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

Project: Almost Innocent

Designer: Philippe Attali

Artist: Satoshi Matsuura (Hidden Leaders)

Publisher: Kolossal Games (Mezo, Omen: A Reign of War, Western Legends)

Genre/Mechanisms: cooperative game, deduction, give a clue / get a clue, memory, scenario / mission / campaign game, variable set-up

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “A co-operative deduction game with a progressive story in which your teammates must work together across different scenarios to prove your innocence. Each player will be responsible for the solution of another player. Turn after turn, each player asks select questions that will help not only them, but everyone else playing as well. The goal is to find out who committed the crime, with what weapon, and where before time runs out.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $42

All-In (w/shipping): $42, same as above

Campaign Ends: 9/20

Game Ships: May 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 117% with 20 days to go.

Project: The Compass Archive

Designer: John Clowdus (Mezo, Neolithic, Omen: A Reign of War)

Artist: Aaron Nakahara (Ascension: Dreamscape, Ascension X: War of Shadows, Shards of Infinity)

Publisher: Small Box Games (Hemloch, Neolithic, Omen: A Reign of War)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 player only games, action points, card game, deck building, end game bonuses, fantasy, hand management, open drafting, science fiction, set collection, turn order: pass order

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “Four card games for two players. Each set in the same weird, dark future. The North: Ascendant is a combo building game utilizing multi-use cards, deck building, and hand management. By encountering, capturing, and reprogramming Ancients in the Wastes, building Facilities, and powering up their Nodes, players unlock the secrets of The North, diminishing the other player’s points a variety of ways and accumulating points at the end of the game for the cards they acquired and used. The West: Ascendant combines set collection and hand management with multiple scoring avenues. Players take turns acquiring Facility cards and playing the cards they’ve acquired several ways. Gameplay is driven by the turn sequence card, which is passed back and forth throughout the game. As the game is played, players lose points, acquire new cards for their hand or Zone (play area), and score points at the end of the game for the cards in their Zone. Additionally, players lose points at the end of the game for unused Facility cards in their hand. The East: Concordant combines engine/combo building and hand management with multiple scoring avenues. Players take turns drawing and playing cards: either as Facilities, Ancients, to power their IonShrine, or beneath their Furnace for end game points. Gameplay is driven by the Turn Sequence Card, which is passed back and forth throughout the game. The South: Terminus combines set collection and hand management with multiple scoring avenues. Players take turns acquiring Ancient cards from the top of three face up decks and playing the cards they’ve acquired several ways.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $71– there is no option to purchase individual games separately, but there is a $9 pledge level to purchase print & plays of all 4 games instead of physical copies

All-In (w/shipping): $71, same as above

Campaign Ends: 9/6

Game Ships: Oct. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 504% with 6 days to go.

Project: Dwar7s Legendary Forest

Designer: Lúis Brüeh (Dwar7s Fall, Dwar7s Winter, Night Parade of a Hundred Yokai)

Artist: Lúis Brüeh (Dwar7s Fall, Gnomopolis, Night Parade of a Hundred Yokai)

Publisher: Vesuvius Media (Catapult Feud, Dwar7s Fall, Pacific Rails Inc.)

Genre/Mechanisms: expansion, deck building, fantasy, hand management, miniatures, modular board, network and route building, take that, worker placement

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Dwar7s Spring is a family weight, engine building game. Play as dwarfs expanding your empire, training dragons and fighting monsters. Beware! Monsters are lurking around every corner. You will need to enlist mighty heroes to empower your ranks and defeat the monsters. Last but not least, you will need to find rare dragon eggs, hatch them, and train your dragons to become formidable companions. With the help of an army of heroes, you will save the faeries and use their magic to explore the world and build a mighty empire.” The new Legendary Forest expansion adds special buildings, legendary dwarves, more monsters, and elves.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $58

All-In (w/shipping): $135

Campaign Ends: 9/21

Game Ships: May 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 344% with 20 days to go.

