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

Project: Boogeyman: The Board Game

Designer: Antonio Ferrara (Last Friday, Stay Away!, Tales of Evil)

Artists: Virginia Chiabotti (Tales of Evil), Davide Corsi (Kingsburg Second Edition, Last Aurora, Xi’an), Fabio Rizzo (Tales of Evil), Letizia Sacchi (Tales of Evil), Sara Staffelli (Tales of Evil)

Publisher: Escape Studios (Stay Away!, Tales of Evil)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, area movement, card drafting, cooperative game, finale ending, hidden movement, horror, miniatures, semi-cooperative game

Player Count: 1-7

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “In Boogeyman, you will play intrepid kids struggling with the classic nightmare: The Boogeyman. Nobody knows who he is and what he wants, but he certainly loves children who, however, do not intend to become a part of his dinner. No one knows his real face, but it is said that he is scary beyond the wildest imagination and, as if that were not enough, the kids will have to try and escape from the clutches of Jennifer, a psychopathic babysitter.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $93

All-In (w/shipping): $128

Campaign Ends: 4/16

Game Ships: Dec. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 288% with 16 days to go.

Project: The GemShine Pylons

Designer: Andy Van Zandt (Balloon Pop!, Bottlecap Vikings, Grave Business)

Artist: Katie Welch (Dairyman, Dilluvia Project, Joraku)

Publisher: Game Elemental

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, commodity speculation, cooperative game, economic, fantasy, hand management, market, solo/solitaire game

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “In the world of GemShine, society is dependent on magical jewels both as currency and as a source of energy. You are tasked with building mystical pylons and inserting gems in them to power your great city – but different factions prefer the use of different gems, so their value is not always set in stone. During the game, you will take turns either buying cards (often leaving gems behind in the market to pay for them), or gathering all the gems currently available and refreshing the cards in the market.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $35

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

Campaign Ends: 4/29

Game Ships: Mar. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 3% with 28 days to go.

Project: John Company: Second Edition

Designer: Cole Wehrle (John Company, Pax Pamir: Second Edition, Root)

Artist: Cole Wehrle (John Company, Pax Pamir, Pax Pamir: Second Edition)

Publisher: Wehrlegig Games (Pax Pamir: Second Edition)

Genre/Mechanisms: dice rolling, economic, educational, negotiation, political, push your luck, simulation, voting

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Guide your family to fame and fortune as you negotiate over the fate of the insidious British East India Company. John Company is a game about state-sponsored trade monopoly. Unlike most economic games players often do not control their own firms. Instead, they will collectively guide the Company by securing positions of power, attempting to steer the Company’s fate in ways that benefit their own interests. However, the Company is an unwieldy thing. It is difficult to do anything alone, and players will often need to negotiate with one another. In John Company, most everything is up for negotiation. Ultimately, this game isn’t about wealth; it’s about reputation. Each turn some of your family members may retire from their Company positions, giving them the opportunity establish estates. Critically, players do not have full control over when these retirements happen. You will often need to borrow money from other players to make the best use for a chance of retirement. Players also gain victory points by competing in the London Season for prestige and securing fashionable properties. John Company engages very seriously with its theme. It is meant as a frank portrait of an institution that was as dysfunctional as it was influential. Accordingly, the game wrestles many of the key themes of imperialism and globalization in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and how those developments were felt domestically. As such, this game might not be suitable for all players. Please make sure everyone in your group consents to this exploration before playing. The second edition is extensively revised and is not a reprint.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $80, Pax Pamir: Second Edition only

All-In (w/shipping): $160, also includes Pax Pamir: Second Edition

Campaign Ends: 4/20

Game Ships: Mar. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 695% with 19 days to go.

