Below is a selection of games that stood out to us while browsing kickstarter.com.
Backing a project can be a great thing, but please do the research on a game before you put money into it. Happy exploring!
Miniatures Games
Role-Playing Games
Other Board Game Related Projects
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Really want Battlecon to be a little less painful on EU shipping. I may dabble none-the-less, but it is a serious chunk o’ change.
As always, I appreciate the comments. I’ve backed more KS games this spring than ever before partially due to you, so thank you 🙂 . I’m currently on the fence with “Essen”. No comments from others on this post – any thoughts?
Realm of Heroes, Penny Press, Harbour, Historia (watching), Epic Defenders (watching), and Catan Boards (though it looks like they’ll be relaunching it). I’m not overly excited about Epic Defenders launching a KS when they still haven’t delivered on their first game even though both look great.
Do you like rolling dice under pressure? If it sounds intriguing to you, then you’ll enjoy the Escape games. It can get loud and hectic, but it’s fun. I backed the original Escape KS and I certainly don’t regret it. I’m still trying to get it to the table often enough to get through all expansion components. It has tons. And now a zombie version…this is something I must back.
@provincialguardian – I’d bet you’ll be able to find it at certain online retailers as low as $45. But this will probably be a lot like the Escape Big Box campaign was – the version you’ll get for $45 or $50 retail won’t feature the extra tiles, cards and items the Kickstarter version receives as stretch rewards. These aren’t Kickstarter “exclusives” so you can still get them, but by the time you track them down you’ve paid well over the Kickstarter pledge amount. (EDIT: CSI has a pre-order up for the bare-bones version at $34!!)
But just like you, I haven’t played Escape (or any soundtracked game for that matter), and it’s a risk to put up $55 if you don’t know you’ll like it.
I was checking out Queen Games Escape: Zombie City. Haven’t played the original Escape yet so I don’t know if I want to take the risk. I suspect after its out for a few months the price will also drop to around $50, so what’s the point, besides the More Zombies Expansion.
…REALLY, Queen Games? ESCAPE – Zombie City?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1016374822/escape-zombie-city
So. That’s five. Darn you, Queen.
PS: 300-ish Early Birds left as I type this, guys. Get on it.
Sorry, one more small but important thing to add regarding stealing in Scrapyard Empire. When you’ve “built” a small machine, it becomes safe, and other players may not take it from you. We’ve found that this helps create a sense of urgency with building the machines needed in order to create an invention. Most stealing happens with the “parts” that are face up on the table. These are in abundance so I wouldn’t say that stealing ruins someone else’s game – it just sets them back temporarily if you take a part that they need. It’s a race and these little things help you edge your way to victory.
@Chopper Dan, Scrapyard Empire definitely has a backstabbing element to it with the stealing. That’s part of the game and if you’re not into that type of game then it’s probably not for you. On the other hand, people who do like the “take-this” element and a little bit of randomness by way of the dice will probably enjoy this game quite a bit, at least based on our experience with play testers.
Regarding the dice mechanic, there are ways to mitigate it. I’m not sure if the Undead Viking review put emphasis on how this worked at the time it was recorded (it was an update we sent after submitting our prototype for review) but if not, it’s pretty simple. You can offset any dice roll by scrapping (discarding) extra Parts cards. So if you roll a 3 and need a 5 for a success, then you can scrap 2 cards and that roll becomes successful. If you manage your resources effectively, you’ll be able to do this a couple of times during the game for a positive result. Just don’t overdo it (use wisely).
Also, we are planning to include a game variant that uses the same deck, but takes out the dice element entirely and has a few other changes for gamers who like less chaos. This is definitely not the main version of the game, but it’s one of the variants that we’ve been developing.
Regarding stretch goals, quite a bit of thought went into them, and they were based on what we felt we could afford based on the price quotes we got and our estimates on the amount of funding we would raise. That said, we’ve adjusted the stretch goals to smaller increments based on feedback we got from other backers and our new projections on how much will be raised after collecting some real-world data. You can see the current stretch goals on the project page, and read about them in this update
I just reviewed Futbol Strategy and if you like sport sim games, solo or two player games you should definitely check it out. I seriously got excited every time I scored a goal. Its a fun game for sure!
Button,Button
Well…Dungeon Dice finished today so in a few months I will have 200 DICE!!!! to do a rather uncomfortable American Beauty style photoshoot with, just in case Steve Jackson never signs a release on Munchkin cards… 😉
The only ‘biggie’ on deck is Battlecon:War Faceliftoff. I ABHOR console button masher fighters, but I love this game! Granted I’m the household Level99 Cheerleader but – fast, furious, and deep be this title and this the title be. Easy 2 player action? Done. The Boy and I easily squeeze off a good couple of rounds in an hour or two. Variable Player Powers? Scrambled eggs all over my face! And Level99 campaigns are generous – the Ark of the Covenant* Box of Devastation I linked under BattleCon:War discussion is proof of that. (*not responsible for face melting)
The Captain is Deadwill get a pull. I will never never never play Pandemic because I’ll play Defenders of the Realm. I’m the one in the house who pulls the Star Trek:Deckbuilders off the shelf, so…yes…that’s happening.
