Watch your Back: Week October 22 to 28
Another week where the crowdfunding announcements will be brought to you by the team member least capable of doing them. So many campaigns this week and I haven't got a clue about most. It's like a jungle sometimes. It makes me wonder how I keep from going under. But hey, let's explore together.
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Ah! This first one is easy. I already wrote about Secrets of the Lost Tomb: Epic Edition last week, as I wasn't aware it had gotten postponed. So you can travel back in time to read my comments, or just head over to Gamefound and splurge on October 24. It's Epic.
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Moving on. Boundless Stride: Into the Denlands is a legacy game of exploration, investigation and narration. It will use stickers to alter the maps permanently and a reset pack is not feasable, but they promise the game will be replayable anyway. You can check it out on Kickstarter on October 23.
Personal opinion: I like seeing (former) Fantasy Flight Games designers pop up at other companies, and I always have high hopes they'll keep the flame burning now that the one at FFG has petered out. Unfortunately I know nothing about their previous game Kinfire Chronicles: Night's Fall. I will have a look at the campaign, though narrative books are not for me, so chances of backing are low.
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Taking inspiration from the classic Magic Realm, but promising to be playable by mere mortals, Dragons Down is - of course - a fantasy adventure game. Go questing, slay monsters, loot eveything in sight and become a legend by beating your own score. Some solo scenarios or another win condition may be available as well, we'll see. Live on Kickstarter on October 24.
Personal opinion: Heartily recommended by both the designer himself (on BGG) and our own Zerbique (over here), so who am I to argue.
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In card-driven conquest game The Old King's Crown you can battle an AI opponent for control of a kingdom. The included factions are quite asymmetric, which may add to the learning curve in general - but for solo will probably add to replayability. Cards can be used in many ways, so expect some head-scratching before you are worthy of wearing the crown. Live on Kickstarter October 24.
Personal opinion: It's always tricky to have an AI in games that depend so much on player interaction. First impressions in (p)reviews are positive, but when are they not?
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More (AI?) dueling fun in Mons and Mages, with mons being monsters, in case you wondered like I did. And it's bring your own mages. Anyway, you've joined a mages tournament where you tame monsters, adding their cards to your tableau. Then you'll trigger their abilities to beat your opponents, or get stunned if you're clumsy. On Kickstarter October 24.
Personal opinion: No idea how it plays solo, so let's wait and see.
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Not mons but wons in the next one: Wondrous Creatures. This is worker placement game, where you activate icons on hex tiles to gather resources, gain cards or collect eggs. Workers have abilities that evolve over time. Cards can be activated once or more times, have permanent effects or provide end-game points. Eggs may give you bonuses. And so forth. The rulebook is over 30 pages long, I cannot do it justice in one paragraph. The solo mode is a work in progress. We'll find out more on Kickstarter, when it goes live on October 25.
Personal opinion: Like I said, 30+ pages. Over 100 different creature cards. So many effects. There can be too much of a good thing.
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Nocturne is the newest offer by Flatout Games, a publisher that has its fair share of fans after Calico, Cascadia and the like. Illustrated once more by Beth Sobel. In this set collection game you use tokens to cast spells and bid on items and actions. But then your opponents can cast a more powerfull spell on an adjacent space to mess with your plans. Coming to Kickstarter on October 24.
Personal opinion: I have no idea about solo play but I am not much into bidding games and I've got so many set collection games, that I don't feel the need to add this to my collection to complete another set.
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And while we're at it, here's another one where I have no idea how it plays solo. Or coop. Or at all, really. So let me copy-paste the info on BGG for you:
"Spirit Fire is a non-linear, open-world board game system in which you explore compelling fantasy realms on an introspective journey of discovery, wonder, and mystery. Your choices matter, because instead of following a story, you ARE the story.
Spirit Fire seeks to provide the greatest single player experience available, inspired by a love of TCGs, MMOs, rogue-lite-like loops, metroidvania map development and discovery, fantasy fiction, and—more than anything—a desire for something truly new and fresh."
This game by the designers of Unsettled will launch on Kickstarter on October 24.
Personal opinion: If it makes me go on journey of self-discovery it's guaranteed to be the worst game ever. Trust me. I know me.
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Ancient god bless the public domain. In Dreamescape players are sleepers, trapped by Cthulhu in a nightmarish world of narrative exploration. Will you recover your mind or be driven to insanity? Draw a card, make a choice, do a test by throwing runes and find out. Dreamescape will be available on Gamefound on October 24.
Personal opinion: This campaign will have at least four scenario boxes and it's only part one of the planned DreamQuest series. I'll wait for experiences with this one then, looks like I can always join in later if it turns out to be a masterpiece in modern board game design. Or good fun, I'm a sucker for Cthulhu.
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FormulaGP is a racing game where clever card play will let you beat the bots. Push your inner Max to the max!
Personal opinion: I am terribly sorry, but this looks way too fiddly for my tastes. Also, I know nothing of the sport. Please watch a video to see if it's something you like - while I will make some nice noises. Vroom vroom!
Or you can find out more on Gamefound, October 25.
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Short FYIs:
U-BOOT will return to Kickstarter on October 24. The campaign will also offer an updated companion app with a mission builder module an a 90 cm plastic miniature U-boot. Eat your heart out, CMON. An update pack will be available for returning backers. On Kickstarter October 24.
Also, cooperative dungeon defense game Keep the Heroes Out! will get a new expansion called Boss Battles. On Kickstarter October 24.
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At last! We've come full circle. The cover of Mayan Curse looks like a follow up to the one of Secrets of the Lost Tomb, with the adventurers now running away as fast as they can. The game is a race to the top of an old temple, discovering monuments for victory points and avoiding rolling boulders for excitement. For solo it will have scoring goals in several difficulty levels but also special scenarios. On Kickstarter on, you guessed it, October 24.
Personal opinion: I am not into puzzly games like this, but it looks fun for people that enjoy Relics of Rajavihara (the previous game by one of the co-designers). Also, I appreciate that the temple isn't being looted as such but rather being explored for knowledge. Oh, the curse of knowledge.