Watch your Back: Week June 11 to 17
June continues to be warm yet cloudy and therefore somewhat gloomy. In the crowdfunding world though, things are moving at a good, steady pace.
***
Quatro City is a 1-99 player jigsaw puzzle deduction game in which you first assemble the puzzle, and then try to solve mysteries by searching for clues on the city map.
The game is app-driven, so when you finish the puzzle, you follow instructions on what to look for to progress the story. It is launching on Kickstarter on June 12.
Personal opinion: The only thing that keeps me away from this game is the size of the surface it needs to be laid out on. And it will need to stay assembled for weeks, since you won't want to put it together piece by piece every time. Otherwise, it seems entertaining.
***
Castellans of Valeria is a 1-5 player dice drafting and area control game in which players are competing for the title of Castellan of the city. Your goal is to construct buildings and gather the most points.
At the start of each round, the dice are rolled, and each player chooses one and takes the associated resource, until each has three dice. Then the dice are spent to perform actions such as building, recruiting citizens, and acquiring resources. In the scoring phase, points are gained according to each player's achievements. There is no information on the solo mode yet. It is launching on Kickstarter on June 13.
Personal opinion: Sounds better-suited to multiplayer.
***
Phantom Epoch is a 1-4 player cooperative sci fi adventure game in which you go on missions to explore the galaxy and stop the arrival of an enemy. The game comes with an atlas notebook on which you play the scenarios.
In each round, you spend action points to use each character's cards and perform actions. This is a campaign game with more than 40 missions, and you can play as human or alien species. It is launching on Kickstarter on June 13.
Personal opinion: It seems like a good game, and I might consider it if I had time for campaigns.
***
Moving on to Thiefdom: a 1-4 player stealth and pick-up-and-deliver game in which you control three members of a thieves guild, trying to prove their skill in stealing.
In each round, players first plan the movements of their thieves and also the movement of guards, nobles, and carriages that other players may encounter. Then, actions are carried out, and the player with the most points at the end, wins. Solo rules haven't been revealed yet. It is launching on Kickstarter on June 13.
Personal opinion: Another game that seems to benefit from player interaction.
***
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The Board Game is a 1-4 player cooperative storytelling game set in a post-apocalyptic universe.
You will choose your character(s), equip them with weapons, and go out in different missions, facing enemies and anomalies along the way. When you move, you produce noise, and if you are too noisy, enemies will come in your direction. Combat is dice-based, and you have to decide whether to target the enemy's head or torso. It is launching on Gamefound on June 13.
Personal opinion: I'm not too tempted by this one, even though I like post-apocalyptic settings. I've played ZONA which was not perfect but seems more original than this.
***
And lastly, we have Inventions: Evolution of Ideas: a 1-4 player worker placement game by Vital Lacerda. As an inventor, you will first introduce ideas into the world, and then find the means to develop them into inventions.
You will use your citizens to spread your ideas into locations on the board, and then perform actions to turn ideas into inventions, innovate on an existing invention, share inventions with the world, and exert your influence. In the solo mode, you are playing against two AIs. It is launching on Kickstarter on June 15.
Personal opinion: I don't mind giving a complex game a go, but I find the theme here way too boring.