Designers:  Gordon Calleja (Posthuman, Posthuman Saga, Vengeance), Dávid Turczi (Anachrony, Cerebria: The Inside World, Kitchen Rush), Wai Yee (Pocket Dragon)

Artist:  Philipp Kruse

Publisher:  Mighty Boards (Petrichor, Posthuman, Vengeance)

Genre/Mechanisms:  card drafting, economic, hand management, market, point to point movement, set collection

Funding Status:  At the time of this posting, Excavation Earth is already fully-funded. Pledges currently total more than 2.5x the initial funding goal with 3 days left to go on the campaign.

Player Count:  1-4

Solo Mode:  yes

Complexity:  medium-heavy

Risk:  medium-low

What It’s About:  “Lead a race of alien explorers excavating artifacts from Earth in this set-collection & market manipulation game.”

How It Works:  “In Excavation Earth, players take on the role of alien archeologists on a mission to recover Artefacts from the now uninhabited Earth. The main board is a map of Earth with 21 locations. Some locations are Markets, some are Dig Sites, two are both, and three sites are Black Market depots.”

Players dig for different types of Artefacts around the Earth board, which are influenced by the Region and particular Dig Site of their discovery. Players store Artifacts on their player boards, and can then sell them at Market depots. The prices are variable, depending on a market system adjusted by differently-colored Buyer meeples and their deployment at the various Market sites. Prices will adjust over the course of the game as Artefacts are sold, and the concentration and deployment of Buyers adjusted.

Gameplay lasts 3 rounds, with each round comprised of 3 phases: Preparations (skipped in the first round), Actions, and Command Center Scoring Phase. The Preparations Phase acts to refresh and adjust various markets. During the Actions Phase, players take 2 of 8 possible actions on their turn: Travel, Excavate, Market, Sell, Command, Smuggle, Survey, and Pass. Players continue to take 2 turns each in turn order, until all players have passed for the round. During the Command Center Scoring Phase, players with the most Envoy Cubes in the Command Center are rewarded with Credits in an area majority mechanic.

At the end of the game, players score set collection bonus credits for the type and number of various Artefacts they’ve kept as samples in their player Gallery. After those credits have been added to their score, the player with the most credits wins the game, with any ties broken by the player with the most remaining Artifacts on their player board.

Comparisons:  Stripping the game of it’s sci-fi theme, Excavation Earth is primarily a game about market manipulation, largely featuring set collection with some area control. At the Gates of Loyang and Food Chain Magnate are two of the better comparisons out there, while games like Brass: Birmingham, Clans of Caledonia, Power Grid, and Paladins of the West Kingdom also integrate market mechanics in different ways.

What Should I Pledge?:
$50 Explorer: a copy of the Excavation Earth base game with all unlocked stretch goals, as well as a copy of the Artifacts Promo Pack.
$70 Envoy: everything in the Explorer pledge, plus a copy of the Second Wave expansion and all associated, unlocked stretch goals.
$85 Collector: everything in the Envoy pledge, plus a copy of the Alien Deluxe Metal Coins.

Add-Ons:
$20 Alien Deluxe Metal Coins

KS Exclusives
The Artifacts Promo Pack and the Alien Deluxe Metal Coins.

All-In Total: In the continental U.S., you’re looking at $85 for the Collector pledge plus $19 in shipping for a total of $104.

Excavation Earth completes its Kickstarter on Wednesday, April 29th and tentatively ships in November 2020. *The campaign has been extended through Monday, May 4th.