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

Project: Aquamarine

Designers: Matthew Dunstan (Adventure Games: The Dungeon, Elysium, Pioneer Days), Rory Muldoon (Pier 18, Skora, Voyages)

Artist: Rory Muldoon (Skora, Tinderblox, Voyages)

Publisher: Postmark Games (Voyages)

Genre/Mechanisms: dice rolling, nautical, paper-and-pencil, print & play, roll-and-write

Player Count: 1-100

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Dive deep down into the ocean and discover a vibrant underwater world in this exciting single-sheet print at home game. Manage your oxygen reserves as you plunge beneath the ocean surface. Will you seek out fish and coral in the narrow sea caves? Or race to be first to reach the ocean floor? On a turn 2 dice are rolled for all players. Using one of the dice results, players will mark their game sheets to show the position of their diver. The lower value dice might limit your options, but if you pick the higher value, you must use an amount of O2 equal to the difference. Choosing when to strike out is vital for seeing the most on your limited time beneath the waves!”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $5

All-In (w/shipping): $5, same as above

Campaign Ends: 7/31

Game Ships: Aug. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 1,144% with 10 days to go.

Project: burncycle: New Recruits + Series Reprint (on Gamefound)

Designers: Josh J. Carlson (Cloudspire, Too Many Bones, Too Many Bones: Undertow), Shannon Wedge (burncycle)

Artists: Yoann Boissonnet (Blood Bowl: Team Manager – The Card Game, The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, Manions of Madness: Second Edition), Anthony LeTourneau (Cloudspire, Too Many Bones, Too Many Bones: Undertow)

Publisher: Chip Theory Games (Cloudspire, Too Many Bones, Too Many Bones: Undertow)

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, action queue, adventure, cooperative game, dice, dice rolling, die icon resolution, exploration, grid movement, modular board, moving multiple units, resource to move, puzzle, scenario / mission / campaign game, science fiction, spies / secret agents, solo / solitaire game, variable player powers, variable set-up

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: heavy

Risk: low

Summary: “Each player is assigned a Pack, consisting of 2 Dinosaurs, that journey alongside the Herd. The Herd is a central pool of dinosaurs that will interact with each other. Use each Dinosaur’s unique ability to manipulate the Herd to your advantage. Carnivores eat other Dinos and score from the rising body count while Herbivores grow the Herd, and earn points by defending it against the Carnivore’s onslaught. Manipulate game end events to your advantage base on the type of Dinosaurs in your pack. The player with most points, wins.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $60

All-In (w/shipping): $475

Campaign Ends: 7/29

Game Ships: Mar. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 167% with 9 days to go.

Project: Dracula: Fangs & Pitchforks

Designers: Morten Fausing, Jacob Lindborg

Artist: Mihajlo Dimitrievski (Architects of the West Kingdom, Imperium: Classics,Paladins of the West Kingdom, Raiders of the North Sea, Viscounts of the West Kingdom)

Publisher: Luudos Studio

Genre/Mechanisms: deduction, hidden roles, humor, party game

Player Count: 3-8

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A social deduction game. In Dracula all players are arguing for their life, convincing Dracula not to eat them while having a hidden agenda. Welcome to Transylvania where the local Villagers have received the unwanted pleasure of joining Dracula for dinner. One player will be the famous Count and the rest will be Villagers trying to convince Dracula that anyone else would make a better meal. Players will take turns using Excuse cards to craft their plea’s and take cues from Act cards to support their plea. But watch out, your fellow Villagers might stab you in the back using their Excuse cards to save their own skin. The game ends, when all players have had their round as Dracula. All players count their Victory tokens. The player with the most Victory Points is the winner.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $34

All-In (w/shipping): $75

Campaign Ends: 8/9

Game Ships: Nov. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 14% with 19 days to go.

Project: Era of Kingdoms 2nd Edition and New Expansion: 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, civilization, 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 of strategy and player interaction. Each turn provides players an 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): $40

All-In (w/shipping): $75

Campaign Ends: 8/16

Game Ships: Nov. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 104% with 26 days to go.

