Vote in the Bloggies

The Bloggies 2025 are almost over. Read my synopsis on the nominees. Mark your calendars. And celebrate rpg blogging!

Vote in the Bloggies

The BLOGGIES are a yearly awards event that debuted on the Prismatic Wasteland blog in 2022 as a way to celebrate the standout rpg blog posts from the previous year—shining a light on the posts that rattle around in your head long after they're done. The awards are one part evangelism, one part parade, but most of all a reminder to read more blogs!

This year's host is SachaGoat. (The job of hosting goes to whoever wins Best Blog of the Year.) That vote is on January 31st. Thanks to a lot of you, I'm in the running for Best Blog, which means I could end up hosting The Bloggies in 2026. Assuming we all don't vote for the other amazing contenders.

But enough about that. Right now, The Bloggies is pitting reviews in head-to-head bouts. Today's last minute article is a synopsis of those contenders.

Voting Timeline

We're officially voting on the last category of The Bloggies. The first round ends in the next couple of hours, and then the next round starts shortly after. This will go on until we have Gold, Silver, and Copper winning reviews.

Review timeline. January 24th (Friday) Round of 16. January 25th (Saturday) round of 8. January 26th (Sunday) round of 4. Finally, January 27th (Monday) Quarter-finals and the winner of the category.
A screenshot from SachaGoat's blog detailing the voting schedule.

Review Nominees

The Sci-Fi Special Edition

In this issue, The Soloist is deploying its omni-directional scanners to survey solo and GM-less sci-fi tabletop RPGs.

I've read the Soloist for a while. It's like chomping on popcorn. Posts are broken into bite-sized chunks and there's always a few regular segments that repeat from one issue to the next. I voted for this one.

Swords & Wizardry: Which Monster Book to Pick?

Attronarch dives deep in order to settle the question: If you want a lot of monsters for the OSR retro-clone, Swords & Wizardry, which book gives you the most bang for your buck? The answer is thorough.

This hobby runs on blood, sweat, and tears—but mostly sweat. I've forever envious of folks who solve questions with overwhelming brute force. I did not vote for this one, but they did. the. work.

D20 Tabletop Roleplaying Game Gift Ideas that Aren’t Just More TTRPGs (or Dice)

Prismatic Wasteland answers the call for better gift guides by writing one that is just a little more thoughtful, thereby making the others just a little bit worse.

I liked this article. The best gift guides are the ones that get people thinking about gift-giving differently. This one does that.

A Great Game Finally Gets the Rulebook it Deserves

In this review, The Weeping Stag reviews the second edition of Star Trek Adventures and rightly calls out what made the first edition worthy of a redo.

Yes! This thoughtful review succinctly explains what was wrong about the first edition—the layout and art direction. I'm a broken record about this, but the worst thing a layout can do is hurt an otherwise great game. This review details where the first edition went wrong and second edition didn't. I voted for this one.

Xandering is Slandering

This article blurs the line between journalism and a review. In it, Anne illuminates the controversy around Justin Alexander's renaming of Jacquasing the Dungeon, while offering context and insight into what that means for everyone.

This article is a service to the community. And it did so in a thoughtful, measured, and constructive way. I don't have much else to say on it except that it gave many people something to hold onto when social media only stoked the fires.

Deep Dive: Stonetop

It is what it says it is. A deep dive into the mechanics and gameplay of Stonetop. Except, wait a second, It's more than that, because Stonetop might be more than just any game... Could a forgotten branch of Powered by the Apocalypse make a comeback?

I forgot about Stonetop. Heck, like many people, I started to think it missed its moment. Then, I read this review and the playtest documents. I will not forget about Stonetop again—because when it finally launches, we're all going to be diving deep. I voted for this one.

He Cooked — Zaan, Olo Malan

False Machine (Patrick Stuart) does what he does best—writes a baroque, sprawling bit of prose that by all accounts could have been just another review, game, or article.

Reviews of games is standard on rpg blogs, but there's something interesting about reviewing fiction through the lens of rpgs. I voted for this one.

Triangle Agency (Part 1)

The Split Party duo dives into the new hit indie rpg, Triangle Agency. They rightly identify what is probably it's most exciting feature—the "playwalled" system of design.

