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

Project: Mini Meeple Melee

Designer: Aaron Bilyeu

Artists: Melanie Bilyeu

Publisher: The Baron’s Game Room

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, fighting, grid movement, medieval, variable player powers, variable set-up

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A combat arena game you can carry anywhere. 2-4 players select from 6 unique classes and battle in 1 of 3 different modes to the death. You can fight in free-for-all fights, team matches, or boss battles. For such a small package, the battlefield is surprisingly modular. Select your terrain, place the crates and magic circles, and position the tins. Then you’re ready to drop in and start brawling. Each turn you can perform 2 actions. Basic actions include moving, resting, or taking cover. You can also use 1 of your characters unique skills, usually to attack your opponents.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $24

All-In (w/shipping): $24, same as above

Campaign Ends: 9/14

Game Ships: Oct. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 54% with 28 days to go.

Project: Nanolith

Designers: Marc Schwämmlein, Maximilian Witt

Artists: Douglas Duarte (Anime Saga, Connecting Flights), August Graham Nakamura

Publisher: Woodpecker Games

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, ancient, comic book / strip, cooperative game, dice, dice rolling, dungeon crawler, finale ending, legacy game, miniatures, narrative choice / paragraph, role-playing, science fiction

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A cyberpunk-dungeon crawler with heavy RPG elements. The game is played in two books (the Encounter Book and the Storybook) which present the players with the fatalistic story of the four main characters and their quest to retrieve their lost memories. The Encounter Book artwork, scenario maps, and comics tell the progressing story of a human civilization on the brink of extinction. Scenario outcomes, items the players get during the encounters, and player decisions referencing text sections in the storybook advance story set in the world of Nanolith. Depending on player decisions and the outcome of scenarios, the narrative paths of the story diverge greatly. Mechanics bring the unique skill sets of each character to life, providing a deep tactical, cooperative experience– through the use of five six-sided activation dice movement, item activation, and special skills activated by the players. Fear not the bad luck of rolling a hand full of dice. Mitigation mechanics allow you to manipulate the value of your rolled dice if you need to power up your mightiest abilities. But every power comes with a price. The more you push your luck the harder your character may fall. Overusing your body’s nano-machines will eventually overcharge the nano-lith inscribed in your DNA, nano-shocking you, but also allowing you to use one mighty character specific nano-shock ability for free. The more often you do this, the closer you bring your precious character to the threshold between life and death. Choose you weapons wisely. Most importantly, Nanolith is a game of adventure and storytelling where player decisions have a heavy impact on the story.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $92

All-In (w/shipping): $126

Campaign Ends: 9/14

Game Ships: June 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 549% with 28 days to go.