Project: Moonrakers: Titan

Designers: Max Anderson (Moonrakers, Mythic Mischief, Veiled Fate), Zac Dixon (Moonrakers, Mythic Mischief, Veiled Fate), Austin Harrison (Moonrakers, Mythic Mischief, Veiled Fate)

Artists: Michael Cribbs, Hazal Hidir, Kelly Nakamura, Lunar Saloon (Moonrakers), Glenn Thomas, Christina Young

Publisher: IV Studio (Moonrakers, Mythic Mischief, Veiled Fate)

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, deck building, dice rolling, expansion, hand management, negotiation, science fiction, team-based game, trading

Player Count: 1-5

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “In the Binding Ties Expansion, players gain additional rewards from allying with each other as they gain Faction Reputation with the great houses that each player represents. Each player has a new Faction Reputation Terminal on which they track their relationship with the various factions, gaining Reputation when they complete a Contract with a great houses’ champion, or losing it if they fail. The Reputation can mean the difference between completing a Contract or failing, as it can be spent for various rewards like gaining cards or actions, but if carefully saved throughout the game it can even mean gaining additional Prestige.

The Nomad expansion adds global events, overhauls the Contract system,and adds new prototype Ship Parts to the game. Each turn a new Event card is revealed. These events can provide challenges, rewards, or even allow players to vote on policies that change the rules. Each Moonrakers faction operates out of their own sector and offers Contracts that align with its goals. Players travel between these sectors to find Contracts that fit their strengths.

The Overload expansion adds new Advanced Action Cards, Contract types, and tokens called IOspheres. Overload also doubles the number of Ship Parts and Crew in the game. Players can discover new synergies and advanced mechanics, allowing them to gain more control of their deck composition.

Moonrakers is a deck-building game in which players choose Contracts to attempt alone or with Allies in order to gain Prestige and Credits. After negotiating terms with Allies, players use their decks of Action cards to play Thrusters, Shields, Weapons, Reactors, and Crew to fulfill the requirements on each Contract. Each type of Action card has additional effects such as extra Actions, drawing additional cards, and protecting players from Hazards encountered while attempting Contracts. Players create powerful decks and gain special abilities by upgrading their ships and hiring Crew Members. This helps them accomplish more difficult and rewarding contracts alone, letting them keep more Prestige and Credits for themselves. Allies negotiate who will receive the Prestige, Credits, and risk of Hazard from Contracts, but if you don’t make your offers enticing enough players may be tempted to betray you. The first player to 10 Prestige wins, but be careful as hazards encountered on Contracts reduce your Prestige.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $50

All-In (w/shipping): $194

Campaign Ends: 8/13

Game Ships: Mar. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 1,075% with 24 days to go.

Project: NEXUS: Arena Combat System (on Gamefound)

Designers: Jason Goike, J. Scott Rumptz

Artists: Helge C. Balzer (The Ninth World: A Skillbuilding Game for Numenara, Stargrave: Science Fiction Wargames in the Ravaged Galaxy), Danny Cruz, Dongjun Lu (Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood), Chenthooran Nambiarooran (True Messiah), Stephen Oakley, Michael Rechlin (Kings of War), Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe (Eragra: The Game of Eras and the First Step), Pedro Sena (Deep Madness)

Publisher: D-Verse Publishing

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, betting and bluffing, dice rolling, fighting, grid movement, mature / adult, miniatures, paper-and-pencil, role playing, science fiction, variable player powers

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A story-driven arena combat game that takes place on poorly maintained space barges. Packed with rabid and bloodthirsty fans, these barges feature an array of deadly hazards that are designed to indiscriminately kill or injure both combatants. These hazards range from floor saws that tear across the arena floors to pits that are home to monstrosities just looking for something to eat. Full of beautifully illustrated and amusingly inappropriate cards and lore, each match leaves you with a story to tell and laughs to be had by all. NEXUS puts classic tabletop gaming tools like dice, pen, and paper to good use to pit genetically engineered champions against one another in visceral combat. The skirmish mode has just the right amount of depth, complexity, and self-generating narrative to make each match exhilarating. Dive even deeper with RPG legacy features and build your wealth and influence allowing for countless upgrades and bribes.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $147

All-In (w/shipping): $147, same as above

Campaign Ends: 8/16

Game Ships: Dec. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 2,364% with 58 days to go.

Project: PaleoVet

Designer: William Thompson

Artists: Brigette Indelicado, Ellie Kirkner, Zuzana Randáková

Publisher: Absurdist Productions (Churrascaria: A Cutthroat Game of Gluttony)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, dice, dice rolling, deck building, die icon resolution, open drafting, re-rolling and locking, science fiction, set collection

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Players take turns drafting dinosaur cards from a central river, rolling dice, and spending dice icons for various effects, most notably curing sick and injured dinosaurs. Each dinosaur card lists which icons are needed to cure it, and effect, victory points, its genetic order, and diet. Dinosaur effects can occur when the dinosaur appears in the center of the table when it is added to your hospital, or while it remains in your hospital. Play continues until one of the card piles in the center of the table is empty. The round is completed, then all players total the points on their cured dinosaurs.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $53

All-In (w/shipping): $73

Campaign Ends: 8/18

Game Ships: July 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 97% with 28 days to go.

