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

Project: Amun-Re – 20th Anniversary Edition (on Gamefound)

Designer: Reiner Knizia (Modern Art, My City, The Quest for El Dorado, Ra, Tigris & Euphrates)

Artist: Vincent Dutrait (Jaipur, Lewis & Clark: The Expedition, The Quest for El Dorado, Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island, Roll Player)

Publisher: Alley Cat Games (Chocolate Factory, Dice Hospital, Paper Dungeons: A Dungeon Scrawler Game, Tinners’ Trail, Welcome to Dino World)

Genre/Mechanisms: ancient, area majority / influence, auction / budding, auction: fixed placement, constrained bidding, economic

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “In Amun-Re, each pharaoh wants to build the most pyramids. To accomplish this, they must first acquire a province where they can trade and farm. With their profits, they can buy new provinces and building stones to erect pyramids. For all their actions, players must make clever use of their power cards and always offer appropriate sacrifices to Amun-Re. Amun-Re: 20th Anniversary Edition features four new expansion modules that can be added to the game. Statues: in each of the first three rounds, grand statues are added to certain provinces. These statues each grant unique powers to the player who controls the province in which they are built. This expansion adds extra interest to the auction phase and gives players their own player powers that may vary each time. The statues will be miniatures representing Egyptian gods. Afterlife: a fourth purchasable item is added to the market phase: afterlife tiles. These tiles are then placed using the rewards granted to players in the offerings phase or by discarding unwanted cards and tiles. Players place the tiles into their own personal pyramid shape, starting with a base of up to five tiles. Each placed tile gives the player a bonus, and this bonus is multiplied if the tile is placed on top of matching tiles within the pyramid. At the end of the game, each completed row of tiles is worth points. Pharaoh: this mini expansion adds tension to the auction phase by rewarding players for overbidding other players. The Pharaoh moves to each province that is overbid, and at the conclusion of the auctions the player who wins the province with the Pharaoh receives a token that grants extra rewards in the subsequent offerings phase. Viziers: viziers are added to the auction phase. Each player now bids on both a province and a vizier using the same bidding mechanisms. With 3-5 players, these viziers are placed off the main board, and a player must work out which combination they want to pursue. A variant allows two or three players to place viziers in the provinces themselves, bidding for two provinces but choosing only one province and one vizier. Each vizier grants an instant bonus, and combining these with your provinces becomes a key to success.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $69

All-In (w/shipping): $86

Campaign Ends: 7/27

Game Ships: Feb. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 327% with 20 days to go.

Project: Dice Throne: Santa VS Krampus

Designers: Gavan Brown (Brass: Birmingham, JAB: Realtime Boxing, Super Motherload), Nate Chatellier (Dice Throne, Dice Throne: Season One, Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest), Manny Trembley (Dice Throne, Dice Throne: Season One, Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest)

Artist: Manny Trembley (Dice Throne, Dice Throne: Season One, Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest, Radlands, Wonderland’s War)

Publishers: Roxley (Brass: Birmingham, Brass: Lancashire, Dice Throne: Season Two – Battle Chest, Radlands, Santorini)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, dice, dice rolling, fantasy, fighting, take that, variable player powers

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: low

Summary: “Two new and original Dice Throne heroes battle in this stand alone dueling game. Dice Throne is a game of dice, tactical card play, powerful heroes, and unique abilities. It’s a fast-paced 2-6 player combat game (1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 2v2v2, or free-for-all). Select from a variety of heroes that play and feel completely distinct from one another. Attack opponents and activate abilities by rolling your hero’s unique set of five dice. Accumulate combat points and spend them on cards that have a large range of effects, such as granting permanent hero upgrades, applying status effects, and manipulating dice directly (yours, your teammate’s, or even your opponent’s). Dice Throne: Santa v. Krampus introduces two new heroes that can play against each other or any other hero in Dice Throne. Also compatible with Dice Throne Adventures. This is a stand-alone release supporting 2 players. Additional heroes are required to play with more than 2 players.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $43

All-In (w/shipping): $625, includes all Dice Throne products to-date

Campaign Ends: 7/18

Game Ships: Dec. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 1,279% with 11 days to go.

