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

Project: Crimewave: California

Designers: Gemma Kaczerepa, Timothy Quill

Artist: Nache Ramos (Lift Off)

Publisher: Dull Boy Games

Genre/Mechanisms: cooperative game, deduction, dice, dice rolling, hand management, one versus many, murder / mystery, point to point movement

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “It’s 1970-something in California, hippy culture is rife, things are getting groovy, and serial murders are at their peak. Public panic is high but arrests are still low, so you and your fellow investigators (or just a bunch of friends) have been tasked with solving these heinous crimes. Three serial killers are on the loose, and it’s the group’s job to work together, find out where they’re living, arrest them, and take them to trial. Choose to play as one of the investigators roles using your detective skills to piece together clues, or take on the task of controlling the three criminals, using your wits to escape the clutches of the investigators. Move around the board, play cards to help solve or commit crimes, roll the dice to verify or leave crim escene evidence, go to trial in a courtroom face-off, and enjoy plenty of twists, turns, and true crime references along the way.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $70

All-In (w/shipping): $70, same as above

Campaign Ends: 8/15

Game Ships: Jan. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 58% with 18 days to go.

Project: Davy Jones’ Locker: The Kraken Wakes

Designers: Katie Jacob, Zachary Jacob

Artists: Daniele Nicotra, Giovanni Spadaro (High Noon)

Publishers: Katie Jacob, Zachary Jacob

Genre/Mechanisms: action / event, card game, cooperative game, dice rolling, fighting, hexagon grid, miniatures, multiple maps, nautical, pirates, role-playing, solo / solitaire game, trading, variable player powers, variable set-up

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “‘Something is lurking in the depths of Davy Jones.’ You’ve heard the stories – ships being ripped in half by a giant creature, maelstroms swallowing ships into the sea, & dead sea creatures washing ashore with strange markings. The tides are changing, & not for the better. The stories have struck fear in even the most fearless of Captains. They have decided to band together & prepare for what evil may be waking. Choose your ship, make sail to the ports, & gather everything you can to ready your ship…before it’s too late. Davy Jones’ Locker: The Kraken Wakes is a cooperative, pirate-themed game split into 2 Acts. In Act 1, players will be using up actions to move around the map & upgrade their ship as much as possible before Act 2 begins. Exploring Ports, Visiting Markets, defeating Raiding Ships, Exploring Shipwrecks, & battling Naval Ships are just a few of the ways players can gain stat increases, gold, or equipment for their ships. Throughout Act 1, players will also encounter odd stories – pods of beached whales with strange markings, pools of red in the middle of the sea, & stories of ships being dragged down to Davy Jones’ from nowhere. As the stories grow more present, so does the reason behind them: The Kraken. Once The Kraken wakes, Act 2 begins. Players will be sucked into a huge whirlpool & have to fight through the Kraken, its 8 tentacles, & ever-changing whirlpool currents. Ships will sink, but that doesn’t mean they are out of the fight. Other players can rescue the stranded crew from the sea, allowing them to man parts of their own ship & keep pushing through the battle to send the Kraken back down to Davy Jones’ Locker.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $94

All-In (w/shipping): $94, same as above

Campaign Ends: 8/25

Game Ships: July 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 80% with 28 days to go.

Project: Dead Man’s Chess

Designers: John Brannan, Virgilio ‘V’ San Andres

Artists: Hiidra Studio

Publisher: Spyglass Games (VENOM Assault)

Genre/Mechanisms: abstract strategy, campaign / battle card driven, dice rolling, semi-cooperative game, team-based game

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “In Dead Man’s Chess, players battle individually or as teams to conquer their opponents. Magic, specialty powers unique to your faction, and the ability to defend against incoming attacks are only a few of the powerful mechanics that augment the classic title into something completely different and exciting: Dead Man’s Chess. 30+ unique factions exist in the game so far with more to come. Players on their turn will roll a D6 to see if they can draw a boost card (attaches to a figure and changes how it moves or plays), draw an Epic Card (these are powerful game-changing events), or in some cases use their factions ability. Regardless of what they do they move to the Battlefield phase where they draw a card that will allow them to move up to 2 pieces if not more plus they also can make a normal move with any piece. All figures move just like normal chess figures would but that is the only tie to Chess. Don’t fear getting your King into the battle as they are your most powerful fighter and can devastate the foe and losing it doesn’t lose you the game. Throw out any preconceptions you know about classic Chess, because new moves, accelerated gameplay, and the ability to defend against incoming attacks on each and every combat sets Dead Man’s Chess far apart from its predecessor. Strategy is not enough. Luck is not enough; you will need both to win.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $90

All-In (w/shipping): $510

Campaign Ends: 8/18

Game Ships: July 2024

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

Project: Dodos Riding Dinos reprint and new Dodo Dash expansion!