A lot has been said about Triangle Agency, but not enough is being said about Triangle Agency's structure. Imagine playing a game that is deliberately withholding itself from you—not only that—teaching you how to play under false assumptions.

Mörk Borg Layout Exhibit

Hey, check it out, one of my articles snuck into the review category—and it's probably my favorite review of the year. A lot has been said about Mörk Borg's layout, in this article, I dispel any notion that it's chaotic without reason.

You can vote for this one, but you might not, because its competition is one of the best reviews of the bunch...

[Review] Old School Essentials

Beau Rancourt doesn't just review Old School Essentials, they give it a statistical analysis and free developmental editing pass. Not a single page goes unexamined under the electron microscope.

I don't always agree with Beau's conclusions, but I never doubt the work that went in to make them. It's interesting seeing someone read OSE without the context that led to its development. I still remember when it went by another name—which goes to show how ill equipped I'd be to even attempt a review such as this one.

What does a work not need?

This thought provoking review of The Isle by Sam Sorenson is so much more than another celebration of Luke Gearing's idiosyncratic style. Instead, it cuts down to the brass tacks. Is The Isle proof that many rpg assumptions are false?

The answer is yes. Agree or disagree, I think the best reviews are meant to light your brain on fire. This article does that. I voted for it.

Cults of RuneQuest: The Prosopaedia – What is it for?

Glorantha's system-neutral deity catalog is unlike anything else you might find from Chaosium, and Runeblog correctly identifies what makes that interesting.

Friends in my real life know that I'm a Glorantha fan. This easy-to-read review uncovers part of the reason why: it's got great worldbuilding. The kind more games with similar themes can mine.

Bathtub Review: Tephrotic Nightmares

The entire bracket owes Sachagoat a thank you, because it could have been swarmed with Idle Cartulary reviews. This is just one of her many heavy hitters. This time the review is about Luke Gearing and Johan Nohr's combined effort.

On its face, this article is about a Mörk Borg module. In reality, it's about collaboration and how two auteurs in RPGs intersect. I voted for this one.

Genders Without Number

Marcia B digs past the surface of Cities Without Number to interrogate its themes and politics. The result is a snapshot into the influence of an artist, the way culture seeps into our work, and what it means for everyone.

Reviews that explore the themes and politics of an rpg is the kind of work that elevates the medium, and Marcia does it better than anyone. I love the thoughtfulness that went into this analysis especially.

The loss we gain from a Thousand Year Old Campfire

A concise and heartfelt review of Tim Hutchings' latest stroke on the rpg landscape. This review by Hendrik has a certain stillness that I think the work deserves—it's also an easy, comforting read.

I'm a fan of Hendrik ten Nepal and this review is another example of why. Some reviews are about product, others are about craft, and some are about feeling. This one is about feeling. I voted for it.

Pendragon, The 6th Edition

A tribute to Greg Stafford's magnum opus in its latest form. This review is less an examination of the 6th edition, and more of a sprawling exploration into how it got here.

Pendragon is in my top 10 games of all time. It's a flawed work with entire sections that could use an overhaul, but the parts that shine have made it legendary. This review buffs away some of the patina for anyone who still isn't aware.

Conclusion

Vote in The Bloggies before they're over. I'm nervously glancing at the clock as I type this, because the first round of voting is nearly over. I'll probably miss the deadline, but that just means you have even more reason to dig in.

Next Friday, on January 31st, The 1 HP Dragon will be in the running for best blog post of the year. Don't miss it. You can't go wrong with whoever you vote for.

Last but certainly not least, tell other people about The Bloggies. I charge you to share one blog from the dozens that have been nominated in this year's competition. Share the link and drop a line.

Until next time...

BLOGGIES 2024 Commence! - sachagoat
Want to skip to the finalists? Click here Want to find the latest voting form? Click here 🥇🥈🥉 EDIT: Theory Medalist Announcement 🥇🥈🥉 EDIT 2:

Read the entries here.

SachaGoat (@sachagoat.bsky.social)
British. OSR. BLOGGIES 2023 Winner (“Reinventing the Wilderness” series). blog: sachagoat.blot.im

Follow along on social here.


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