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

Project: H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Cats of Ulthar” Card Game

Designer: Trenton Payne (Hive Smashers)

Artist: Dave Youkovich (Evil Dead 2: The Official Board Game, Hive Smashers, The Terminator: The Official Board Game)

Publisher: Gilgamesh Games (Hive Smashers)

Genre/Mechanisms: 2 players, hand management, pattern building, push your luck

Player Count: 2

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: high

Summary: A light card battler, featuring Cthulhu-theming and lots of protective cat familiars.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $21

All-In (w/shipping): $46

Campaign Ends: 10/31

Game Ships: May 2020

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 126%, with 29 days to go.

Project: Shady Pets

Designer: Brian Rauch

Artist: Kristina Vujnovic

Publisher: FireStorm Labs

Genre/Mechanisms: hand management, take that

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: high

Summary: It’s Exploding Kittens, with deduction a la Clue.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $27

All-In (w/shipping): $530, includes vanity rewards

Campaign Ends: 10/31

Game Ships: Jan. 2020

Funding Status: Currently at 74%, with 28 days to go.

Project: Supreme Leader: Political Agendas & War Packs

Designers: Jackson Herold, Michael Arcuri

Artist: Derek Perez

Publisher: Card Culture LLC

Genre/Mechanisms: betting and bluffing, hand management, party game, take that, variable player powers, voting

Player Count: 5-10

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: high

Summary: A lightish, party card game of “social manipulation and political persuasion;” Political Agendas adds in 30 secret objective cards & War Pack adds in 5 new Leaders, 15 new Strategy Cards, and 5 new Event Cards.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $22

All-In (w/shipping): $257, includes vanity rewards

Campaign Ends: 10/22

Game Ships: June 2020

Funding Status: Currently at 28%, with 19 days to go.

Project: Time of Legends: Joan of Arc 1.5

Designer: Pascal Bernard (Cadwallon: City of Thieves, Conan, Time of Legends: Joan of Arc)

Artists: David Demaret (Batman: Gotham City Chronicles, Claustrophobia 1643), Mythic Battles: Pantheon), Julien Fenoglio (Mythic Battles: Pantheon, Time of Legends: Joan of Arc), Stephane Gantiez (Claustrophobia, Codenames, Libertalia, Lords of Xidit, Mythic Battles: Pantheon, Rallyman, Seasons, Snow Tails, Survive: Escape From Atlantis!), Nicolas Jamme (Alien Menace, Operation Commando: Pegasus Bridge, Time of Legends: Joan of Arc), Stef Kopinski (Deep Madness, Mythic Battles: Pantheon, Necromunda, The Others), Bayard Wu (Reichbusters: Project Vril, Super Fantasy Brawl, Time of Legends: Joan of Arc)

Publisher: Mythic Games (Mythic Battles: Pantheon, Super Fantasy Brawl, Time of Legends: Joan of Arc)

Genre/Mechanisms: action points, area movement, dice rolling, miniatures, modular board, variable player powers, war game

Player Count: 2-4

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: heavy

Risk: medium-low

Summary: A juggernaut of a production featuring sculpted miniatures and 3D scenery, resource management, and card play.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $95, just the new Teutonic Knights expansion

All-In (w/shipping): $994 (nope, not a typo!)

Campaign Ends: 10/16

Game Ships: Oct. 2020

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 449%, with 13 days to go.

Project: Village Pillage: Surf & Turf

Designers: Peter C. Hayward (Dracula’s Feast, The Lady and the Tiger, Village Pillage), Tom Lang (Village Pillage)

Artists: Kevin Hill (Cahoots, Risk: Star Wars Edition, La Stanza), Tania Walker (Dracula’s Feast, The Lady and the Tiger, Village Pillage)

Publisher: Blue Beard Entertainment / Jellybean Games (Dracula’s Feast, The Lady and the Tiger, Village Pillage)

Genre/Mechanisms: hand management, simultaneous action selection, take that

Player Count: 2-5

Solo Mode: no

Complexity: light

Risk: medium-high

Summary: A light hand management card game about stealing turnips from your enemies and acquiring relics. Surf adds Freebooter cards and extended bank card to the game, while Turf adds a whole new set of villagers and the new Provoke mechanism, requiring a player to repeat their play of a card on their next turn.

Base Pledge (w/shipping): $14, either Surf or Turf

All-In (w/shipping): $52

Campaign Ends: 10/25

Game Ships: Oct. 2020

Funding Status: Funded; currently at 222%, with 22 days to go.