Project: Lasting Tales

Designer: Mark Latham (Legends of the Old West, The Walking Dead: All Out War, The Walking Dead: Here’s Negan – The Board Game)

Artist: Diego Gisbert Llorens (Lost Legacy: The Starship, Lost Legacy: Second Chronicle – Vorpal Sword and Whitegold Spire, Mage Wars Arena)

Publisher: Blacklist Games (Altar Quest, Brook City, Street Masters)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, book, cooperative game, dice rolling, fantasy, measurement movement, miniatures, paper-and-pencil, scenario/mission/campaign game, solo/solitaire game, wargame

Player Count: 1-5

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Lasting Tales lets players create their own heroes and embark on an epic campaign, linking game sessions together to create a rich story set in a classic fantasy world. ​ Inspired by pen-and-paper roleplaying games and tabletop skirmish games, Lasting Tales is a fully cooperative experience in which every player is the hero in their own tale, battling the enemy on their own or with their friends, and crafting their legend through the variety of events they’ll stumble upon during their journeys.​ The Lasting Tales book contains all the rules you need to play the game, including hero creation, adversary profiles, campaign rules, scenarios, as well as a full narrative campaign—or Tale—and pre-made heroes to get new players right into the action! A game of Lasting Tales will also require a handful of standard six-sided dice, a tape measure or ruler, and miniatures. Fortunately, Lasting Tales is a miniatures-agnostic game, meaning players can use any fantasy miniatures in their collection.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $55, book only

All-In (w/shipping): $225

Campaign Ends: 4/20

Game Ships: May 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 363% with 19 days to go.

Project: Long Shot: The Dice Game

Designer: Chris Handy (Cinque Terra, Hue, Long Shot)

Artist: Clau Souza (Roland Wright: The Dice Game)

Publisher: Perplext (Hue, Long Shot, Shh)

Genre/Mechanisms: action/event, advantage token, alliances, animals, betting and bluffing, dice, dice rolling, die icon resolution, different dice movement, end game bonuses, income, investment, math, ownership, paper-and-pencil, party game, race, racing, resource to move, roles with asymmetric information, roll-and-write, semi-cooperative game, set collection, solo/solitaire game, sports, stock holding, variable set-up, victory points as a resource

Player Count: 1-8

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “Strategize and push your luck as the action unfolds in a tense race of eight horses. During the game you buy horses, place bets, influence race movement, and utilize special abilities. The roll of the dice determines which horses move and the options available each turn, so be ready to adapt your plans. Once three horses cross the finish line, earnings are totaled. While there are many ways to earn money during a horse race, only the player that makes the most money will be declared the winner. Will you play it safe, or risk it big on a long shot?”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $34

All-In (w/shipping): $59, also includes Roland Wright: The Dice Game

Campaign Ends: 4/24

Game Ships: Feb. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 411% with 24 days to go.

Project: Magna Roma

Designer: Matteo De Nardis

Artist: Jose David Lanza Cebrian (Champions of Midgard, Rum and Bones, Rum and Bones: Second Tide)

Publisher: Archona Games (Galactic Warlords: Battle for Dominion, Small Samurai Empires, Small Star Empires)

Genre/Mechanisms: city building, civilization, connections, drafting, end game bonuses, tile placement, track movement

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “In Magna Roma, the objective is to make the most points at the end of the game by building your city efficiently. To do so, players take turns to place city tiles in their city. A newly placed tile must be connected to at least one of the previously placed tiles. When a player places a tile, the connection with the adjacent tiles will result in producing one or more resources for the player. For example, connecting two half-circles found on the tiles produces a coin, a rectangle and triangle produce population, a rectangle and half-circle produce a legion etc. What’s more, if the connected shapes are of the same color, the game rewards the player with double the resources. With these resources, players will be able to play the other actions in the game, such as: build different monuments in your city, gain a Luxury Good, gain the Gods’ Favor tiles, conquer new provinces for the Emperor all serving the same goal – to gain the most points at the end of the game and build the greatest Roman city that ever existed.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $79

All-In (w/shipping): $143

Campaign Ends: 4/21

Game Ships: May 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 128% with 20 days to go.

Project: Monster Stomping: Heroes

Designer: John T. Clark

Artist: John T. Clark

Publisher: Zen Pen Productions

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, card play conflict resolution, dice rolling, fighting

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A card game where you build a mutant monster to stomp your opponent’s city defense, while building a mashed-up hero to defend your own.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $33

All-In: $99 + shipping, includes vanity rewards

Campaign Ends: 4/29

Game Ships: June 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 240% with 28 days to go.

