Friday, October 13, 2017

Eye on Kickstarter #30

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 October, 2017:

Live Campaigns from Past Eyes:
Dice of Pirates


HIGHLIGHTED CAMPAIGN
Neon Knights
  • If you like car racing games that have some unique, interesting mechanics, then definitely take a look at the games that Board to Death is putting out. Their previous success, Street Kings, brought the world of custom cars, street racing, and car shows to a Euro styled strategy game with some incredible artwork. Their second effort, Neon Knights is just as gorgeous and takes us to a cyberpunk future (with some fun, retro style), complete with high tech racing, driver training, financial management, and upgradable cars with shields and weapons! Neon Knights is great eye candy with some interesting strategy and a bit of luck, perfect for a futuristic racing game!


A Cyberpunk Battle Racing Board game. Upgrade your custom car... Drive the modular track... Destroy your opponents! You ready?

In the dystopian future of 2086, the city is split in two. The upper class lives in the upper half of the city while the lower class live in the slums. Cash is illegal in the lower part of the city, and the people there now use casino chips from the old world as currency. The upper class business men have created the Extreme Racing League as an automotive racing sport for entertainment. Anyone with a car who lives in the slums can enter. The prize? You guessed it: A pass to enter the city above, crowned as a Neon Knight (Drivers for V.I.P). What you do when you get there is up to you...and another story in itself.

You've spent all your chips on building the car and entering the league. Now it's time to prove your worth in a racing tournament that can only be won by taking risks, and pushing it to the limit. Do you have what it takes to join the Neon Knights?

Neon Knights: 2086 is a career-driven racing game for 2 to 6 players. You can play single races or in campaign mode which allows you to level up your car and skills as you play. You will advance in your career by buying upgrades and installing weapons and shields on your car. You will also gain fans and sponsorships who will train you in getting the skills you need to become a better driver. During the race you will need to pass over certain street areas to Activate weapons and shield you have on your car, which you can then use on other drivers.

You can go as fast as you want to but some areas of the slums are harder to drive through and will damage your car if you're going too fast. Will you take those risks?





Guardian's Call
  • The latest game from Druid City Games uses some of the bluffing mechanics from Barnyard Roundup and brings them into a much larger game, complete with heroes that you can upgrade and more. The artwork looks awesome, too! CHECK THIS OUT NOW - THE 10 DAY CAMPAIGN ENDS TODAY!


Re-Chord
  • People Behind the Meeples Interview
  • My son has been playing guitar now for a bit over two years, so when I found a game all about playing the guitar I was super intrigued. Re-Chord even uses guitar picks as components in the game!


Stellar Leap
  • People Behind the Meeples Interview
  • Stellar Leap looks like a very fun space exploration game. I love worker placement and this looks like it combines that with some really interesting dice mechanics.


INTELLE: Hack or Be Hacked
  • People Behind the Meeples Interview
  • I quite enjoy a good abstract strategy game, and INTELLE looks like an interesting blend of tic-tac-toe, chess, and Quarto with some unique mechanics that I think will make it better than all three (surely better than tic-tac-toe, but that doesn't take much). On your turn you place a control cube in your sector, but that then defines the sector that your opponent must play in. It's a super clever mechanic that is simple, but adds layers to the game.


Near and Far: Amber Mines
  • GJJ Games Backed
  • Yes, I backed Near and Far, but haven't yet gotten it to the table (yes, shame on me), but that didn't stop me from backing the first expansion, Amber Mines. I'm confident that pretty much anything put out by Ryan Laukat is going to be awesome.


Sunset Over Water


Trench
  • This was on my last list, however that campaign was cancelled and reworked. You can now get Trench for a bit less, and less confusing pledge tiers. Plus it's already funded!


The 7th Continent: What Goes Up Must Come Down
  • The 7th Continent does some really amazing things that are rarely seen in tabletop games that aren't RPGs, and never to this extent. The game gives you an entire continent to explore and live in for hours on end. I'd love to add this to my collection, but really don't know when I'd ever have that amount of time to devote to the game, regardless of how much I'd want to.


Haunt the House
  • I really love spooky themes, and Haunt the House definitely fits the bill. In the game you play ghosts trying to scare away paranormal investigators to steal their equipment. The whole game looks fun and spooky!


Coma Ward
  • Where Haunt the House, above, is fun and cute spooky, Coma Ward is terrifyingly spooky. You and the other players wake up in a mostly abandoned hospital with no memory of who you are, what happened, or why the hospital is abandoned. Depending on the "phenomenon" selected for the game, you may have totally different goals. Maybe you're playing competitively, maybe cooperatively, you won't know until the game's story starts to unfold.


Time of Legends: Joan of Arc
  • This just looks awesome. Fight in the Hundred Years War and battle enemy troops, dragons, or demons!


Tiny Epic Defenders 2nd Edition & Tiny Epic Defenders: The Dark War
  • GJJ Games Review (1st Edition PnP)
  • GJJ Games Backed
  • I've been all in for the deluxe Tiny Epic games since the first edition of Tiny Epic Defenders (and I picked up standard TEK in the TED pledge manager). I absolutely love the series! Unfortunately though, the new Dark War expansion isn't compatible with the 1st edition of TED. The new artwork and rules tweaks in TED2 look great, but to get it and the expansion means I'll be spending a total of $73 to get TED:tDW (with $8 shipping). That's a lot of money. Even at $49 for just the new game/content, that's the same as a big box game. Unfortunately, I just can't afford to have spent $73 on a Tiny Epic game. Even if I managed to sell off my copy of TED1 I doubt I could get more than $5 for it, and $68 for a TE game is definitely not cheap. So, unfortunately this will be the first Tiny Epic Kickstarter that I don't back (well, just for $1 so I can get the updates). That makes me so sad. =(

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