Crowdfunding Highlights

crowdfunding-highlights-iconBitbox 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.

220px-TheWarriors_1979_Movie_PosterWell, 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!

ChinaCards

not cahHonestly, 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.

oregon trailPressman Games is releasing The Oregon Trail Card Game as a Target exclusive next week, but like Codenames Deep Undercover, Ticket to Ride First Journey, and Machi Koro: Bright Lights, Big City, the game has been showing up on shelves in some stores. The Oregon Trail, based on the video game, contains a laminated card where you can list the names of the members of your party and a card where you can transfer them to the tombstones when they invariably die on the journey. Fix a broken wagon wheel, obtain 200 pounds of rabbit meat, and try to ford a river by discarding sorely-needed supply cards or hope you roll well on a die or everyone in the party will DIE.

Codenames Deep Undercover is described as an “Adults-only” version of Codenames, geared towards the Cards Against Humanity crowd (with agent names like “Motorboat”, “Keg”, and “Commando”). Ticket to Ride First Journey appears to be a kids-friendly version of the popular rummy variant.

According to images posted on imgur, Codenames Deep Undercover retails for $19.99 and the new Machi Koro retails for $29.99.

Image from reddit user dwboso. Full gallery of The Oregon Trail images can be found on imgur.

DiamineBarnes & Noble will be running a Tabletop Gaming Meet Up event at all 640 stores on Saturday, April 30th, starting at 4 pm. This follows last month’s weekly “game gatherings” that were held at 57 of the chain’s stores. “Barnes & Noble is already a place to meet up, socialize and spend quality time together. Our Tabletop Gaming Meet Up is designed to do all that and more,” said Kathleen Campisano, Vice President, Toys & Games at Barnes & Noble.

The event will feature five games available to play at 4 pm: Machi Koro, Munchkin, Qwirkle, Superfight, and Ticket to Ride. Prizes to participants will be awarded, including promotional cards for Machi Koro and Superfight, and a Qwirkle brainteaser book. Additional prize support varies by store.

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The nominees for the 2015 Spiel des Jahres award have been announced!

Logo SdJ nominiert The Nominees for the Spiel des Jahres 2015:
Colt Express, Machi Koro, The Game.
Logo KiSdJ nominiert The Nominees for the Kinderspiel des Jahres 2015:
Push a Monster, Schatz-Rabatz, Spinderella.
Logo KeSdJ nominiert The Nominees for the Kennerspiel des Jahres 2015:
Broom Service, Elysium, Orléans.

Congratulations to all the nominees. Anyone care to start making predictions on the winners?

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machi koro millionaires row expansionThe city building die rolling game Machi Koro from IDW and Pandasaurus is set to receive it’s second expansion this coming June. Now, in addition to trying to keep the citizens of your burgeoning town happy, you must ensure that the wealthy one-percent stays put. The Millionaire’s Row expansion will turn middle class citizens into moneymakers.

The expansion adds 80 new cards, plus a new strategic mechanic, to the base game to create an entirely new experience for players. The 12 new establishment cards makes it even easier to customize your town by swapping out establishments in the marketplace, growing your business and generating happy residents.

The newly added Vacation mechanic affects players’ ability to keep the work machine running smoothly, adding more need for strategy across the board.

It can also be combined with the Harbor expansion to make your town a bustling metropolis of happy, well-adjusted city folk.

Machi Koro: Millionaire’s Row expansion comes out this June and will be available at your local board game store for $14. The base game is required to play this expansion.

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