List Day - 5 Kickstarters Out Right Now
This is the day you don’t skip at the tabletop gym because you don’t want your lists to look all scrawny and weak. It’s so unattractive when lists are neglected while everything else is robust and muscular…
That’s why we’re going to pump our lists full of Kickstarter convos, board game paraphernalia, and all of the other tabletop-adjacent talk that gets the Internet into a tizzy. Enjoy.
There are of course the big Kickstarter campaigns going on right now for games like Root and the Tiny Epic series, but don’t let those big money-vacuums take up all the real estate on your eyeballs.
Other games exist that you should check out!
So, if you’re not a Kickstarter-addict with email notifications blinged out already, then let me share with you some of the campaigns that I’m excited about. I apologize in advance if these suggestions result in a deficit in your bank account, but some things can’t be helped!
Caper: Europe
Game preview by Our Family Plays Games
Keymaster Games is the publisher behind PARKS, which is one of the most beautiful games to release in recent memory and is one of the most accessible games that I’d use to introduce people to the hobby.
So, naturally, I’m interested in future titles from the company, and Caper: Europe looks to be another visually-arresting experience and one that might be another hit in the gameplay department. It is specifically a two-player game, which will likely limit some people’s interest, but I operate at that player count a lot, so it doesn’t bother me.
In the board game rendition of Ocean’s Eleven, players will gather together a crew of thieves, con artists, and rascally individuals in order to pull off heists. Where? Well, Europe of course. This drafting game will have you dancing and ducking between the great Western cities while you try to thieve and deceive your way across the continent.
Yes, please!
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Cryptozoic Entertainment has released a solo board game adventure on the crowdfunding platform that follows the narrative of one of my favorite superhero graphic novels—The Dark Knight Returns.
But, if you’re familiar with the source material, this isn’t a story of growing power and dominance. It’s one of frailty and the decline of a once-great superhero. The board game will reflect that by creating an atmosphere of attrition as “Batman comes out of retirement and tries to survive one final gauntlet, facing old and new villains…”
Daryl Andrews and Morgan Dontanville are the designers and while it’s a solo-only game in the original concept, the backers have unlocked a 1v1 mode that gives an asymmetric experience for the two players.
The ability to dive into that classic Batman narrative, though, is what draws me to this game.
Chamber of Wonders
Ludus Magnus is known for big, immersive Kickstarter games like Black Rose Wars and Nova Aetas Renaissance. However, the studio has now created a smaller department—Ludus Magnus Lite—in order to publish smaller and more affordable games that don’t lose the gameplay quality that the studio endeavors to have in their titles.
Enter Chamber of Wonders, a trip back to Victorian London that sees players collecting bizarre and unique artifacts to display, beating out their rivals with the most wondrous sights. Each exhibitor will need to send out agents into the streets of London to find the most fetching items.
The art of Chamber of Wonders grabs my attention, but it is also a game that I think would appeal to many of the friends and family that I bring in for games. Designed by Stefano Castelli, who brought us Potion Explosion, it’s also really special in the sense that it’s a language-free game, which means there is no text in the game components. That’s a form of accessibility that I rarely see in the games that I play.
Definitely one I want to look into more.
Tiny Turbo Cars
Horrible Guild has released popular titles like The King’s Dilemma, Unicorn Fever, and Vampire: The Masquerade - Vendetta.
But if kingdom-building narrative campaigns, feverish unicorn race betting, or bloody asymmetric clan duels don’t interest you, then maybe you’ll appreciate a racing game that will raise your pulse with sliding puzzles and remote-controlled toy cars.
Tiny Turbo Cars is a game for 2-4 players, designed by the 4Brains4Games team and Hjalmar Hach. Players will compete to cross the finish line before their opponents by thinking on their feet to manipulate sliding puzzles. Those puzzles will program the sequence of their cars. It looks like a car-racing twist on the spatial puzzle mechanics popularized by games like Galaxy Truckers.
Cars will have abilities that influence the outcome of the game, though, so I’m curious to see how it all works. I’ll be playing this game soon and will be able to share my first impressions of it after!
So, You’ve Been Eaten
Game review by Alex of BoardGameCo
What better way to start off a game than by realizing that you’ve been eaten by a giant monster?
That’s how most great sci-fi and fantasy heroes live their life. Swallowed by a beast… Just before a thermal detonator, or a sword, or something other weapon frees them from an ignoble fate.
So, You’ve Been Eaten is a game for 0-2 players (yes, you can play this game with zero players) from LudiCreations. Designed by Scott Almes, with awesome artwork from Kwanchai Moriya, it’s a game that I haven’t seen before and I love what it promises.
The asymmetric game is all about survival and it only lasts around 30 minutes. That hits a sweet spot in my collection for something that offers a lot of fun potential while not extending its stay on the table for 90-120 minutes. Players will take on the role of either the miner or the beast. One wants to delve into the innards of the monster and claim gems. The other… wants to finish digesting the miner.
How is this not something you want to play?!
What Kickstarter games have you backed recently? What campaign should I have mentioned that I didn’t?
Let me know in the comments!