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

Project: 13 Monsters: Armed to the Teeth

Designer: Rens Willemsen

Artist: Rens Willemsen

Publisher: Twisted Stranger B.V.

Genre/Mechanisms: collectible components, chaining, deck construction, expansion, matching, memory, miniatures, negotiation, once-per-game abilities, passed action token, tile placement, trading, variable phase order, variable player powers

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Combines memory mechanics, building and upgrading monsters and intense 1v1 battles. With multiple ways to win and several game-changing special abilities, even the strongest players are never guaranteed a win.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $50

All-In (w/shipping): $98

Campaign Ends: 11/5

Game Ships: Feb. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 20% with 28 days to go.

Project: Blood & Plunder: Raise the Black

Designers: Fred Barnard, Lilian Figueroa, Michael Tuñez

Artists: Ian Hosfeld, Lilian Figueroa

Publisher: Firelock Games

Genre/Mechanisms: action queue, expansion, miniatures, wargame

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “The main event of this campaign is a Blood & Plunder 2-player starter set for the 18th century. The starter set is themed around Blackbeard’s last battle with Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard. Pirates vs. the Royal Navy, classic Blood & Plunder action.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $54

All-In (w/shipping): $400, includes extras

Campaign Ends: 11/4

Game Ships: July 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 158% with 27 days to go.

Project: Card Bard

Designers: Aaron Griffin, Keyan Kenney

Artist: Keyan Kenney

Publisher: Key & Griffin Games

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, deck construction

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Each player takes the role of the magical traveling storyteller of old — The Bard. A player’s deck represents their repertoire of ballads, stories, techniques, tricks, magical items, fantastical lore, and enchanting melodies that you will use to battle your opponent to win the hearts — and purses – of the folk of the land. During the game, players use their cards to perform Songs and collect Fame. The game ends when a player accumulates 15 Fame and has no currently active Songs.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $51

All-In (w/shipping): $51, same as above

Campaign Ends: 11/5

Game Ships: Oct. 2021

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

Project: Cartographers Heroes + 3 Map Pack Expansions

Designers: Jordy Adan (Rolling Ranch, Trudvang Legends), John Brieger

Artists: Davey Baker, Luis Francisco (The Bloody Inn, Coup, Cartographers, Flash Point: Fire Rescue, FUSE, Haggis, The Resistance, The Resistance: Avalon, Roll Player), Lucas Ribeiro (Cartographers, Lockup: A Roll Player Tale, Space Cantina)

Publisher: Thunderworks Games (Cartographers, Lockup: A Roll Player Tale, Roll Player)

Genre/Mechanisms: bingo, grid coverage, line drawing, paper-and-pencil, polyominoes, roll-and-write, solo/solitaire game, territory building

Player Count: 1-100

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “The standalone sequel to the critically acclaimed map-drawing game Cartographers. It includes all-new map sheets, scoring cards, explore cards, and ambush cards with unique abilities. Cartographers Heroes can be played on its own or mixed with components from the original game for a greater variety of gameplay possibilities.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $27

All-In (w/shipping): $95

Campaign Ends: 10/23

Game Ships: July 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 883% with 15 days to go.

Project: Dice Command

Designers: Sam Cristall, Tyler Holman

Artist: Tyler Holman

Publisher: Ejected Planet

Genre/Mechanisms: dice rolling, grid movement, tug of war, wargame, worker placement with dice workers

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A semi-abstract tactical wargame with dice action selection and engine building.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $46

All-In (w/shipping): $46, same as above

Campaign Ends: 11/5

Game Ships: June 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 120% with 28 days to go.

Project: Dungeon Drop: Dropped Too Deep and Tavern Tales

Designers: Scott R. Smith (Dungeon Drop), Gregory Skulnick

Artists: Gong Studios (Aeon’s End, Aeon’s End: The New Age, Tiny Towns)

Publisher: Phase Shift Games (Dungeon Drop)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, card drafting, enclosure, expansion, flicking, modular board, push your luck, set collection, solo/solitaire game, turn order: stat based, variable player powers (Dungeon Drop: Dropped Too Deep); auction/bidding, bluffing, deduction, hand management, push your luck, set collection, variable player powers (Tavern Tales: Legends of Dungeon Drop)

Player Count: 1-4 (Dungeon Drop: Dropped Too Deep); 3-5 (Tavern Tales: Legends of Dungeon Drop)

Solo Mode: yes (Dungeon Drop: Dropped Too Deep); no (Tavern Tales: Legends of Dungeon Drop)

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: An expansion to dexterity game Dungeon Drop, and a bluffing game where players “compare mighty deeds in a strategic game of boasting and oneupmanship.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $24, either game

All-In (w/shipping): $84, both games plus the Dungeon Drop base game, plus extras

Campaign Ends: 10/29

Game Ships: July 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 839% with 21 days to go.

