Note: this was originally posted on the Calenmir's RPGs blog on April 12, 2025.
Hello, everyone! We’re not quite halfway through April, so it’s definitely time for me to put an eligibility guide for the Crit Awards on this site. For those unfamiliar with the Crit Awards, they’re a series of awards for indie creators in the TTRPG and TTRPG-adjacent space, and anyone who is part of the TTRPG community can nominate their favorite creators until April 30. Therefore, this blog is to help you know which things from Calenmir’s RPGs (or from current/past contributors) was released during the eligibility period and can therefore be nominated for the 2025 Crit Awards.
Note: the graphic below should say “Nomination Period” instead of “Voting Period”, thank you for your patience.
Image description: 2025 Crit Awards Eligibility Period: March 1, 2024 - February 28, 2025 Voting Period: April 1, 2025 - April 30, 2025 Summary of the 48 total categories open to nominations: Best TTRPGs Solo, GMless, 1 page, multiplayer, and indie games, plus a single separate category for homebrew, supplemental, or third party content. Best Actual Plays One shots and series, plus the best NPC, villain, and use of accessibility or safety tools. Best Channels Both Twitch and YouTube, for upcoming (2 years or less) and legacy (over 2 years) channels Best of Their Games The best game masters and players of actual plays using the following systems: indie, Chaosium, Darrington Press, Paizo, Paradox Interactive (World of Darkness), or D&D. Best Podcasts Upcoming (2 years or less) and legacy (over 2 years) podcasts.Also includes best podcast host, plus best audio and sound design. Best Artists Character artists, creature artists, mini painters, dice makers, and map designers. Related categories: setting description (e.g. book or actual play), lyrical song, instrumental song, cover art, fan art, makeup/costume (in an actual play). Best of the TTRPG Space Tech/producer, stream overlay, blog or article, innovation in the TTRPG space, TTRPG-related charity/community wellness organization or event, outstanding community member. Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the Crit Awards. While I have done my best to provide accurate information, please refer to CritAwards.org for accurate, up-to-date information.
Reference Hopping: Best One-Page TTRPG
Reference Hopping was released in August 2024 as part of the One-Page RPG Jam. You play as an intern of the Multiversal Library System, traveling between branches via word game mechanics in order to finish your task list. It includes an incident report template to facilitate solo journaling. Available on DriveThruRPG as well as Itch.
Additional categories for consideration: Best Solo TTRPG, Best GMless TTRPG, Best Indie TTRPG.
Unburied: Best Indie TTRPG, Best Creature Art, Best Cover Art
Unburied is a post-apocalyptic horror TTRPG in which the undead are unkillable, and also classified based on the state of their remains. Character creation revolves around choosing a survival method such as athleticism, compassion, or resourcefulness, with challenge resolution mechanics that encourage creativity and teamwork… and maybe the occasional sacrifice. It has options for GM-facilitated multiplayer games, plus rules for solo journaling. Initially released on Halloween of 2024, you can buy Unburied on this site, on Itch, or via DriveThruRPG.
Importantly, it features interior art and an amazing cover from Dave’s Art Tavern. What that means is if you nominate Unburied for Best Creature Art or Best Cover Art, nominate Dave’s Art Tavern!
Additional categories for consideration: Best Solo TTRPG, Best Multiplayer TTRPG; Dave’s Art Tavern for Best Character Art
Unburied RPG from Corporate Crash Course: Best One Shot
In February, Corporate Crash Course livestreamed a one-shot actual play of Unburied, which is now available on their YouTube channel:
Additional categories for consideration: Best NPC in an Actual Play, Best Upcoming YouTube Channel, Best Upcoming Twitch Channel, Best Game Master | Indie, Best Player | Indie, Best Overlay on a TTRPG Stream
How to Build [X] in Apocalypse Keys: Best Blog or Article
Some of you may remember that I wrote a seven-part series on how to build various pop culture characters in Apocalypse Keys as a lead-up to the release of Sweet Dreams. With the exception of the final entry (which was released in March), those came out during the Crit Awards eligibility period. Therefore, all of the following can be nominated for Best Blog or Article Written in the TTRPG Space:
You’ll only be able to nominate one, so go ahead and choose your favorite of the bunch.
Additional categories for consideration: Best Homebrew, Supplemental, or Third-Party Content
MOTW Stars Start to Align: Best Player | Indie, Best Series, Best Game Master | Indie, + More
I, Julia LaFond, appeared in a two-shot Monster of the Week actual play streamed by Nerds With Dice. Unfortunately, only the second half appears to have been uploaded to YouTube:
Due to the nature of this collaboration, there are several applicable awards categories:
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Julia LaFond for Best Player | Indie
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The Keeper, Urvy Fitz, for Best Game Master | Indie
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Monster of the Week | Stars Start to Align for Best Series
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Nerds With Dice for Best Legacy YouTube Channel
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Nerds With Dice for Best Legacy Twitch Channel
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Nerds With Dice for Best Overlay on a TTRPG Stream
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Nerds With Dice for Best Tech/Producer in the TTRPG Space
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Nerds With Dice for Best Utilization of Accessibility Features and Safety Tools in an Actual Play
Additional categories for consideration: Best NPC in an Actual Play, Best Villain in an Actual Play
Ixla Tanis: Best Setting Description, Character Art
NOTE: This was written before I cut ties with Cameron of Daylight Entertainment. Please do not buy Ixla Tanis, but please do support the other talented artists and writers linked in the post.
I, Julia LaFond, also contributed to Ixla Tanis, a DayLITE setting that was a multi-author, multi-artist collaboration. It’s a post-apocalyptic solarpunk volcanic island with dinosaurs (including playable velociraptors, not to be confused with Deinonychus). In addition to writing the playable velociraptors and some other stuff, I wrote the setting description for Dustdwemml, which makes me / Ixla Tanis eligible for Best Setting Description.
[There used to be a cover image here].
Meanwhile, several talented artists contributed to this book, so Einmeegle, Ryan Rodero, Alexandria Neonakis, Roselysium, Astigmata Studios, and Mumford Toones are eligible for Best Character Art. Of those, the cover artist was Roselysium, in case you were still looking for someone to nominate in the Best Cover Art category.
My fellow writers were Cameron Day, Jackie Comics, Abhilasha P, Miguel Couso Martínez, and Maxx Hirsch.
Additional categories for consideration: Best Homebrew, Supplemental, or Third-Party Content for Ixla Tanis
In Conclusion
Remember to get your Crit Award nominations in before April 30th! Keep in mind you have to make all your nominations at once, so it can help to write down a list of who you’re nominating within each category (though you’re not required to nominate creators in every category). It may not seem like much, but making it to the finals of the Crit Award can be a huge boon to indie creators.
Thanks for your support, and I’ll keep you posted.