Friday, June 9, 2017

Eye on Kickstarter #22

Welcome to my Eye on Kickstarter series!  This series will highlight Kickstarter campaigns I am following that have recently launched (or I've recently discovered) because they have caught my interest.  Usually they'll catch my interest because they look like great games that I have either backed or would like to back (unfortunately budget doesn't allow me to back everything I'd like to).  But occasionally the campaigns caught my attention for other reasons.  Twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Fridays, I'll make a new post in this series, highlighting the campaigns that have caught my attention since the last post.  In each post I'll highlight one campaign that has really grabbed my attention, followed by other campaigns I've backed or am interested in.  I'll also include links to any reviews I've done.  Comments are welcome, as are suggestions for new campaigns to check out!

You can also see my full Kickstarter Profile to see what I've backed or my old Eye on Kickstarter page that was too unwieldy to maintain.  Also, check out the 2017 Kickstarter Boardgame Projects geeklist over on Board Game Geek for a list of all the tabletop games of the year.

So, without further ado, here are the projects I'm currently watching as of the second Friday of June, 2017:

HIGHLIGHTED CAMPAIGN
Radiant
  • GJJ Games Review
  • GJJ Games Backed
  • People Behind the Meeples Interview
  • The Best Kickstarter Previews & Prototypes of 2016
  • Every year I make a list of the top 10 new-to-me games that I played that year. Last year I played so many prototypes, both for Kickstarter previews as well as early stage prototypes at designer events that I decided to make a list of the top Kickstarter previews and prototypes that I played. Of all the games that I previewed for Kickstarter, Radiant was the best of the bunch! I played a bunch of great Kickstarter games, and all the others in my top 10 were successfully funded, except for Radiant. That's a shame because it's a really great game. So now Radiant is back on Kickstarter and will hopefully gain the attention it deserves. This one is definitely a winner and deserves to be made. It's a super interesting, very accessible blend of trick taking, area control, and drafting. It'll be great to pull out with your family, gamer group, and even people that aren't familiar with games beyond Hearts and Spades. Take a moment to check out Radiant and consider adding it to your collection, you won't regret it!


A war in three ages. Activate assassins, command knights, and claim mystical temples in this beautifully designed board game. Discover the world of Perim, where Avis scouts soar in the clouds, Treefolk assassins swing through the forests, and Mariner Knights ride fantastic mounts to island temples. Come live the ages of the Radiant!
  • Draft an army of warriors including the versatile Radiant.
  • Assemble sets of units to show your strength.
  • Lead your army through the four realms of Perim.
  • Activate assassins to target threats.
  • Mount knights for ultimate power.
  • Claim mystic temples, activate arcane portals.
  • Constant player engagement with battle/turn mechanic.
  • 2-4 players, 30-60 minutes



Pocket Ops
  • GJJ Games Review
  • GJJ Games Backed
  • People Behind the Meeples Interview
  • Pocket Ops is a new twist on Tic-Tac-Toe that makes the game actually interesting! It brings bluffing, deduction, special unit powers, and more to the classic. It's already funded and working through stretch goals, so check it out today.

Groves

Diabolical
  • This looks like a super fun, light game about being the best (worst?) super villain you can be! This was brought to my attention by a friend that's a member of the Kansas City Game Designers group.

Deep Space D-6
  • I've heard nothing but good things about this great solitaire game. If you play solo games at all this is definitely one to check out.

Carcosa
  • Carcassonne is still one of my favorite games, and Carcosa brings the mechanics of Carcassonne into the world of Lovecraft. The gameplay looks very interesting, although I'm not sure a tile laying game needs the additional randomness. I've also heard some complaints about some of the artwork being hard to distinguish when necessary, but the game still looks gorgeous and super interesting.

Turing Tumble
  • A couple of weeks ago I watched this video on YouTube about a board game called Dr. Nim from the 60s that uses some mechanical logic to beat the player every single time. A few days later I found out about Turing Tumble, a much more advanced game that uses some similar concepts. I've been excitedly awaiting it's Kickstarter launch since then. This is a really cool mechanical computer that can teach basic logic and computational processes to both kids and adults.

Sweetwater String Band - At Night
  • GJJ Games Backed
  • I listed this campaign last week, but wanted to highlight it again since I really, really hope it funds. However it's crawling along slowly and could use some help. The Sweetwater String Band is one of the few artists I have on my MP3 player that my wife NEVER asks me to skip a song by. That's saying quite a lot! We love their upbeat folk rhythms and how they use a cello more like a fiddle. Lots of fun, and you should check them out!
And just so you can hear how awesome they are, here's one of their songs from an older album that I have on my MP3 player.
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