Designers: William Burgos (Tricksters), Pepe Macba (Kiwi Chow Down)

Artist: Ivan Escalante (Dodos Riding Dinos, NecronomiCORP, War for Chicken Island)

Publisher: Detestable Games (Cooks & Crooks, Dodos Riding Dinos, Seat Wars)

Genre/Mechanisms: flicking, hand management, miniatures, multiple maps, prehistoric, race, racing, roll / spin and move, simultaneous action selection, take that

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A standalone game with more Dodos Riding Dinos characters and tracks that integrates with the original game. This expansion features a new way to interact with your Dodo as a projectile. In this racing-dexterity game, players throw projectiles to impede the other players from reaching the finish line first. Flick eggs, throw bananas, drop meteorites and more. During the scheming phase, all players choose a card from their hand and play it facedown. Aggressive cards (red) are stronger than normal cards (blue) but if too many players choose an Aggressive card, their effects will be cancelled. In the running phase, players resolve their cards in turn order. Advancing towards the finish line and resolving effects. Reaction cards (green) can be played to react in between turns. At the end of the round, the player in the lead advances 1 hex while the rest draw 1 card. Make sure to keep cards in your hand, otherwise you will have to go back. Projectiles is the surest way to damage your opponents or forcing their Racer to go back. Each board has a unique dynamic that will make the experience very different.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $51

All-In (w/shipping): $224, includes additional games

Campaign Ends: 8/18

Game Ships: May 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 1,158% with 21 days to go.

Project: Draconis Invasion: Collected Edition – Wrath & Glory

Designer: Jeff Lai (Draconis Invasion, Maki Stack, Nut So Fast)

Artists: Amber Harris, Jeremiah Humphries (Core Worlds: Empires), Jack Kaiser (Skytear), Alexander Kozachenko (The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – Two-Player Limited Edition Starter), Manthos Lappas (Draconis Invasion, Omen: Fires in the East)

Publisher: KEJI Inc. (Draconis Invasion, Maki Stack)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, deck building, expansion, fantasy, hand management, horror, open drafting

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “Rising up from the Draconis Invasion are new hopes of Glory. The Glory pack is a set of 3 modular mini-expansions. Glory increases gameplay options for both the base game and Wrath expansion. Champion cards add asymmetric powers that can be summoned at pivotal moments in the game. Bonus cards create changing end-game bonuses such as ‘Largest Army’ or ‘Most Terror.’ Invocation cards shift the entire flow so that a purchased card can be Invoked – bringing it forth into your hand at your beckon call.

With over five hundred beautifully illustrated cards, Draconis Invasion is a fast-paced deck-builder with hordes of invaders attacking your kingdom, and players racing to gather armies, gold, and special action cards to fight the enemy. Unlike other deck-building card games, Draconis Invasion incorporates hidden campaign cards that reward points for killing specific Invaders, Terror cards and the Terror Die that add a doomsday clock so that your armies become tired and weak as time passes, and triggered Event cards that target the game-leader with potentially disastrous effects. Kill six Invaders or exhaust the Events cards to end the game. When the dust settles, only one hero will stand victorious as the realm’s greatest champion.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $26

All-In (w/shipping): $208

Campaign Ends: 8/24

Game Ships: July 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 239% with 27 days to go.

Project: Euthia Resurrected

Designers: Markéta Bláhová, Tadeáš Spousta

Artists: Iveta Doležalová, Jiří Dvorský, Petr Štich

Publisher: Steamforged Games Ltd. (Dark Souls: The Board Game, Guild Ball, Resident Evil 2: The Board Game)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, cooperative game, dice rolling, exploration, fantasy, fighting, grid movement, hand management, hexagon grid, map addition, miniatures, modular board, movement points, role playing, solo / solitaire game, variable player powers, variable set-up

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: heavy

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “An open-world sandbox RPG strategy that can be played competitively, cooperatively, or solo. Choose one of six heroes with different play styles and unique ability trees and embark on a wide range of epic, fantasy adventures through infinitely replayable scenarios. Wander through an expanding open world generated by modular map tiles that will be different every time you play. Discover areas where you can fight monsters, gather resources, trade with merchants, pursue side quests, and confront elemental powers. Your actions grant you reputation and wealth so you can develop your hero by unlocking new abilities and customizing your equipment.”

