The inaugural Canada Roles Awards celebrates Canadian RPGs

Joshua Kitz wants to celebrate the vibrant tabletop RPG scene in Canada. This is the impetus behind the inaugural Canada Roles Award, an initiative from nonprofit organization Canada Roles. It’s a grassroots group formed by Kitz, the founder of games publisher and webstore Compose Dreams Games, that provides resources to local designers and organizes events where locally-made games can be played. “Canada Roles Awards give RPG enthusiasts and game designers something to look forward to each year,” said Kitz in an email to Rascal. “It also highlights noteworthy Canadian tabletop RPGs for our local retailers.” 

What’s distinct about the Canada Roles Award is that Kitz also saw it as a way to bring the Canadian games industry together. For him, a crucial aspect of the awards is the involvement of multiple conventions across the country, including Terminal City Tabletop Convention in Vancouver; Breakout Con in Toronto; WPG Con in Winnipeg; and CanGames in Ottawa—with winners of the award set to be announced at CanGames, Canada’s oldest tabletop convention, on 16 May. “Getting cons from coast to coast to participate is [what] makes it a truly cross-Canada award,” he said. Attendees to these conventions are given a bonus vote for the Canada Roles Award, alongside an online voting system that’s currently taking place. That said, voting is limited to Canadian residents and citizens only, while votes by industry members—Kitz referred to them as convention organizers, publishers, and retailers—are given extra weight.

Kitz shared that a list of nominated games were pre-selected by the Canada Roles Awards committee, which includes himself, a business partner, several convention organizers and publishers. Convention attendees to Terminal City Tabletop Convention and Breakout Con then added to this list, which took place between 13 to 22 March 2026. These nominated games must also be created by Canadian residents or citizens, and released in print in 2025; zero edition, ashcans, previews and pre-release games aren’t eligible. Of course, works with generative AI are also out of the question; robots and software aren’t Canadians, after all (for now, anyway). Here are the four categories and 2026’s crop of nominees:

• Visual Design: This judges the art and layout of RPG books. Nominated games are A Fool’s Errand, Ringmaster, Lady Dee’s Grand Ball, and We Shall Be Monsters. 
• Rules Design: Games in this category are designed for traditional multi-session play. Nominated games are Dirtbags!, A Fool’s Errand, Gambit RPG, Nefertiti Overdrive 2.0, and Psychic Danger Society.
• One Shot and Short Form: These are one-shots, or quick-playing episodic games. Nominated games are Capricious, Going For Broke, Kaiju Kontrol, First Date Update, Sock Puppets and Underneath.
• Scenario or Supplement Design: Creative works that include adventure design as well as other supplements typically designed to be used alongside other games. Nominated games are Join Their Ranks, Emergence, Field Guide to Floral Dragons, Seven Sealed Spirits, and Speed Run.

The categories are admittedly a tad nebulous, and when asked about the judging criteria and qualitative rubrics, Kitz suggested that these weren’t set in stone. “It's up [to] each voter to determine exactly how they evaluate things within the category and select who they vote for,” he said. “We do ask that they base it on the content of the work itself and not any supplementary materials or experiences. Similarly, unless the category is visual design, you should try not to let the art and layout influence your vote too much.“ On a personal note, Kitz has a preference for systems that “do something different”, such as the games nominated under the “Rules Design” category. He feels fortunate not to have to decide on a favorite and will only vote in the unlikely scenario of needing to break a tie.

Kitz plans to run the Canada Roles Award every year, adding more categories beyond the four described above. In the future, he wants to include French games as well, stating, “dans les années à venir, nous aimerions également célébrer les jeux en français aussi [In the coming years, we would also like to celebrate games in French as well]”. If you’re a Canadian who wishes to get their vote in for the Canada Roles Award, you can do so here before 15th May 2026.

Canada Roles isn’t the only grassroots initiative set up for Canadian designers. Previously, we’ve spoken to Patrick Dubuc, the founder of Canadian Creators United, who also seeks to foster a thriving Canadian community that allows designers and creators to support and collaborate with one another.