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

Project: Divinus

Designer: Filip Miłuński (CV, Destinies, Warsaw: City of Ruins)

Artists: Matijos Gebreselassie (Chronicles of Crime, Chronicles of Crime: 1900, Dinosaur Tea Party), Karolina Jędrzejak (Chronicles of Crime: 1900, Destinies, Tussie Mussie), Mateusz Komada (Chronicles of Crime, Chronicles of Crime: 1400, Vikings Gone Wild)

Publisher: Lucky Duck Games (Chronicles of Crime, Destinies, Vikings Gone Wild)

Genre/Mechanisms: dice, dice rolling, fantasy, legacy game, mythology, scenario/mission/campaign game, tile placement, variable player powers, variable player set-up

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: low

Summary: “Divinus is a competitive, legacy, tile-laying, digital hybrid game in which you play as a demigod seeking to gain the favor of the Gods and ascend to a new pantheon. Players embark on a twelve-scenario campaign that will see them exploring lands, completing quests, interacting with Gods, and impacting the outcome of the epic clash between Greek and Norse pantheons. At the beginning of each campaign scenario, players open a sealed box of new quests, components, stickers, Gods, gameplay mechanisms, and more. The Divinus app provides a narrative for players and sets the stakes for what is to come. Each turn, players spend dice from their pool to explore new tiles from the world board. Laying tiles into their demigod map, they must place tiles adjacent to one another and with matching features while working towards overall quest and God goals. The Divinus campaign is ideally played over several game sessions due to the persistent and changing world. The rulebook grows with each scenario as new rules and content are unlocked. Once the campaign is complete, players can replay their unique copy of Divinus with a post-campaign Infinite Replayability mode.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $85

All-In (w/shipping): $165

Campaign Ends: 8/12

Game Ships: Sep. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 541% with 14 days to go.

Project: Earthborne Rangers

Designers: Andrew Fischer (Fallout, Fallout Shelter: The Board Game, Runewars Miniatures Game), Andrew Navaro, Adam Sadler (Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game – The Force Awakens Core Set, Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game), Brady Sadler (Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game – The Force Awakens Core Set, Street Masters, Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game)

Artist: Evan Simonet (Arkham Horror: The Card Game, Fallout, Hoax Second Edition)

Publisher: Earthborne Games

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, card game, card play conflict resolution, cooperative game, deck construction, environmental, exploration, hand management, move through deck, narrative choice/paragraph, role playing, science fiction, solo/solitaire game, variable set-up

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Earthborne Rangers is a customizable, cooperative card game set in the wilderness of the far future. You’ll take on the role of a Ranger – a protector of the mountain valley you call home: a vast wilderness transformed by monumental feats of science and technology devised to save the Earth from destruction long ago. The story of Earthborne Rangers is presented as a branching narrative campaign consisting of a main storyline and a multitude of side stories. You can choose to follow the critical path, or to strike off on your own to discover the Valley’s many engaging characters, mysterious ruins, and beings both familiar and strange. Each game session represents one day in the Valley, and you’ll pick up in the same location on the map where you rested the night before. Your goal is to either complete one of your available missions or to explore the open world. The session ends when you’re forced to rest (through either fatigue or injury) or you choose to rest for the night.”

Base Pledge: $80 + shipping

All-In: $150 + shipping

Campaign Ends: 8/17

Game Ships: July 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 132% with 20 days to go.

Project: Lumeria: War of the Gods

Designer: Jakub Siedlecki

Artists: Katarzyna Malinowska (Elekt), Paweł Kurowski (1989: Dawn of Freedom, Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage, Hannibal & Hamilcar)

Publisher: Cube Factory of Ideas

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, area majority/influence, card game, dice rolling, grid movement, mythology, variable player powers, wargame

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Lumeria: War of the Gods is an asymmetrical battle-card game where players take on a roles of Gods leading their followers and fight others on the field of battle. During the game, players will deploy and control units and powerful mythical creatures. Using a variety of different skills and actions, they will try to lead their armies in the best possible way. Everything in order to score more scenario points than the opponent. Fast pacing, limited randomness, smart balancing mechanisms and a variety of factions, tactics and strategies will result in different experiences every time you play.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $66

All-In (w/shipping): $125

Campaign Ends: 8/17

Game Ships: Apr. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 67% with 20 days to go.

Project: Thunder Rolls

Designer: Richard Launius (Arkham Horror, Arkham Horror Third Edition, Defenders of the Realm, Elder Sign)

Artist: Jack Hoyle

Publisher: Mr. B Games (Days of Ire: Budapest 1956, Perudo, Posthuman)

Genre/Mechanisms: action drafting, auction/bidding, dice, dice rolling, programmed movement, race, racing, track movement

Player Count: 1-8

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “A fast paced dice placement action stock car racing game. There are two phases to the game, the Rolling Phase and the Thunder Phase. In the Rolling phase the players roll their dice pool and place sets of dice on matching racing actions to gain track actions and Thunder cards. In the Thunder phase players program their Thunder cards, giving their cars movement and unique driver actions. Whether you play a single race, a series, or a full championship season of 10 – 14 races, Thunder Rolls combines true stock car racing actions with a unique tiered dice placement bidding system that keeps the game, and each race, moving fast. This system, designed by stock car enthusiast Richard Launius, offers the feel of bump and grind stock car racing right on your table top with rules that are easy to learn while providing multiple options and strategies for players. A single race on a Short Track can be enjoyed in as little as 20 minutes, while races on a Mile Oval, a Tri-Oval, a Superspeedway, or a Road Course are playable in 30 – 60 minutes, each requiring different strategies to manage their unique race conditions.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $65

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

Campaign Ends: 8/13

Game Ships: June 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 191% with 16 days to go.