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

Project: Automated Alice: Second Chance Offer

Designer: Robb De Nicola (D6 Shooter, Hunter’s Guild: The Vampire Forest, Pixel Guardians)

Artist: Jared Sanford (Into the Black: Boarding Party)

Publisher: Epic Scale Games (D6 Shooter, Hunter’s Guild: The Vampire Forest, Pixel Guardians)

Genre/Mechanisms: cooperative game, dice, dice rolling, novel based

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “In this co-operative dice-placement game based on the fantasy novel of the same name by Jeff Noon, players collectively take on the role of Alice while trying to match colored dice to specific goals listed on the evidence cards. Watch out for Mrs. Minus and her Civil Serpent dice as they will try to block your path. Perk cards and unique character abilities will help Alice on her journey. With multiple lose conditions like the Civil Serpent Threat Tracker, limited round timer, or the exhaustion of assets, this will not be an easy task. Are you ready to roll the dice and help Alice on her latest, greatest adventure?”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $43

All-In (w/shipping): $53

Campaign Ends: 2/21

Game Ships: Mar. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 8093% with 5 days to go.

Project: Bloc by Bloc: Uprising (on Gamefound)

Designers: Greg Loring-Albright (Leviathan), T.L. Simons (Bloc by Bloc: The Insurrection Game)

Artist: T.L. Simons (Bloc by Bloc: The Insurrection Game, Dungeon Decorations, Merchants of Magick: A Set a Watch Tale)

Publisher: Out of Order Games (Bloc by Bloc: The Insurrection Game)

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, area majority / influence, betting and bluffing, cooperative game, dice, educational, grid movement, hidden roles, modular board, political, semi-cooperative game, simulation, solo / solitaire game, variable player powers

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “In Bloc by Bloc: Uprising, each player controls a faction of revolutionaries—Workers, Students, Neighbors, or Prisoners—fighting against the police in the streets of a city that changes with each game. Build barricades, clash with police, occupy districts, loot shopping centers, build mutual aid networks, and liberate the city before time runs out and the military arrives. When playing fully cooperatively, all factions win or lose together and must cooperate to defeat the police and liberate the city. To liberate the city, each faction must complete the objectives on 1 Condition card. Each Condition card specifies certain districts of the city that must be liberated and where occupations must be built. When playing semi-cooperatively, each faction has a secret Agenda card that determines how it wins the game. Factions with Social Agendas can still win together cooperatively. But a faction with a Vanguardist or Sectarian Agenda can only win alone and must work covertly to undermine the other factions.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $27

All-In (w/shipping): $56

Campaign Ends: 3/3

Game Ships: Nov. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 157% with 15 days to go.

Project: Crews of Eridanus

Designer: Steadman Watson

Artists: Alexandra Burda, Il Ho (John) Kim, Mark Anderson (Big Whisky Design), Michel Fortin, Paul Kimber, Yulia Federova

Publisher: Dakota Ridge Games

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, hexagon grid, movement points, pick up and deliver, science fiction, semi-coopeartive game, set collection, space exploration, solo / solitaire game

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A sandbox style, semi-cooperative spacefaring game of exploration and adventure. Each player represents the Captain of a small in-system spacecraft that has been selected by the authorities to help get the system economy and travel back to normal. As a Captain, you’ll need to recruit a crew and good crews don’t come cheap. Crews of Eridanus is an open world and there are a number of ways to earn credits: carrying passengers, trading cargoes, mining, exploring wrecks and hunting pirates. All players start with the same size of crew, ship and resources, but they are free to pursue whatever strategy they think best. Each player builds a unique tableau consisting of different crew members and ship modifications. The game is played over a series of rounds, with each player taking their respective turn. A player can usually take 3 actions per turn. The game starts in a pirate phase, where pirate ships occupy a number of locations on the map. If most of the pirates are destroyed, then the game shifts to a normal phase. Finally, the game enters an end phase after a pre-determined number of rounds have been played and a boss appears. There are multiple ways to defeat the boss, but if it is not dealt with quickly then all of the players will lose. If the players are successful in stopping the boss, whoever has the most Victory Points is the winner.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $110

All-In (w/shipping): $110, same as above

Campaign Ends: 3/17

Game Ships: Feb. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 42% with 28 days to go.

