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

Project: Board Royale – New Expansions & Second Printing

Designers: Atakan Cankorur (Board Royale: The Island), Meriç Tanzer (Board Royale: The Island), Tuna Pamir (Board Royale: The Island)

Artist: Ali Yagiz Kani (Board Royale: The Island)

Publisher: Arvis Games Inc. (Board Royale: The Island)

Genre/Mechanisms: bluffing, card drafting, card game, cooperative game, deck building, hand management, player elimination, trading, voting

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “Board Royale has been a super cutthroat survival card game where you fight against your friends until there is one survivor remains. Not anymore! We are presenting new collaborative and peaceful competitive expansions that will add a new meaning to survival. Board Royale is about to become a truly sandbox game that can be played by all types of players and playstyles! YES, we are talking about wild beasts, the army of the dead, and secret agendas.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $32

All-In (w/shipping): $291, in limited quantities & includes vanity rewards

Campaign Ends: 5/6

Game Ships: Nov. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 253% with 28 days to go.

Project: Bone to Pick

Designer: József Csirke

Artists: Balázs Bodnár (Ausonia, Shard Hunters), Buzzkill, Viktor Csete (Crisis, The Manhattan Project, Twilight Struggle)

Publisher: Lycan Studio (Ausonia, Shard Hunters)

Genre/Mechanisms: bluffing, card drafting, card game, comic book/strip, deck construction, fantasy, hand management, kill steal, party game, scenario/mission/campaign game, semi-cooperative game, simultaneous action selection, stat check resolution, team-based game, zombies

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “The world as we knew it is gone. Millions of roaming undead have taken over most of 17th century Europe. You and a ragged band of survivors discovered an abandoned haven, a ghostly city with crumbling stone walls. You are few, low on supplies and an undead horde is drawing closer. You have to make your stand here it seems. Kill the abominations, gather their trophies, but also beware of your treacherous companions, or you will not survive the onslaught. Battle against the undead in a Quick or Campaign game. And if you want to “raise the bar” – try the Epic mode.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $44

All-In (w/shipping): $85

Campaign Ends: 4/28

Game Ships: Dec. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 67% with 20 days to go.

Project: Empyreal: Far Corners

Designer: Trey Chambers (Argent: The Consortium, Empyreal: Spells & Steam, Harvest)

Artists: Laura La Vito (Empyreal: Spells & Steam, Exceed Fighting System, Exceed: Street Fighter – Ryu Box), Eunice Abigael Tiu (Argent: The Consortium, BattleCON: Devastation of Indines, BattleCON: War of Indines)

Publisher: Level 99 Games (Argent: The Consortium, BattleCON: Devastation of Indines, BattleCON: War of Indines, Millennium Blades)

Genre/Mechanisms: card drafting, fantasy, hexagon grid, modular board, network & route building, pick-up and deliver, team-based game, trains, variable player powers

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Reprint 2020’s hit fantasy rail-building game, Empyreal: Spells & Steam and a new mini-expansion. In Empyreal: Spells & Steam, technomancers use mana to build rails, and the amount of mana crystals required to cast a spell varies by terrain and by the potency of the spell. Mana crystals must recharge after being used, so your choice of when and where to use each spell will be critical to determining the efficiency of your construction engine. The towns you choose to connect to your network will provide critical resources, and the value of these resources changes over time. Some become more valuable as they become more connected, while others become less valuable as their abundance increases. Thus, you need to be wary of what your competitors are building into their trade networks and adapt your strategies accordingly to maximize the value of your stock\ portfolio.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $9, the new mini-expansion only

All-In (w/shipping): $284

Campaign Ends: 4/29

Game Ships: Mar. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 54% with 21 days to go.

Project: Liquid Squid – The Battle for Neo Tokyo

Designer: Esther Park

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Stark Raven Games

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, fantasy, fighting, modern warfare, science fiction, solo/solitaire game

Player Count: 1

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “The battle for Neo Tokyo has begun. You play Matallia Burada (Hacker Handle: Liquid Squid) a vigilante defending the city against a super villain, hell bent on terrorizing Tokyo into his control. Liquid Squid is mission driven and takes place in two battle arenas; the vast streets of Neo Tokyo and close quarter combat in (one shot) Landmark Scenarios. Liquid Squid also holds many games within the game, regularly challenging your strategic prowess. There is a high level of worker placement, multi-level strategy and Neo Tokyo scales as you progress.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $60

All-In (w/shipping): $60, same as above

Campaign Ends: 4/29

Game Ships: Nov. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 16% with 21 days to go.

