I voted for Sign for first place both as game of the year and for innovation, despite how much I love NW, US, WWW, and Warren.

My reasons were like:

1) It’s a LARPy game, which is awesome.
2) It’s an awesome LARPy game, which is more awesome.
3) It’s innovative, about communications and influence and society in a way that few games ever approach.
4) It is just absolutely fucking phenomenal as a work of design.

I also really liked Downfall — it’s in the tradition of Kingdom, Microscope, and Questlandia. It’s a really good area of design, but, I think maybe not traddy enough for many people? Doesn’t promise long form?

Anyway, there seems to me to be a magic formula in PtbA games in that they work pretty okay as one shots, but also promise (and mostly deliver) medium length games too, such that a lot of people see the potential magic combination of trad+storygame and love them to death.