Through the Ages because as @Account Deletion said last week – it is a ‘wish list sitter’. Both The Boy and I have this on various wishlists somewhere for the ‘feeling serious’ Sunday Afternoon. With mutual consent this is the time to get it…and some possible warehouse clearance it seems.
And the of course, both Harbour and Tiny Epic Defenders because: Established Companies. Check. Intriguing Games. Check. Crazy Funding. Check. Price Point. Not even registering. $20 is Cardboardy Goodness and two trips to Starbucks I’ll never make. I probably should be scared that I’m not even considering them as pledges.
On the Hai Eye Watch
The Shadow over Westminster I really want you to fund because I need a horror deckbuilder as Dark Gothic was pre-ordered during the holiday and has been floating about in the void. 🙁
Spells of Doom *hands over ears* Lalalalalalalala I’m not listening to you @Account Deletion! But I trust The Deletion. City of Iron….Ancient Terrible Things….what to do? What to do??? (But yes – you get a tiara! YAY YOU!)
Kobble I like your idea, but not your price point vs contents vs goal. 🙁
Clash! Dawn of Steam I like your idea AND your price point vs contents vs goal but you seem like a ‘silent running’ campaign. Also what’s with pushing the ‘world book’ and fiction? Sell me on the game! PLEASE!
Assault on Doomrock while not a ‘Kicker’ I’m strapping on my IndieGoGo-Boots and poking the alleys of the Dark Interwebs about this one. I REALLY want this to be something. I will delve. I will research. I will listen to whispers under streetlamps. I will squeeze information blood from this doomrock. I really want a light-hearted Pathfinder:ACG clone to scratch an itch when The Pathfinder Six are as easy to get together as a…well…roleplaying group. 😛
And that’s what a ‘light’ Kickstarter report is for this household. *EEP* I really should just do a Fionna Apple ‘Criminal’ parody video walking past shelves of games and people sprawled on the floor amid dice and meeples and submit it to the Dice Tower musical episode. 😛
I guess we’ll see what Lazy Sunday Kickstarter Brunch holds…
…if The Boy sees Yomi the universe explodes…
Historia is the one I am backing this time. Still looking for an epic civ game in a short amount of time.
Hoping Realm of Heroes gets funded as well. I am proofing that one and get a copy for free if it goes.
New projects keep luring me back in….
Still in on Penny Press and added:
Harbour
Historia
Tiny Epic Defenders
I ended up dropping Scrapyard Empire after watching Undeadviking’s review. The Stealing mechanic turned me off the game. You need to roll a 5 or 6 to even Steal, and when you do, you pretty much have the opportunity to ruin someone else’s game. Including the poorly thought-out stretch goals, I decided it wasn’t for me even at that cheap price.
Until mid-last week, I was stoked because I only had one Kickstarter in the pipeline and my wallet looked safe. I thought that perhaps the KS board game boom was slowing down.
Content with Progress: Evolution of Technology I allowed game after game to pass unpledged-for, even canceling 12 Realms because, well — it sucked.
Then came Power Play in a beautiful, perfect package. Level 99 Games proved that they know how it’s done and my email of praise to Brad Talton was rewarded with the accidental exploration of, and subsequent pledging a large sum to, BattleCON: War Remastered.
Next? The Captain Is Dead. This is a Pandemic household and we were both raised on Trek:TNG. There wasn’t really a choice, and we got the double package with the air traffic controller game, too. Passing on Scarborough Fair, thankyouverymuch.
And then came Harbour and TMG I love you. Price point? Awesome. Concept art? Top notch. Game play rules? Brilliant. Not an ounce of guilt or hesitation backing this one.
So much for a KS-lite month of June! Maybe July. Or August. Please, August — I’m already going to spend too much money at Gen Con!
My carryovers are: Realm of Heroes, Waggle Dance, Bedtime Heroes, Forge War, Ophir and Through the Ages.
Unfortunately, I have just as many newly backed campaigns:
The Captain is Dead: I looked at this one for a week and jumped in when it started hitting stretch goals. Looks like “cheezy” fun. I backed at the “all 3 games” level (including Scarborough Fair and Turbulence), but haven’t been able to look into either of the additional games yet, and may drop down if I don’t like what I see when I get to poke around.
Harbour: I think everybody’s backing this one.
Historia: this definitely isn’t my favorite theme, but the game looks rich and deep, and I like the campaign these guys ran for 12 Realms.
Luck o’ the Dice: because @Jim says so.
Spells of Doom: this looks amazing, but I haven’t been able to read the rulebook yet. I hope to have time this weekend. And I was finally a “First Backer”! I think @Hai told me I get a tiara…
Tiny Epic Defenders: a cooperative version of Tiny Epic Kingdoms? That’s all I need to know.