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

Project: Arena Colossei: Ludi Gladiatorii

Designers: Aldo Ghetti (Waterloo: Enemy Mistakes), Giada Ghetti, Fabio Ghetti

Artist: Alan D’Amico, Ilaria Ambrosini (Blitzkrieg!: World War Two in 20 Minutes, Wendake, Whitehall Mystery), Maichol Quinto (Kingsport Festival, Mage Wars Arena, Ventura)

Publisher: Top Hat Games

Genre/Mechanisms: action queue, ancient, dice rolling, fighting, grid movement, hexagon grid, miniatures, simultaneous action selection, team-based game, variable player powers

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A miniatures game set in ancient Rome. Choose your favourite combat technique and make your gladiator fight. The game can be played in two modes: Duel (1 Vs 1) and Melee (1 to 6 players). Moreover, each type of gladiator has four experience levels featuring special moves and techniques.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $106

All-In (w/shipping): $106, same as above

Campaign Ends: 4/27

Game Ships: May 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 17% with 19 days to go.

Project: HEXplore It: The Domain of Mirza Noctis

Designers: Kat Kimoundri (HEXplore It: The Forests of Adrimon, HEXplore It: The Sands of Shurax, HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King), Nathan Loos (HEXplore It: The Forests of Adrimon, HEXplore It: The Sands of Shurax, HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King), Jonathan Mariucci (HEXplore It: The Forests of Adrimon, HEXplore It: The Sands of Shurax, HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King)

Artists: Yanis Cardin (HEXplore It: The Forests of Adrimon, HEXplore It: The Sands of Shurax, HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King), Alvaro Nebot (Gloomhaven)

Publisher: Mariucci J. Designs, LLC (HEXplore It: The Forests of Adrimon, HEXplore It: The Sands of Shurax, HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, card game, cooperative game, dice, dice rolling, exploration, fantasy, farming, fighting, game system, hexagon grid, horror, miniatures, modular board, push your luck, storytelling, tile placement

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “HEXplore It is a cooperative, hero building, adventure, board game toolkit.  The Domain of Mirza Noctis is our fourth Volume in the HEXplore It universe. It is both a stand-alone game and an expansion for our previous Volumes. Journey into the dark realm of Krasvetelia and unearth clues that can unravel Noctis’s dastardly plans. Players create their heroes by combining two character options: their Role and Race. A third augmentation presents itself in DoMN with the inclusion of Aspects. Additionally, your starting heroes will gain a random Keepsake that may activate upon their untimely demise. This combination drives your hero’s strengths, weaknesses, and defines your special abilities. We’ve built a bunch of unique choices for you, so no two games will ever play the same.
You’ll work together to gather Clues and complete Investigations in order to advance your hero’s strength while Mirza Noctis works behind the scenes collecting Blood from the local population. Choose your own path and explore a modular map that changes with each play-through. Each game yields substantially different events, some controlled by the players, and others occurring randomly.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $84, The Domain of Mirza Noctis core box only

All-In (w/shipping): $428, also includes the 3 previous games plus all expansions

Campaign Ends: 5/7

Game Ships: June 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 443% with 28 days to go.

Project: Poetry Slam

Designer: Adam Wyse (Gorilla Marketing, Head of Mousehold, Masque of the Red Death)

Artist: Shane Houston

Publisher: Mayday Games (Coconuts, Crokinole, Viceroy)

Genre/Mechanisms: paper-and-pencil, party game, voting

Player Count: 3-10

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “The party game all about writing short poems so that you can score big. Come up with some cosmic lines, and you’ll find everyone snapping their fingers to the rhymes. Not only that — you gotta be fast coming up with rhymes since everyone is playing at the same time. If someone else finishes before you, they may end up getting a higher score, too. So come on, grab a pen, and start slammin’!”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $13

All-In (w/shipping): $15

Campaign Ends: 4/17

Game Ships: July 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 102% with 9 days to go.