Aaron Kempkes

Archimede, Hippodice, the Ion Award, the Boulogne-Billancourt International Design Contest, Cardboard Edison, Fastaval, the Ciutat de Granollers Design Contest, SAGA, BostonFIG, the LUCI Award, The Game Crafter, Board Game Design Lab, the HABA Game Design Contest and the World Original Design Contest. I really enjoy board games but I love making them even more! My dream is for my designs to be a part of board game nights all over the world, bringing people together at a table where everyone is welcome. I hope to see my games on a store shelf someday alongside all of the ones that have inspired me. Many of my best memories are around a table with friends and family playing games. I hope to be able to create those kinds of memories for others through my own designs! My first publicly released games Cool Cats, Rome and Write and Skeleton Shuffle were distributed as print and plays by Roll and Write Revolution on Kickstarter in June 2023, September 2025 and October 2026 respectively as limited releases. I was also the judge for the Dice Mitigation Challenge on The Game Crafter in 2024 and Cardboard Edison in 2026. My first physical published game is called Fly Away and will be released by HUCH in October 2026. Released/Upcoming Games: Fly Away (HUCH)- 2026 Skeleton Shuffle (Roll and Write Revolution- 2026) limited release, coming in October Rome and Write (Roll and Write Revolution- 2025) limited release Cool Cats (Roll and Write Revolution- 2023) limited release Notable Accolades: BostonFIG (2x nominee, 1x winner, 2024) Ion Award (2x finalist, 1x winner, 2023) Premio Archimede (1x finalist, 2x semi-finalist, 2025) Ciutat de Granollers (3x semi-finalist, 2024) Board Game Design Lab Challenge Runner Up (2019) Cardboard Edison Runner Up (2022) Cituat de Granollers Runner Up (2026) 3x Consecutive BostonFIG Finalist (2022, 24-25) 2x Consecutive Ciutat de Granollers Semi-Finalist (2024-25) Back to Back Fastaval Finalist (2025-26) Back to Back Premio Archimede Finalist (2023, 25) Back to Back BostonFIG Nominee (2022, 24) Back to Back Boulogne-Billancourt Finalist (2022-23) Back to Back Boulogne-Billancourt Semi-Finalist (2025-26) Back to Back Board Game Design Lab Challenge Finalist (2019-20) 2026- Boulogne-Billancourt International Contest Semi-Finalist- Monochrome SAGA 2026 Finalist- Feather Category- Score The Floor Fastaval 2026 Finalist- Trisaic Hippodice 2026 Semi-Finalist- Gumball World Ciutat de Granollers International Contest Runner-Up- Retro Tetro 2025- Boston Festival of Indie Games Finalist- Gumball World Premio Archimede Semi-Finalist- Fruit Frenzy Premio Archimede Semi-Finalist- Monochrome Premio Archimede Finalist- Stacking Frogs Boulogne-Billancourt International Contest Semi-Finalist- Thar It Rolls Fastaval 2025 Best Board Game Nominee- Caps Ciutat de Granollers International Contest Semi-Finalist (w/ Amber Kempkes)- Hectic Harvest 2024- Boston Festival of Indie Games "Best Family Game" (winner) & "Best Game In Progress", "Best In Show" (nominee)- Thar It Rolls LUCI Award Finalist- Thar It Rolls Ciutat de Granollers International Contest Semi-Finalist- Gumball World Ciutat de Granollers International Contest Semi-Finalist- Cubeland Ciutat de Granollers International Contest Semi-Finalist- Fruit Frenzy 2023- Boulogne-Billancourt International Contest Finalist- Retro Tetro Premio Archimede Finalist- Soaring Skies Ion Award Winner- Gumball World Ion Award Finalist- Crystallia Ion Award Finalist- Stacking Frogs Game Crafter Finalist "Lunchtime Game Challenge"- Retro Tetro 2022- 4th World Original Design Contest Semi-Finalist (w/ Amber Kempkes)- The Great Cookie Challenge Boston Festival of Indie Games "Most Innovative Game" (nominee)- Retro Tetro Boulogne-Billancourt International Contest Finalist- Crystallia Cardboard Edison Runner-Up- Island of Gems LUCI Award Finalist- Island of Gems Game Crafter Semi-Finalist "Gateway To Games"- Paint by Numbers 2020- Board Game Design Lab Finalist- Cool Cat (renamed Cool Cats in the Roll and Write Revolution print and play release in 2023) HABA Game Design Contest Finalist (w/ Amber Kempkes)- Hectic Harvest Game Crafter Semi-Finalist "Proto-ATL"- Fruit Frenzy Game Crafter Semi-Finalist "Proto-ATL"- Soaring Skies 2019- Board Game Design Lab Runner-Up- Island of Gems