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

Project: Aurora

Designer: Chris Rossetti (11:59)

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Rampage Games (11:59)

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, environmental, science fiction, set collection, territory building

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A card game where players are creating star systems and trying reach sentience. Other victory conditions include maxing out resources (water, oxygen, carbon) and supporting life in multiple star systems. Each turn players create, or expand, star systems, collect resources, and try to stall the expansion of other players’ systems. Each turn you can play 1 negative action on another player and 2 actions on themselves. After cards have been played and resolved, resources are collected and unused cards are passed to the player on the left. Everyone then draws back up to 8 cards and a new round begins.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $39

All-In (w/shipping): $69

Campaign Ends: 11/19

Game Ships: Aug. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 56% with 28 days to go.

Project: Hamsters vs. Hippos

Designers: James Freeman, James Staley, Adam Staley

Artist: César Ayala Delgado

Publisher: Tin Robot Games

Genre/Mechanisms: animals, push your luck

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “The hamsters have escaped their enclosure at the zoo and are making a run for it. Suddenly they come across a pond and see their most prized possession, the lily flower. Unfortunately, lurking below the surface is a hippo waiting for his favorite snack. The hamsters have to take a risk and gather as many flowers as they can before all of the hippo’s friends arrive to join in on the feast. The player with the most flowers at the end of 4 rounds wins. Each round, add another hippo card to the deck before shuffling and dealing the cards out. Since extra cards are placed to the side, the extra hippos may or may not be on the board. Each round ends when hamster is eaten. The game lasts 4 rounds, with the winner being the player with the most flowers collected during the game. If there is a tie after the 4th round, keep adding rounds (with the 4 hippo cards) until a winner is declared.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $50

All-In (w/shipping): $215

Campaign Ends: 11/19

Game Ships: Sep. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 221% with 28 days to go.

Project: Small Railroad Empires + mini expansion + playmat

Designer: Milan Tasevski (Small Railroad Empires, Small Samurai Empires, Small Star Empires)

Artist: Milan Tasevski (Small Railroad Empires, Small Samurai Empires, Small Star Empires)

Publisher: Archona Games (Small Railroad Empires, Small Samurai Empires, Small Star Empires)

Genre/Mechanisms: card drafting, hexagon grid, modular board, pick-up and deliver, set collection, trains, transportation, variable player powers

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “Build a sprawling railroad empire in this route building, set collection train board game, now with a new mini-expansion and a playmat. Small Railroad Empires is a pick-up and deliver, track-laying, and set-collection game where players build railroad tracks, send trains with goods from industries to cities, and complete achievements to earn prestige. During their turn, players will build their tracks by placing 2 trains on the modular board. When building tracks, players must pay the gold costs for the different terrain that the track passes through. Once a track connects an industry that produces a good with a city that demands that certain good, the player may send a train to complete the delivery and earn gold depending on the track length. Players will also race to complete achievements such as: ‘Be first to make 4 deliveries’ or ‘Be first to build 3 Tunnels,’ for which they will earn extra prestige. Finally, when all players run out of tracks to lay down, the game ends. Players calculate the final prestige points they have from the achievements and the player with the most prestige is the winner.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $3

All-In (w/shipping): $118

Campaign Ends: 11/3

Game Ships: Sep. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 483% with 12 days to go.

Project: Snack Time

Designers: McKay Anderson, Matthew Eng

Artist: Bodie H. (Slowquest)

Publisher: Backfire Games

Genre/Mechanisms: dice, dice rolling, roll-and-write

Player Count: 1-99

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A gruesome roll-and-write for an unlimited number of players. Pedestrians walk through the city passing the 5 sewer entrances as they go about their dreadfully uninteresting lives. Each turn, players will roll 5 dice, add 2 traits to their creatures, and 3 pipes to their sewer network. At the end of each turn, players check to see if they have any Creatures that can take a bite out of a pedestrian. Multiple monsters may snack on the same pedestrian. Unfortunately, some pedestrians you snack on are more important than others. The local authorities will come looking. The game ends when any player is apprehended by the authorities, or all of their monsters are full. Don’t get caught by the police, while making sure creatures don’t starve.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $31

All-In (w/shipping): $31, same as above

Campaign Ends: 12/19

Game Ships: July 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 110% with 58 days to go.