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

Project: Bretwalda (on Gamefound)

Designer: Leo Soloviey

Artist: Leo Soloviey

Publisher: Phalanx (Hannibal & Hamilcar, Nanty Narking, UBOOT: The Board Game)

Genre/Mechanisms: action / event, area movement, civilization, dice, dice rolling, fighting, medieval, miniatures, movement points, solo / solitaire game, variable player powers

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “Each player takes charge of one of the kingdoms of England. Each kingdom has unique leaders and abilities. Victory is achieved through a combination of control of key areas, completing Chronicles, and constructing Abbeys to support the spread of Christianity across the land. Play is fast-paced. Over 12 seasons players compete by taking collection, development, mobilization and movement actions. With only 2 actions permitted per season, each decision is critical. Each season will see new events, and the armies of Vikings or independent Kingdoms may arrive or be bribed to attack rivals. Bartering and alliance-building are essential to success, but, with conquest critical to victory, betrayal is never far away.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $111

All-In (w/shipping): $111, same as above

Campaign Ends: 7/7

Game Ships: May 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 533% with 15 days to go.

Project: Midnight Murder Mysteries: 2nd Edition (All-In)

Designer: Alain Luttringer (Minuit, Meurtre en Mer)

Artists: Baptiste Reymann (Minuit, Meurtre en Mer), Fabrice Weiss (Colors of Paris, Pentaquark, U.S. Telegraph)

Publisher: Multifaces Editions (Minuit, Meurtre en Mer)

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, area movement, bluffing, deduction, exploration, murder / mystery, nautical, paper-and-pencil, scenario / mission / campaign game, storytelling, travel

Player Count: 1-5

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Aboard the Majestic, the lifeless body of a passenger has been found in their luxury suite. The prime suspects are the twelve occupants of the VIP cabins on the upper deck. You and your fellow private detectives are attending a conference on board, and place a wager to reconstruct the circumstances of the alleged crime before the ship reaches the port. This game box contains a large number of unique cases. In each case, you can interrogate each of the 12 suspects on 3 conversation topics, and search for clues at 24 locations on various decks of the ship. 3 different game modes are included: competitive, cooperative, and solo.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $67

All-In (w/shipping): $67, same as above

Campaign Ends: 7/5

Game Ships: Jan. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 30% with 13 days to go.

Project: REDLINE: Battle of Neom

Designer: Cameron Dueker

Artist: Stephen Huda

Publisher: Cameron Dueker

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 player only games, card game, deck construction, dice rolling, mech warfare, pieces as map, science fiction, simultaneous action selection, wargame, zone of control

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “REDLINE: Tactical Card Combat is an exciting expandable card game that features simultaneous combat and mission based objectives to secure and hold. REDLINE blends the tactical maneuvers of tabletop wargames with the fast paced gameplay of card games. Winning requires careful resource management, and tactical cunning thanks to REDLINE’s unique mission and combat system. Unlike many other card games, the battlefield exists in the form of mission cards that grant bonuses when captured. Players give mission orders using secret dials before combat that allows for the setting up of maneuvers such flanks, feints and ambushes. Or create a gap in the front and rush your units through to attack your opponent’s deck. In REDLINE, how you fight is totally up to you. Just remember, no plan survives first contact.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $24

All-In (w/shipping): $131

Campaign Ends: 7/6

Game Ships: Apr. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 111% with 14 days to go.

Project: Umbrella Academy: The Board Game (on Gamefound)

Designers: Jack Caesar (Highlander: The Board Game, Pacific Rim: Extinction, Terminator: Dark Fate – The Card Game), Alessio Cavatore (Bolt Action, Mordheim: City of the Damned, Warhammer 40,000 Fifth Edition)

Artists: Gabriel Bá (The Umbrella Academy Game), Jose David Lanza Cebrian (Champions of Midgard, Hellboy: The Board Game, Rum & Bones: Second Tide)

Publisher: Mantic Games (Dungeon Saga: Dwarf King’s Quest, Hellboy: The Board Game, The Walking Dead: All Out War)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, comic book / strip, cooperative game, events, finale ending, miniatures, open drafting, scenario / mission / campaign game, turn order: pass order

Player Count: 1-5

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Players work together as the Heroes from the famous Umbrella Academy. To win, they must overcome a succession of dangerous hazards and defeat dastardly villains in order to save the world. Each player has a hand of cards they can use to place Battle Tokens on potentially dangerous hazards and villains, or trigger special abilities unique to their chosen Hero. The game is split into different phases – Play Phase (players take actions and move around the board), Draw Phase (draw new cards into their hand), Effect Phase (resolve the effects of Hazards and Villains), and Crisis Phase (generate new Hazards).”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $104

All-In (w/shipping): $104, same as above

Campaign Ends: 6/29

Game Ships: Aug. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 125% with 7 days to go.