Project: Doublehead Kids 3rd edition + new game Doppelkorf 2.0

Designer: Joerg Trojan (Doublehead Kids)

Artist: Joerg Trojan (Doublehead Kids)

Publisher: Studio Trojan (Doublehead Kids)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, children’s game, team-based game, trick-taking

Player Count: 4-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Four players form two teams: the players with the princesses/prince pair and the players without the princesses/prince pair. As a game goal, each team tries to bag more silver winning coins than the opposing team. A total of 240 silver winning coins can be collected in a game round with 12 duels (tricks). The team with at least 121 silver winning coins wins the round and receives victory points in the form of gold coins. Furthermore, additional victory points can be gained through special points. The special attraction of the double-headed game is that at the beginning of a new round the players do not know with whom they are playing. Only when the princess and the prince are laid out bit by bit, the picture becomes clearer for the players and the other players recognize in which team they are playing. Each game round is different and takes place in different player combinations. It is forbidden to signal to other players whether you are playing together in a team by verbal utterances or sign language. It is very well allowed to send playful signals to your fellow players by tactically laying out cards (e.g. deliberately re-buttering silver winning points into a duel or not). Bluffing is also allowed here, of course, to create confusion.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $26

All-In (w/shipping): $123

Campaign Ends: 3/6

Game Ships: May 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 454% with 18 days to go.

Project: Earth

Designer: Maxime Tardiff (BrilliAnts, Mini DiverCity)

Artists: M81 Studio (Detective Club, Mysterium Park, Obscurio), Yulia Sozonik

Publisher: Inside Up Games (City Builder: Ancient World, Gorus Maximus, Summit: The Board Game)

Genre/Mechanisms: action drafting, animals, card drafting, card game, chaining, end game bonuses, environmental, events, grid coverage, hand management, territory-building, variable set-up, victory points as a resource

Player Count: 1-5

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “An open world engine builder with simple rules but tons of strategic possibilities. With its encyclopedic nature and the enormous number of unique cards and combinations, every single game will allow you to discover new synergies and connections, just as our vast and fascinating world allows us to do. It’s time to jump into these rich environments and create some amazing natural synergies that replicate and extrapolate on Earth’s amazing versatility and plethora of natural resources. Create a self-supporting engine of growth, expansion and supply where even your unused plants become compost for future growth.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $54

All-In (w/shipping): $54, same as above

Campaign Ends: 3/8

Game Ships: Jan. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 357% with 20 days to go.

Project: Kingdoms Forlorn: Dragons, Devils and Kings

Designer: Marcin Welnicki (Aeon Trepass: Odyssey, Slavika, Slavika: Equinox)

Artist: Mateusz Lenart (Citadels, History of the World, Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island)

Publisher: Into the Unknown (Aeon Trepass: Odyssey, Monster Slayers of Slawia)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, cooperative game, critical hits and failures, die icon resolution, horror, fantasy, medieval, miniatures, modular board, multiple maps, scenario / mission / campaign game, semi-cooperative game, solo / solitaire game, storytelling

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: heavy

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A soloperative dungeon delver for 1-4 players with a focus on loot. Kingdoms Forlorn focus on personal stories and short delves into the titular kingdoms. Into the Unknown will build upon their coop system given advantages to the next player in to turn order bringing a greater sense of working together. You will explore forgotten kingdoms, fight battles with giant monsters or bands of minions, loot, craft, duel and, possibly, earn renown and fulfill your Heart’s Desire. Kingdoms Forlorn will explore forgotten medieval kingdoms rediscovered, knights, noble and vile, and errant, venture forth to seek power, treasures or redemption, and to carve their own legends. The game pulls inspiration from dark fantasy titles like Dark Souls, Diablo, and Game of Thrones.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $157

All-In (w/shipping): $250

Campaign Ends: 3/8

Game Ships: Jan. 2024

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 1301% with 19 days to go.

