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

Project: 2070 – A Graphic Novel Adventures Game

Designer: Emmanuel Quaireau (Captive, Hocus & Pocus: L’épreuve des Fabulins, Tears of a Goddess)

Artist: Fabrizio Constantino

Publisher: Van Ryder Games (Detective: City of Angels, Final Girl, Hostage Negotiator)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, comic book / strip, cooperative game, science fiction

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Victims of an attack, the plans of an unprecedented technology have been stolen from the powerful Solax laboratories. You play as a group of elite agents: an android, a martial arts expert, an alien and a mercenary. Your mission is to intercept the spy droid in the streets of Rome. Nobody dares to imagine the consequences if you fail. Investigation, traps, fights, survival and puzzles await you. But will you be able to work together to succeed in your common hunt without being distracted by your individual secret objectives. Play alone or with others, make the right choices of paths and actions and weave your own adventure because YOU are the heroes.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $47

All-In (w/shipping): $95

Campaign Ends: 10/14

Game Ships: July 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 72% with 16 days to go.

Project: Althingi – Saga Heroes

Designer: Joshua Gillingham (Althingi: One Will Rise)

Artist: Lada Shustova (Althingi: One Will Rise)

Publisher: Outland Entertainment (Althingi: One Will Rise)

Genre/Mechanisms: ancient, auction: sealed bid, betting and bluffing, bluffing, bribery, civilization, hand management, political

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Althingi: Saga Heroes expansion introduces powerful new features to the original base game, Althingi: One Will Rise including: 10 new Viking Heroes drawn straight from the Norse sagas; a new Blood Feud mechanic for wreaking revenge upon your rivals; Kinship cards which provide secret goals for scoring extra end-game influence; a new Loot card with special, devious abilities; and up to four additional unique stretch goal Viking Hero cards. Plus, the Althingi: Saga Heroes expansion fits inside the original base game box. Saga Heroes continues to expand the ever-growing Althingi Universe which also includes Althingi: One Will Rise and Althingi: The Crescent & the Northern Star.

Althingi is a quick set-up, fast-play game of strength and influence based in Viking-Age Iceland. Each player takes on the role of a powerful Chieftain and tries to take control of the annual gathering known as the Althingi through good old-fashioned bribery, coercion, and intimidation. The game takes place over a series of days each with three rounds: Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. In the morning Chieftains gather Loot, which has value both in bribing Vikings and in equipping them for holmgang (a duel). In the afternoon phase Chieftains strategically bribe the new Vikings that arrive that round to join their camp using their Loot cards while retaining enough resources to defend themselves in the Evening phase. During the Evening, Chieftains can use Vikings in their camp to challenge holmgang (a duel) against Vikings from other camps. The aim of the game is to gain the most influence, which is acquired by having Vikings join your camp and by winning holmgangs (duels). The player with the most influence at the end of the game controls the Althingi and wins. The aesthetic of this game is gritty and raw, with striking original illustrations by Lada Shustova. Special attention was paid to historical details such as clothing, weapons, and bartered goods. If you’ve visited Iceland, then you’ll recognize the landscape art as the fields of Thingvellir. And Viking history buffs might recognize the meaning of the two runes used in the game, symbols for Strength and for Influence.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $24

All-In (w/shipping): $155

Campaign Ends: 10/27

Game Ships: June 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 30% with 28 days to go.

Project: Black Dragon’s Guild

Designer: Angelo Minestrini, Zemilio (Insert Coin to Play, Kingdom’s Candy: Monsters, Rune)

Artists: Luigi Cecchi (Drizzit: il gioco di carte), Marco Salogni (Insert Coin to Play, Hens, One Card Dungeon)

Publisher: Little Rocket Games (One Card Dungeon, Rolling Village, Rune)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, auction / bidding, fantasy, set collection, turn order: claim action, worker placement

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “In Black Dragon’s Guild, you take on the role of an aspiring guild master. Carefully select your comrades, based on their lineage, role and abilities, to form a group of adventurers. Visit the city places to receive benefits. Try to grab the most profitable missions and complete them with your party to increase your Reputation. Choose the path of your alignment, it is not important whether you are good or evil, the important thing is that you believe in it. After four seasons of questing, the player with the highest Reputation will be titled the New Guild Master.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $55

All-In (w/shipping): $74

Campaign Ends: 10/20

Game Ships: Sep. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 75% with 26 days to go.

