Heath and Seth Robinson are currently Kickstarting their miniatures game, Incantris, of magical combat for 1-4 players. Each player in the game takes control of a team of three wizards, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. What makes the game interesting right off the bat is how each team is balanced a bit differently, mixing up the combinations of the six types of wizards to change the team’s dynamic.

I had a chance to play a prototype of Incantris and put the game through its paces. While the components I played with aren’t the final pieces, they’re pretty close. The model sculpts were excellent, and the art very was well done. All the counters and modular board pieces were sturdy, the dice icons clean and legible. The 3D terrain was solid, stood well, and looked really professional. Overall this prototype felt very close to a fully manufactured game.

I was a bit worried when the game came in. The rulebook was thick. Never a good sign for a miniatures board game that claims to be simple to learn and play. A quick flip through them put my mind at ease. The rules were printed one-sided and had plenty of images, examples, and reference materials. The game really is simple to learn. There’s even a two-minute video that Heath and Seth created to lay down the basics.

There’re several different ways to play Incantris: Battle Royale, Crystal Sap, Capture the Crystal, and my favorite, Shifting Arena. Each scenario has it’s own victory conditions and special rules that go along with it. Shifting Arena, for example, has the same goal to defeat all the other players as Battle Royal does, but the board shifts as you play.

During each turn in the game, a player will move and attack, or attack and move, with one of their wizards. That wizard can’t be activated again until the player’s other wizards have been used. There’s a total of 25 spells spread out over the six types of wizards, and each has its own area of effect. Some spells target empty hexes. Others, another wizard. Some spells have an area effect that can hit more than one wizard at a time. There’s spells that do damage and spells that inflict status effects. The amount of depth provided with such a simple ruleset is astounding.

As I usually do, I played Incantris with my kids. This time around my 11-year-old, 9-year-old, and 6-year-old played the game with me. All were able to grasp the rules fairly quickly, and once they got the hang of the team they were playing with, had a great time playing the game. Even with a full compliment of 4 players we were able to finish the game in around an hour. Gameplay is fast, spells are satisfying, and between the modular board and different scenarios there’s a lot of replayability here. The one thing I wish I had is the Wizard Design Kit, an add-on available in the Kickstarter campaign that allows you to customize your own team of wizards and the spells they have.

Incantris is already fully-funded with 7 days left to go in its campaign. A pledge of $50 will make sure you get a copy of the base game, while $7o gets you the game and the Wizard Design Kit. The latter would be my suggestion to get the most bang for you buck. This is a great game, and I hope to see more released for it in the future.

A prototype copy of Incantris was provided for this preview by Heath and Seth Robinson.

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Already way above its funding goal, Thornwatch: Eyrewood Adventures, bridges the gap between narrative RPGs and board games. The game was originally envisioned by Penny Arcade’s Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins and is co-designed with Lone Shark’s Mike Selinker, Chad Brown, and Rodney Thompson. In the game players take on the roles of the Protectors of the Eyrewood, the Thornwatch, playing through a sort of choose-your-own adventure run by the a player designated as the Judge.

The game looks breathtaking, and you can even get a quick taste of it with a free print-and-play.

A pledge of $78 gets you a copy of the game, with all sorts of amazing things available at higher tiers. The stretch goals, most of which have already been met, provide you with additional characters, stories, and even a comic.

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This morning Flavor Faction Studio launched a Kickstarter campaign for ORIGINZ, their new comic-superpower themed tabletop card game. Containing 12 different, pre-constructed, ready-to-play decks, players take the roles of super powered heroes and villains to do battle against one another.

I first played ORIGINZ at CT-Fig this year. After that Flavor Faction sent me a prototype copy with my kids a few times, and I also played a few games with Evan, one of the games designers, over Tabletop Simulator. There’s currently a free print-and-play version you can download, along with the game’s rules. For those interested in the Tabletop Simulator module, you can snag that here.

So how does it play?

Really, really well. ORIGINZ is an all-in-one solution for fans of card battling games and superhero fans alike. Decks are small, well constructed, and allow players to have control over various aspects of the game. Each super power effects how that deck plays, and amazing combos make for stellar superpowered turns that can quickly tip the scales of battle.

Everything about ORIGINZ is feels super smooth, well planned, and wonderfully executed. The comic book style artwork brings the decks to life, and the quick gameplay is both strategic and deeply satisfying. For $40, you can’t go wrong. The 12 decks alone are worth that, and the possibilities for deck building with those cards, and seeing how well different powers work with each other, just adds that much more value.

Flavor Faction only needs $12,500 to meet their goal, and I really hope they do. A $40 pledge gets you the game if it funds, while a $79 pledge gets you the game and two 14″ X 24″ fabric & rubber play mats.

