Crowdfunding Game Round-up: Make Robots Fight, Line Up Animals, and Cash Out Thanks to Peak Oil

Your battery cards give you the energy to move, power your weapons, and buy powerful new cards for your deck. Navigate around the hazards of the arena, and blast your opponents to score points. Destroyed bots respawn each round, so you're never out of the action! Alliances are made and broken! The robot pilot with the most points at the end of the game wins!

In 1646 BC, the island of Thera (present day Santorini) was the site of a volcanic eruption one hundred times more powerful than Pompeii. This eruption coincided with the decline of the Minoan civilization and the rise of the Mycenaean civilization. Due to Thera's strategic location, the Mycanaean wanax (king) has decided that it is time to rebuild Thera and has tasked you, one of his koreters (governors) with this responsibility. The koreter who best rebuilds Thera to its prior glory will be victorious.


In the role-selection and resource-management game Thera, each player has a map of the island where they will engage in trade, clear ash, generate resources, move those resources to building sites across the island, and construct economic and luxury buildings. On a player's turn, they select one of five roles from the rondel. Every player can benefit from this role, and the one who chose it gets benefits that scale with the amount of favor on the role. Favor accumulates on roles over the course of the game and is redistributed every time a role is chosen. Here's an overview of the five roles:

—The Priestess prays for rain, bringing the life-giving resource to the island.
—The Worker consumes that water and produces resources.
—The Planner moves those resources around Thera so that they can be used for construction or trade.
—The Builder uses those resources to construct buildings on undeveloped sites across the island.
—The Trader buys and sells resources at the port.

Players earn points by constructing buildings. You must get the needed resources to the desired building site, then acquire the building plans (which are available to all from a common building tableau). Should you build another quarry (a resource-generating building), or are you worried one of your competitors will take that temple (a luxury building) that aligns with your strategy? Time is of the essence in Thera, so efficient planning and resource management are important in winning the day.

As the top executive of an oil corporation, you are sent to a war-torn nation that's got a lot of oil — and no one who can help sell it! That's where you come in: Your task is to make the most cash before corruption ruins the land.


This card-driven tactical game features area control, simultaneous action selection, and a healthy dose of player interaction. Progressing in rounds, players improve their workforce by investing in powerful consultants and vie for influence over the nation's three warring factions. As control of the oil fields passes between the hands of the so-called "government", the "National Liberation Front", and the noble "Guerilla Militia" you have to ensure you're in the right place at the right time with the right faction leader in your pocket.

Double guess your competitors, blackmail politicians, and sell weapons to whoever needs them to ensure you keep the oil — and money — flowing in your direction. Remember, your sole goal is to make the most profit before corruption destroys this sorry region.