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Perhaps KS creators have embraced the collective wisdom that the period just prior to the holiday season is a rough time for cajoling dollars from backers' wallets, or maybe they're looking to be smart and avoid paying more tax than they need to on their capital gains. At any rate, let's take a briefer-than-normal look at what's going on in the KS landscape at the moment.
• Dungeon Busters, from the mind of designer Tomohiro Enoki, flips blind bidding on its head. You want to bid the lowest to get the best reward, but if the collective bid total is less than a certain threshold, you lose points. This small card game originated in Japan but has become a hit in Korea. In August 2015, WEM recorded this video explaining the game in more detail. Mayday Games is printing copies for a U.S. release as it has done for so many other Korea Boardgames titles. (KS link)
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• The mining industry is laden with good material for an economic simulation as designer Bruno Crépeault and publisher Sit Down! proved with Rockwell. Despite a successful campaign for the game in July 2013, expansion elements positioned as stretch goals were not unlocked, so now they're back for another swing of the ol' pickaxe with a lo-fi campaign for Rockwell: The Fluctuating Market. Also noteworthy is that the publisher's newer release Ekö, which has been hard to obtain in North America, is available as an add-on. (KS link)
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• There's an entire BGG guild for folks who play solo, and more than 25% of all solitaire games in the database are wargames. It's that audience that will be interested in Phantom Leader Deluxe from Dan Verssen and his publishing outfit DVG. This game, set during the Vietnam War, released back in 2013. The KS page is very up front (heh) about the fact that the campaign is more-or-less a pre-order window for a new printing of the game. I hear the clattering of the purists' pitchforks even now. (KS link)
• It's funny how Internet shorthand creeps into our actual speech patterns; just last week at game night I bid my friend a begrudging "gg" after an exceptional play. But now GG is actually the title of a game, to be self-published by Alican Yenidogan. It's essentially a game framework built around playing lots of mini games of Rock Paper Scissors, combined with a memory element. This "addictive 15 min strategy card game" (that’s A15MSCG to you!) also has an expansion for turning the whole experience into a drinking game. (KS link)
• The folks over at Eagle-Gryphon Games are shrewd marketers, positioning their campaign for Empires: Galactic Rebellion to draft off the hype surrounding the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Glenn Drover continues his comeback in dramatic style with this space opera sequel to Empires: Age of Discovery. If you're looking for something to justify the $95 price tag, there are 400+ plastic miniatures to slake your thirst (though consuming them is not recommended). (KS link)
Editor's note: Please don't post links to other Kickstarter projects in the comments section. Write to me via the email address in the header, and I'll consider them for inclusion in a future crowdfunding round-up. Thanks! —WEM
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