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

Project: Earthenwar

Designers: Peter Kissick, John Stephen Richards Power

Artist: Pol Amaya

Publisher: Lazy Poet Games

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, dice, dice rolling, fantasy, grid movement, programmed movement, puzzle, take that, world war I

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “You have been recruited to control a huge Golem on a battlefield of the Great War. Using your magic Control Grid, you will remotely determine the actions of your Golem from far behind the Front Lines, attempting to destroy the enemy before they can destroy you. You change and affect your Golem’s movement and attack skills by simply placing, upgrading and using dice on your 8-directional Control Grid. The game ends when you damage 3 squares in any direction on your opponent’s Control Grid.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $58

All-In (w/shipping): $330

Campaign Ends: 10/2

Game Ships: May 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 42% with 30 days to go.

Project: House Pets VS Aliens Tabletop Card Game

Designer: Nick Seluk (OrganATTACK!)

Artist: Nick Seluk (OrganATTACK!)

Publisher: Nick Seluk (OrganATTACK!)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, fighting, hand management, take that

Player Count: 2 (up to 4 with expansion)

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “A twist on the classic card game War pits house pets against an alien invasion while their owners sleep.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $30

All-In (w/shipping): $143, includes additional games

Campaign Ends: 9/30

Game Ships: Mar. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 124% with 28 days to go.

Project: Killers

Designer: Jeff Ignatowski

Artists: Jeff Ignatowski

Publisher: Jeff Ignatowski

Genre/Mechanisms: abstract strategy, collectible components, dice rolling, murder/mystery, role-playing

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “To begin the game, you deal out your stable of 5 infamous killers to each player. On your turn, you will draw a victim card, decide which killer will abduct the victim, roll a die to determine if the abduction is successful, and then roll for the kill. During this time you will be able to use special weapon cards or scenario cards to effect gameplay. At the end of all players turns, the police will come around to investigate any evidence left, by a dice roll, or apprehend any killers with 3 or more found evidence tokens. The game is won when one player reaches 10 kills or is the last killer standing.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $46

All-In (w/shipping): $210

Campaign Ends: 9/30

Game Ships: Oct. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 8% with 28 days to go.

Project: Knights of the Round Table

Designer: Kevin P. Thompson

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Pen and Scroll Games

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, hand management, medieval

Player Count: 2-8

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Knights of the Round Table is inspired by King’s Court, the out-of-print cult classic card game issued in 1983 by Janjohn Games, Inc. This game is a wild re-imagining of UNO with more complex draw cards, wild cards, and other special cards. Some draw cards chain together; others allow you to skip or change the direction to affect different players. Defensive cards allow you to protect yourself or even deflect an action back on the instigator. The goal of each round is to play all of your cards first while the goal of the overall game is to have the lowest score when any one player exceeds 500 points.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $59

All-In (w/shipping): $59, same as above

Campaign Ends: 9/30

Game Ships: Dec. 2021

Funding Status: Currently at 12% with 29 days to go.

Project: Mythic Mischief (on Gamefound)

Designers: Austin Harrison (Moonrakers, Veiled Fate), Max Anderson (Moonrakers, Veiled Fate), Zac Dixon (Moonrakers, Veiled Fate)

Artists: Amin Fara, Hale Kazemi

Publisher: IV Studios (Moonrakers, Veiled Fate)

Genre/Mechanisms: abstract strategy, action points, fantasy, grid movement, miniatures, variable player powers

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “You play as a faction of Mythic Manor students competing to get as many of the other students caught by the Tomekeeper as you can without getting caught yourself. Each faction has its own unique set of abilities to move around the board, move the other factions into the path of the Tomekeeper, and even alter the course of the Tomekeeper by moving bookshelves. Players are able to upgrade their faction’s abilities throughout the game by collecting powerful Tomes from around the library. The winner is the first Team to score 10 Mischief Points or the Team with the most points when the Tomekeeper finishes returning all of their Tomes after lunch.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $75

All-In (w/shipping): $295, includes merch

Campaign Ends: 9/23

Game Ships: July 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 505% with 22 days to go.

