Mouse Guard Role-Playing Game has won this year's Origins Award for best role-playing game.
The game is based on David Petersen's Mouse Guard comic series, which follows the titular knighthood of mice and their struggle to protect the Mouse Territories.
The game is published by Archaia Studio Press, publisher of the comic book series. It was designed by Luke Crane, designer of the Burning Wheel game system used in the Origins Award winning role-playing game Burning Empires, which was simplified for use in Mouse Guard RPG. Petersen provided the game's background material and illustrations. It is said to be accesible to players of all ages and of all levels of experience.
Mouse Guard beat out two other nominees, including the the 4th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons, the game that spawned the role-playing game genre and industry with its original publication in 1974.
Petersen commented on the "upset" at the official Mouse Guard website, saying, "Even though Mouse Guard uses only 6 sided dice, I think it just rolled a natural 20."
The Mouse Guard comic book series recently completed its second six issue series, Winter 1152, with plans to collect it in hardcover format, as was done with the first series, Fall 1152. A third series, The Black Axe, is planned to follow.
The Origins Awards is an annual awards ceremony conducted by the Academy of Adventure Gaming, Arts & Design to recognize the best products in a variety tabletop gaming genres, including role-playing games, board games, collectible card games, and miniature games.
-- Jaime Lovett { Twitter.com/JaimeLovett }