Project: The FOG – Escape from Paradise

Designer: Robert Müller-Reinwarth

Artist: Unique Litani Soparie (Doomtown: Reloaded, Dungeon Alliance, Shiver Me Timbers)

Publisher: Xollox Games

Genre/Mechanisms: abstract strategy, end game bonuses, fantasy, grid movement, hexagon grid, movement points, open drafting, race, variable set-up

Player Count: 1-7

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Villagers on a lonely island are trying in panic to reach their boats on the shore to escape the rapidly-approaching, mysterious, horrifying and perilous Fog that has taken over their island. The game combines tactical depth, interactive dynamics and a high variability through the islanders many different movement options and a very variable setup. You are playing a guardian coordinating the difficult path of several self-drafted islanders towards their boats – trying to save as many of them as possible. Each turn you use the available movement points for the various movement options like running, swapping, pushing, squeezing through, jumping and crossing, to move your selected islanders towards the rescuing boats. While the beach is packed and everyone is in panic, will you stay calm and assure that your islanders reach their boats before the FOG reaches them? For your achievements you will receive or lose rescuing points. The guardian with the most rescuing points wins the game against The Fog and the other players.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $42

All-In (w/shipping): $64

Campaign Ends: 9/22

Game Ships: Nov. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 123% with 21 days to go.

Project: Fugitive 2nd Edition & RUN (on Backerkit)

Designers: Moritz Dressler (Hungry Hamsters, Das Perfekte Wort, Run, Spukstaben), Tim Fowers (Burgle Bros., Fugitive, Hardback, Paperback)

Artist: Ryan Goldsberry (Burgle Bros., Fugitive, Hardback, Paperback, Run)

Publisher: Fowers Games (Burgle Bros., Fugitive, Hardback, Paperback)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 player only games horror, bluffing, card game, deduction, hand management, hidden movement, memory, number, secret unit deployment, spies / secret agents (Fugitive 2nd Edition); 2 player only games, deduction, grid movement, hidden movement, once-per-game abilities, roles with asymmetric information, sudden death ending, variable set-up (Run)

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Fugitive is a two-player card game set in the world of Burgle Bros. One player is a fugitive trying to make it out of town while being pursued by an unstoppable agent. The fugitive plays cards face down to the table trying to work their way to a goal, while the agent must guess those cards to uncover them. If all the cards are face up, the fugitive is caught.

Run is a quick, tense, hidden movement game of cat-and-mouse. One player is the Runner, who is navigating a city skyline and using gadgets. Pursing him is the Dispatcher, sending her helicopter and patrol cars to hunt him down. The Runner has a limited supply of movement tiles, so he’ll need to plan ahead to not paint himself in a corner. Every movement also leaves clues for the Dispatch to deduce where he went. The Dispatch has powerful searching abilities and can call for backup if things get tough. If the Runner gets tagged twice, the game is over.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $34

All-In (w/shipping): $63

Campaign Ends: 9/22

Game Ships: Mar. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 308% with 22 days to go.

Project: Glorious Wrestling Alliance: Ultrabrawl

Designers: Bevan Clatworthy (Ghostel), Josh Hicks

Artist: Josh Hicks

Publisher: Tinkerbot Games (Ghostel)

Genre/Mechanisms: anime / manga, card game, comic book / strip, critical hits and failures, dice, dice rolling, drawing, hand management, re-rolling and locking, sports

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A fast-and-frantic card game that captures all the honour, passion and pageantry of the squared circle. Based on the comics of the same name, Ultrabrawl sees players assume the roles of one of six GWA combatants as they slug it out in their mission to be crowned champion. Players play move cards in order to chain together combos, deal damage to their opponents and woo the crowd – all in service of nabbing that all-elusive pinfall. Cards will be drawn, dice will be rolled, egos will be bruised, and crushing finishing manuevers will be deployed as the GWA’s faintly ridiculous combatants chop, kick and suplex their way to victory.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $30

All-In (w/shipping): $92

Campaign Ends: 9/27

Game Ships: Apr. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 137% with 26 days to go.

Project: Kinfire Chronicles: Night’s Fall

Designers: Darrell Hardy (Maelstrom, Runebond, Runebound Second Edition), Adela Kapuścińska, Brandon Perdue (X-Men: Mutant Insurrection), Kevin Wilson (Arkham Horror Third Edition, Cosmic Encounter, Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, Fury of Dracula Third/Fourth Edition, Sid Meier’s Civilization: The Board Game)

Artists: Katarzyna Bekus, Sandra Chlewińska, Weronika Kozyra, Katarzyna Redesiuk

Publisher: Incredible Dream Studios

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, chit-pull system, cooperative game, fantasy, role-playing, scenario / mission / campaign game