Project: A Most Fearful Sacrifice

Designer: Hermann Luttmann (At Any Cost: Metz 1870, Dawn of the Zeds, In Magnificent Style: Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg)

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Flying Pig Games (Jukem Football)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, dice rolling, civil war, wargame

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “The ENTIRE battle of Gettysburg played out on a 15 square-foot map (or less, if you like). An epic two-player wargame with over 15 square feet of playing area and 526 playing pieces depicting the fighting that occurred during all three days of this decisive clash. The game utilizes a new ACW operating system called the Black Swan system, which is closely related to the popular Blind Swords game system first introduced in the game The Devil’s To Pay! by Tiny Battle Publishing. This version of the system is specifically designed to handle larger-scale battles yet keep rules overhead low. Players can simulate huge encounters in a reasonable amount of playing time. This is accomplished in one way through the use of card draws rather than chit pulls. Also, players will trigger activations by Corps instead of by lower-level formations but they still have tactical decision-making choices by needing to determine which Divisions get activation priority. Though at a grander scale, this system maintains a tactical feel about it and still emphasizes the three “FOW’s” of war … the Fortunes of War, the Friction of War and the Fog of War. Players will be challenged to deal with a constantly developing battle situation, never quite sure of what the Gods of War will throw at them, and thus they must always be prepared to deal with historically realistic “black swan” events.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $110

All-In (w/shipping): $130

Campaign Ends: 4/27

Game Ships: Mar. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 180% with 19 days to go.

Project: Scrumpy: Card Cider

Designer: Paul Harris

Artist: Bernie Todd

Publisher: Invincible Games

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, deck building, economic, farming, hand management, industry/manufacturing

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: low

Summary: “An innovative deck-manipulation game of cider production and sales. Players race to produce the most money from their exploits, using cards to gain apples and wood, efficiently converting their raw materials into cider and barrels, develop their cidery to improve their manufacturing process and all the time ensuring they don’t over-stockpile and lose the actions they need. The game plays differently to most deck-building games in three key ways. (1) Cards in a players deck also serve as the resources that can be produced (Wood, Apples, Barrels and Cider) by flipping a card and sliding it under the correct part of your storehouse. (2) Cards have a secondary action. If you aren’t happy with the options available, you can always use a card for its Secondary action which means you can directly make a card into apples and wood instead of having to use other cards. (3) As the cidery owner, you are always able to do an action each round yourself instead of playing a card. These actions are slightly less efficient as you are not as good at the job, but this unique mechanic means you can, at the right time, use your owner meeple to select a ‘core action’ to be completed.”

Base Pledge: $46 + shipping

All-In: $46 + shipping, same as above

Campaign Ends: 4/27

Game Ships: Jan. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 102% with 19 days to go.

Project: Terra Proxima

Designers: Eric Loeber, Alec Loeber, Allison Loeber

Artists: Alison Loeber, Eric Loeber

Publisher: Bavarian Games

Genre/Mechanisms: dice, dice rolling, fighting, grid movement, hand management, hexagon grid, map addition, modular board, push-your-luck, race, science fiction, tile placement

Player Count: 3-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A push-your-luck, resource management game where players travel to different Moons and Planets to gather necessary materials, and research science in order to continue their journey towards Terra Proxima at the center of the board. The first player to arrive on Terra Proxima is the winner of the game.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $60

All-In (w/shipping): $60, same as above

Campaign Ends: 5/11

Game Ships: Dec. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 8% with 33 days to go.

Project: Vowl: The Game of Letters Gone Astray

Designer: Cameron Art

Artists: Jason Boles (Suburbia, Werewords, Whistle Stop), Tristam Rossin (Cosmic Colonies, Kingswood, Tranquility)

Publisher: BGB Publishing

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, catch the leader, party game, word game

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A fast-paced word game in which players race against both time and each other to recognize words that have had their vowels removed. The premise may seem simple at first… but with a few critical rules, you’ll quickly realize that it is harder than it sounds. As you race to solve these wordy puzzles, you’ll be faced with choices of how to gain points when you succeed: either gain 2 points or gain 1 point and lower your victory condition and an opponent’s victory condition by 1. Be careful. As you acquire more points, your game will gradually become more difficult as you are forced to draw extra, more challenging cards.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $24

All-In (w/shipping): $24, same as above

Campaign Ends: 4/30

Game Ships: Dec. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 66% with 23 days to go.

Project: Xenohunters

Designer: Jack Ford Morgan (Trust Me, I’m a Doctor)

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Half-Monster Games (Trust Me, I’m a Doctor)

Genre/Mechanisms: communication limits, finale ending, hidden movement, horror, player elimination, roles with asymmetric information, scenario/mission/campaign game, science fiction, team-based game, traitor game

Player Count: 3-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A thematically engrossing board game of adventure and horror. One player becomes the terrifying flesh-eating Xeno, and all other players take control of the crew tasked with working together to hunt them down: Warlord, Ironclad, Caduceus, and Armature. Both teams will hunt each other throughout the station, choosing when to reveal themselves and stay hidden. A hidden location grid behind your player screen conceals your movements until the time is right to strike. Xenohunters collect powerful sci-fi equipment to hunt the Alien. However, rummaging around for equipment and supplies can be dangerous, as any mistake can lead to you appearing for all to see. Meanwhile, the Alien player crawls through ducts, lays eggs, commands their minions to search and distract and sense the humans to lay the perfect traps. And if you kill a Xenohunter? They become their own worst enemy, hatching from one of your eggs as a horrific Hybrid Spawn. Comes with four Core Mission boards, 40 unique sci-fi gadgets, guns, explosions, and terrifying Hybrid Spawn.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $60

All-In (w/shipping): $236, includes 6 additional games

Campaign Ends: 5/6

Game Ships: July 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 139% with 29 days to go.