This is short for "independent", meaning independently created and published role-playing games. This is a term which has been promoted by The Forge starting in 1999, and later used in various forums. The Forge and the Indie RPG Awards sites have similar though not identical definitions, which center on the game being creator owned and controlled. By this definition, work done by freelance writers is not independent if the hiring game company exercises control over what the writer creates.

Others prefer to use the term "small press" to distinguish RP Gs published by small companies from those produced by large corporations like Wizards of the Coast and White Wolf. These do not distinguish between creator-owned and works for hire.

Some people use the term "indie RPG" to refer specifically to non-traditional RP Gs associated with The Forge. However, this differs from the official definition on the Forge itself in its mission statement.

References:

• About the Forge
• Indie RPG Awards FAQ #1a (The Indie RPG Awards Site)
• "Discussion of the term 'independent'" (The Forge, Feb 2003)
• "SJG and independence" (The Forge, Apr 2003)
• "Is Indieness a Property of People, Games, Books, or Lines?" (The Forge, Aug 2004)
• "Forge vision" (The Forge, Sep 2006)