Project: Era of Kingdoms: Inquisition

Designer: Michael Erisman (Era of Kingdoms)

Artist: Jeff Porter (Dastardly Dirigibles, Era of Kingdoms, Xenofera)

Publisher: KC Games Co (Era of Kingdoms)

Genre/Mechanisms: action / event, expansion, hand management, medieval, open drafting, renaissance, solo / solitaire game, tech trees / tech tracks, trading

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Two new paths to victory await in the first expansion to Era of Kingdoms. Generate Research and Religious Influence tokens to spend on powerful upgrades and new ways to influence other Kingdoms. Choose your religious beliefs bonuses, add followers to your Kingdom, and send heretics to your enemies’ land. Make use of innovative thinking to gain advantages in resource yield, governance, military tactics, and architecture. Loads of new events and interactions while keeping the core of the game the same.

Era of Kingdoms is a kingdom-building game full of strategy and player interaction. Each turn provides players a wide array of options and tools to improve your Kingdom. You can focus on improving the lands, upgrading from simple meadows to a thriving economic engine. Or perhaps you’d rather use your strength to achieve victory, taking the other kingdoms’ riches. With limited space to build and only three positions for key advisers, strategic decisions must be made to guarantee victory.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $58

All-In (w/shipping): $103

Campaign Ends: 8/3

Game Ships: Nov. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 21% with 27 days to go.

Project: The Grand Carnival (Expansion & Reprint)

Designer: Rob Cramer (The Grand Carnival, Turbo Drift)

Artist: Ryan Goldsberry (Burgle Bros., Fugitive, Paperback)

Publisher: Uproarious Games (Getaway Driver, The Grand Carnival, World Domination)

Genre/Mechanisms: grid coverage, grid movement, highest-lowest scoring, layering, open drafting, pattern building, polyominoes, puzzle, square grid, tile placement

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “The carnivals in this town just got even bigger. Clowns, enormous attractions, golden tickets, and more peanuts than you can handle, all arriving by train in the next week. And you’re taking this show on the road, stopping in cities across the ol’ US of A. Can you create the greatest carnival this country has ever seen? The On the Road expansion introduces multiple modules to add to your games of The Grand Carnival, as well as new Tricks of the Trade cards to play with. And for more variety, players can choose a unique city to visit, which have different scoring conditions for players to shoot for.

In The Grand Carnival, players compete to create the most impressive carnival this town has ever seen. You’ll need to carefully plan your carnival’s layout, build attractions, hire staff, and manage the crowds, all while learning a few tricks of the trade. Each turn, players cover a number on their player board, then select an action. The covered number determines the effectiveness of their action — and won’t become available again until the next round — so players need to think carefully about which number to use. After taking your action, see whether you qualify for any of the three ‘Tricks of the Trade’ cards. Each trick has a requirement that must be met before you unlock its unique ability. Once a player unlocks a trick, each of their opponents has one turn to meet the same requirement or lose access to that trick for the rest of the game. Possible actions include: Place a Foundation Tile, Build an Attraction, or Move a Guest. After seven rounds, the game ends. Players earn points from sets of the same size attractions, sets of each size of attraction, carnival barkers, guests that move all the way through your park, and their tickets.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $21

All-In (w/shipping): $72

Campaign Ends: 7/21

Game Ships: Apr. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 153% with 14 days to go.

Project: Mini Express Map Pack Expansion 1 & 2

Designers: Jay Bernardo, Tony Boydell (Alubari: A Nice Cup of Tea, Guilds of London, Snowdonia), Mark Gerrits (Mini Express, Mini Rails, SteamRollers)

Artists: Chiyami, Desnet Amane (The Flow of History), Shogun

Publisher: Moaideas Game Design (The Flow of History, Joraku, Mini Rails)

Genre/Mechanisms: american west, cube rails, expansion, network and route building, solo / solitaire game, stock holding, trains

