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

Project: Age of Steam Deluxe: Expansion Volumes I, II & III

Designers: John Bohrer (Chicago Express, Paris Connection, Ride the Rails), Chad DeShon (On Tour, Seqouia), Kevin McCurdy, Martin Wallace (Brass: Birmingham, Brass: Lancashire, London Second Edition, Railways of the World, Steam)

Artist: Ian O’Toole (The Gallerist, Kanban EV, Lisboa, On Mars, Vinhos Deluxe Edition)

Publisher: Eagle-Gryphon Games (Brass: Lancashire, The Gallerist, Lisboa, On Mars, Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization)

Genre/Mechanisms: auction / bidding, catch the leader, connections, dice rolling, economic, loans, network and route building, pick-up and deliver, player elimination, scenario / mission / campaign game, selection order bid, tile placement, trains, transportation, turn order: auction, victory points as a resource

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: heavy

Risk: low

Summary: “Age of Steam relives the era when pioneering U.S. railroads built the tracks that transformed America’s economy. The cut-throat action is centered on the industrial powerhouses of the growing nation: Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago, and beyond. Each self-contained phase in the game keeps players constantly involved in making vital decisions and interacting with other players. Age of Steam also allows towns to be developed into cities, ensuring that no two games are exactly the same.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $57

All-In (w/shipping): $263

Campaign Ends: 5/20

Game Ships: Mar. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 296% with 13 days to go.

Project: Heroes of the Bitter Harvest (on Gamefound)

Designer: Devin Heinle

Artists: Iván Cáceres (La Carga de los 3 Reyes: Las Navas de Tolosa 1212, Granada: Last Stand of the Moors – 1482-1492, Santa Cruz 1797), Marc von Martial (Great War Commander, Lock ‘n Load: Band of Heroes, World at War: Eisenbach Gap)

Publisher: Lock ‘n Load Publishing (Lock ‘n Load: Band of Heroes, World at War: Blood and Bridges, World at War: Eisenbach Gap)

Genre/Mechanisms: dice rolling, hexagon grid, wargame, world war II

Player Count: 1-2

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A new East Front module for the Lock ‘n Load Tactical series. It features a fluid, impulse-based turns, squad-level, and individual heroics, plus lots of armor and special rules to bring the fight for the southern steppes of Russia to life. German Landser, Mechanized, and Armored formations clash with Soviet Line, Guards, and NKVD Divisions. New units never before seen in the Lock ‘n Load Tactical series are introduced. The German Pz IV F and G along with the Marder II and StuG IIIF join the battlefield as well as the Soviet Tachanka MG wagon, NKVD troops, and the IL2 Sturmovik. We also introduce a new leader type-the Incompetent Leader. The scenarios range from the city of Voronezh and through Rostov, as far south as the Caucasus Mountains. Into the footsteps of the Silk Road at Khulkhuta, up and into the outskirts of Stalingrad itself.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $105

All-In (w/shipping): $165

Campaign Ends: 6/27

Game Ships: Dec 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 101% with 20 days to go.