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

Project: 30 Seconds to Live

Designer: William Angus

Artist: Jamie Noble-Frier (Forged in Steel, Hands in the Sea, Perdition’s Mouth: Abyssal Rift)

Publisher: Kitten Kaiju Games

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, action points, take that, variable player powers, worker placement

Player Count: 1-2

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “One player is the human fighting for survival, the other player is the horde of zombies intent on cornering and eating the lone human. Players experience the drama and intensity of a real zombie survival situation by making quick judgments on a 30-second timer.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $38

All-In (w/shipping): $38, same as above

Campaign Ends: 10/21

Game Ships: Aug. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 42% with 20 days to go.

Project: Agropolis

Designers: Steven Aramini (Circle the Wagons, Sprawlopolis, Yardmaster), Danny Devine (Circle the Wagons, Harvest Dice, Sprawlopolis), Paul Kluka (Circle the Wagons, Sprawlopolis, The X-Files: Circle of Truth)

Artist: Danny Devine (Harvest Dice, Sprawlopolis, Topiary)

Publisher: Button Shy (Circle the Wagons, Sprawlopolis, Tussie Mussie)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, city building, cooperative game, layering, solo/solitaire game, territory building, tile placement

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “A stand-alone expansion to Sprawlopolis, bringing the same card-laying, variable-scoring game-play into a new setting: city blocks give way to orchards, wheat fields, livestock pens, and vineyards.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $14

All-In (w/shipping): $61, also includes Sprawlopolis, all of its expansions, and a game bag

Campaign Ends: 10/10

Game Ships: Feb. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 3644% with 9 days to go.

Project: Airships: North Pole Quest 2.0

Designer: Max Pinucci

Artist: Max Pinucci

Publisher: Hun in the Sun

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, connections, exploration, movement points, point-to-point movement, push your luck, racing, role playing, scenario/mission/campaign game, storytelling

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Each player takes the role of one country’s airship commander, having to organize a crew and certain equipment choices, and then beginning a series tertiary flights for fund-raising and prestige. You will get to play with real Airships models in scale, using fascinating tools and diving deep into a unique atmosphere. These daring Arctic exploration missions intertwined with competitions, conflicts, politics, technology, honor, and jealousy. The history reads like a movie plot, but it really happened.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $122

All-In (w/shipping): $421

Campaign Ends: 10/27

Game Ships: July 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 118% with 26 days to go.

Project: Big Monster

Designer: Dimitri Perrier

Artist: Ivan Nikulin (Pirates Under Fire)

Publisher: Opa! Games

Genre/Mechanisms: card drafting, card game, set collection, simultaneous action selection, team-based game, variable player powers

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A drafting and tile-laying game played in two rounds. On a turn, each player simultaneously chooses a tile from their hand, places it face down in front of them, then immediately gives their remaining tiles to another player of their choice who hasn’t already been given tiles.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $36

All-In (w/shipping): $46

Campaign Ends: 10/22

Game Ships: May 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 20% with 21 days to go.

Project: Desolated

Designer: Jacob Lindborg

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Luudos Studio

Genre/Mechanisms: hand management, set collection, space exploration

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Harvest materials, optimize exploration, make trades, and influence orbital councils for dominance and ultimately victory. The first player to dominate 5 councils in this engine-builder wins the game.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $46

All-In (w/shipping): $116

Campaign Ends: 10/29

Game Ships: May 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 564% with 28 days to go.

Project: Dungeon Fighter

Designers: Aureliano Buonfino (1969, Steam Park), Lorenzo Silva (Dragon Castle, The King’s Dilemma, Potion Explosion, Railroad Ink: Blazing Red Edition, Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition, Steam Park), Lorenzo Tucci Sorrentino (1969, Horse Fever, Steam Park)

Artist: Giulia Ghigini (Escape From the Aliens in Outer Space, The King’s Dilemma, Potion Explosion)

Publisher: Horrible Guild (Dragon Castle, The King’s Dilemma, Potion Explosion, Railroad Ink: Blazing Red Edition, Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition, Steam Park)

Genre/Mechanisms: action/dexterity, card drafting, cooperative game, dice rolling, exploration, fighting, modular board, point to point movement, variable player powers

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “A cooperative dexterity game where you throw dice at a target in whimsical ways to defeat monsters in a deadly dungeon.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $54, includes 1 game only

All-In (w/shipping): $171, includes all 4 games

Campaign Ends: 10/20

Game Ships: Sep. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 366% with 19 days to go.

Project: DVG – Warfighter Fantasy

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

Artists: not credited

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

Genre/Mechanisms: campaign/battle card driven, card game, cooperative game, dice rolling, hand management, solo/solitaire game, wargame

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “A standalone Warfighter game expanding the Warfighter series to the Fantasy Era,” yet “still fully compatible with all other Warfighter products.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $75

All-In (w/shipping): $240, also includes 12 packs of card expansions

Campaign Ends: 10/21

Game Ships: May 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 370% with 20 days to go.