Project: CIFRA Code81

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

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

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

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 player only game, abstract strategy, area majority / influence, grid movement, square grid, variable set-up

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “Players take their turn alternately. During their play the player can move their own piece according to the moving rules. If a player moves their piece onto the tile which an opponent piece occupies, they can capture it like a Chess piece. If player moves their piece onto the opposite side, the piece is a goal and fixed there. Both players can’t move it nor capture it. When all pieces of any one of players are captured or goal, then game is over. This Code81 board is the full size version of the CIFRA series. I think no one, including computer AI can solve for a perfect strategy. The flexible board design gives us too many variations to solve the strategy by computing. As a result, you can enjoy a lifetime of fresh and challenging games each time you play.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $43

All-In (w/shipping): $90

Campaign Ends: 10/13

Game Ships: Dec. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 585% with 15 days to go.

Project: Draft & Write Records

Designer: Bruno Maciel

Artist: Pedro A. Alberto (Cerebria: The Card Game, Cerebria: The Inside World, Hare & Tortoise)

Publisher: Inside Up Games (Earth, Gorus Maximus, Summit: The Board Game)

Genre/Mechanisms: automatic growth resource, card game, chaining, crayon rail system, grid coverage, hidden victory points, line drawing, map addition, music, open drafting, paper-and-pencil, pattern building, set collection, simultaneous action selection

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Do you have what it takes to hit the big time. Can you take your band from preforming in your parent’s basement to the largest stages around the world. Draft your lead singer, musicians, production and backstage staff. Arrange them in the most harmonious ways to unlock more fans, money and opportunities. Plan your schedule, prioritize your assets and select your travel routes as you grow. Chain your rewards into such an amazing show you will leave your competitors behind. But as every superstar knows, watch out for those scandals.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $26

All-In (w/shipping): $72

Campaign Ends: 10/18

Game Ships: June 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 112% with 19 days to go.

Project: Elevenses: The Guilty Party

Designer: David Harding (Elevenses, Matcha, One Zero One)

Artist: TJ Lubrano (Elevenses, Elevenses For One, Matcha)

Publisher: Grail Games (Medici, Stephenson’s Rocket, Yellow & Yangtze)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, hand management

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “In The Guilty Party, players take on the roles of guests invited to a classy afternoon tea at Mrs. Landsdowne’s– one of the wealthiest women in the district. Just as the water boiled, Mrs. Lansdowne went missing and was soon discovered murdered. All the guests (including youself) are suspects, and everyone has a motive for killing their hostess. The police constable is on his way and has requested that all guests stay in the dining room until he arrives. Until he does, the guests will attempt to place suspicion on their fellow guests while removing it from them-selves. The constable will arrest the most likely suspect upon his arrival at the crime scene, and you’ll be hanged if the person he arrests is you.

Elevenses is a card game in which respectable 1920s socialites strive to serve the finest morning teas. Each player starts the round with an identical set of eleven morning tea cards. Each card has a point value as well a special action which must be carried out when it is played. The lower the point value of a card, the better its power. The powers lead to surprising interactions between the players. Cards must also be played to a specific position on the table. Whenever a card is played, in most cases you pick up the card that was previously in its position, requiring you to plan your morning tea carefully. The round ends when a player plays the ‘Elevenses’ card. It’s time for tea. The players compare the value of their cards. Points are awarded to the highest scoring morning teas. The game continues until a player has 7 or more points. She has served the finest morning teas of all and wins the game. The six-card expansion Elevenses: The Special Guests is included in the game. With this expansion, each player is dealt one special guest card in secret at the start of each round. Each guest will come to your morning tea only if you serve certain things. If you play the right combination of morning tea cards, the guest arrives, you reveal the card, and your morning tea goes up in value.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $25

All-In (w/shipping): $71

Campaign Ends: 10/18

Game Ships: Nov. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 237% with 20 days to go.