In my mind ORIGINZ is a no-brainer. I’ve had a lot of fun with the game, and am sure I’ll have much more fun with it once I have a finished copy in my hands.

A prototype of ORIGINZ was provided for preview purposes, then returned to Flavor Faction.

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Alisha Volkman’s Underlings of Underwing won The Learning Game Challenge from The Game Crafter earlier this year, earning it the right to be considered for publication by The Pericles Group. It’s a worker placement game where you’re trying to hatch dragon eggs using colored crystals. TPG is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund publication of the game.

I’ve gotten a chance to play Underwing and, even though it’s a light worker-placement game, I was surprised how meaty it actually felt. There’s plenty of choices to make on how you want your workers spending their time. Workers can be placed in the fields to collect gems each turn, moving forward on the track if left to their own devices. Workers can be placed in the tower to get a White gem, but must return to the break room after, effectively taking them out of a round. Workers can also be placed on an egg to claim it for a player for points and a positive buff when it hatches.

That brings me to another cool part of the game. Dragons can be hatched in the wild, meaning no one has claimed them when their gem slots are filled. These dragons stay on the board blocking the space they’re in and triggering a negative action. If the board fills up with wild dragons it’s game over. Sometimes these wild dragons will cause other wild dragons to hatch, setting off nasty chain reactions with heavy consequences.

Hatching isn’t a simple as it seems on the surface. Each dragon requires gems to hatch. Gems come in 8 colors: primary colors: Red, Yellow, and Blue, secondary colors: Orange, Green,  and Purple, and Black and White. Primary colors can be mixed to create gems of secondary colors. One of each primary color or secondary color can be mixed to create a Black gem. White gems can only be obtained through a random draw from the gem back, or from placing a worker in the tower. This mechanic gives players a lot of flexibility when infusing eggs, but requires careful planning with your workers to be effective.

The game ends after a set number of rounds depending on the number of players. At the end of the game dragons are scored to determine the victor.

My kids and I really enjoyed Underwing, especially my 9-year-old daughter. The game states ages 12+ on the box, but my 6-year-0ld had no trouble playing after a few rounds with a little help. I’m really looking forward to what a full, professionally printed copy will look like, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one. Until then, I’m sure we’ll wear out this prototype copy that I have.

There’s a lot of game in Underwing’s tiny box, and a $29 pledge will guarantee you once excellent game when the project funds. There’s only one mystery stretch goal right now, but I have a feeling we’ll see that revealed soon. There’s also an add-on play mat, which I don’t currently have, that looks amazing.

If you’re interested in learning more about the game, check out the Kickstarter page or watch the How-to-Play video below.

A prototype version of Underlings of Underwing was provided free by The Pericles Group for this preview.

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Final Act designer Sharon Katz was a tank commander. On a challenge from a gamer buddy, he came up with Final Act, a tactical tank game with simultaneous play, no dice, and no charts. The game is pretty much laid out bare on the Kickstarter page if you’re looking to see how it’s played.

I don’t know how I didn’t hear about this one sooner. It looks great, both physically and mechanically. The campaign only has a few days to go, and still a bit before it’s funded.  $40 will get you the game if it reaches its goal,  and higher pledges will get you multiple copies of the game, or a copy of the designer’s previous game, Elementos.

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Bitbox is a game storage system for taking the components for your game — boards, rulebooks, and all those little pieces — and storing them, cutting down on the space required for all those game boxes. A unit fits within an IKEA Kallax cube space, and the video shows fourteen different games (Stone Age, Concept, Reverse Charades, Splendor, Power Grid, Telestrations, Machi Koro, Survive, The Lord of the Rings TCG base set, Ticket to Ride, RoboRally, Codenames, 7 Wonders, and Kingdom Builder were shown) stored in that single Bitbox. $50 gets you a Bitbox and a carry-to-game-night box. If we knew about this thing before it launched, you could have had that for $30.

The Prince Valiant RPG just came on Kickstarter last week. This game, set in the time of King Arthur and designed by Greg Stafford, is a storytelling game designed to be accessible to younger players. If you’ve wanted to tell stories about noble knights, you can get a physical copy of the game book filled with gorgeous full-color artwork from Hal Foster’s comic strip for just $30.

Well, after our last look at Crowdfunding Highlights, I think we’ve covered all the modular-board scenario-based standalone miniature battle games up on Kickstarter and — are you kidding me? There’s The Warriors: Turf War, based on the 1979 movie where a gang is set up for murder and all the gangs in New York City are hunting them down. Included in the base game are several miniatures, including the comical Baseball Furies (just called “Furies” here). Let’s do the rundown from last time: “early bird stretch goals not completely sold out (hurry!), more than three dozen miniatures (46!), second-ever KS from the company, $105 normal price tag. Come out to play.

