Crowdfunding Round-up: Like a Boss, Stuff vs. Other Stuff, Golems (the Autonomous Anthropomorphic Kind, Not the "My Precious" Kind) and Sssteeeeelllllaaaaaa!

Crowdfunding Round-up: Like a Boss, Stuff vs. Other Stuff, Golems (the Autonomous Anthropomorphic Kind, Not the "My Precious" Kind) and Sssteeeeelllllaaaaaa!
September came on like a freight train! The kids are back in school, football has kicked off, Gen Con is over and Essen is coming... I was going to write earlier, but I was otherwise occupied with crowdfunding-related activities. Thank you to everyone at Gen Con 2013 who had kind things to say about my write-ups! I appreciate it! It was weird, though, as a few times throughout the con I heard someone yell out "You suck Riddle, you hack!", but I could never quite spot the perpetrator. A few times I noticed a BGG jersey with W. E <missing data>rtin on the back running away, but I couldn't piece together who the no-goodnik was. Oh well.

From gallery of riddlen
• When I clicked on Stella Nova (KS link), I assumed based on the name that I was loading up ANOTHER space game and probably a 4x one. Wrong. Turns out Stella Nova — full name Stella Nova: Journey of the Magi — is about the journey of the wise men to see Jesus. I have a lot of thoughts on Stella Nova, the first of course being SSSSSTEEEEEEELLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAA, the second being that I do not think that theme has been done before. The rest are not as kind. I like the idea of a game that is set around Christmas and is family-friendly, but I do not think this one is going to hit its funding goal without a Christmas miracle. Or a Festivus miracle.

Quote:
Stella Nova: Journey of the Magi is a fun family game for Christmas that's a race to see which wise men can safely reach Bethlehem first with their three gifts. The game will be played on a huge 20 by 30 inch game board map and will contain over 200 cards in full color. Six colorful tokens of camel-riding wise men will also be provided, thus bigger groups of friends can get together, and laugh and play. The more the merrier.
Ahhh, the classic tale of the six wise men bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, myrrh, one of those weird Barbies that look like a vampire or a Frankenstein monster or whatever, a gas card (this not-so-wise man clearly forgot a gift and stopped somewhere on the way to the party), and Full House: Season 7 on Blu-ray. (Editor's note: Who knew Riddle was a prophet? This KS project was cancelled after he submitted his write-up but before I got around to editing it. Who knows what else he's saying that is true? —WEM)

Board Game: Goblins vs Zombies
• Following in the long tradition of games with "vs." in the title comes Pirates vs. Dinosaurs! Wait, crap, that one already happened. Alien vs. Predator! Wait, no — Spy vs. Spy? Jordan vs. Bird? Mayonnaise vs. Miracle Whip? What the h3ll was it called? Oh, ya, Goblins vs Zombies! That's the one! It's a new project from Jack Darwid Games that is looking for funding. (KS link) This is Plants vs. Zombies but changed enough to avoid lawyers and turned into a card game, right? I am not saying that's a bad thing, just wondering. It has an odd player count of 1-3, but Goblins vs Zombies does sport a quick playing time and really cute art. It has a reasonable price point, plus Rahdo liked it.

Quote:
In Goblins vs Zombies, the Zombies will move towards your Village. If a Zombie can go through the Village Gate, you lose. You must coordinate the Goblins to defend your beloved Village. The Village Gate has space for only three Goblins at a time, so choose your Goblins carefully! Goblins vs Zombies is a Tower Defense card game for 1-3 Players. It takes around 15 minutes per player.
Again, I LOVE the art.

Board Game: Capo Dei Capi
Dr. Finn's Games has a storefront-style Kickstarter going for Capo Dei Capi. (KS link) Capo Dei Capi is Italian for "boss of bosses", though since it's a 2p game maybe "boss of boss" or "boss of the other guy who isn't the boss" could have worked. I wish I had one boss. And here's something else, Bob, I have eight different bosses right now.
While checking out Capo Dei Capi, you can also peruse the rest of the prolific Steve Finn's catalogue, including the very popular Biblios — although all of the tiers with Biblios have sold out. He's also offering other tiers with games that are not Biblios but might be good anyway. The gameplay seems pretty straight forward, and the art is solid, so check it out.

Quote:
Capo Dei Capi is a two-player dice game that requires players to "push their luck" each turn as they make tactical area control decisions. It is designed to be a very quick filler game (~15 minutes) that still demands skillful and crafty decisions, yet because dice rolls are unpredictable, players must be prepared to adapt and change their plans at the drop of a die.
Like a boss.

Board Game: Golem Arcana
• I am not sure which part of Golem Arcana from Harebrained Schemes to start with: the incredible art, the interfacing stylus, or the freaking minis. Jeebus. I mean, there is SO much going on throughout this KS page. (KS link)

I have discussed many times that I am not overly familiar with miniatures games, so the claim that Golem Arcana "removes the busywork associated with miniatures games" is not one I can verify. It looks really slick, though. Per usual, I will ask for some help on this one. News Team, assemble! Any minis guys familiar with this project tell us a bit more about it below. It is very interesting to see the multi-format integration.

Quote:
Golem Arcana integrates your touchscreen phone or tablet into the tabletop experience, removing the busywork associated with miniatures games. Record-keeping is automatic. Important game information is all quickly searchable at your fingertips. Instant feedback is provided for movements and attacks, eliminating the need to refer to complex results tables. Skirmish scenarios can be completed in less than 45 minutes. Plus, all Golem Arcana figures come fully assembled and painted so that you can start playing right out of the box. You can forget the work and focus on strategy and fun. Golem Arcana merges the energy of friends at a table, the engrossing tactics of a miniatures game, and the convenience of a computer game to create a unique new style of game that's fast and accessible without sacrificing depth of gameplay.
Loosen up those credit cards, though, as NOTHING involved with Golem Arcana comes cheap.

Quick Hits

Board Game: Burning Suns
In case you were disappointed that Stella Nova was not a 4x space game, check out Burning Suns (KS link) because, well, it IS a space-based 4X. If that's what you're into. You and him, him and you. If that's what you're into.

So you want a mini of yourself attached to a sweet mini body? Of course you do, and that is why Mimic Miniatures is a thing. (KS link) I might get a whole set with W. Eric Martin's head on them and make them fight against my Transformers.

Going, Going, Gone!

I was going to use this space to brag about Fleet: Arctic Bounty, but I decided that was low class...and clearly I have no class. Instead I want to look back at the month of Launius. The Duke of Dice is apparently also the King of Kickstarter. Between Alien Uprising and Defenders of the Realm Minions and Legends of the American Frontier, Richard Launius was everywhere you looked and very successful across the board. Grats to him on a strong month overall.

See you in a month, and remember that if you have any questions, shoot me a Geekmail or post it here. Complaints and/or rants can be directed at W. Eric. It was likely his fault anyway.

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