Project: Legacy’s Allure

Designers: Keith Rice

Artists: Mikhail Palamarchuk (Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein), Tomasz Ryger (Waste Knights: Second Edition)

Publisher: Plutonian Shore Games

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 player only games, card drafting, fantasy, grid movement, wargame, variable player powers, variable set-up

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A customizable, card-based wargame with no randomness. Imagine chess but with customization, deeper mechanics, and a high-fantasy theme. Each player begins the game by drafting an army of an agreed upon size from their deck, also known as a ‘kingdom.’ Then players alternate taking turns in which they may perform a single action with one of their units: moving, attacking, or using an ability. After a unit acts, it is exhausted until the end of the round and cannot act again. Once all units on the board are exhausted, they are refreshed and a new round begins. The game ends at the end of the seventh round. At that time, the attacking player wins if they occupy the central hex with one of their units. Otherwise, the defending player wins.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $50

All-In (w/shipping): $285

Campaign Ends: 3/17

Game Ships: Aug. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 115% with 28 days to go.

Project: Retrograde

Designers: Mary Flanagan (Mechanica, Monarch, Visitor in Blackwood Grove), Max Seidman (Mechanica, Monarch, Visitor in Blackwood Grove)

Artists: Spring Yu (Mechanica, Surrealist Dinner Party), Ann-Sophie De Steur (Mechanica)

Publisher: Resonym (Mechanica, Monarch, Visitor in Blackwood Grove)

Genre/Mechanisms: bingo, dice, real-time, paper-and-pencil, roll-and-write, solo / solitaire game, video game theme

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “A real-time roll-and-write inspired by classic 80s arcade games. Evil Astrodroids are invading earth. Grab the joystick and blast as many as you can. Each round, roll your dice as fast as you can. Race to roll combos shown on the target cards, claim the best card, and spend your dice to put the ‘Droids on your sheet out of commission. Be fast, or an opponent might beat you to the card you want. If you’re the last player without a card, you can only reroll 2 more times before you’re stuck with what you rolled. Depending on the card you choose, you’ll collect Coins and power-ups. Blast entire columns of ‘Droids to destroy bosses for bonus points. Blast rows of ‘Droids to unlock the power-ups you collect.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $35

All-In (w/shipping): $35, same as above

Campaign Ends: 3/11

Game Ships: Dec. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 30% with 23 days to go.

Project: Sum8

Designers: Iles Guran, Leanne Gray

Artist: not credited

Publisher: Turnup Games

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 player only games, abstract strategy, connection, modular board, pattern building, puzzle, solo / solitaire game, tile placement

Player Count: 1-2

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A two player tile based, puzzle-like strategy game with a rearrange-able board and unique tile design. Gameplay is simple: you play against your opponent, each player starting with 8 tiles. In alternating moves you create circles and then eventually ‘8’s in a puzzle like sequence to score points to victory, but don’t give your opponent the opportunity to score big. On their turn, players place a tile onto the board, or move an already placed tile on the board to a new spot. This will give the player points based on what / where they place the tile. The game ends when all tiles are played, or no one is able to place or move a tile. The player with the highest score wins.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $41

All-In (w/shipping): $95

Campaign Ends: 2/22

Game Ships: Mar. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 126% with 33 days to go.

Project: Tindaya: Deluxe Edition (on Gamefound)

Designer: Lolo González

Artist: Javier González Cava (Caverna: The Cave Farmers, Cooper Island, Watson & Holmes)

Publisher: Red Mojo

Genre/Mechanisms: area majority / influence, civilization, cooperative game, end game bonuses, environmental, events, grid movement, hexagon grid, hidden victory points, modular board, mythology, negotiation, religious, scenario / mission / campaign game, solo / solitaire game, tile placement, traitor game, turn order: stat based, variable set-up, worker placement with different worker types