Jackson Robinson does cards. You’ve got less than 19 hours to get some awesome currency-inspired playing cards. The cards are based on American and Chinese currency. (I’ve got one of his Wasteland decks and they’re really fantastic.) $14 gets you one of these decks, $28 gets you two. Stop reading and go now! There’s just *gasp* 18 hours left now! Go! Go! Go!

Honestly, I can’t wait for the US Presidential election to be over. There are soooo many Kickstarters that are trying to capitalize on Trump or Hillary that we just know aren’t going to fund or, god forbid they actually do fund, won’t be fulfilled any time before the election. Case in point: What the Drumpf, which is Apples to Apples with questions and Trump-like quotes “and the debate leader picks the funniest, most racist or most insane answer”. They want 3500 GBP for this thing.

Last week: People Vs. Politics, the “CAH with uncomfortable political discussion” game — how did it do? Unsuccessful, with just under half of the $4800 goal made.

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I wonder how many modular-board scenario-based standalone miniature battle games do we really need? If you said, “Just one more, as long as it’s got Bruce Campbell in it,” you’ll be happy to hear about the Evil Dead 2 miniature boardgame that was recently launched. Does it hit all the notes? Early Bird Special that’s already gone: check. Three dozen plus miniatures: check. First ever KS by a company you’ve never heard of before (Space Goat): check. $100+ price tag: che– what? The “deluxe” edition is only $80? Huh. Come get some.

Cryptozoic Entertainment is releasing The Walking Dead: No Sanctuary which is a modular-board scenario-based standalone miniature battle game. Early Bird Special gone: check. Three dozen plus miniatures (68): check. First ever game: nope, it’s Cryptozoic, who has done lots of stuff. $100+ price tag: check — $125. Anyway, this one looks like it has better graphic design than Evil Dead 2. Get your argument battle simulator here.

Meanwhile in space, Dethrone Games has Darkness Sabotage, a modular-board scenario-based standalone miniature battle game where you’re space pirates fighting demons instead of zombies (not that anyone would call them “zombies”). Early Bird gone: what? Five slots left? Scads of minis: check (46). First ever: kinda — they had another modular-board scenario based standalone miniature battle game that was cancelled. $100+ price tag: It’s right there at $127 CAD. Get your Event Horizon/DOOM/Space Hulk hybrid.

Back in World War 2, Draco Ideas presents 2GM Tactics, a modular-board scenario-based standalone card and token battle game. Set in the European Theater of Operations, this game uses cards and tokens instead of fifteen pounds of plastic to represent the units. Run ’em! Early Bird Pricing All Gone: check. Tons of minis: well, cards and tokens. First Ever Game: nope! $100+ price tag: only $83! Bust some Nazis.

People Vs. Politics is Cards Against Humanity, but with forcing uncomfortable political discussions into your circle of friends. “Some people feel our game is offensive and racist. While some of the topics touch on these issues the overall goal is to create dialogue…” with such discussion-starters as “a bigger, blacker Washington Monument”, “going to college for free because you’re 1/18th Indian”, and “anchor babies”. It’s like finding out how racist your uncle is on facebook, but in person.

Last week: Did Pick Your Poison make it? We were looking forward to this Would You Rather… game making it, but nope — it passed 20% of the funding goal before ending.

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Roots of Mali is a new, abstract strategy game from SunCoreGames that’s hitting Kickstarter tomorrow. It’s a stand alone game that follows in the footsteps of the company’s earlier game, Light of Dragons (which I just reviewed on my personal site).

I received a prototype in the mail a couple of weeks back, and have had some time to play it, and compare it to Light of Dragons. The rules to both games are identical, but the tribes in each game play drastically different. While the tribe included in Light of Dragons hits hard and plays fast, the tribe in Roots of Mali is slower, requiring a bit more thought, build up, and placement.

The goal of Roots of Mail is to earn 10 Might Points. You do this by attacking your opponent’s dice. Defeat a level 4 creature, get 4 Might Points. Do so in one of the 3 rows on your opponent’s side of the board for +1/+2/+3 bonus points, depending on how close to their side of the board you are. Creatures can only attack creatures that have a lower value, with the exception being that level 3 creatures can also attack level 6 creatures. Creature powers and spells include creatures that can’t be exiled, creatures that spawn weaker creatures in their wake, creatures that can build up power to level up other creatures, and more.