Project: Ghosts Love Candy Too Roll and Fright PNP

Designer: Danny Devine (Agropolis, Circle the Wagons, Sprawlopolis)

Artist: Danny Devine (Agropolis, Harvest Dice, Sprawlopolis)

Publisher: 25th Century Games (Ra, Space Explorers, Three Sisters)

Genre/Mechanisms: dice, paper-and-pencil, print & play

Player Count: 1-99

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “It’s Halloween and the ghosts are out haunting the neighborhood stealing candy from the kids. A fun print and play game for all ages. Ghosts Love Candy Too Roll & Fright is a series of three different roll and write games, all set in the Ghosts Love Candy Too universe. The games feature some of the same ghosts, kids, and candy found in the physical version of the game Ghosts Love Candy Too. Three different roll and writes, all based around different styles of play are designed to provide varying degrees of complexity. This game is PNP only so you can print and play from home.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $3

All-In (w/shipping): $3, same as above

Campaign Ends: 10/13

Game Ships: Oct. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 1,234% with 15 days to go.

Project: Iron Thunder

Designer: Juan Bolsi

Artist: Sören Meding (Pictomania Second Edition, Picture Perfect, Pulsar 2849)

Publisher: Chiswick Games

Genre/Mechanisms: action / event, action points, command cards, dice rolling, events, grid movement, income, interrupts, line of sight, miniatures, moving multiple units, multiple maps, once-per-game abilities, order counters, tile placement, variable phase order, variable set-up, wargame, world war II

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Iron Thunder is a WWII strategy and resource management game where you command tanks and infantry to lead your nation to victory. Choose your battleground by placing your HQ, special terrain, and selecting how your armies are going to be deployed. Iron Thunder is not about a historical battle; it’s all about making history on the battlefield. The design philosophy was to create a game that’s quick to setup and can be played fast, with different game modes to suit your time availability and experience level.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $75

All-In (w/shipping): $109

Campaign Ends: 10/27

Game Ships: Dec. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 16% with 28 days to go.

Project: Leaf

Designer: Tim Eisner (The Grimm Forest, Tidal Blades: Heroes of the Reef, Wonderland’s War)

Artist: Angela Rizza (Darkness)

Publisher: Weird City Games (Canopy, March of the Ants)

Genre/Mechanisms: animals, environmental, modular board, set collection, tile placement

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “Players embody the wind by guiding leaves to the forest floor and connecting them to the ones that have already fallen. Each leaf you touch will grant you actions to create a thriving forest. Attract woodland animals, grow mushrooms, lead helpful squirrels up the great tree, and gain additional leaf cards and sun tokens by strategically placing leaves. The player who contributes most to the health of the forest wins.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $49

All-In (w/shipping): $77

Campaign Ends: 10/21

Game Ships: Sep. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 154% with 22 days to go.

Project: Matches

Designer: Daniel McKinley

Artist: Gustavo “Goose” Gutierrez (Stardew Valley: The Board Game)

Publisher: Thing 12 Games (Dice of Crowns, Oaxaca: Crafts of a Cultures, Project Dreamscape)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, push your luck, take that, trick-taking

Player Count: 2-6

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A trick-taking style card game, with a unique spin on scoring and playing. The lead player plays a number card to start the blaze. Each player in turn order must play a card matching that number (which increases the blaze’s heat and point value), or a set of cards that equal the value of the card. A player can choose to pass, upon which they collect points for each of pairs they have played. The last player to pass wins the trick and collects the points on the blaze card but will NOT score their pairs they have played. Deciding if you’ll get more points from the pairs you’ve played, or if you need to try and stay in to get the points on the blaze card, is the heart of Matches. The game also includes optional powerful ‘Burn Cards’ which can be purchased with points. These Burn Cards can have huge impacts on how the game is played, the possibly points to be scored, and the cards in players hands.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $30

All-In (w/shipping): $30, same as above

Campaign Ends: 10/25

Game Ships: May 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 34% with 26 days to go.

Project: Materia Prima – The Inquisition

Designer: Florian Pfab (Materia Prima: The Alchemists Guild)

Artist: Florian Pfab (Materia Prima: The Alchemists Guild)

Publisher: Peacock Tabletops (Materia Prima: The Alchemists Guild)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, cooperative game, dice rolling, expansion, fantasy, grid movement, hand management, medieval, modular board, pick-up and deliver, scenario / mission / campaign game, variable player powers

Player Count: 1-6

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-heavy

Risk: medium-high

Summary: “Materia Prima places players in a medieval world where mysticism and science are inseparable in alchemy. In search of the philosopher’s stone, recipes must be researched and resources mined. The Inquisition is a new power in Alka Sowa, in which state and religion are united. Its nobles and priests try to gain control over the continent by banishing or destroying alchemy and all its followers once and for all. The Inquisition Expansion enhances the world of Materia Prima and includes a cooperative campaign, which can also be played solo, as well as the possibility to play with 5 or 6 alchemists.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $41

All-In (w/shipping): $82

Campaign Ends: 10/18

Game Ships: Oct. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 46% with 19 days to go.

