“The Nerdies” are the end-of-year awards from Nerds on Earth. They are only awarded to the most excellent of things, and are selected by Nerds on Earth writers and editors, with input from readers via our social media.
Our category today is “Best Small Press RPG,” meaning we want to celebrate those indie roleplaying games out there. We narrowed the slate down to four before opening the vote to determine the winner of the Best Small Press RPG.
By the way, if you want a podcast that plays through these RPGs in short arcs so you can get the basics, check out Fortunes Untold!
2018 Nerdie Award for Best Indie RPG
Forbidden Lands
Forbidden Lands by Fria Ligan is what they call a retro open world fantasy RPG. You are renegades, rebels, and rogues exploring the ruins of a desolate world. Pretty standard, right? Explore dungeons, kill monsters, get treasure, rinse, and repeat.
Except the game isn’t about that at all. The game is about freedom and discovering the stories of the places you visit. The Blood Mist has lifted and the open road beckons you to come make your mark, to discard the destiny you were born with and carve your own. You are the raiders of the Forbidden Lands, and now is your time.
It’s a wonderfully evocative system and for that reason, Forbidden Lands wins the 2018 Nerdie Award for Best Indy RPG. – Chad