Upkeep is live (Get these leaves off my lawn)
Update: Upkeep is live on Kickstarter, and the campaign will run for 24 days. You may back at the standard or the deluxe level (custom meeples), or even see yourself portrayed in the game as a neighborhood or professional helper.
Our preview post below was published on March 15.
Upkeep is a 1-4 player game in which you are trying to keep your yard clean from fallen autumn leaves. In the multiplayer game you compete against your neighbours, and in the solo game you are trying to make your yard immaculate before the weather cards run out. The game will launch on Kickstarter on March 17.
There are four different yards that serve as player boards, as well as a smaller board with bins for each type of leaf. You will be collecting leaves from the yard and exchanging them for tokens, so that you can acquire tools and hire helpers. When a storm comes up, it will cause extra leaves to fall or affect your turn in negative ways.
You begin the game with 3 leaves in your yard, and then check the weather. If it's a storm, you follow the instructions, otherwise proceed to roll your dice. The dice tell you how many leaves to add to your yard according to placement rules. You can clean leaves and put them into bins, if you move and stack 3 leaves on top of each other. When a bin is full, you can redeem the leaves for tokens, and unlock a toolbox or hire a helper/professional. Difficulty can be modified by adding or removing weather cards from the deck.