Project: The Scare Factory

Designers: Duane Beckett, Chris Farmer, Alex Vaucrosson

Artists: Sheryl Au, Emily Cote, Judy Gao, Havaley Guignard, Andrew Lu, Alison Tsui, Bownen Zho

Publisher: SupAR Games

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, dice, mafia, miniatures

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A cooperative game that combines tower defense and maze building concepts. The secrets of the Underworld are being plundered by money hungry mercenaries, occultists, and capitalists, desperate to corner the scare market. Take control of four Underworld everyday Jane’s and Joe’s, and fight off the best the wealthy one-percenters can afford. Utilizing scares, wards, and powerful abilities, guard The Scare Factory and keep those secrets safe.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $71

All-In (w/shipping): $171

Campaign Ends: 4/29

Game Ships: Dec. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 8% with 29 days to go.

Project: Sentinels of the Multiverse: Definitive Edition

Designers: Christopher Badell (Galactic Strike Force, Sentinels of the Multiverse, Sentinels of the Multiverse: The Flame of Freedom), Adam Rebottaro (Sentinels of the Multiverse)

Artist: Adam Rebottaro (Sentinels of the Multiverse, Sentinels of the Multiverse: The Flame of Freedom, Spirit Island)

Publisher: Greater Than Games (Sentinels of the Multiverse, Spirit Island, Tak)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, comic book/strip, cooperative game, fighting, hand management, solo/solitaire game, variable player powers

Player Count: 1-5

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Sentinels of the Multiverse is back, and better than ever. With all-new art, notably streamlined mechanics, and new stories to experience, this is the award-winning cooperative comic-book card game you’ve been waiting for. Sentinels of the Multiverse is a cooperative game in which each player controls a Hero, using their powers, abilities, and wits to work together with their fellow Heroes and save the world! Each game involves three to five Heroes fighting against one Villain in a perilous Environment. The game is fully cooperative, so the Villain and Environment aren’t run by a dedicated player, but rather are controlled by turning over cards from their decks and following the instructions on those cards. Each Hero, Villain, and Environment are represented by a deck of cards. Heroes and Villains also have character cards, which provide their Hit Points and other information specific to that character.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $59

All-In (w/shipping): $134

Campaign Ends: 4/23

Game Ships: Nov. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 376% with 23 days to go.

Project: Staves

Designer: Dan Kriss (Tavern Masters)

Artists: Tithi Luadthing (Human Punishment: The Beginning, Human Punishment: Social Deduction 2.0), Aaron Verzatt

Publisher: Dan Kriss Games (Tavern Masters)

Genre/Mechanisms: end game bonuses, fantasy, hidden victory points, pattern building

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Each player has hidden clients paying them extra to make sure the staves are to their specific liking. Players play elemental staff pieces from their hands to the common play area, one per turn, to help determine the elemental patterns for each staff, then draw a new Staves card once they have played. If a player can’t play any card in their hand, they may draw one Staves card and play it if possible. New staves can be started by playing a “Foot” card, and staves are completed by playing a “Crown” card of the next element in the pattern. Once any six staves have been completed, the game ends and the clients are revealed for end-of-the-game scoring. The player who earns the most gold wins.”

Base Pledge: $22 + shipping

All-In: $30 + shipping

Campaign Ends: 4/27

Game Ships: Nov. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 9% with 27 days to go.

Project: Vigilante

Designer: Reed Mascola

Artists: Álvaro Calvo Escudero (Doomtown: Reloaded), Patrick Turner (Days of Steam, The Republic of Rome), Tan Ho Sim (Dinogenics, The Silver River), Zachary Tullsen

Publisher: Paranoia Rising Games

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, adventure, bag building, deduction, fantasy, semi-cooperative game, storytelling, team-based game, variable player powers

Player Count: 3-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “You lead a team of heroes to fight back a swarm of villains running free in the city. Vigilante brings social deduction, action management, and tableau-building into a unique combination that leaves you with many different paths to take to accomplish your goals, new strategies and synergies between heroes, and a lot of tension. There are a variety of scenarios (game modes) depending on player preferences. The game plays in rounds, where players have 4 actions to either fight (and imprison) villains, recruit new heroes, search for equipment and other helpful cards, or heal. Afterwards, players secretly roll their dice and contribute one of them, which sometimes will help the group but usually hinders them.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $65

All-In (w/shipping): $65, same as above

Campaign Ends: 4/16

Game Ships: Mar. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 63% with 15 days to go.