Project: Quodd Heroes 2nd Edition

Designer: Ryan Iler (Quodd Heroes)

Artists: Raquel Grisales, Ryan Iler (Cubitos, Quodd Heroes), Kamila Szutenberg (The Arrival)

Publisher: Wonderment Games (Quodd Heroes)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, cooperative game, events, exploration, fantasy, fighting, miniatures, movement points, multiple maps, pick-up and deliver, puzzle, race, scenario / mission / campaign game, slide / push, take that, team-based game, video game theme

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “You are a cube-shaped hero in a dangerous, sometimes chaotic, but always fun-filled world. Choose a scenario, gather your friends, select your Heroes and prepare yourselves for loads of fast-paced adventure. In order to move around the board, a Quodd must tumble. Tumbling activates one of five upgradable movement skills, or your Q skill (is it Q-Power?) based on the side of your Hero that is facing up after you tumble. While moving, you’ll be interacting with special board obstacles and tiles like raging rivers, springs, teleporters, dangerous pits, and of course your opponents (or teammates). But don’t worry, I’m sure your friends always have your best interests at heart. Along your journey, be sure to collect the crystals you find on the board. They’ll activate special abilities unique to your Hero, but be careful—other Heroes can steal the crystals you’re carrying. During your turn you will also discover food, runes and other useful stuff to enhance your natural abilities, modify the board, and slow down your opponents. Out in the world you’ll also occasionally find secrets, usually hidden away in difficult to reach places, but always worth the journey as they often contain game-changing advantages for your Hero. A Hero who slows down by activating their Q will also discover the secrets of the world which are available only to those who look for them. At the end of your turn you will read an event card out loud. Event cards affect all players, but don’t panic, usually nothing bad happens… and sometimes they’ll even invite you to upgrade your Hero. The game includes miniatures and eight illustrated, infinitely-replayable scenario maps, each offering a fun new challenge. Scenarios include races, Rallies, pick-up-and-deliver challenges, and team games like capture the crystal, sheep soccer and more. On top of all that, the Quodd Heroes game system is truly a sandbox and lends itself to quick and easy building of your own home-crafted scenarios—the sky’s the limit.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $53

All-In (w/shipping): $583

Campaign Ends: 8/12

Game Ships: Sep. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 51% with 22 days to go.

Project: Silver Coin: Age of Monster Hunters

Designer: Lan Krajnčič

Artists: Marko Ilić, Rok Malovrh

Publisher: Bona Fide Games

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, auction: fixed contracts, cooperative game, dice rolling, fantasy, fighting, hand management, hidden victory points, movement points, mythology, open drafting, point to point movement, push your luck, solo / solitaire game, travel, variable phase order, variable player powers, variable set-up, victory points as a resource

Player Count: 1-5

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: heavy

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A solo, cooperative, or competitive game where players travel the map in search of missions to slay the monsters that are troubling the people of six kingdoms. The game is set in the fantasy realm of Atosia, a great continent that spans across the known world. It is divided into six big kingdoms, each carrying its own history, culture, and mysteries. The world has survived a great calamity that struck the land eighty years ago. Ever since things have changed and the continent has seen a sudden spike of creatures old and new that plague the land and are troubling the local populace. Amongst all of that, individuals have appeared who took advantage of this situation and will do anything, including slaying these so-called monsters, if it means they get a bag of coins in return. In Silver Coin: Age of Monster Hunters, you are playing as one of these monster hunters. You travel the land in search of missions that will, if successfully completed, grant you rewards in the form of coins. But to successfully tackle all the challenges thrown your way, you will need to learn some magic, gather the knowledge about the very things you need to kill and equip yourself with items and skills that will help you on your journey. Each turn players will draft cards, play cards, and buy special action cards or dice, then they will use their tokens to choose the actions they will take each turn in an attempt to optimize their way through the game. Be resourceful, be strong, take the long path or the quick, the easy way or the hard, but most of all, make sure that when the game comes to an end, you are the one with the biggest bag of those silver coins.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $109

All-In (w/shipping): $180

Campaign Ends: 8/11

Game Ships: Nov. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 385% with 21 days to go.

