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

Project: Backyard of Frutabaja

Designer: Ivan Escalante

Artist: Ivan Escalante

Publisher: Gnomosapiens

Genre/Mechanisms: city building, dice, dice rolling, income, modular board, semi-cooperative game

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Some little gnomes want to start their life as business landlords in the Backyard of Frutabaja, but a monster living there is trying to scare off all clients with dirt. Players must work as a team to keep the board clean at the same time they try to settle new businesses and earn money. The winner is determined scoring points and reaching goals. But each players will lose if the Blorrrdo places each dirt token in the backyard.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $47

All-In (w/shipping): $47, same as above

Campaign Ends: 8/3

Game Ships: Jan. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 24% with 26 days to go.

Project: “Blood of the Northmen” & “Test of Faith” expansion

Designer: Carl Chudyk (Blood7, Glory to Rome, Innovation Mottainai)

Artist: Radosław Jaszczuk (Era of Tribes, Glory: A Game of Knights, Sigismundus Augustus: Dei gratia rex Poloniae)

Publisher: Czacha Games (Gremlins Inc, Impulse Second Edition, Wizards’ Towers)

Genre/Mechanisms: abstract strategy, area majority/influence, expansion, fighting, hand management, medieval, miniatures, modular board, network and route building, point to point movement, puzzle, solo/solitaire game, territory building, tile placement, variable player powers, vikings

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “During Blood of the Northmen, players gain victory points by fighting other clans, as well as by taking strategic settlements. The game is filled with negative interaction and a huge amount of strategy and tactics.

In the Test of Faith expansion, players employ hersirs, longships, catapults, and countryside brigands against their foes. They’ll find mountainous passes on the roads of the land and churches where they can take refuge. Each of five additions provides its own path to accumulating victory points which can be used in concentration, or dabbled in to supplement another strategy. At the same time, each avenue hinders rivals in its own fashion. This expansion also includes a solo mode for new terrain tiles and the all-new Team vs. Team Mode. With these modules, players can play alone or create a team with a friend to face off against a team of opponents.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $60

All-In (w/shipping): $124

Campaign Ends: 7/20

Game Ships: Apr. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 190% with 12 days to go.

Project: Distilled

Designer: Dave Beck

Artist: Erik Evensen (Marrying Mr. Darcy)

Publisher: Paverson Games

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, economic, hand management, income, industry/manufacturing, market, push your luck, set collection

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A highly thematic strategy card game about crafting spirits in a distillery, with resource management and push-your-luck elements. In the game, you have inherited a distillery, and are hoping to someday achieve the title of master distiller through purchasing goods, building up your distillery, and creating the world’s most renowned spirits. Use cards to purchase new ingredients and invest in upgrades to your distillery, all while eventually distilling the spirit and sending it to the warehouse. Once in the warehouse, age your spirit to enhance its flavor and bottle it to sell it for major profits. Achieve the title of Master Distiller by having the most victory points at the end of the game. Points are obtained by distilling and selling spirits.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $70

All-In (w/shipping): $105

Campaign Ends: 7/29

Game Ships: Dec. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 761% with 21 days to go.

Project: Out of Shapes

Designer: Nev Nichols

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Wombat Waddle Games

Genre/Mechanisms: dice rolling, party game

Player Count: 2-8

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A dice game with shapes instead of numbers. You must collect each shape, but only once, if you roll a shape you have already collected, all the dice left, add together for points. As soon as a player reaches 15 points, the player with the lowest score wins.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $28

All-In (w/shipping): $48

Campaign Ends: 8/5

Game Ships: Dec. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 65% with 28 days to go.

Project: Platformer

Designers: Artur Lutyński, Łukasz Włodarczyk (Flick of Faith, The Great Wall)

Artists: Krzysztof Piasek (Flick of Faith), Wacław Wysocki (Mistborn: House War)

Publisher: Awaken Realms Lite (Bees: The Secret Kingdom, Flick of Faith, Siegestorm: SiegeMode)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, dice, dice rolling, dungeon crawler, exploration, fantasy, finale ending, fighting, grid movement, miniatures, modular board, race, re-rolling and locking, slide/push, variable player powers, video game theme

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “Climb on platforms, fight monsters, gather gold / points / items and most importantly – race with your friends. Platformer is centered around a very simple Gravity Mechanic. During your turn, you climb up – but when your turn ends, you fall down, until you hit a platform or a ladder. Race to the top and try to keep with your opponents. There’s no one big map in the box. From the cards, you create a new map in every single game. Also, the map has many levels and from the start, you see only one of them. Every move you may make is determined by the dice. After rolling it you see how many and what moves you can do. You don’t enjoy your result? Don’t worry! Each die may be rerolled once. Back to the actions, it might be a jump, move one space, getting a gold coin, and moving or attacking the monsters. In general, you do not only have to play smart, but a little luck is needed too.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $70

All-In (w/shipping): $70, same as above

Campaign Ends: 7/17

Game Ships: May 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 121% with 9 days to go.

Project: Prise De Fer

Designer: Adam Danoff

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Green Cloak Creative

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, card game, card play conflict resolution, fighting, hand management

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Prise De Fer is an 18-card sword fight duelling game for 2 players. Players draw a hand of sword fighting moves from the common deck and take turns playing cards to attack and defend their body targets. If an attack goes unblocked the attacker scores a point, the deck is reshuffled, cards dealt back out, and the fight continues. The first player to score 5 points wins. Some cards attack or defend a single location, while others can be used for a range of targets. Maintaining control over the pace of the fight can be just as important as having the right cards.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $14

All-In (w/shipping): $14, same as above

Campaign Ends: 8/3

Game Ships: Jan. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 139% with 26 days to go.