Player Count: 1-5

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Mini Express Map Pack 1 – Taiwan & United Kingdom contains a double-sided game board with new and challenging rules for Mini Express. You conquered the Wild West. You conquered the Old World. Now, your dreams of steel and steam draw you across the ocean where new challenges and opportunities await you. It is the dawn of the 20th century. From 1895 to 1945, Taiwan was colonized by Japan. In that time, Japan heavily invested in modernizing Taiwan’s railway system around the island, with bold plans including building tunnels and tracks through mountains. In the Taiwan map for Mini Express, the white company represents Japan. Players are seeking to expand tracks across the island, especially to the 6 major cities; however, mountains pose a logistical problem. Players can at any time invest in Japanese modernization, and it indeed comes with benefits. However, the more players do business with Japan, the tighter the restrictions are in the game. Soon, you might find your influence in a company reduced to nothing if you’re not careful. The Great War has finally ended, and the UK won. The economy of the United Kingdom is exploding with opportunity. Ferries to other countries are being negotiated. Harder, better, faster locomotives are being built. Construction of the London Underground begins to flourish. And rumors float about that Parliament will unite and condense the various railways across Great Britain into only a few.

Mini Express is a strategic train game in which you and other wealthy capitalists manage four railroad companies. Through careful planning and ruthless execution, players pioneer the western expansion of the 19th century, vying to be the most influential railroad baron and complete the transcontinental railroad. Mini Express is a sequel of sorts to Mini Rails in that on a turn each player takes one of the two available actions, although otherwise the games are not similar. Your action choices are to (1) lay track to expand a company’s railroad or (2) take a stock from a company. When all the shares have been claimed from two companies or two companies have no train pieces remaining, then you complete the round and the game ends. For each good/company, you multiple the number of shares you hold by a points multiplier that’s based on how much influence you have in that good/company relative to other players. The higher your standing, the more valuable each of your shares will be. Whoever has the most points wins.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $37

All-In (w/shipping): $136

Campaign Ends: 7/28

Game Ships: Apr. 2023

Funding Status: Funding; currently at 277% with 22 days to go.

Project: Royal Hospital

Designer: Carlos Michán Amado (Medieval Realms, Wishland)

Artists: Philipp Ach (Medieval Realms, Taxi Derby, Wishland), Fran Fdez (Deadly Premonition: The Board Game, Medieval Realms, Wishland), Daniel Rosa Durán (Medieval Realms)

Publisher: Lost Games Entertainment (Medieval Realms, Wishland)

Genre/Mechanisms: end game bonuses, income, medical, open drafting

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “The premier hospital in the world—a place where the globe’s most infirm patients come to seek the very best medical treatments on the cutting edge of science. At the heart of Royal Hospital’s success is a world class medical team, led by the world’s premier physician, the Director. Change is in the air, and Royal Hospital is in need of a new director. The board is considering a small list of candidates who are currently running high-end facilities around the globe. You and a small group of the world’s best hospital managers will be put to the test to identify the next leader of this storied institution. In Royal Hospital, each player oversees the management of a hospital. Players make decisions about how to structure their hospital, how to treat their patients and where to invest their resources. At the end of the game, the player with the most victory points will be chosen as the new director to lead the Royal Hospital project.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $53

All-In (w/shipping): $77

Campaign Ends: 8/4

Game Ships: Aug. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 61% with 28 days to go.

Project: Tectonia (on Gamefound)

Designer: Hagen Behr

Artist: Nathan Park

Publisher: Hagen Behr

Genre/Mechanisms: area majority / influence, command cards, dice rolling, modular board, wargame

Player Count: 3-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Players become a chieftain of one of four different archaic tribes which wage war against the other tribes. 247 years ago Tectonia was hidden by an energy beam which lead to an burst and activity of the tectonic plates. Start your game with an individual formed world of water, grassland and rocky tiles. For the game setup you get a huge water map on which the grassland and rocky tiles where put on top. By replacing or removing the grassland and rocky tiles you create the boardgame map and change it during the game. Players collect energy income. They invest in units, buildings, battle card upgrades and terra-forming actions. Attack adjacent areas with your battle units. Battles are solved with battle dice and battle cards depending on the involved battle unit types. Establish buildings to recruit stronger units. Develop your battle cards to improve your fighting power. Random and player induced terra-forming happens during the game so be on your guard. Become the ‘Emperor of Tectonia’ by owning victory conditions or form alliances and force your opponents to surrender.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $107

All-In (w/shipping): $107, same as above

Campaign Ends: 7/26

Game Ships: Dec. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 24% with 19 days to go.