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

Project: CIFRA Code25

Designer: Mitsuo Yamamoto (King’s Valley)

Artist: Mitsuo Yamamoto (King’s Valley)

Publisher: Logy Games (King’s Valley)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 player only games, abstract strategy, grid movement

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “In this game, players advance 1-9 pieces to their opponent’s side to compete with all their pieces. The movement of pieces is determined by the pattern of the tiles making up the board. Prior to playing the game, players randomly shuffle the tiles and create a 9×9 board. This is the most distinguishing feature of the game. As in Chess, players are able to remove their opponent’s pieces from the board, so the strategy involves moving pieces along the board in coordination with one another. A player is able to gain control over the game by reading the pattern of the board and competing in a location that is advantageous to themselves. Like all games produced by Logy Games, this game is made with ceramic pieces which results in it weighing nearly 2kg.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $50

All-In (w/shipping): $50, same as above

Campaign Ends: 4/13

Game Ships: May 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 382% with 15 days to go.

Project: Ptolemaeus

Designer: Diego Allegrini (Tolomeo)

Artist: Florinda Zanetti

Publisher: Jocaranda Games

Genre/Mechanisms: hand management, open drafting, set collection, solo / solitaire game, space exploration

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Players are ambitious astronomers of Alexandria (Egypt) trying to prove they can predict the movement of the 7 known planets traveling through the 12 Zodiac constellations. On their turn, players can take one of the following actions: draw 2 constellation cards, observe a constellations or observe a configuration of planets (conjunction, opposition, trine or square). Observing constellations or configurations allows players to place their Almagest tokens on the game board, which are then used to study planets to obtain victory points. Only the sharpest observer of the firmament will be known as Ptolemy’s first disciple and help in the writing of the Almagest.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $60

All-In (w/shipping): $71

Campaign Ends: 4/11

Game Ships: Dec. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 8% with 12 days to go.