(or here’s a list of what launched yesterday that might deserve a closer look)

Project: 8th Air Force/20th Air Force – Second Editions!

Designer: Robert Phaneuf

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Fortress Games

Genre/Mechanisms: area-impulse, aviation / flight, dice rolling, force commitment, ratio / combat results table, simulation, solitaire only wargame, solo / solitaire game, variable set-up, wargame, world war II (8th Air Force); area-impulse, aviation / flight, critical hits and failures, dice rolling, force commitment, increase value of unchosen resources, ratio / combat results table, simulation, solitaire only wargame, solo / solitaire game, variable set-up, wargame, world war II (20th Air Force)

Player Count: 1

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “In 1943, the US Army Air Force (USAAF) began a strategic bombing campaign with a small but growing number of aircraft. By 1945 it had, for all practical purposes, swept the German air force (Luftwaffe) from the skies, and was bombing targets throughout the shrinking Third Reich almost with impunity. But getting to that point was no easy task. In 8th Air Force, insure victory in the Battle of the Atlantic by bombing submarine bases in western France, then support the eventual Allied invasion of occupied France by bombing railroads and river crossings throughout France and western Germany. Failure in these critical bombing campaigns is not acceptable. Long-term, you’ll need to pulverize Germany’s aircraft factories and oil facilities to reduce the Luftwaffe’s aircraft production and support, and win the war by blasting Germany’s heavy industry. There will be more challenges along the way, from providing heavy support for the D-Day invasion and Normandy breakout, to suppressing the demoralizing V1 and V2 attacks on England, to assisting your Soviet ally by attacking German army staging areas in the east. In the meantime, the Luftwaffe is developing advanced jet and rocket technology that may tip the tide of the air war if you have not crippled their industrial capacity

On April 18, 1942, Jimmy Doolittle led a squadron of carrier-based B25 Mitchells on a daring surprise raid on Tokyo. The raid, conducted as revenge for the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor four months earlier, caused little damage but was a harbinger of the destruction from the air that was destined to befall the islands of Japan. By 1944, US forces had seized island bases in the Marianas close enough to Japan to employ the new long range B29 Superfortresses in a high-stakes strategic bombing campaign against Japanese industries and cities. So began the short (late 1944 until August 1945) but incredibly destructive life of the United States Army Air Force’s (USAAF’s) 20th Air Force. Your objective as you take command of the 20th Air Force in September 1944 is nothing short of reducing Japan’s cities, large and small, to smoldering rubble. To do it you’ve got the powerful and sophisticated B29, in ever increasing numbers and with flight crews improving in combat and navigation skills, and a research effort you direct to develop more and more sophisticated weapons. While initially you must focus on clearing the sky of Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF) fighters and blasting Japanese war industries with high explosive bombs, eventually you will develop incendiary bombs which rapidly reduce Japan’s combustible wooden and paper cities to ashes, and their dispersed war industries to ruins. Simultaneously, demolish her ports and kamikaze bases, and mine her waters. In the meantime, research marches on, perhaps you will obtain the ultimate weapon, the Atomic Bomb? Hopefully you will, because you are in a race against time – if Japan can hold out long enough the US will have to launch ‘Operation Olympic,’ the costly planned invasion of Japan, and your strategic bombing campaign will have failed.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $50

All-In (w/shipping): $224

Campaign Ends: 2/23

Game Ships: May 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 215% with 58 days to go.

Project: Ballads & Tales: Journey of the Brave

Designer: Benjamin Brinckmann

Artist: Valbona Anataskovska

Publisher: Benjamin Brinckmann

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, adventure, dice rolling, dungeon crawler, exploration, fantasy, fighting, line of sight, medieval, modular board, one versus many, role playing, standees

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “An adventure board game that retains its roots in immersive dungeon-crawling classics and expands on them with exciting, modern elements. You can choose to adventure with a game master or in solo/co-op mode. Venture forth with a party of fearless heroes that have unique skills, and face off against evil creatures. Experience creative adventures with a rich atmosphere. All scenarios have been carefully balanced and offer three levels of difficulty.

But you can also take on the role of the opponent and command a variety of bloodthirsty creatures. Set treacherous traps for the heroes, play out your arsenal of insidiously evil cards. Use Weapon Cards to increase the strength of your already fearsome creatures even more. Send out warlords with powerful Boss Cards to pick off the heroes one by one.

Central to the design of Ballads & Tales is the fantastic result of our intensive collaboration with the highly talented artist Valbona Atanaskovska. Having been fans of her works for a long time, we were overjoyed when she agreed to visualize all of the characters in her unique style. Bona painted all characters in Ballads & Tales: Journey of the Brave, as well as its expansions, in oil on canvas in loving detail.”

Base Pledge: $67 + shipping (with no shipping estimates provided)

All-In: $70 + shipping (with no shipping estimates provided)

Campaign Ends: 2/19

Game Ships: Nov. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 23% with 26 days to go.