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

Project: Gunshin: Three Kingdoms

Designer: Edison Wong

Artist: Andrii Akhtyrskyi

Publisher: Edison Wong

Genre/Mechanisms: ancient, area movement, campaign / battle card driven, card game, cooperative game, dice, dice rolling, hand management, measured movement, miniatures, player elimination, resource to move, role playing, territory building, turn order: progressive, wargame

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A competitive or cooperative historic battle game set in the miracle era of ancient China – Three Kingdoms – where battles were fought, power was seized, and heroes were born. Each player controls and manages a campaign, which possesses cities, armies, heroes, and gold, aiming to defeat enemies and conquer China. Heroes, in addition to playing an important part in history, also serve a crucial role in the pursuit of victory of the game, where each Hero has its own specialized ability(ies) and corresponding types of troops (cavalry, archer, infantry). Players are faced with unlimited strategic decisions ready to be made – strategies behind how the player allocates resources, how he/she controls the map and orchestrates beneficial battles, how, when, and where to deploy appropriate Heroes and troops, and even how to negotiate with other players – all of which will be the key to victory. Players are encouraged to implement new strategies and tackle situations in different ways, ensuring no two games play alike. With a realistic landscape game board, the richness of historic content, and multi-dimensional gameplay mechanisms and strategies, players can immerse themselves in an unprecedented, revolutionary experience.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $116

All-In (w/shipping): $449

Campaign Ends: 8/7

Game Ships: July 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 8% with 29 days to go.

Project: Neko Boss

Designer: Mitsuo Yamamoto (King’s Valley, Kozo)

Artist: Mitsuo Yamamoto (King’s Valley, Kozo)

Publishers: Logy Games (King’s Valley, Kozo)

Genre/Mechanisms: abstract strategy, tile placement

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “An abstract cat game. Players move their cats around Neko(cat) Town to take control of the streets. When the cat stack grows those cats can travel further. Also, the top cat on the stack is the one that controls that stack of cats. The board consists of 24 intersections and paths. During the Placement Phase, players place their pieces on the board, at intersections, in player order. During the Moving Phase, players take turns moving one of their stacks a number of spaces equal to the height of the stack, possibly stacking it onto another stack. A stack is owned by the player whose piece is on top. The game ends when a player cannot make a legal move. Then, each player counts how many stacks with four or more pieces they have. The player with the most stacks wins, In the event of a ties, the player with the highest stack wins.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $26 (2 player version)

All-In (w/shipping): $46 (2-4 player version)

Campaign Ends: 7/23

Game Ships: Sep. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 460% with 14 days to go.

Project: Supply Chain

Designer: Mike Cal Cahalan

Artists: Bradley Port, Alexander Terokhin

Publishers: Die Bad Die Games

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, chaining, city building, economic, hand management, income, network and route building, tile placement

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A combination of Tetris, rummy, Sim City, and dominos. Buy properties and build your business empire. But make sure all your suppliers are linked, or it can all fall apart. Each player starts with a main office and a family business. Players buy, sell, and trade properties to grow a sprawling cityscape. All cards have links so you may connect a producer with its suppliers. Watch out for run-down derelict properties that your competitors might stick on you. When all the properties are gone, the game is over. Players add up their victory points to determine the winner. Different properties vary in point values. An Iron Mine might have only 1 VP while the coveted Department Store has 10 VP.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $37

All-In (w/shipping): $37, same as above

Campaign Ends: 8/8

Game Ships: Nov. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 7% with 20 days to go.