Steamforged Games Ltd. has given Euthia a second lease on life, coming to Diea Games’ rescue after their recent, cancelled Gamefound campaign and the simultaneous shuttering of their company. With Steamforged Games’ help, Euthia, and Diea Games themselves are resurrected!

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $208

All-In (w/shipping): $465

Campaign Ends: 8/5

Game Ships: Dec. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 938% with 8 days to go.

Project: HE.R.O – The Emergency Room Boardgame

Designer: Peter Schappacher

Artist: Peter Schappacher

Publisher: Eely River Games

Genre/Mechanisms: cooperative game, humor, medical, miniatures, turn order: pass order, worker placement

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “In HE.R.O you are a recently gratuated doctor who needs to serve the first nighshift at the E.R. You will manage patients, upgrade your skills to treat complicated cases, try to get enough sleep and all while not causing too much Chaos.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $97

All-In (w/shipping): $139

Campaign Ends: 8/25

Game Ships: May 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 27% with 28 days to go.

Project: Intergalactic Ace (on Gamefound)

Designer: Jack Casdorph

Artist: Jack Casdorph

Publisher: Art of Steel

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, aviation / flight, card game, critical hits and failures, dice, dice rolling, fighting, humor, race, resource to move, science fiction, space exploration, stat check resolution, wargame

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “You are a hotshot, rookie fighter pilot. You are looking to prove you have what it takes to be the best in the galaxy by being the first of your opponents to get 5 Kills and become an Intergalactic Ace. In the simple, strategy/chance game, Intergalactic Ace, players compete to be the first to shoot down 5 enemy ships. Upgrade your ship to prepare for battle, take your chances in Dogfights against Enemy Cards, and go head-to-head with other players to steal their hard-earned Kills. Each game comes with 6 beautiful laser-cut wooden spaceships to keep track of each players’ stats and Kill count. Additionally, each game has 50 stat marker pegs, 32 kill markers, 50 cards, and 2 dice.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $45

All-In (w/shipping): $45, same as above

Campaign Ends: 9/5

Game Ships: Oct. 2022

Funding Status: Currently at 10% with 40 days to go.

Project: Junk Drawer

Designer: David Smith (10 Gallon Tank)

Artists: Asha Farmer, Sebastian Koziner (Bullet, Dice Hospital, Heroes of Terrinoth)

Publisher: Winsmith Games (10 Gallon Tank)

Genre/Mechanisms: puzzle, tile placement

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Players organize their junk drawer by carefully arranging various shaped items within the four sections. Each section has a unique organizational goal and each round, players must place one item in each section. At the end of the game, each section earns points based on how well they are organized.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $45

All-In (w/shipping): $45, same as above

Campaign Ends: 8/25

Game Ships: July 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 39% with 28 days to go.

Project: Pandemonium Estate (on Gamefound)

Designer: Christopher Bowden

Artists: Phoebe Azucena, Sam Petrie

Publisher: Winter Moon Games

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, dice rolling, highest-lowest scoring, modular board, pick-up and deliver, point to point movement, scenario / mission / campaign game, take that, victory points as a resource

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “An Otherworldly, Thematic Adventure board game taking place in an inter-dimensional mansion that exists between worlds and time. The heart of the mansion, the Verge Portal, consumes objects and people from the many worlds it visits, trapping them in the mansion against their will. Players can choose to play one of three full-length, replayable thematic Storyline modes as one of eight playable characters with their own unique Traits. Regardless of the chosen Storyline, players must complete various tasks in order to gain enough Essence (Victory Points) to return to their home world.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $79

All-In (w/shipping): $79, same as above

Campaign Ends: 8/25

Game Ships: June 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 21% with 29 days to go.

Project: Primordial Secrets

Designer: Garth Avery

Artist: Hanna Lisowska

Publisher: GL HF Games

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, deck building, fantasy, open drafting, secret unit deployment, simultaneous action selection

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Before the birth of time itself, great abyssals patrolled the darkness, guarding the secrets of the unborn cosmos. Infernals held court in their fantastic ballrooms, connoisseurs of decadence and indulgence. And most unfathomable of all, the celestials shaped, guided, created and molded. In Primordial Secrets, players must send their obedient pawns to entreat these all-powerful titans for their aid and guidance, all while playing a strange and dangerous game of flamboyant intrigue. If a player’s visitors have enough devotion, they will return with strong new allies, and with enough insight they could even uncover a dark secret guarded by a rival. Meanwhile, your deceitful hosts will try to lure the emissaries and party guests sent by your opponents to your sacrificial altar. The game ends when a player has collected six sacrifices or stolen six secrets, and the unborn universe shall be theirs alone to rule.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $57

All-In (w/shipping): $57, same as above

Campaign Ends: 8/25

Game Ships: May 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 63% with 28 days to go.