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A 1-4 player co-operative, quest-based RPG board game, players take on the role of seekers, adventurers who are fighting to push back the darkness threatening to change and destroy the world of Atios. The game plays as a campaign of 15+ quests, and each quest takes an average of 45-60 minutes to complete. Within each quest, players can expect to make choices related to adventures, battles, NPCs to speak to, and more. These choices create a branching story in the game, allowing the entire campaign to be replayable. Each quest has three phases: adventuring, battle, and exploration. In the adventuring phase, players make choices based on options presented on the quest cards and need to accomplish something (such as crossing a river or chasing down a suspect) by flipping the correct number and color of cards from their decks. In the battle phase, players work together to defeat enemies on a physical battle map. Turns are determined by drawing chits out of the destiny bag, with each enemy having numbered tokens that correspond with different attacks and actions. Players may play action cards on their own turns to do damage and can play boost cards on other players’ turns to do things like reduce damage, move players, or even return a drawn chit to the destiny bag for redraw. The game doesn’t end if an objective isn’t achieved or an enemy defeats the heroes, but it will affect later gameplay and choice options. Lastly, on certain quests players can return to the city in the exploration phase to speak to NPCs, purchase items, and level up their decks. Woven throughout each of these phases are cards that require you to make a choice, such as resting before moving on or charging into battle, or whether or not to spare someone’s life. The characters in the game have their own set of morals and standards, and playing according to your character can earn you Kinfire tokens that help you level up. Ultimately though, the decisions you make are yours alone.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $133

All-In (w/shipping): $222

Campaign Ends: 9/20

Game Ships: Aug. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 253% with 20 days to go.

Project: Lying Pirates

Designers: Mikaela Hård, Lucas Vagner

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Nordic Pirate Games

Genre/Mechanisms: betting and bluffing, bluffing, dice, dice rolling, events nautical, math, modular board, race, racing

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A first to finish fast-paced dice game for 2-4 players (6 with expansion). You are the captain of your ship and the dice you have is your crew. The game plays in a number of rounds where every round consists of three phases. Betting, sailing and action phase. The betting phase: inspired by the classic game Liars Dice, this poker-like mechanic will test your bluffing and probability skills. The sailing phase: all except the loser sail forward on the map and battle for their event/tile. Some events you really want to explore and some you want to avoid at all cost. The action phase: to aid you on your journey you’ll have action cards on hand. Play these strategically to attack opponents and defend or upgrade your crew.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $85

All-In (w/shipping): $113

Campaign Ends: 9/30

Game Ships: June 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 198% with 29 days to go.

Project: Uluk

Designer: Dominik Sidorek

Artist: Przemysław Gul (Slyville, Star Scrappers: Orbital, Storm Weaver)

Publisher: Hexy Studio (Hard City, Star Scrappers: Cave-In, Star Scrappers: Orbital)

Genre/Mechanisms: animals, economic, end game bonuses, fantasy, set collection, solo / solitaire game, worker placement

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “The goal of the game is to have the most Happiness Points at the end of the sixth round (season). There are several different ways to score points, but the most important activity in the game is to send your tribe members (called here “tribers”) to various spaces on the main board and take actions corresponding to them. Uluk mostly makes use of the classic worker placement mechanics. Players send their tribers to spaces on the main board to build monuments and gather raw resources. The resources gathered are stored on each player’s tribe board and may then be processed into food. Feeding your tribers brings you HPs and lets you win the game after the sixth season. A single season is divided into six phases in which the players take their actions in a clockwise order: errand phase – place your tribers on the main board; harvest phase – gather resources from the main board; processing phase – process raw resources from your tribe board into food; feeding phase – spend food on feeding your tribers; ecology phase – adjust the harvest levels (quantity of resources available) on the main board; and clean-up phase – build monuments and prepare for the next season. Developing inventions (in the form of invention cards with different symbols) enhances the effectiveness of your food processing, and collecting sets of different symbols brings extra points at the end of the game.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $63

All-In (w/shipping): $103

Campaign Ends: 9/17

Game Ships: May 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 113% with 16 days to go.

Project: Weavlings in the Wilds

Designer: Jonathan Flike

Artist: Jonathan Flike

Publisher: Atomic Automation

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, chaining, fantasy, grid movement, puzzle, solo / solitaire game

Player Count: 1

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A fantasy grid-based solo game where you must capture the fauna of the Tender Wilds with trap cards and lure Weavlings back home with the promise of succulent meat. Collect 10 lured population to win the game. Receive 10 wounds, run out of traps, or lose 10 population, and the game ends. This game can be played in a beginner, normal, and hard mode that adds additional challenges.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $29

All-In (w/shipping): $29, same as above

Campaign Ends: 9/29

Game Ships: Apr. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 25% with 28 days to go.