Project: Fearsome Wilderness

Designer: Matt Cross

Artists: Bud Wheeler, Willis Harrower

Publisher: Geektopia Games

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, cooperative game, dice rolling, horror, miniatures, push your luck, role playing storytelling

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed and friends have 12 weeks to prepare for winter in the epic struggle of human versus nature. In this cooperative, dice-rolling campaign game for 1-4 players, the heroes work together to battle fearsome critters and the oncoming cold to gather and build everything they’ll need to survive.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $62

All-In (w/shipping): $97

Campaign Ends: 11/5

Game Ships: July 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 150% with 28 days to go.

Project: Frostpunk: The Board Game

Designer: Adam Kwapiński (InBetween, Lords of Hellas, Nemesis)

Artist: Krzysztof “Klema” Klemiński

Publisher: Glass Cannon Unplugged

Genre/Mechanisms: action/event; city building; cooperative game; cube tower; economic; exploration; modular board; scenario/mission/campaign game; worker placement, different worker types

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “Take on the roles of leaders of a small colony of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world that was hit by a severe ice age. Their duty is to effectively manage both its infrastructure and citizens. The core gameplay will be brutal, challenging, and complex, but easy to learn. The citizens won’t just be speechless pieces on the board. Society members will issue demands and react accordingly to the current mood, so every decision and action bears consequences.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $113

All-In (w/shipping): $172

Campaign Ends: 10/28

Game Ships: Oct. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 406% with 20 days to go.

Project: Gun and Gun

Designer: Ken Rose

Artists: Keepdry

Publisher: LionWing Publishing

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players. card drafting, card game, deck construction, fighting, hand management, interrupts, variable player powers

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “An anime-themed card game featuring competitive one-versus-one battles, a distinct two-deck draft system, and Japanese sci-fi art. Players assume the role of one of the game’s many Gunners and equip their character with two guns available to them. Once selections have been made, it’s a frenetic race to kill each other.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $40

All-In (w/shipping): $110, includes extras

Campaign Ends: 10/22

Game Ships: May 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 198% with 14 days to go.

Project: Herbaceous – Pocket Edition

Designers: Eduardo Baraf (Herbaceous, Skulk Hollow, Sunset Over Water), Steve Finn (Biblios, Herbaceous, Sunset Over Water), Keith Matejka (Herbaceous, Roll Player, Skulk Hollow)

Artists: Benjamin Shulman (Herbaceous; Heroes of Land, Air & Sea; Tiny Epic Galaxies; Tiny Epic Quest), Beth Sobel (Arboretum, Between Two Cities, Lanterns: The Harvest Festival, Herbaceous, Snow Tails, Viticulture, Viticulture Essential Edition, Wingspan, World’s Fair 1893)

Publisher: Pencil First Games (Herbaceous, Skulk Hollow, Sunset Over Water)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, push your luck, set collection, solo/solitiare game

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “A new, compact version of Herbaceous,” where players are “herb collectors competing to grow and store the most valuable medley of herbs.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $15

All-In (w/shipping): $15, same as above

Campaign Ends: 10/19

Game Ships: Oct. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 320% with 11 days to go.

Project: High Rise: The UltraPlastic Edition

Designer: Gil Hova (Battle Merchants, The Networks, Wordsy)

Artists: Heiko Günther (Burgle Bros., Can’t Stop, Glory to Rome, The Networks), Kwanchai Moriya (Catacombs Third Edition, Cryptid, Dinosaur Island, Duelosaur Island, The Game, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Prêt-à-Porter, Sidereal Confluence: Remastered Edition)

Publisher: Formal Ferret Games (High Rise, The Networks, Wordsy)

Genre/Mechanisms: city building, end game bonuses, miniatures, solo/solitaire game, time track

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “You and your opponents are constructing skyscrapers in a somewhat unreputable city. You’ll move around the board on a one-way track, choosing any unoccupied space ahead of you and doing its action, and waiting for everyone to pass you until you take your next action. As you play, you’ll be frequently tempted to enhance your actions, but whenever you do, you will gain Corruption. This can give you an edge over your opponents, and it can also periodically penalize you if you gain too much. You can win games with little Corruption, and you can win games with a lot of Corruption; it all depends on the decisions you make relative to your opponents.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $8, upgrade kit only

All-In (w/shipping): $110

Campaign Ends: 10/29

Game Ships: Nov. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 75% with 21 days to go.