Project: Resonance (on Gamefound)

Designer: Sergio Matsumoto (Apogee, Efemeris, Light Hunters: Battalion of Darkness)

Artist: Manon “Stripes” Potier (Apogee, Efemeris, Light Hunters: Battalion of Darkness)

Publisher: DTDA Games (Apogee, Efemeris, Light Hunters: Battalion of Darkness)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, fantasy, hand management, variable phase order

Player Count: 3-8

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “A wicked game of observation and manipulation, set during a hazardous ritual of black magic. Your quest for revenge has brought you this far, where the border of Hell is the most fragile. You will need a full lunar month to open a passage and summon the demon that will serve you. But you are not the only one to have had the idea of playing with the dark forces to achieve your purpose. Demonstrate skill, determination and of course spells to ensure the pursuit of your goals. Game rounds are nothing more than the different phases of the Moon. Each phase of the Moon corresponds to a slot on the summoning circle, and you have Ritual Objects such as Herbs, Minerals and Potions to place on these 8 slots. If the right combination of Ritual Objects resonates with the Moons, you pass one of the 3 steps required to summon your demon. The first witch to complete the summoning ritual wins the game. Play quickly to leave no respite to your opponents, carefully manipulate the course of this adventure and above all do not let victory escape you.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $29

All-In (w/shipping): $57

Campaign Ends: 8/15

Game Ships: July 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 66% with 18 days to go.

Project: Return to Dark Tower Second Printing and New Covenant Expansion (on Backerkit)

Designers: Tim Burrell-Saward, Isaac Childres (Forge War, Gloomhaven, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion), Noah Cohen (Betrayal Legacy, Unmatched: Battle of Legends Volume Two, Unmatched: Little Red Riding Hood vs. Beowulf), Rob Daviau (Cthulhu: Death May Die, Pandemic Legacy: Season 0, Pandemic Legacy: Season 1, Pandemic Legacy: Season 2, Unmatched: Cobble & Fog), Justin D. Jacobson (Downforce, Unmatched: Battle of Legends Volume One, Unmatched: Cobble & Fog, Unmatched: Jurassic Park – InGen vs Raptors, Unmatched: Robin Hood vs. Bigfoot), Brian Neff (Betrayal Legacy, Unmatched: Battle of Legends Volume Two, Unmatched: Little Red Riding Hood vs. Beowulf)

Artists: JJ Ariosa (Evolution, Mice and Mystics, Roll Player, Summoner Wars, Summoner Wars: Master Set), James Bousema, Tim Burrell-Saward (Beasts of Balance), Lindsay Daviau, Hakan Diniz, Chad Hoverter (Heroes of Land, Air & Sea; Mice and Mystics; Specter Ops), Garrett Kaida (Football Highlights 2052, Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition, Unmatched: Battle of Legends Volume One), Qistina Khalidah, Jason D. Kingsley (Adventure Tactics: Domianne’s Tower, The Game, Dead Men Tell No Tales), Punga Miniatures, Jason Taylor (Downforce, Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar, Risk Legacy)

Publisher: Restoration Games (Downforce, Unmatched: Battle of Legends Volume One, Unmatched: Cobble & Fog, Unmatched: Jurassic Park – InGen vs Raptors, Unmatched: Robin Hood vs. Bigfoot)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, area movement, cooperative game, drop tower, electronic, events fantasy, fighting, push your luck, random production, scenario / mission / campaign game, solo / solitaire game, sudden death ending, trading, variable player powers, variable set-up

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “This new Covenant expansion offers a whole new challenge to solve and four new heroes to use in this expansion or in the base game. Can you make offerings to the Gods of Light before wastelands consume the four Kingdoms? Can you leverage these monuments to save the day? Can you survive against the inexorable assault of doomskulls? The challenge awaits.

In this ‘sequel’ to the 1981 grail game, players take the role of heroes, gathering resources, cleansing buildings, defeating monsters, and undertaking quests to build up their strength and discern what foe ultimately awaits them. When the heroes face the tower, the game shifts into its dramatic second act, where the players have one chance to defeat the enemy once and for all. The game features both cooperative and competitive modes of play. The game features traditional game mechanisms, such as engine building and resource management, paired with a technological interface unlike any seen before in games, including the titular tower, which holds more than a few secrets.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $85

All-In (w/shipping): $359

Campaign Ends: 8/16

Game Ships: July 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 217% with 20 days to go.