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

Project: Exploration

Designer: Damian Korus

Artist: Patryk Rozanski

Publisher: Ply Games

Genre/Mechanisms: area control, deck building, hand management, miniatures, point-to-point movement, take that

Player Count: 1-5

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: high

Summary: A space-themed deck-builder with area control, miniatures, and unique orbital movement mechanics.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $25, big scale Destroyer miniature only

All-In (w/shipping): $144

Campaign Ends: 7/9

Game Ships: May 2020

Funding Status: Currently at 72%, with 27 days to go.

Project: Last Aurora

Designer: Mauro Chiabotto (Samhain)

Artists: Skeleton Crew, Davide Corsi (Kingsburg 2nd Edition, Way of the Panda, Xi’an)

Publisher: Pendragon Game Studio (Captain Sonar, Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game, Dogs of War, Evolution, Imperial Settlers, This War of Mine: The Board Game, Tokaido)

Genre/Mechanisms: hand management, resource management, worker placement

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: high

Summary: A post-apocalyptic game of exploration, combat, and escape, set in a frozen wasteland and featuring resource management and worker placement.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $58

All-In (w/shipping): $58, same as above

Campaign Ends: 7/3

Game Ships: Feb. 2020

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 138%, with 20 days to go.

Project: Monikers: Serious Nonsense with Shut Up & Sit Down

Designers: Alex Hague (Monikers, Wavelength), Justin Vickers (Monikers, Wavelength)

Artist: Alex Hague (Monikers)

Publisher: Palm Court (Monikers, Wavelength)

Genre/Mechanisms: acting, card drafting, party, role-playing

Player Count: 4-20

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: low

Summary: A new 330- card expansion for Monikers courtesy of the crew at Shut Up & Sit Down.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $26

All-In (w/shipping): $90

Campaign Ends: 7/12

Game Ships: Nov. 2019

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 574%, with 29 days to go.

Project: Sovereign Skies

Designers: Aaron Andrew Wilson (Why I Otter), Ian Zang (Constellations, Curio: The Last Temple)

Artist: Giacomo Tappainer (13 Clues, CO2, CO2: Second Chance)

Publisher: Deep Water Games (Hanamikoji, Round House, Welcome To…)

Genre/Mechanisms: action/movement programming, area control, miniatures, modular board, political, rondel, set collection

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-high

Summary: Occupy colonies and recruit politicians to gain influence and power in this medium-weight Euro of space exploration and resource management.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $49

All-In (w/shipping): $80

Campaign Ends: 7/9

Game Ships: Apr. 2020

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

Project: Stockpile: Illicit Investments Expansion and Epic Edition

Designers: Brett Sobol (CrossTalk, The Reckoners, Stockpile), Seth Van Orden (CrossTalk, The Reckoners, Stockpile)

Artists: Jacqui Davis (Colosseum, Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia, Ex Libris, Stockpile, Viticulture, Viticulture Essential Edition), Ian O’Toole (Escape Plan, The Gallerist, Lisboa, Nemo’s War, On Mars, Pipeline, Railways of Portugal, Stockpile, Vinhos Deluxe)

Publisher: Nauvoo Games (CrossTalk, The Reckoners, Stockpile)

Genre/Mechanisms: auction/bidding, economic, card drafting, commodity speculation, set collection, stock holding, variable player powers

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: Stockpile is an economic board game featuring insider information given each round, as well as bidding on piles of cards called stockpiles. The new Illicit Investments expansion adds in Investment Strategy Cards, a new Investor card, and an optional variant for determining player order.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $20

All-In (w/shipping): $72

Campaign Ends: 6/27

Game Ships: Nov. 2019

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 666%, with 15 days to go.

Project: Untamed: Feral Factions

Designers: Jeremy Falger, Milan Lefferts

Artists: Joe A. Howard, Juan Hernandez Sanchez, Andrew Soman, David Tenorio, Julien Vandois

Publisher: Grumpy Owl Games

Genre/Mechanisms: card drafting, deck building, hand management

Player Count: 2-3

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: high

Summary: A fast-paced, shuffle-building card-battle game where each player builds their deck using 3 of the 9 included animal factions.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $28

All-In (w/shipping): $45

Campaign Ends: 7/3

Game Ships: Dec. 2019

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 320%, with 20 days to go.