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

Project: Colossus

Designer: Ÿøssef Fårhi (The Road, The Spirit of Eden, Way of the Samurai)

Artist: Adrien Rives (The Spirit of Eden)

Publisher: Alone Editions (The Road, The Spirit of Eden, Way of the Samurai)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, deck construction, solitaire only card game

Player Count: 1

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “A solo card game that takes less than 20 minutes to play. You play as the warrior Nethopha and your objective is to defeat the colossus Og. Play your Action cards by superimposing them in the play area, respecting these two rules: each card must be played vertically and upright; each card you place must cover exactly two squares (two medallions) of a card already present in the playing area. Following this, the visible medallions are your stats. Compare your stats to the stats of the Colossus card in play, and see if you have enough visible medallions to weaken Og, grapple Og (so you don’t fall), unlock powerful cards, and/or scale Og. Reach the top of the Colossus and give it the final blow to annihilate it.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $23

All-In (w/shipping): $45

Campaign Ends: 7/20

Game Ships: Nov. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 343% with 13 days to go.

Project: FlickFleet: Xeno Wars (on Gamefound)

Designers: Jackson Pope (Border Reivers, Carpe Astra, FlickFleet), Paul Willcox (FlickFleet)

Artists: R. H. Aidley (FlickFleet, Ice Flow, It’s Alive!), Jackson Pope (Border Reivers, FlickFleet)

Publisher: Eurydice Games (FlickFleet)

Genre/Mechanisms: action / dexterity, dice, expansion, flicking, scenario / mission / campaign game, science fiction

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “This stand-alone expansion to the FlickFleet space combat dexterity game adds two new asymmetrical alien species to the game along with rules for up to 4 players (when combined with the FlickFleet base game). The new species are: the Hive who have organic ships which can quickly heal and spit parasitic boarding pods and can grown an endless swarm of drones; and the Storm whose ships are fast and maneuverable, and pack a devastating punch, but are fragile and need to be protected lest they be overrun. Flick your ships into position and then flick dice from them at your opponents’ ships to damage them and degrade their systems.

FlickFleet is a two player dice dexterity game which combines tactical ship-to-ship combat with a dexterity element. Raise your shields and get your flicking finger ready! The game can be played as a points-based freeform game, with each player choosing the ships they wish to field, or by using one of a number of scenarios. Includes 22 fighters, bombers and capital ships in the box and five introductory scenarios in the rulebook (with more available online).”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $53

All-In (w/shipping): $141

Campaign Ends: 7/18

Game Ships: Jan 2023, July 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 155% with 11 days to go.

Project: Trickdraw

Designers: Blake Propach, Morteza Rohaninejad

Artists: Licheng Mei, Michael Kuroda

Publisher: House Fish Balloon

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, print & play, victory points as a resource

Player Count: 2-15

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Collect gold and call on allies to become the local hero (or villain!) of the mercantile town Trickdraw Junction. Cards can be played two different ways. Face down as gold (worth 1 point), or face up to perform actions. With only 10 points to win, any card you draw is guaranteed to push you toward victory. The real trick comes not in how you use your cards the first time but in how you REUSE them. As you play, you’ll discover numerous ways to flip the cards in front of you. And whenever you flip a card face up, you can activate it again immediately. You can also do the opposite. Flipping a spent card face down gives it new value as 1 point. This mechanic lets you find creative uses for your resources, giving all cards relative value. Your best card one turn may be better face down the next. These tools allow for strong combos, sneaky plays, and cheeky bluffs. New strategy will emerge each time you play, and no game will feel quite like the last.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $26

All-In (w/shipping): $189

Campaign Ends: 7/31

Game Ships: Nov. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 114% with 25 days to go.