Companions' Tale

Companions' Tale

Designers	Laura Simpson
Publication	2019
Genres	Tabletop role-playing game
Players	2-8

Companions' Tale is a 2019 tabletop role-playing game by Laura Simpson about the unreliable and contradictory tales of a hero's many companions. Throughout the game, players collaborate on drawing a shared map.[1] Companions' Tale won "Game of the Year" at the 2020 Indie Game Developer Network awards[2] and was nominated for two 2019 ENNIE Awards.[3]

Reception

Awards and Nominations

Companions' Tale won "Game of the Year" at the 2020 Indie Game Developer Network awards.[2] It was nominated for two 2019 ENNIE Awards: "Product of the Year" and "Best Game."[3] The 2020 Diana Jones Award, which was given to "Black Excellence in Gaming,"[4] included Laura Simpson's work on Companions' Tale under honorees.[5]

Reviews

Jessica Spears for the American Library Association recommended Companions' Tale as a game to play for Black History Month, writing that "Taking on multiple roles, exploring varied points of view, and sharing in the story building process makes for a fantastically engaging gaming experience."[1] Jayme Boucher for Roll20 recommended Companions' Tale as one of ten games to play with kids and praised the game's "evocative world-building rules" and "deck of inspirational themes and art."[6]

Scholarship

Greg Loring-Albright for Drexel University cites Companions' Tale as an example of a tabletop role-playing game played via user-created online adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

References

1. Spears, Jessica (2022-02-21). "Black History Month is for Gaming". American Library Association. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
2. "Previous Award Winners". Indie Game Developer Network. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
3. "2019 Nominees and Winners – ENNIE Awards". Retrieved 2024-08-27.
4. Hall, Charlie (2020-07-30). "One of tabletop gaming's biggest awards celebrates Black creators". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
5. "The 2020 Award". The Diana Jones Award. 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
6. Boucher, Jayme (2023-11-13). "10 Games to Play With Kids". Roll20 Blog. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
7. Loring-Albright, Greg. Analog Games on Digital Tabletops: A Media Microecology. Drexel University, 2022.