Israeli Role-Playing Games Association

The Israeli Role-Playing Games Association (Hebrew: העמותה למשחקי תפקידים בישראל) is a volunteer non-profit organization founded in December 1998 by Israeli role-playing game enthusiasts. Its stated purpose is to organize role-playing games in Israel and improve the public image of the hobby. The association maintains a website that aggregates role-playing activities such as conventions and games, an archive of articles and essays, and a database of role-players. It also runs a free membership club that offers discounts at its own conventions and at conventions run by other associations, and it has regional activist groups that organize conventions and additional events in their areas. The association's original goals, set out in its founding document, included promoting the subject in Israel, building and nurturing a local player community, expanding the circle of players and advancing those already playing, raising public awareness and media exposure for role-playing games, and organizing and supporting activities of all types of role-playing games across the country. In 2013 the association revised its official goals to: increasing the number of people engaged in role-playing games; providing services to role-playing communities; expanding the range and variety of gaming experiences; and developing a professional community in and around the field. In terms of activity, the association organizes Bigor (ביגור), an annual multi-day convention held during the Passover holiday that focuses mainly on role-playing games, and it participates in organizing the Icon Festival, part of whose activities deal with role-playing games. It holds several events during the year in the Tel Aviv and central region, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Karmiel. Since 2013 it has awarded an annual encouragement grant for creators in the Israeli role-playing field, ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 shekels; the first grant went to Aviv Manoach for developing the role-playing game Vanor, with later grants to Hadar Reisman-Graif for establishing the exhibition "False Representation" in 2015 and to Itai Horev for translating and publishing the role-playing game "Little Wizards" in 2016. The association also operates a publishing venture under the name Giborim ("Heroes"). This venture assists creators who want to publish role-playing games in Hebrew throughout the product development process, from the initial idea through writing, editing, and preparation for print. Giborim runs an online store in cooperation with HaPundak Publishing to sell digital and printed copies of the venture's products and other products, and it staffs sales booths at conventions and gaming events throughout the year. The Giborim store sells Israeli role-playing games that were independently published, such as "Vanor: Adventure Game," "Little Wizards," "City in the Fog," and "Pla'im: Heroes of Tomorrow."

The Israeli Role-Playing Games Association was founded in December 1998 by Israeli role-playing game enthusiasts as a volunteer body focused on organizing games in Israel and improving the field's image. Its founding document set out goals including promoting the subject in Israel, building and nurturing a local player community, expanding the circle of players and advancing those already playing, raising public awareness and media exposure for role-playing games, and organizing and supporting activities of all types of role-playing games across the country. The association established a website that serves as a hub for role-playing activities such as conventions and games, an archive of articles and essays, and a database of role-players. It also created a free membership club whose members receive discounts at the association's conventions and at conventions of other associations, and it set up regional activist groups that organize conventions and additional events in their areas. In 2013 the association revised its official goals. The new goals were to increase the number of people engaged in role-playing games, provide services to role-playing communities, expand the range and variety of gaming experiences, and develop a professional community in and around the field. That same year it began awarding an annual encouragement grant for creators in the Israeli role-playing field, ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 shekels. The first grant was given in 2013 to Aviv Manoach for developing the role-playing game Vanor. Additional grants went to Hadar Reisman-Graif for establishing the exhibition "False Representation" in 2015 and to Itai Horev for translating and publishing the role-playing game "Little Wizards" in 2016. The association organizes Bigor, an annual multi-day convention held during the Passover holiday that focuses mainly on role-playing games, and it participates in organizing the Icon Festival, part of whose activities deal with role-playing games. It holds several events during the year in the Tel Aviv and central region, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Karmiel. It also operates a publishing venture under the name Giborim ("Heroes"), which assists creators who want to publish role-playing games in Hebrew throughout the product development process, from the initial idea through writing, editing, and preparation for print. Giborim runs an online store in cooperation with HaPundak Publishing to sell digital and printed copies of the venture's products and other products, and it staffs sales booths at conventions and gaming events throughout the year. The Giborim store sells Israeli role-playing games that were independently published, such as "Vanor: Adventure Game," "Little Wizards," "City in the Fog," and "Pla'im: Heroes of Tomorrow."

• 2016

  Grant awarded to Itai Horev for translating and publishing the role-playing game "Little Wizards."

• 2015

  Grant awarded to Hadar Reisman-Graif for establishing the exhibition "False Representation."

• 2013

  Official goals revised; annual creator grant established, first awarded to Aviv Manoach for Vanor.

• 1998

  Association founded in December by Israeli role-playing game enthusiasts.

Volunteer non-profit association promoting role-playing games and supporting the Israeli role-playing community.

• Bigor convention

  Annual multi-day convention held during Passover, focusing mainly on role-playing games.

• Giborim publishing venture

  Publishing venture assisting creators to publish role-playing games in Hebrew, with an online store in cooperation with HaPundak Publishing.

• Vanor: Adventure Game

  Israeli role-playing game sold through the Giborim store.

• Little Wizards

  Role-playing game translated and published with grant support.

• City in the Fog

  Israeli role-playing game sold through the Giborim store.

• Pla'im: Heroes of Tomorrow

  Israeli role-playing game sold through the Giborim store.

1. 1Official websiteroleplay.org.il
2. 2Wikidata entrywikidata.org
3. 3Hebrew Wikipedia articlehe.wikipedia.org