Project: Fantastic Factories: Manufactions

Designers: Joseph Z. Chen (Fantastic Factories), Justin Faulkner (Fantastic Factories)

Artists: Joseph Z. Chen (Fantastic Factories), Martha Webby

Publisher: Deep Water Games (Hanamikoji, Fantasic Factories, Welcome To…)

Genre/Mechanisms: card drafting, card game, dice rolling, expansion, hand management, set collection, simultaneous action selection, solo/solitaire game, worker placement with dice workers

Player Count: 1-5

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “An expansion to Fantastic Factories that introduces all new blueprints, contractors, vitamin resources, and corporate factions that grant players unique powers.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $30, just the new expansion and 2 promo packs

All-In (w/shipping): $88, also includes the base game, previous expansion, playmat, and several promo packs

Campaign Ends: 10/27

Game Ships: June 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 1545% with 26 days to go.

Project: Fray – Champions of the Everyverse

Designers: Jackie D. Hollis III, Mathew Weymouth

Artists: Bellafquih Mohammed, Tori Snyder

Publisher: Brain Sandwich Games LLC

Genre/Mechanisms: dice rolling, fighting, grid movement, miniatures, once-per-game abilities, wargame

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “An arena combat skirmish game allowing players to pit different champions from across genres and history against each other.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $61

All-In (w/shipping): $81

Campaign Ends: 10/29

Game Ships: Aug. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 60% with 28 days to go.

Project: Gunshi

Designer: Satochika Daimon (Captain Dice)

Artist: Cossack

Publisher: Grandoor Games (Captain Dice)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, action queue, hidden roles, square grid, wargame

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “2 tacticians battle to infiltrate or capture the other’s Shogun in a strategic game similar to Chess or Shogi. The tacticians send messages to and from the battlefield which causes a delay in the actions being taken. The key to victory is to understand how to properly utilize the special command, the Chain Message, which allows game pieces of the same kind, positioned next to each other in a vertical or horizontal direction, to advance in the same way and in the same turn.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $50

All-In (w/shipping): $50, same as above

Campaign Ends: 10/26

Game Ships: Oct. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 82% with 25 days to go.

Project: Impression

Designers: Hegedűs Csaba (Sakura, Sárkánytojás, Piñata Party), Attila Szőgyi (Ave Roma, Prehistory)

Artist: Attila Szőgyi (Ave Roma, Prehistory, Sakura)

Publisher: A-games (Ave Roma, Om Nom Nom, Prehistory)

Genre/Mechanisms: tile placement, variable player powers, worker placement

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: Players compete “to be the most successful in the book printing business. During the game, they develop their own manufacturer, obtain new abilities, travel and build factories, collect tiles, and fulfill orders. “

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $75

All-In (w/shipping): $87

Campaign Ends: 10/20

Game Ships: May 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 131% with 19 days to go.

Project: Nexus

Designers: Jason Goike, J. Scott Rumptz

Artists: Helge C. Balzer (The Ninth World: A Skillbuilding Game for Numenera, Roberto Chaudon (Deep Madness), Danny Cruz, Dongjun Lu (Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood), Chenthooran Nambiarooran, Stephen Oakley, Michael Rechlin (Kings of War), Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe (Eragra: The Game of Eras and the First Step), Pedro Sena (Dawn of Madness, Deep Madness)

Publisher: D-Verse Publishing LLC

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, betting and bluffing, dice rolling, fighting, grid movement, miniatures, paper-and-pencil, role playing, variable player powers

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A brutal and irreverent story-driven arena combat game that takes place on massive space barges.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $112

All-In (w/shipping): $323

Campaign Ends: 10/29

Game Ships: Oct. 2021

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

Project: Plunderous

Designer: Andrew Scott (Crimson Creek)

Artist: Mihajlo Dimitrievski (Architects of the West Kingdom, Explorers of the North Sea, Paladins of the West Kingdom, Raiders of the North Sea, Valeria: Card Kingdoms)

Publisher: Adventure Ink

Genre/Mechanisms: 4x, area majority/influence, area movement, card drafting, dice rolling, exploration, hand management, negotiation, miniatures, modular board, voting

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A game of area control, resource management, hand building, dice manipulation, and negotiation. Each round you must strategically assemble a unique Crew to carry out your orders, navigate and explore the islands, manipulate resources and politics, parley with other Privateers, complete personal Patron requests and defend and conquer Ports to acquire resources, influence, rewards and Loyalists. The Privateer with the most Loyalists at the end of the game will be appointed the first Governor of New Caribbean by the Royal family.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $113

All-In (w/shipping): $113, same as above

Campaign Ends: 10/23

Game Ships: Sep. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 40% with 22 days to go.

Project: Regency

Designer: James I. Fazio

Artists: Peter Zalba, Rieno Monterona, Susan Saar

Publisher: Pique Games

Genre/Mechanisms: card drafting, card game, civilization, hand management, interrupts, set collection, tableau building, take that

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Players take on the roles of the most famous (and infamous) rulers the world has ever known, competing to exert their influence over a general populace to amass the greatest fiefdom in all of history. The first player to assemble a complete fiefdom, consisting of six distinct castes of citizens, emerges as the supreme regent.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $40

All-In (w/shipping): $50

Campaign Ends: 10/29

Game Ships: Apr. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 32% with 28 days to go.

