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

Project: Bagh Chal

Designers: Krisztina Felmery, Tamas Leidal

Artist: Ivett Perlaky

Publisher: Lemery Games

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

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A traditional abstract game that is popular in Nepal. The name roughly translates to ‘Tigers Moving.’ It is an abstract strategy game with an asymmetric setup, i.e. a different number of pieces per side (like Hnefatafl and its ilk). One opponent plays four tiger pieces and the other plays twenty goats. The board bears a passing resemblance to a chinese chess board in that the pieces move along lines from intersection to intersection. However, the gameplay is more similar to Alquerque, checkers, or draughts. At the start of the game, there are four tigers on the board while there are no goats. The goat player places his/her pieces on the board one by one wherever they choose, with the tiger player getting a move between each placing. Once all the goats are on the board, the two players take turns moving one of their pieces one space. A tiger can alternatively capture a single goat by jumping over it in a line to an empty space. The tigers win if they can capture five goats. The goal for the goats (who cannot make captures) is to hem the tigers in, giving them no opportunity to move or jump. It is one variant from a family of similar Asian games played with varying numbers of tigers/leopards/goats/cows/etc and varying board topologies. See also Cows and Leopards and Fox and Geese. Games played on exactly the same board layout (same lines connecting the intersections and same size) include the traditional Spanish Alquerque and Fanoron-Dimy, the smaller variant of Fanorona from Madagascar.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $4, but it’s pay what you want and that is the minimum, a $1 pledge plus $3 in worldwide shipping

All-In (w/shipping): $4, same as above

Campaign Ends: 7/26

Game Ships: Mar. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 405% with 18 days to go.

Project: The Third World War, Designer Signature Edition

Designer: Frank Chadwick (A House Divided: War Between the States 1861-65, Imperium: Empires in Conflict – Worlds in the Balance, The Third World War: Battle for Germany)

Artist: Bruce Yearian (Amerika Bomber: Evil Queen of the Skies, Blue Water Navy: The War at Sea, The Russian Campaign)

Publishers: Compass Games (Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939; Enemy Action: Ardennes; The Russian Campaign)

Genre/Mechanisms: dice rolling, grid movement, hexagon grid, modern warfare, simulation, wargame

Player Count: 1-8

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “This edition of The Third World War features many new enhancements and larger counters and is another Classic Reborn. The complete Third World War game series is included which is comprised of the following four games: Third World War (subtitled Battle for Germany) is a game of the struggle for central Europe by the forces of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits adds Bulgaria and Romania, reinforced with three Soviet armies and special-capability forces, face Greece, Turkey, and Yugoslavia, thinly reinforced with a few elite units from the U.S., France, and Italy. Arctic Front: Battle for Norway covers the Soviet Leningrad Front, with its special airborne, amphibious, and arctic-equipped contingents, assault of Norway, reinforced with a few elite units from the U.S., Britain, Canada, and other NATO nations. Persian Gulf: Battle for the Middle East includes a special ‘game within a game,’ covering the diplomatic, political, and military maneuvers by the Soviet Union and the United States in the Middle East before – and leading to – the general outbreak of the Third World War. For the not faint of heart, combined game rules are provided to cover the entire Third World War that combines all four games in the series for a truly memorable gaming experience. This Designer Signature edition pays tribute to the classic Frank Chadwick game series by honoring the original game system and keeping it fully intact (no design changes made), while introducing many enhancements for game play purposes.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $74

All-In (w/shipping): $255

Campaign Ends: 7/10

Game Ships: Dec. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 928% with 2 days to go.