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

Project: Cretaceous

Designer: Steven Ridings

Artist: Steven Ridings

Publisher: The Game Crafter (The Captain Is Dead, Go, Orchard)

Genre/Mechanisms: dice rolling, end game bonuses, exploration, hexagon grid, hidden victory points, modular board, pieces as map, tile placement

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Take on the role of mercenaries sent back in time to capture dinosaurs. Explore the map by revealing tiles that get more dangerous the further you go from your base. Will you push your luck only to run into a pack of hungry raptors? Or will you bring back the biggest prize in 65 million years?”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $58

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

Campaign Ends: 9/10

Game Ships: Nov. 2020

Funding Status: Currently at 31%, with 28 days to go.

Project: Duels of Cartisora

Designer: Jeremy Moshe

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Analog Game Studios (Gnomes at Midnight, King of Indecision)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, card game, hand management, rock-scissors-paper, simultaneous action selection

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “You are one of six warriors from antiquity, fighting a one-on-one battle against another experience combatant. Each of your skills and abilities are different, yet the asymmetrical match-up is completely balanced and any figher can wind; it’s about you and your ability to discover how to apply the right tactics to the situation by reading your opponent’s moves and studying their special abilities.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $26

All-In (w/shipping): $26, same as above

Campaign Ends: 8/25

Game Ships: Feb. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 55%, with 12 days to go.

Project: DVG – Zero Leader

Designer: Chuck Seegert

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Dan Verssen Games (Hornet Leader: Carrier Air Operations, Thunderbolt Apache Leader, Warfighter: The Tactical Special Forces Card Game)

Genre/Mechanisms: simulation, time track, wargame, World War II

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Based on the Corsair Leader game, with some significant changes. The game focuses on commanding and managing a Japanese aerial squadron in the Pacific in World War Two, with aircraft including the A6M2 Zero, KI-84 Frank, KI-43 Oscar, G4M Betty, and G3M Nell, covering the major campaigns throughout the war from 1941 to 1945.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $95

All-In (w/shipping): $200, includes 4 additional games

Campaign Ends: 9/2

Game Ships: Feb. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 123%, with 20 days to go.

Project: Endangered: New Species

Designer: Joe Hopkins (Endangered)

Artists: Josh Cappel (1960: The Making of a President, Belfort, Endeavor, Endeavor: Age of Sail, Fire & Axe: A Viking Saga, In the Hall of the Mountain King, The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire, Pandemic, Scoville, Wasteland Express Delivery Service), Ben Flores (Endangered, The Pirate Republic)

Publisher: Grand Gamers Guild (The Artemis Project, Endeavor: Age of Sail, Pocket Ops)

Genre/Mechanisms: cooperative game, dice rolling, expansion

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “A big box expansion for Endangered. The race is on to save 7 species in 6 new scenarios. Can you convince the UN in time, all while racing to keep populations healthy and destruction at bay?”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $57

All-In (w/shipping): $111, includes extras

Campaign Ends: 8/28

Game Ships: Sep. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 202%, with 16 days to go.

Project: Sniper Elite: The Board Game

Designers: Roger Tankersley, David Thompson (Pavlov’s House, Undaunted: Normandy, War Chest)

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Rebellion Unplugged

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, chit-pull system, hidden movement, miniatures, wargame, World War II

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A hidden movement game of deception and deduction where knowing your enemy is as important as knowing your options. Outnumbered but not outgunned, the sniper must carefully manage their timing, as every shot you take and objective you complete gives the enemy the information needed to narrow down your position. One player takes the role of allied sniper Karl Fairburne, while up to three other players control squads of German soldiers trying to strike a balance between defending their base and hunting Karl down. The sniper player will keep Karl’s location secret from the other players by tracking their movement on their secret hidden board.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $71

All-In (w/shipping): $123, includes extras

Campaign Ends: 9/1

Game Ships: Sep. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 149%, with 19 days to go.

Project: Western Legends: Blood Money

Designer: Hervé Lemaître (Western Legends)

Artist: Roland MacDonald (Battle Line, Escape Room: The Game, Undaunted: Normandy, Werewords, Western Legends)

Publisher: Kolossal Games (Mezo, Omen: A Reign of War, Western Legends)

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, area movement, betting and bluffing, dice rolling, expansion, hand management, pick-up & deliver, take that, variable player powers

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “The final chapter in the Western Legends saga. Blood Money is the second large expansion for Western Legends, introducing a number of modules to tailor every game. The risk module uses a die that improves a number of actions, at the risk of injury. The legendary story module incorporates the story track and high-reward adventures for players to pursue. Players may now purchase deeds to locations and legendary items from the traveling trader. And of course, there is a bevy of new characters and items to explore!”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $38

All-In (w/shipping): $165, also includes the base game & extras

Campaign Ends: 8/25

Game Ships: July 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 396%, with 13 days to go.