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

Project: Foundation™ 10th Anniversary

Designers: Rafi Arkin, Gavin Birnbaum (Carreau, JamSumo, Q.E.)

Artist: Rafi Arkin

Publisher: Cubiko Games (Carreau, JamSumo, Q.E.)

Genre/Mechanisms: abstract strategy, tile placement

Player Count: 1-2

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “An abstract two-player game in which players place their pieces onto a grid board. Points are scored according to the number of existing pieces in contact with the piece already played, irrespective of color. Additionally, the four corner spaces and the central square are marked with a dot; pieces played over these dots score one extra point. Each player has 14 pieces: straights, zig zags, “U” shapes, and corners of varying sizes. The pieces must be placed right side up, which is indicated by a groove carved into the top of the pieces. This often leads to difficult decisions needing to be made as to how to get the majority of your pieces onto the board while maximizing the points scored for each piece and also preventing your opponent from getting his pieces onto the board. Scoring is recorded using wooden pegs and one track for each player with 0-9 & 0-50 holes in the border of the board. For each piece left at the end of the game, two points are deducted from a player’s score.”

Base Pledge: $70 + shipping

All-In: $90 + shipping

Campaign Ends: 4/18

Game Ships: Apr. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 912% with 13 days to go.

Project: Hungry Life

Designers: Keeyan Nejad (Dead Throne Deluxe Edition), Kaveh Nejad (Dead Throne Deluxe Edition), Shayan Nejad (Dead Throne Deluxe Edition)

Artists: not credited

Publisher: SharkeeGames (Dead Throne Deluxe Edition)

Genre/Mechanisms: animals, card drafting, card game, children’s game, educational, environmental, lose a turn, move through deck, take that

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “An environmental education and awareness card game where each player starts with their own deck of 20 cards plus five in their hand. You start by placing a primary producer/Base Card to create a new habitat. Each animal card will list what it can eat leading up to an apex predator. Each new habitat is connected as the game goes on, but with human projects such as roads and housing estates these habitats can become disconnected. Animals that could once be moved are now trapped. You must strategically place your animals, human projects and natural events to thwart your opponents. The game mechanics have been designed to practically demonstrate how humans are causing issues but also how we can help in a simple and family friendly game.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $22

All-In (w/shipping): $33

Campaign Ends: 5/3

Game Ships: Aug. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 29% with 27 days to go.

Project: LOOP – Life Of Ordinary People

Designers: Cyril Lee, Kenneth YWN (Samurai Vassal)

Artist: Cyril Lee

Publisher: Blackbody Lab

Genre/Mechanisms: action retrieval, card drafting, educational, environmental, hand management, take that, variable player powers

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “An educational card game about Consumerism, Materialistic Lifestyle, and Personal Happiness. Players are challenged to reach maximum Happiness by balancing the 3 aspects of material life while preventing a total resource Depletion. Each turn, player chooses to do 1 of these 3 actions: Work (earn Coins), Buy (get new Materials), or Consume (completing Activities). Each action results in increasing or decreasing Happiness for that turn. Player can play combo with 5 types of Favour cards to interact and negotiate with other players to obtain necessary Materials. There are 9 Careers to choose from and each comes with a special ability; and also 8 Traps that lure all players into materialistic behaviors that are inspired by real-life consumerism tricks used by big companies. While all players are spending resources competing each other (and Traps) to first reach maximum Happiness, they are also fighting against the ultimate count-down for the human race: the resource Depletion.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $55

All-In (w/shipping): $86

Campaign Ends: 5/17

Game Ships: Nov. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 192% with 41 days to go.