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: heavy

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Set at the dawn of the 15th century on the paradise known today as the Canary Islands. The conquistadors have just set eyes on it. Each player must lead an aboriginal tribe to survival in a world ruled by gods and shaped by natural disasters. Tindaya is a theme-driven survival adventure with the soul of a eurogame. This environmentally conscious game offers two play modes: cooperative (including solo) & competitive, in addition to the traitor variant for players avid of some old fashioned throat-cutting. Difficulty can be graded, and less experienced gamers can learn to play through a 3 game mini-campaign. Each tribe starts the game with mastery of two crafts (fishing, pig farming, shepherding or agriculture) but can learn the rest from other players. But they better produce only what is needed: one of the characteristics of Tindaya which differs from most eurogames is the need to take from the Earth only what is essential – take too little and your villagers will starve, but too much will produce waste and enrage the gods. During 3 phases, natives will settle, progress, and battle invaders, all within a mythological setting ruled by two gods, Acoran & Moneiba. They will demand specific goods at each stage of the game. If the natives are unable or unwilling to provide them, their godly rage will be unleashed. But players are not alone; two seers will make predictions by reading the smoke of their bonfires. Tibiabin will see the disasters to come. Tamonante will predict where they will happen. Disaster markers will be placed on the board to signal what is to come. At the end of each Era, the gods will send mythical monsters, legends, plagues, storms or earthquakesthat will hit the islands, and villagers had better be prepared… or be gone. As if all that was not enough, players will have to face the conquistadors, who will try to take over their islands.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $106

All-In (w/shipping): $106, same as above

Campaign Ends: 3/7

Game Ships: Dec. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 197% with 18 days to go.

Project: Trinity of Reign

Designer: Raphael Bolliger

Artists: Kevin Delies, Marko Richter, Simon Krieg

Publisher: Gotorus Games

Genre/Mechanisms: fantasy, medieval

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Take over the rule of one of the four clans and build your empire. Construct cities, castles and metropolises. Lead your capital to fame and power through rapid expansion. Recruit new warriors and send out your druids to develop new potions and consolidate your rule. Choose your path. Take reign either by creating wealth, by invoking the gods, or by conquering land. Trinity of Reign is a strategy game aimed at casual to professional players. The detailed building miniatures and the possibility of individual expansion of the capital let you create a unique little world in every game, but you can never be completely sure of its integrity. Win the game by one of the following three variants: by military conquest of two complete regions (the military victory); by building the Hall of Ancestors in the capital (the wealth victory); or by preparing the potion of the highest god Taranis and using it by a druid (the religion victory).”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $102

All-In (w/shipping): $124

Campaign Ends: 3/9

Game Ships: Mar. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 114% with 20 days to go.

Project: War for America

Designer: Gilbert Collins (Mr. Madison’s War: The Incredible War of 1812)

Artist: Knut Grünitz (Enemy Action: Ardennes, Manoeuvre, Pericles: The Peloponnesian Wars)

Publisher: Compass Games (Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939; Enemy Action: Ardennes; The Russian Campaign)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 player only games, american revolutionary war, point to point movement, wargame

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “A strategic game based on the events during the American Revolution, featuring a new ‘Action Pulse’ and ‘Initiative System’ that keeps every turn of variable length and new. The Colonial player must build a ‘Continental Army’ to battle with the British in order to prevent any sister colony from being overrun. This is going to take time and he must ‘hold on’ and try to defeat a major British force, to impress the old enemies of Great Britain. The game is played at the Grand Strategic level and each strength point equals 1,000 men or less. Players will assemble forces to seize control of colonies and regions. When French recognition is achieved, during 1778, an entire new dimension is added to the conflict. France, Spain and the Netherlands will bring fleets into the waters of North America and the Caribbean, challenging Britain’s mastery of the seas. The game utilizes the popular ‘point to point’ movement system but more carefully modelling the geography of North America. This is done by enhancing the movement of armies along the important water shed basins. Armies are not destroyed in single combat as many past games have shown, but will demonstrate realistic casualty figures with prevalent retreat and disruption results. War for America attempts to show the conflict from the British perspective and how a ‘rebellion’ turned into a World War. Great Britain is alone, without allies, but the Colonies don’t have it easy either. Despite their inexperience and individual identities, they must come together to create and maintain a Continental army. This is a ‘large game’ but also contains a shorter scenario starting in 1778, taking about half the time to play.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $79

All-In (w/shipping): $125, also includes Revolution Road

Campaign Ends: 3/2

Game Ships: May 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 310% with 13 days to go.