A roleplaying board game created by two Maltese sisters has been nominated for three international awards.  

Fleur and Chelsea Sciortino’s Tabletop Roleplaying Game (TTRPG) Flabbergasted! is competing against many much larger franchises, such as Dungeons and Dragons, at the ENNIE Awards.

Among their three nominations for Flabbergasted! is one in the prestigious Best Game category. The game is also in the running to win awards for Best Art Interior and Product of the Year.

The achievement is all the more notable because Flabbergasted! is the sisters’ first TTRPG.

Growing up, the sisters would spend hours playing roleplay board games. Years later, Fleur, a 31-year-old illustrator, and Chelsea, a 29-year-old architect decided to create, write and design their own game.

Flabbergasted! – the duo’s first creation under their game development studio The Wanderer’s Tome - is a comedic roleplaying game set in their own version of the 1920s. Game participants create a social club and get up to all manners of mischief, mayhem, and misadventures.

“We are extremely humbled and overjoyed to be nominated for this award,” Fleur told Times of Malta.

“We both teared up and made unflattering screaming noises when we read the email. For this to be our first game and nominated for the most coveted awards was so unexpected, and it’s such a confidence boost and validating experience that shows we made the right decision in pursuing our passion.”

The ENNIE Awards are awarded for role-playing game products and their creators. Winners are decided through an online vote by the gaming public.

The selection process is divided into two. In the first round, publishers submit their products for nominations and five judges select a shortlist. In the second round, the shortlisted products are voted on by the public.

The ENNIE Award ceremony is hosted at the international gaming convention Gen Con which takes place in Indianapolis, USA and sees over 50,000 attendees.

The winners of each category will be announced at around 2am Malta-time on Saturday morning.  

Game in four different languages

The reaction towards Flabbergasted! was bigger than the sisters imagined, even before the game even existed.

They initially sought to develop the game through crowdfunding on Kickstarter.

They reached their €7,000 target in six hours and raised over 400% of their original goal.

Since launching in 2021, Flabbergasted! has been translated into four different languages. Over 4000 copies have been produced. The sisters now have licensing deals in North America, Italy, France, and Ukraine.

“We also got some attention from some of the biggest gaming sites like Kotaku and Gamebreak, which left us a little star-struck,” Fleur said.

After Flabbergasted! Fleur and Chelsea began working on their second product- ‘The Wanderer’s Companion’, a TTRPG accessory.

“This is a build-a-portrait sticker book that allows players to design their characters from a whole selection of bases, hairstyles, and outfits,” she explained.

Flabbergasted! debuted to rave reviews. Photo: The Wanderer’s Tome

“We are very proud of the fact that no other product like ours has ever been published to cater to the TTRPG market.”

They are now in the process of producing the sticker book after successfully funding it on Kickstarter.

Winners of the Creative Business Cup Malta

It has been a positive year for the sisters. Back in May, their company The Wanderer’s Tome won an award for start-ups, the Creative Business Cup Malta.

The victory allowed them to represent Malta during the Creative Business Cup Global Finals in Copenhagen. While they did not win, they said the experience helped sharpen their business acumen.

“While we are very confident in our creativity and ability to produce high-quality products, we are not as well-versed in our business skills,” Fleur said.

Their advice to Maltese creatives starting up their own business?

“Collaborate with other local creatives where you can,” she said. “It is not only beneficial to you, but to everyone involved and that kind of collaboration builds community.”

“Lastly, share your success! We’re only a modest success in the grand scheme of things, but even so, we prioritise giving work where we can to other creatives.”