Now on Kickstarter

Yes, yes, this is a second weekend post, and I usually don’t have posts go live on weekends so I can have daily updates during the week (to the extent possible). But I wanted to mention a game in this post that only has a day and a half left, so this should probably go up now. That game was: Progress: Evolution of Technology – You know those civilization games where part of the game is working your way up the technology tree? Well, Progress basically takes that and makes it the whole game. Primarily a hand management game, you’re accumulating technological developments throughout the game, with each tech granting some bonus (faster researching, better card draw, possible victory points, permanent resources) and also granting easier access to certain later technologies. Players have to balance between getting easier techs now at little cost, better techs now at a much higher cost, or better techs a long time from now at no cost. I’ve backed this one, and I was going to tell everyone to go back it so that the Age IV expansion could get unlocked, but too late, it’s already unlocked. This one is $45 for the game and, as noted above, it ends about 36 hours after this post goes live (so it ends sometime on June 24). Fighting Game Throwdown –  Yomi and BattleCON – Thematically, both Yomi and BattleCON are playing in the same space, simulating a 2D fighting game experience – Yomi focusing on the rock/paper/scissors aspect of fighting game strategy, and BattleCON including more positional elements. Both games let you pick up the original versions and newer materials as well. For Yomi, which you may recall Mike speaking well of recently on Episode 134, there are revised versions of the ten original decks/characters, ten new decks/characters, and an “EX Powerup” expansion, which comes with special (and not tournament legal, I think) versions of the characters, a two on one game mode, and a box big enough to hold all 20 decks. On the bright side, each individual deck is a nice $10 buy. On the downside, that means $200 for all 20 decks (and another $40 for EX Powerup). Yomi ends in over three weeks, and is thoroughly funded. Similarly, the BattleCON project is a revision and extension of the original BattleCON: War of Indines. The original game included 18 fighters, and the new Extended Edition includes another six fighters as well as additional materials for the original 18 and gameplay generally (things like arenas). The remastered base game is $50, the extension is $20, and then you can throw money at them for previously-released expansions as well ($175 for everything). BattleCON wraps up in less than a week, and is also thoroughly funded. Tabletop Deathmatch Special – Penny Press and The Shadow Over Westminster – Apparently the Cards Against Humanity guys ran this Tabletop Deathmatch thing (seems like I should have known about it, but I must admit I did not). Penny Press was one of the two winners (I guess they decided not to go with CAH as their publisher; prize money from the contest is why their initial funding goal is so low) and The Shadow Over Westminster was one of the other finalists. Other than doing well on Tabletop Deathmatch, however, the two games are radically different. Penny Press is a worker placement/area control euro-game – your workers are reporters and the area control is for the stories they are reporting on.  Players must choose when to go to press to maximize the circulation (victory points) they get from the array of stories they currently have ‘control’ of (the value of which will have fluctuated depending on reporter assignments and events). Penny Press is $40 for the game, and is funded with over two weeks to go. The Shadow Over Westminster, on the other hand, is a cooperative deckbuilding game of adventure horror set in modern London. Each player takes on the role of a particular agent with particular strengths, and his or her deck expands as they find clues, uncover artifacts, and gain unique investigative techniques. Added to this are movement and a selection of Cataclysm’s that are reminiscent of Arkham/Eldritch Horror and other Cthulhu Mythos games. Also, if they go a couple grand past their funding goal, they’ll have art by rk post, and he’s just awesome. The game is $45, and as of the time of this writing, has over three weeks to go and is still working towards its funding goal. Heroes – Bonus “has nothing to do with games” Kickstarter. An illustrated short fiction anthology featuring a cast of characters more diverse than your usual comic selection (more women, folks who aren’t white, folks who aren’t possessed of chiseled physiques, etc.).

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