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

Project: Ostia – Develop the Harbor of Ancient Rome

Designer: totsuca chuo (Aqua Garden, The Arctic)

Artist: Rocinante Urabe (Amalfi, Aqua Garden, The Arctic)

Publisher: uchibacoya (Amalfi, Aqua Garden, Tank Chess)

Genre/Mechanisms: city building, mancala

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “In 103 A.D., Emperor Trajan built a new expansion port called Ostia Portus, which was the most important port in Rome. The port was beautifully arranged in a hexagonal shape, received large amounts of goods from all over the empire, and developed into a logistics hub that sustained the prosperity of the imperial city of Rome. This port’s most important role was to relay supplies of food to inland Rome, a huge city with a population of over a million people that was almost entirely dependent on imported grain from Egypt and Sicily for their needs. Other goods such as stone for the constructions of roads and cities, cedar from Lebanon for the construction of ships, and wild and unusual animals for the Roman amphitheater were also brought to this port. You take the role of the owner of a huge fleet of ships, where many merchants and nobles flock into the port of Ostia to charter your ships. Use the money and resources you have gained from chartereing your ships to expand your enterprise and meet the demand for wheat and other commodities to win the hearts of the people. Using your ships to explore other countries is also essential. Your tales of adventure and the discovery of exotic artifiacts will surely pique the curiosity of the emperors and nobles alike. The one who gains the most fame will be blessed with victory by glorious Rome’s Senate and citizens.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $83

All-In (w/shipping): $118

Campaign Ends: 2/20

Game Ships: Sep. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 519% with 27 days to go.

Project: White Hat (on Gamefound)

Designers: Thomas Klausner (Black Hat, Perdition’s Mouth: Abyssal Rift), Timo Multamäki (Factory 42, Perdition’s Mouth, The Phantom League)

Artists: Scott Everts (Astra Titanus, Legions of Darkness, Pillars of Eternity: Lords of the Eastern Reach), Jere Kasanen (Eclipse: Second Dawn of the Galaxy, Flamme Rouge, Honshū, Nations, Nations: The Dice Game), John Lewis (Black Hat, Pillars of Eternity: Lords of the Eastern Reach), Juha Salmijärvi (Black Hat, Iron Sky: The Board Game, Perdition’s Mouth: Abyssal Rift)

Publisher: Dragon Dawn Productions (Maeshowe: An Orkney Saga, Perdition’s Mouth: Abyssal Rift, The Phantom League)

Genre/Mechanisms: area movement, card game, modular board, science fiction, solo / solitaire game, trick-taking, variable set-up

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “A hacker-based board game drawing upon an interesting adaptation of the trick-taking mechanic, for the right to progress through cyberspace; also a re-implementation of Dragon Dawn’s Black Hat. As they attempt to prove their worth as a hacker, players attempt to win tricks by playing cards from their hand. If they win a trick they can then move one of their hats on the board through the maze of FBI servers, internet cafes, and digital tracers in order to reach the Critical Asset and end the game. However, players should not always rush to the end as points are scored at the end of each round depending on what spaces their hats are on, and the lowest score is the winner. White Hat also sports a dedicated solo variant that not only draws upon much of the multiplayer game but also pits the player against the game itself. This is a serious head-scratching puzzle solver, as all hats are in play and the soloist has full responsibility for the progress of them all.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $34

All-In (w/shipping): $113

Campaign Ends: 2/5

Game Ships: Sep. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 66% with 11 days to go.