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

Project: DVG – Stuka Leader

Designer: Chuck Seegert (Zero Leader)

Artist: Ben Rawlings

Publisher: Dan Verssen Games (Pavlov’s House, Thunderbolt Apache Leader, Warfighter: The Tactical Special Forces Card Game)

Genre/Mechanisms: aviation / flight, campaign / battle card driven, card game, deck construction, dice rolling, simulation, solo / solitaire game, war game, world war II

Player Count: 1

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Based on Corsair Leader and Zero Leader, expanding gameplay from the previous games. You are in command of a German aerial squadron in Europe in World War Two, with aircraft including the Messerschmitt Me 109 and Me 262, Heinkel He 111, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and the eponymous Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. You will need to select the right mix of pilots and aircraft under your command in order to carry out the different types of missions. Each aircraft has its advantages and disadvantages. This game also expands additional aspects of German operations such as fuel barrels, wounds, and bail outs. There is also a new campaign sheet and tactical display, which will present a different feel to the well-established Leader gameplay.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $105

All-In (w/shipping): $270

Campaign Ends: 5/12

Game Ships: Nov. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 292% with 20 days to go.

Project: NATO: Designer Signature Edition

Designer: Bruce S. Maxwell (Air & Armor, NATO: The Next War in Europe)

Artist: Bruce Yearian (Amerika Bomber: Evil Queen of the Skies, Blue Water Navy: The War at Sea, The Russian Campaign)

Publisher: Compass Games (Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939; Enemy Action: Ardennes; The Russian Campaign)

Genre/Mechanisms: dice rolling, grid movement, hexagon grid, modern warfare, movement points, ratio / combat results table, scenario / mission / campaign game, simulation, variable set-up, wargame, zone of control

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “NATO, The Cold War Goes Hot, Designer Signature Edition marks the return of a true wargaming classic by Bruce Maxwell. NATO simulates a potential NATO/Warsaw Pact conflict in Central Europe during the Cold War years of the 1980’s. First published in 1983, this game was Victory Games best-selling title, purchased by over 75,000 gamers worldwide. This new edition is based on an exhaustive two-year study by the Designer of the records that have come to light since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The game combines highly accurate information on the forces the Warsaw Pact actually had with now de-classified reports from the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency regarding what satellite surveillance and HUMINT revealed about their actual plans. The map has also been extensively updated with new satellite geography. Finally, the game system has been reworked to better reflect the fluid, fast paced and deadly nature of modern warfare, while retaining the original intention of simple and intuitive play. Here is the ultimate Cold War game, remastered, and playable in a single sitting.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $84

All-In (w/shipping): $115, includes 3 additional games

Campaign Ends: 4/29

Game Ships: July 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 261% with 8 days to go.