Project: Naturopolis: A Solo & Cooperative Countryside-Building Game

Designers: Steven Aramini (Agropolis, Circle the Wagons, Sprawlopolis), Danny Devine (Agropolis, Circle the Wagons, Sprawlopolis), Paul Kluka (Agropolis, Circle the Wagons, Sprawlopolis)

Artist: Danny Devine (Agropolis, Harvest Dice, Sprawlopolis)

Publisher: Button Shy (Circle the Wagons, Sprawlopolis, Tussie Mussie)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, closed drafting, cooperative game, layering, multi-use cards, print & play, territory building, solo / solitaire game, tile placement

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Players work together to build a new landscape. Using only 18 cards and a variable scoring system, the game is never the same twice. First, players randomly flip over 3 cards to see the scoring rules for the game. Not only do these 3 cards determine how you score this game, they determine how you win. Total up the values of all three cards and that number is the score you need to reach to win. Each game has drastically different scoring rules in unique combinations, and a new score to beat, ranging from 6 to 51 points. Each turn, players will play one card from their hand to the growing landscape, trying to score as many points as possible. Players have to communicate and plan without revealing their own cards in order to most efficiently develop large areas in each of the 4 zone types. Watch out though, road maintenance isn’t cheap and each road will cost you points in the end. This is doubly true with Naturopolis’ double-lined roads as they will cost you -2 points each. New to Naturopolis are the rivers, which occupy space the same way as roads, but don’t hurt your score (although roads and rivers cannot connect). It also adds camp sites, which score based on certain goals. When all cards have been placed, the game ends and players see if they have met the dynamically generated minimum score for their game.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $17

All-In (w/shipping): $27

Campaign Ends: 10/8

Game Ships: Feb. 2023

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 3,506% with 9 days to go.

Project: Nexus Infernum – The Heretical Reprinting

Designers: Diha (Eschaton, Nexus Infernum), Petras Vaznelis (Eschaton, Nexus Infernum), Adam Watts (Eschaton, Nexus Infernum, Shindig Machine)

Artists: Diha (Eschaton, Nexus Infernum), Adam Watts (Eschaton, Nexus Infernum, Shindig Machine)

Publisher: Archon Games (Eschaton, Nexus Infernum)

Genre/Mechanisms: dice rolling, fantasy, fighting, horror, set collection, worker placement

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-low

Summary: “Each player assumes the role of a power-hungry Necromancer seeking to become the most blasphemous in the realm. Through command of their skeletal minions gathered in the Nexus, players will battle against one another in a struggle to control six portals and channel the energy that manifests within them. As players channel the four different strains of dark arcana from the portals, they will enhance their powers through invoking and forging unholy pacts with demons gathered beyond the breach. Each demonic pact moves a player towards victory through accumulation of points of blasphemy.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $73

All-In (w/shipping): $108

Campaign Ends: 10/11

Game Ships: Dec. 2022

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 248% with 12 days to go.

Project: One Two Many Rabbits

Designers: Karl Archer (Evolution, Jumbulaya), Julie Archer (Evolution, Jumbulaya)

Artist: Karl Archer

Publisher: Three Archers

Genre/Mechanisms: animals, card game, children’s game, dice rolling, predictive bid

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Each player starts off with a LOT of rabbits and will choose to roll one, two or three dice in order to create the numbers that will help them decide which rabbits will willingly go back into the rabbit hole. But watch out– these rabbits are tricky and will use the turns of the people playing against you to find ways to hop back into your hands. As play continues and the number of rabbits in your hand start to dwindle, the more difficult it will be to roll the numbers that you need to get rid of all of your rabbits. There are also special cards in the deck to help you along. Wild cards can be used as any number. Plus Minus cards can be used to add or subtract two of your number cards together. Piggyback cards allow you to use the roll of your opponent to get rid of some rabbits. And Place Your Rab-Bets cards allow you to take a wild guess on which number will be rolled next and try to get rid of some rabbits that way.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $29

All-In (w/shipping): $39

Campaign Ends: 10/27

Game Ships: Mar. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 47% with 28 days to go.