I’m not sure which tribe I like better, the one in Light of Dragons or this new tribe getting ready to Kickstart. I certainly like playing the two against each other, making both boxed sets a must have if you’re interested in the series. Both games have amazing art and an overall top-notch production.

Once the project launches, around $40 will secure you a set if it’s funded. You can also snag Light of Dragons now for $40 on SunCoreGame’s site.

A copy of Roots of Mali was provided by SunCoreGames for this preview.

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Goodman Games is doing for the post-apocalyptic genre what it did for fantasy with the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG. Mutant Crawl Classics, inspired by Gamma World and Metamorphosis Alpha, is stand-alone but still fully compatible with DCC. Characters can be human, mutant, manimal, or plantient and in a typical adventure venture the wastelands to collect lost super-science.

For a system that’ll allow gamers to make their own mutants, Weapons Grade Funk is working toward a line of customizable anthropomorphic miniatures. The current round of fundraising will support sculpting of all the various body parts. These will then be incorporated in to an online application with which users can mix-and-match for 3D printing.

Game of Blame combines be-the-first-to-dump-your-cards game-play with a kind-of hot-potato mechanic for a light card game of courtly intrigue. As the queen’s advisers, the players know that personal success isn’t really about fixing the kingdom’s problems but instead about making sure someone else takes the blame for the things that go wrong.

Beautiful and with a unique theme, Planetarium from Game Salute has players forming the planets of a new solar system by colliding matter on board orbits, and then further evolving those planets through the play of various cards.

Back on earth, players operate ice cream trucks in Rocky Road a la Mode, Green Couch Games’ tribute to the summer season. Cards in the game serve either as music to attract customers or as frozen treats to relieve the heat. With the right customers, players can also lay claim to summer hot spots, such as the pool, park, or ball field.

For the more sinister players, there’s Mr. B’s Madness at Midnight, a cultists-side Cthulhu game. This one combines worker placement and action-dice mechanics as players fulfill sinister plots and work to control key locations in Arkham. The first to 13 victory points is the winner, that is as long as they manage to keep the investigators at bay.

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Who knew that gaming tables was going to be such a competitive market? The folks at BoardGameTables.com have been making high-end, custom-built wordwork gaming tables for the past year and a half, but they’ve recently launched a massive campaign for a low-cost gaming table. How low? $500 for a 3×5 table. They’re getting the price down to that point in two major ways: the tables are all standardized, so there’s no customization, and they’ll be mass-producing the tables, letting the economies of scale bring the overall price down. The Duchess is $499, $739 with topper to convert it to a normal table.

A boardgame based on Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn novels is up on Kickstarter! A $50 pledge (plus shipping) gets you a copy of the semi-cooperative game. The game is designed by Kevin Wilson (one of my favorite game designers). Check out Mistborn: House War from Crafty Games.

Miniature wargamer? Laser Dream Works is presenting 3D printer-ready models for historical (17th and 18th Century) terrain. The main item (at $45) is a fortress based on Fort Ticonderoga in New York state. The Vauban Fortress is scales from 28mm to 10mm sizes. Already unlocked: battle-damaged walls, outer fortifications, and Spanish-style turrets. They’re so very close to unlocking a five-pointed fort and a shore battery made of curved walls, but they’re in the final week of the campaign, so act soon!

Summit has an interesting theme: mountain climbing. In the game, you’re racing up (and back down) a mountain, laying down tiles to create trails and hazards. But you don’t want to sprint up the mountain: you’ll have to keep track of your food, oxygen, and health while making sure you’re not overburdened or too slow to ascend and descend. You’ll have to watch the weather, balance your load, and survive the perilous trek. The base game is yours for a pledge of $37 (US, approximate: $49 CAD). Summit also comes with a cooperative/solo expansion, which is available at the $49 level ($64 CAD).

If Cards Against Humanity is dirty words Apples to Apples, Drawing Without Dignity is potty-mouth Pictionary. This week’s Marketplace Confusion/Parody/Coattail Riding spotlight product is for 17 and up (really? 17?) and it’s pretty much Pictionary where you’re drawing things like “sperm donor”, “yellow snow”, and “carpet muncher”. A $25 pledge gets you a box with 100 cards (5 clues per card), a one-minute timer, a six-sided die, a pad of paper, and four miniature golf pencils. Drawing Without Dignity has a week and a half to go and is nearly a third of the way funded: take a look at the campaign.

Hey, remember last time when we featured an 18-card CAH “expansion” called Bad Apples? You’re probably wondering if they funded. Nope, but it’s because the creator cancelled the funding with just two dollars to go! Well, they went ahead and relaunched the campaign again (the third time), and it still didn’t fund, only getting $500 of the C$750 requested.

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