Project: North Cape – Naval Miniatures Board Game

Designers: L. L. Gill (General Quarters)

Artists: not credited

Publisher: C in C (General Quarters)

Genre/Mechanisms: miniatures, modular board, nautical, wargame, world war II

Player Count: 1-2

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “North Cape is a simulation of surface naval combat during 1939-43, using C in C’s unique game system combining the visual appeal of naval ship miniatures with the convenience of a boardgame. Two players, representing the respective commanders, maneuver scale warship replicas and engage in combat to achieve victory for their commands. Eight different historical scenarios provide you a chance to try your skill in a wide variety of tactical situations. Two can also be played solitaire. In addition, a campaign game offers wider scope and endless variety. Based on the General Quarters miniatures rules.

3000 copies of the game were made – yet only 1600 copies of this game were ever sold. Due to a manufacturing error, an insufficient amount of hexagonal game boards were made – leaving the remaining boxes, instructions, and other materials languishing in the C in C warehouse for nearly 44 years. Sadly, much of this remaining stock was damaged or lost. After inspection of the original stock, we have enough for 580 complete vintage box sets of the game.  For these, we’re reprinting the game boards and casting new ship models using the original 1978 molds. Build your own set. As add-ons, we’re also selling vintage rule books, PDFs of the rules & materials, ship packs from the original molds, vintage dice sets, and a brand new scenario expansion pack by Lonnie Gill.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $39

All-In (w/shipping): $185

Campaign Ends: 9/30

Game Ships: Dec. 2021

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

Project: Old Salt

Designer: Tim Ferry III

Artist: Jennifer Walsh

Publisher: Never Board Studios

Genre/Mechanisms: area majority/influence, deck building, grid movement, negotiation, pirates, player elimination, scenario/mission/campaign game, variable player powers, wargame

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A gateway naval strategy game with no reinforcements on the way. Players take the helm of a fleet they construct at the beginning of the game to sail around the map, seize islands, and loose cannons on the enemy. First to control 6 islands or be the last ship sailing is claimed to be the newest Old Salt and is the winner of the game. Players can opt to play with or without faction abilities but will construct a fleet in a draft selection at the start of the game. There are 5 ship types players can choose from with limited coins to purchase ships with. On a player’s turn, they have the option to sail, fire cannons, seize islands, and if playing with faction abilities will have access to 3 more unique abilities. Players can do these actions in any order as long as they don’t exceed maximum sail distance (3 tiles unless sailing over tradewinds), don’t fire more times than their ship’s health points and have the gold to pay for what they want to do.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $79

All-In (w/shipping): $79, same as above

Campaign Ends: 9/30

Game Ships: Oct. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 38% with 28 days to go.

Project: The Split

Designer: Michael Fox (Fox & Chicken, Holding On: The Troubled Life of Billy Kerr, MegaCity: Oceania)

Artist: Rain Watt

Publisher: Wayfinder Games

Genre/Mechanisms: betting and bluffing, bluffing, card game, end game bonuses, push your luck

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “You’ve managed to pull off the Heist of the Century. A fortune in gems, gold, paintings and more sit before you and your crew. The only question is how to divide the loot? The Boss suggests one final card game before you go your separate ways. It’s time for… The Split. Based on a modified version of the classic card game Blackjack, players will try to bluff and outwit each other to claim piles of loot cards. Collect cards and get your total value as close to 21 as possible – closest gets first pick of the stacks. Use your Bonus cards to manipulate your total, but don’t play too safe… with one fewer stack on the table than there are players, you’re never guaranteed a prize.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $29

All-In (w/shipping): $43

Campaign Ends: 9/16

Game Ships: Oct. 2021

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 137% with 14 days to go.

Project: Threetale

Designer: Hristo Yordanov

Artists: Liliya Ivanova, Mihail Topalov

Publisher: Boarderia

Genre/Mechanisms: action/event, adventure, area movement, card drafting, cooperative game, dice rolling, drafting, end game bonuses, miniatures, modular board, movement points, mythology, scenario/mission/campaign game, square grid, storytelling, tech trees/tech tracks, tile placement, variable player powers, variable set-up

Player Count: 1-3

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A cooperative adventure game for 3 players who choose their fairytale heroes with stories going way back. Travel from ancient times to a dystopian future to save the world. Each hero has their asymmetric talents. The gameplay is a combination of variable player powers in the form of virtues, strategic tile placement, and a little bit of dice rolling. As a team, the three players go through four phases – Prophecy Phase, Past, Present, and Future.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $83

All-In (w/shipping): $118

Campaign Ends: 9/14

Game Ships: June 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 45% with 12 days to go.