Independent roleplaying game Land of Eem has been named Roleplaying Game of the Year at the 49th annual Origins Awards. Created by Ben Costa and James Parks and published by Exalted Funeral, the lighthearted fantasy title topped a competitive field of prominent industry names to secure the honour at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio. Voted on by a peer body of designers, retailers, and industry professionals, the award marks a distinct success for independent publishing within the tabletop industry.
The game was selected as the winner in a category that included major corporate releases, such as Critical Role’s Daggerheart, the Cosmere roleplaying game based on Brandon Sanderson’s novels, Starfinder Second Edition, and Warhammer: The Old World. Built on a custom system that replaces traditional standard polyhedral dice with a d12-based mechanic, Land of Eem translates the hand-drawn aesthetic and setting of the creators’ previous graphic novels into a cooperative tabletop sandbox.
The game world serves as a post-apocalyptic setting stripped of traditional doom, leaning instead into a tonal blend reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings and The Muppets. Players navigate a hex-based map using 16 distinct species options, such as the gelatinous goo or the turtle-like quortle, alongside cooperative classes like the Loyal Chum. Character advancement bypasses traditional combat-driven experience points, instead rewarding roleplaying, map exploration, and narrative engagement.
Ben Costa, co-creator of Land of Eem, said in a statement:
We created the Land of Eem for ourselves, really. It has been amazing to see a growing community share our sensibilities and explore the world we’ve been building together for decades. To have a jury of peers in this industry name it the best of the year is humbling beyond words. This award belongs to everyone who rolled dice with us and helped build Eem into a vibrant, expanding sandbox.”
The core design intentionally shifts the focus away from purely maths and combat modifiers toward narrative-altering abilities and an extensive item-crafting index featuring over 200 components. Magic within the setting remains restricted, serving as a rare element tied primarily to specific exploration discoveries and the Gnome character class rather than being universally available.
The physical line is handled by the specialist retailer Exalted Funeral, which focuses on a premium deluxe box-set format. For introductory access, the creators have made a complete digital quickstart document containing core rule overviews and introductory adventure scenarios available at no cost via the official website.
Quick Links
- Exalted Funeral: Land of Eem hardback
- DriveThruRPG: Land of Eem digital.
- Official site for the free quickstart (sign-up required).