Project: Star Realms Rise of Empire

Designers: Robert Dougherty (Ascension: Storm of Souls, Hero Realms, Star Realms, Star Realms: Colony Wars, Star Realms: Frontiers), Darwin Kastle (Hero Realms, Star Realms, Star Realms: Colony Wars, Star Realms: Frontiers)

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Wise Wizard Games (Hero Realms, Star Realms, Star Realms: Colony Wars, Star Realms: Frontiers)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 player only games, card game, deck building, delayed purchase, fighting, hand management, legacy game, open drafting, scenario / mission / campaign game, science fiction, take that

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: low

Summary: “A new standalone pre-quel to the popular Star Realm series game with 141 cards, and a 12-game legacy scenario campaign. Rise of Empire introduces three brand new factions: the Consortium, the Scavengers, and the Kingdom. Rise of Empire will take players on an epic adventure over the course of 12 scenarios where players will permanently alter the market deck cards while tracking their battle wins and losses. Players will compete to achieve various objectives, earning them Campaign Victory Points and unlocking the secrets of the worlds around them. Rise of Empire can be played stand-alone or combined with all previous Star Realms content after you’ve finished the campaign.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $84

All-In (w/shipping): $104

Campaign Ends: 8/11

Game Ships: July 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 1,257% with 22 days to go.

Project: Utopia (on Gamefound)

Designer: James Henchman-Price

Artist: Radu Paul Mazanec (Lawklivya: Vengeance)

Publisher: Gravity Games

Genre/Mechanisms: cooperative game, narrative choice / paragraph, open drafting, science fiction, solo / solitaire game, worker placement with different worker types

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Control a shadowy 24th century faction, hell-bent on reordering history to set off a chain reaction which will bring about your utopian vision for the world. At your disposal is a fleet of chronoships, capable of traversing all four dimensions of space and time. You will hunt through all of history to hire the brightest minds to your cause, and each will be given command of one of your precious chronoships. However, you are not the only one with a grand vision for the future and must watch out for rivals, who will attempt to meddle with your plans. The aim of this worker placement game is to be the first to complete three Butterfly Effect Missions. These are iconic moments in history, from the rise of the Roman Empire to the Industrial Revolution, from the Second World War to the colonisation of Mars. Each Butterfly Effect Mission will require knowledge to be collected or technology to be developed. Chronoships travel through wormholes to visit different locations in space and time, known as Time Zones (TZs). There are 12 TZs in total, TZ1 represents the ancient past, whereas TZ12 represents the distant future. New Alternate TZs will also spawn throughout the game, the ‘Butterfly Effect’ of players meddling with the space-time continuum. Each player will start by drafting two crew-members to activate their first two Chronoships. These crew-members will be famous people from history or the future and each will have different primary and secondary abilities. It is possible to control an additional three Chronoships by recruiting new crew-members to command them. Primary abilities enhance the collection of one of five types of knowledge: Military, Exploration, Science, Politics or Culture. Secondary abilities come in 13 varieties which will help the player to compete with their rivals, ranging from Merchants to Medics, from Spies to Superstars. Utopia provides a unique experience every time, as the combination of different crew-members, technologies and missions call for the constant revision of player strategies.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $116

All-In (w/shipping): $476, includes vanity reward

Campaign Ends: 8/19

Game Ships: July 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 14% with 29 days to go.

Project: Win-Win Island

Designer: Dave Walsh

Artist: Andi O’Briant

Publisher: DandiLion Productions

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, alliances, children’s game, city-building, civilization, communication limits, cooperative game, dice rolling, economic, events, exploration, market, matching, math, modular board, move through deck, movement points, negotiation, ownership, political, resource to move, roll / spin and move, semi-cooperative game, set collection, simulation, storytelling, territory building, track movement, trading, travel, turn order: pass order, variable set-up

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A mostly co-operative board game, where win-win deals are the key to victory. While playing you are swept away to a beautiful island. Where more than one of you, or even all of you might win. Each player has just been elected the leader or their town, and their goal is to make the lives of their friends and neighbors better by improving their village’s standard of living, thus proving to be a leader worthy of support. Thanks to the win-win dynamics built into the design of this game, you will find yourself able to cheer FOR your fellow players, while trading with them. You will build your town, explore your island, help your people, and maybe even get re-elected as leader of your village. This game was designed to allow you to play a different way with the people you love and support in real life. You can happily support them while playing too, because it is often good for you when good things happen for the other players.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $49

All-In (w/shipping): $49, same as above

Campaign Ends: 8/18

Game Ships: July 2023

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