Project: RONE: Invasion

Designer: Štěpán Štefaník (Rone)

Artists: Petr Boháček (Under Falling Skies), Rastislav Kubovic (Rone)

Publisher: Greiferisto (Rone)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 player only game, card game, cooperative game, deck construction, dice rolling, drawing, fighting, post-apocalyptic, science fiction, solo / solitaire game

Player Count: 1-2

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “A strategic post-apocalyptic deck and dice building game for 1 or 2 players (expandable to 1 to 4), featuring unique dice that can be customized during the game. Players start with a set of starter cards. As the game progresses, players add additional cards to their deck by training them. During each turn, players roll these dice and each colored screw that’s rolled can be used to collect a resource of the same color. Collected resources can be used for various effects, mainly for playing cards. Improve your dice, train your army and show your enemies that you would rather die than surrender. The game features two different game modes: Cooperative Mode and Competitive Mode. In Cooperative mode, players collectively take on Celesta and her forces and try to stop the Invasion. In Competitive mode, players challenge each other in one-on-one combat.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $88

All-In (w/shipping): $149

Campaign Ends: 10/27

Game Ships: Aug. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 47% with 28 days to go.

Project: Tainted Grail: Kings of Ruin (on Gamefound)

Designer: Krzysztof Piskorski (The Edge: Dawnfall, ISS Vanguard, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon)

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Awaken Realms (Lords of Hellas, Nemesis, Nemesis: Lockdown, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, This War of Mine: The Board Game)

Genre/Mechanisms: adventure, area movement, cooperative game, deck construction, dice rolling, events, exploration, fantasy, miniatures, modular board, mythology, solo / solitaire game, storytelling

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: heavy

Risk: low

Summary: “A new stand-alone story campaign from the team behind the acclaimed Tainted Grail board game, set in the same universe. Playable with a brand new set of exciting characters, it continues the stories of Fall of Avalon, Last Knight, and Age of Legends while also providing a perfect self-contained entry into the saga for new players. During your experience with the game you will explore new land (with a totally changed system of traveling through Wyrdness), solve encounters with force or diplomacy with unique puzzle card system, and develop your heroes with new passive skills, cards and powerful items. Most importantly, you will discover a dark immersive story of abandoned land at the wrong side of Avalon and Kings of Ruin ruling there: Claudyne, the Unknighted; Amberqueen Veneda; and Nonus, Bishop of the Deep.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $122

All-In (w/shipping): $628

Campaign Ends: 10/18

Game Ships: Dec. 2023

Funding Status: Funded: currently at 3,809% with 19 days to go.

Project: Turf War: Trick-or-Treat

Designers: Dan Nichols (Turf War)

Artists: not credited

Publisher: Gadabout Games (Turf War)

Genre/Mechanisms: card game, city building, deck building, delayed purchase, expansion, fighting, hand management, market, open drafting, pieces as map, race, square grid, take that, tile placement, variable set-up

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: HIGH

Summary: “Every game starts with a different, randomized group of Neighbors, each with their own set of criteria. At the start of your turn, you must choose to be Home or Away, giving you access to a different set of actions that you can perform. While Home, you can gain points and abilities by playing cards onto your yard and swaying Neighbors to your side. While Away, you can earn money and get new cards from a shared store, but you leave your yard vulnerable to your rival’s mischief. When the last Neighbor has been swayed, the game ends, and whoever has the most points wins.

The first major expansion for Turf War features a Halloween motif. Candy is a new resource that you can buy when you’re Away, earning VP and building a stash. It’s a challenge to hold onto your Candy though: you never know when a Trick-or-Treater is going to pop-up. When they do, you’ll need to give them Candy and score points or else deal with the consequences of whatever trick they play on you. The expansion adds 72 cards, including monstrous Neighbors, thematically spooky yard decor, Tools, and Pests, and a ton of new Events. The expansion accommodates 2-4 players.”

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $20

All-In (w/shipping): $88

Campaign Ends: 10/13

Game Ships: Aug. 2023

Funding Status: Currently at 67% with 14 days to go.