only $34.99.

The second place goes to a beautifully crafted dice set inspired by The Witcher. The weighty black and gold Golem’s Heart set is currently available from Q Workshop for $99.

Best Art Cover

You can’t always judge a book by its cover, but occasionally you can. Serpentine SwordsThe gold medal was awarded for the best cover at Gen Con in 2023. DriveThruRPG is currently offering a PDF for $30. Pelgrane Press, or Amazon offer the hardcover for $60.

The second-placed, Historica Arcanum : The City of Crescent, Metis Creative sells the hardcover with PDF bundle for $49.99.

You can find Best Art Interiors on Facebook.

This year’s winner of the gold medal for outstanding illustrations is Mythic Britain & IrelandExpanding for VaesenDriveThruRPG offers the PDF version for only $22 or hardcover for just $37. Seven SinnersModiphius has a paperback copy for $23 that came in second.

The Best Cartography

Like the warrior poet Karen O once said, “Maps, they don’t love you like I love you.” Every year, Gen Con awards Best Cartography to games that deliver outstanding art and technique to flesh out the topography of a given setting. This year’s gold medalist was the Blade Runner RPG Starter SetIts moody, futuristic Los Angeles can be purchased at Modiphius or Amazon for approximately $52 and $38.71.

Claw Atlas: New Maps for Beak, Feather, & BoneThe second-place winner in this category was… The paperback version of the wilderness guide inspired by chicken scratch is available from Possible Worlds for $13, and a PDF version costs $5 from Itch.io.

Best Electronic Book

The category reserved exclusively for games that can be printed and played. Gold medalist this year is one of the best RPGs we’ve played in the last 12 months. Brindlewood bayThe silver medal goes to DriveThruRPG, where it costs $14.99. Silver medals go to The Regency Call Of Cthulhu: Hostility and ViolenceDriveThruRPG is offering, for only $7.99.

Play the Best Family Game

Gen Con’s Best Family Game Gold award was presented to Avatar Legends Starter KitThe runner-up in this category is, available for only $25 at Target. This category’s runner up is The GoblingsDriveThruRPG offers the digital version of this game for just $10.

Play Best Game

This category celebrates RPGs which have the best art, writing and rules all under one roof. The JRPG inspired core rulebook won this year’s award. Fabula UltimaDriveThruRPG offers a PDF for only $12 and Amazon sells a printed paperback version for $27. Also, you can find PDFs of the second-place winner Trophy RPGDriveThruRPG offers DriveThruRPG at $14.99.

It is important to choose the best layout and design.

This is the core rulesbook for Blade Runner RPGIt is currently available from Amazon as a hardcover book for $59.99. Acid Western RPG won the silver medal. Frontier ScumDriveThruRPG offers the game in PDF for only $9.99.

Best Monster/Adversary

Only books with monsters and baddies that grant XP are eligible for this category. This category’s gold medal for 2023 goes to Bestiary: Ruins of SymbaroumDriveThruRPG offers it as a PDF for only $24.99. It is the runner-up. Creatures 2, a sequel to CreaturesManual for FateforgeStudio 2 Publishing sells the hardcover edition of.

Buy RPGs Related Products

Look into this poor Owlbear’s eyes and tell them they didn’t win the best RPG-related product category. You can’t, because they won. Metal Weave Games is the place to go if you want your $35 Owlbear plush.

Dragons of the Red Moon won the second prize in this category. Dragonbond by Draco Studios — a project funded on Kickstarter for its incredibly detailed 200 millimeter dragon minis, which are currently in production.

The Best Rules

Occasionally referred to as the “crunchiest game,” like perfectly interlocking gears that turn each other with Swiss precision, Best Rules is awarded to games featuring excellent mechanical design. This year’s gold award went to Avatar Legends Starter KitTarget sells this for only $25. This category’s runner up was Rivers of London – The Roleplaying Game,The PDF version is $30 at DriveThruRPG or $60 in hardcover from Chaosium.

Best Setting

Two clear favorite Gen Con 2023 entries won awards for the best settings. Their worlds were filled with rich illustrations and text, creating a compelling combination. In this category, the gold medal goes to Mythic Britain & IrelandExpanding for Vaesen, Silver medal goes to Serpentine Swords.

Best Supplement

Barkeep at the BorderlandsThe best-selling supplement, Taverns and Bars at Gen Con, is a comprehensive compilation of bars, pubs, taverns and dives with their patrons. It’s a great way to spice up your campaign. Get a copy of the PDF at Barkeep at the BorderlandsDriveThruRPG and Itch.io are both available for $10.

Second place is awarded to the winner. In the Cess CitadelThe book contains an abundance of flavor, system-agnostic, for the characters, factions and monsters that populate urban fantasy cities, including undercities. Itch.io is currently selling PDFs for $19.95.

The Best of Writing

The best games in this category are those with excellent prose or other descriptive texts. This is the gold medalist. Serpentine SwordsThe PDF version is $30 at DriveThruRPG. Hardcovers are $60 or less from Pelgrane Press and Amazon. Runner-up WildseaIt is available for purchase in PDF format at $25 on itch.io.

The Best Game/Product for Free

This is reflected in the abundance of online tools, systems and campaign ideas. The award recognizes free resources that can be used to boost your campaign. The quickstart guide for The RPGThe 54-page Talon Hill module took second place, and the third was the 56-page module from the Shadowdark RPG system, The Jaguar Princess Shrine.