It seems we’re in for another treat as we see a new wave of board games available on various crowdfunding sites, that you can back.
One of the core reasons why backing games on crowdfunding sites can be more attractive than waiting for the board games to release to retail first, is the additional benefits these campaigns offer.
To make the games more attractive for backers to get involved with, the campaigns generally include far more content and additions for the games that don’t get bundled with the retail editions.
These additions include upgraded miniatures, metal coins, exclusive expansions and more.
So with that, let’s jump right into it.
All the games listed here are available to either back or pre-order on Kickstarter, BackerKit or Gamefound in August – and all of these games will ship to South Africa.
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The Queen’s Dilemma
The Queen’s Dilemma is from the creators of the award-winning legacy narrative board game The King’s Dilemma comes the standalone sequel, The Queen’s Dilemma.
Players will return to the kingdom of Ankist for a new adventure of politics and intrigue. They must deal with challenging dilemmas, face tense voting sessions and forge their path through branching storylines.
The Queen’s Dilemma is set one hundred years after the first game’s events. It introduces a brand new story, improves on the existing legacy mechanisms and adds plenty of new features making the game even more immersive.
The game offers over 30 hours of campaign for between three and six players.
Back the game or pre-order here: Kickstarter
Fit To Print
Fit to Print is a strategy board game for between one and six players. The game is set in the bustling town of Thistleville, where players will take on the role of newspaper editors, not only keeping up with the locals but telling their stories.
The game features over 130 unique newspaper tiles, from articles to photographs, adverts and centrepieces, and it’s up to players to use these to put together a great newspaper.
The game takes place over three in-game days, and skills will be tested as everyone competes against each other to be the most newsworthy editor.
It’s a wholly unique-sounding game, complemented by stunning artwork that promises to be as exciting to play as it is beautiful to look at.
Back the game or pre-order here: Kickstarter
Daybreak
Daybreak is a four-player cooperative board game about stopping climate change. The game paints an unapologetically hopeful vision of the future, where players will build mind-blowing technologies and resilient societies to save the planet.
The game is designed by Matt Leacock, the creator of Pandemic, and it was inspired by games like Wingspan, Terraforming Mars, and Race for the Galaxy.
At its core, Daybreak is an engine builder that aims to tell an uplifting story about decarbonising the world and to put their money where their mouths are; $ 1 per backer will be donated to leading environmental and climate justice nonprofit organisations.
The entire game is created using FSC Certified wood and cardboard, even down to the storage trays made of eco-friendly moulded pulp.
Back the game or pre-order here: BackerKit
Slay The Spire
Slay The Spire is the board game adaptation of the immensely popular deckbuilding adventure video game of the same name.
In it, players will be crafting a unique deck, encountering bizarre creatures, and discovering relics of immense power, all to become strong enough to be able to Slay the Spire.
The game is created for between one and four players, and a game will last anywhere from 30 minutes to 150 depending on the number of players and how well players fare.
Back the game or pre-order here: Kickstarter
Arcs
Arcs is a fast-playing science fiction game from the award-winning team that brought players Root and Oath.
The game opens in the final days of a decaying empire. A fearsome blight has overwhelmed the outer systems. As the last imperial regents, players must balance their duty to an ancient order against their ambitions.
The game was designed for three to four players and builds on the conventions of other trick-taking games.
The lead player sets the agenda in each round by playing a card. Other players can follow it by playing a card of the same suit and a higher number, copy it by playing any card facedown, or pivot to a new tactic by playing off-suit.
Everyone begins as petty regents in a dying empire, but fates quickly diverge. The campaign contains twenty-four fate seeds with tons of branches, twists, and turns.
As players complete objectives and make critical decisions, the campaign grows, and changes, and each game takes less than two hours to play.
Back the game or pre-order here: Kickstarter
The Dark Quarter
The Dark Quarter supernatural detective game is specifically aimed at adults. It’s a heavily narrative digital hybrid board game with characters that are intimately connected to the story.
Every character in the Dark Quarter is essential to the story, and players will take on the role of deeply troubled people whose lives and souls may depend on the decisions made.
Players’ choices could result in triumphs, deaths or even worse. The game is set in New Orleans in 1981, and the setup is that the Beaumont Agency is asked to consult on what would become the first of the Congo Murders.
One to Four players will team together to become a Beaumont Agency detective in feature-length stories to uncover the monstrous truths hidden in Dark Orleans, where each scenario culminates in a grand Finale where their skills and limits will be tested.
Back the game or pre-order here: Gamefound
Bonus:
Two other games will launch their Kickstarter campaigns in August, and both are adaptations of video games.
Sometime within this month, both Call of Duty and Worms will open up their campaigns for fans to back.
There is yet to be tangible information about what either of these two campaigns will include, so those interested in potentially backing will just need to wait and see when the campaigns go live.
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Will you be backing any of these games? Let me know in the comments.