Project: King of the West

Designer: Jacob Purnell

Artists: Blake Davis, Sebastián Koziner (Dice Hospital, Heroes of Terrinoth, Skulk Hollow)

Publisher: Killer Games

Genre/Mechanisms: area majority/influence, card game, player elimination, rock-paper-scissors

Player Count: 2-3

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A quick Weird West area-control card game that fits in your pocket.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $11

All-In (w/shipping): $22

Campaign Ends: 11/3

Game Ships: Nov. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 48% with 26 days to go.

Project: Mud: A Political Card Game

Designers: Ben Bronstein, Jen Igartua (Side Effects), Jade Shames (Side Effects), Kat Thek (Side Effects)

Artist: Ben Bronstein (Side Effects)

Publisher: Pillbox Games (Side Effects)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, push your luck, take that

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Lie, cheat, steal, or simply play well to influence the next presidential election. It’s a game of risk and reward, involving scandals, animals, and all three colors of the American political spectrum.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $31

All-In (w/shipping): $111, include vanity rewards

Campaign Ends: 11/2

Game Ships: Aug. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 146% with 25 days to go.

Project: Pocket Paragons

Designer: Brian McKay

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Solis Game Studio (Frenemy Pastry Party)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, bluffing, card game, fighting, hand management, rock-paper-scissors, simulataneous action selection, variable player power

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A cross-over battle system. Characters from various game worlds come together to see who the true Paragon is. Pocket Paragons features a total of 4 game series on launch each with their own gameplay features all cross-compatible with one another.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $26, any one game

All-In (w/shipping): $97, all 4 games plus playmat

Campaign Ends: 11/5

Game Ships: Apr. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 97% with 28 days to go.

Project: Studies in Sorcery

Designer: Chris Glein

Artist: Chris Glein

Publisher: Weird Giraffe Games (Dreams of Tomorrow, Fire in the Library, Stellar Leap)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, hand management, push your luck

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “An engine building and drafting game in which players are trying to complete projects in Alchemy, Reanimation, and more to finally complete their thesis statement and graduate from the Academy of the Dark Arts.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $25

All-In (w/shipping): $55, also includes expansion and playmat

Campaign Ends: 10/29

Game Ships: Oct. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 229% with 21 days to go.

Project: TorKings

Designer: Aaron Titelius

Artists: not credited

Publisher: James & Theory Pty. Ltd.

Genre/Mechanisms: abstract strategy, connections, modular board, party game, pattern recognition

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: Essentially a variation on Connect Four, with cooperative, multi-player, and plenty of other game modes to choose from.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $73

All-In (w/shipping): $73, same as above

Campaign Ends: 10/27

Game Ships: Dec. 2020

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 436% with 19 days to go.

Project: Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial

Designer: Tom Butler (Paradise Lost, Patriots & Redcoats, The Pirate Republic)

Artists: Nicholas Avallone (Quartermaster General, Quartermaster General: 1914, Quartermaster General: Victory or Deah – The Peloponnesian War), Milan Stojanovic

Publisher: Green Feet Games (Paradise Lost, Patriots & Redcoats, The Pirate Republic)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, card drafting, deck building, dice rolling, set collection, simulation, tug of war

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Relive one of the most famous trials in US history–a tense, tabletop duel where you sway a jury & a nation for swift justice. You, as the prosecution or defense, must convince a 9-panel jury that Mary Surratt, one of eight people put on trial for conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln and other members of his cabinet, is guilty…or innocent.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $40

All-In (w/shipping): $86, also includes metal tokens & playmat

Campaign Ends: 10/31

Game Ships: Apr. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 14% with 28 days to go.

Project: World Adventure: Ancient Runes

Designer: Blue Leviatan

Artist: Sireum Ateul

Publisher: Dopanda Games and Entertainment

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, adventure, area majority/influence, dice rolling, economic, fighting, grid movement, pick-up and deliver, role playing, territory building, variable player powers

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “An expandable turn-based strategic fantasy board game. You’ll compete against other Dark World Stone Keepers while collecting as many Ancient Runes as possible.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $93

All-In (w/shipping): $93, same as above

Campaign Ends: 10/27

Game Ships: Nov. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 1% with 19 days to go.