Project: Rest in Pieces

Designer: Pete Petrushka

Artists: Matthias Bonnici, Debora Campos, Meagan Trott (Wizard Kittens)

Publisher: Imagining Games

Genre/Mechanisms: action/dexterity, card game, hand management, push your luck, role playing, storytelling, take that

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Rest in Pieces is a dark comedy tabletop role-playing game that plays in short sitcom like episodes of about an hour. These deadbeat characters aren’t the best fit for their dead-end jobs, let alone the ridiculous problems that arise thanks to living with Death or any of the other pain-in-the-ass Fiend Friends we have in store for you. Rest in Pieces plays with a unique deck of 108 cards and a two-color tumbling block tower (think Jenga). The cards teach you the rules, provide character options, provide a different escalating problem for each episode, and give you plenty of ammo to be the best damn difficult roommate you can be.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $28

All-In (w/shipping): $244, includes extras & vanity rewards

Campaign Ends: 10/29

Game Ships: June 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 42% with 28 days to go.

Project: Swatch

Designers: David Digby (Chocolate Factory), Scott James

Artist: Scott James

Publisher: Minerva Tabletop Games

Genre/Mechanisms: abstract strategy, card drafting, race, solo/solitaire game, take that, trading

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Players draft cards that collect and trade color tokens to make swatch cards and create their colour scheme. The first player to complete their scheme with the least color tokens left is the winner.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $35

All-In (w/shipping): $35, same as above

Campaign Ends: 10/29

Game Ships: July 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 182% with 28 days to go.

Project: Thunderstone Quest: The Enemies Among Us

Designer: Brett Satkowiak

Artist: Mirco Paganessi (Doomtown: Reloaded, Dungeon Alliance, The Princes of Florence)

Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group (Automobiles, Cat Lady, Guildhall, Istanbul, Istanbul: The Dice Game, Love Letter, Love Letter: Batman, Love Letter Premium, Lovecraft Letter, Mystic Vale, Point Salad, Smash Up, Smash Up: Awesome Level 9000, Smash Up: It’s Your Fault!, Smash Up: Monster Smash, Smash Up: Pretty Pretty Smash Up, Smash Up: Science Fiction Double Feature, Space Base, Thunderstone, Thunderstone Advance: Towers of Ruin, Thunderstone: Dragonspire, Thunderstone Quest, Tiny Towns, Trains, Trains: Rising Sun, Valley of the Kings, War Chest)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, deck building, expansion, miniatures

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Features two new quests for AEG’s award-winning deck builder, Thunderstone Quest, featuring vampires, scions, and the epic return of Miricelle.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $95, only includes the new expansions

All-In (w/shipping): $141, only includes the original base game

Campaign Ends: 10/9

Game Ships: Feb. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 356% with 8 days to go.

Project: Varia

Designers: Sean Dunn, Anthony Tessitore

Artist: Ricardo Emig

Publisher: Guildhouse Games

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, action points, card game, collectible components, dice rolling, fighting, track system

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A highly interactive dice based collectible card game that puts the focus on player-vs-player combat.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $15, includes one deck only

All-In (w/shipping): $100, includes 7+ decks

Campaign Ends: 10/29

Game Ships: Nov. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 81% with 28 days to go.

Project: Wild Life

Designers: Adrian Alamo Borja, Mich Camacho, Leo Cordoba

Artist: Leo Cordoba

Publisher: Axo Stories

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, educational, hand management, set collection, take that, turn order: progressive

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A quick game filled with cute animals of various shapes and sizes. Place the animals on the board and pair them with others from the same group; the more animal friends you shelter, the higher your score.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $24

All-In (w/shipping): $40

Campaign Ends: 10/29

Game Ships: Dec. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 109% with 28 days to go.

Project: Windward (Expansion & Big Box)

Designers: Daniel Aronson (The Age of Atlantis, The Island of El Dorado, ¡Taco Fight!), Hayden Lapiska, Nick Tompkins

Artist: Justin Spice (Windward)

Publisher: El Dorado Games (The Age of Atlantis, The Island of El Dorado, Windward)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, area movement, bias, dice rolling, expansion, events, grid movement, hand mangement, modular board, miniatures, pick-up and deliver, space exploration, team-based game. trading, variable player powers, worker placement

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “You are a captain flying your Ship on the skies of the gaseous planet Celus. Gain the most notoriety by sailing the skies, hunting crestors, fighting opponents. The Treacherous Skies expansion adds many new elements to the game: a third level of elevation, scout boats for all players to use alongside their ships, world-building events, a pirate-style faction, contract mini-quests, team play, and more. All of these elements come together to open the door to countless new paths to victory.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $60, upgrade kit only

All-In (w/shipping): $114

Campaign Ends: 10/25

Game Ships: Sep. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 244% with 24 days to go.