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

Project: Downfall the Wargame Series

Designer: Victor Catala (Blitzwar, Ekonos, Taifa)

Artist: Jesús Peralta García (Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land)

Publisher: Do It Games

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, simulation, wargame, world war II (Downfall of Empires); area movement, dice rolling, movement points, simulation, wargame, world war II (Downfall of the Third Reich)

Player Count: 2-4 (Downfall of Empires); 2-3 (Downfall of the Third Reich)

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light (Downfall of Empires); medium-heavy (Downfall of the Third Reich)

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Downfall of Empires is an army level World War I strategy simulation wargame designed with the goal of creating a fluid, historical and fast game. Each turn, each player has 2 or 3 actions (depending on which side he controls) that he can use to move or attack with his armies, build trenches, do diplomacy with non-aligned countries, reinforce his armies or develop technologies in secret. At the end of the game you win by victory points obtained by controlling the key areas on the map. The German and Franco-British Powers have three actions per turn. The Russians and Austro-Hungarians have two actions per turn.

Downfall of the Third Reich is a strategic game of World War II, in the European Theater, for two or three players. The objective of the game is to faithfully simulate World War II in the European Theater, with simple rules, in exciting games of short duration. The warring factions and the countries that comprise them at the start of the game are: Axis (Germany and Finland), Allies (United Kingdom and France), and the Soviet Union. Other major and minor countries will join the war later on in the game. Each player controls one side. With two players, one player leads the Allies and the Soviet Union. Twenty-two three-month turns are played, starting in winter 1940, when Germany is preparing to invade France (having started World War II by invading Poland) and the Soviet Union has already attacked Finland.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $79, one game only

All-In (w/shipping): $203, includes both game plus extras

Campaign Ends: 3/20

Game Ships: Nov. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 429% with 17 days to go.

Project: Factory 42 – For the Greater Good Edition

Designer: Timo Multamäki (Factory 42, Perdition’s Mouth: Abyssal Rift, The Phantom League)

Artist: Lars Munck (Dwarf, Factory 42, Maeshowe: An Orkney Saga)

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

Genre/Mechanisms: cube tower, fantasy, industry / manufacturing, negotiation, semi-cooperative game, victory points as a resource, worker placement

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: heavy

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “A Euro-style board game telling the story of the workweek of Marxistic dwarves in a steampunk industrial setting, placing the player in the role of factory Overseers. It combines worker placement and a cube tower to create a resource management puzzle. Factory 42 is a cutthroat competitive game with elements of co-operation and deals involving Economics, Fantasy, Industry and Negotiation with a pinch of satire, but not too much to make it a Humor game. It satisfyingly blends two-fold tensions: camaraderie forged in shared goals, and the opportunistic trampling of temporary competition. A tight game of glancing blows and communal glory creating a wicked blend of sharp elbows and shared ambition. Visually, Factory 42 takes its influence from 1920’s Soviet Union propaganda, fantasy literature and elements of pre-WWI Prussian decor.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $32

All-In (w/shipping): $90

Campaign Ends: 3/14

Game Ships: Oct. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 98% with 12 days to go.