Gamefound Teases Andromeda's Edge, Thorgal, Ra, Oak, and Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies

Gamefound Teases Andromeda's Edge, Thorgal, Ra, Oak, and Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies
From gallery of W Eric Martin
On March 7, 2022, crowdfunding site Gamefound launched Gamefound Feast — teasers for upcoming games that will be (if all goes as intended) funded by backers and delivered to them down the road.

One of these titles — Thorgal: The Board Game from designers Joanna Kijanka, Jan Maurycy Święcicki, and Rafał Szyma — will likely not be a surprise given that publisher Portal Games announced the game in early March 2022, and has already used Gamefound to fund projects such as Robinson Crusoe: Collector's Edition (GF link), Eleven (GF link), and 51st State: Ultimate Edition (GF link, which is still open until March 8, 2022). Here's a link to the draft of the Thorgal Gamefound campaign.

Similarly, Belgian publisher Game Brewer plans to launch a Gamefound campaign for Wim Goossens' Oak on March 14, 2022 on the heels of its campaign for a new edition of The Palaces of Carrara. Here's an overview of this 1-4 player game:
Quote:
In the center of a vast, but secret forest stands the Arch-Oak — a majestic tree that was already a sapling when the world was still young. It is even said that from its wood, the Gods crafted the first humans and animals.

Druidic orders from far and wide flock together around its roots to bathe in its glory. Arch-druids sanctify sacred places and erect rune-etched monoliths, while bards tell the tallest tales to recruit a greater following. Ovates read the omens to gain a glimpse of the things to come, while sacrificers use force to defend their Order's beliefs.

Board Game: Oak

Oak puts you in the role of the leader of one of four different druid orders, with you attempting to establish that your order deserves to be chosen by the Arch-Oak's spirit to stay and learn its secrets. Your order starts out small and insignificant, but if you choose your actions wisely and use your druids efficiently, you will see it grow in power and stature. You will gain the friendship and help of otherworldly creatures like the mischievous brownie, the terrible merrow, and the magical pixies. You will learn powerful spells of the wild and uncover mighty artifacts. You might even risk upsetting the natural balance by creating new sacred places in the forest to house your growing flock of druids.

Will you be able to prove to the Arch-Oak that your order is worthy? Will you be able to unlock the secrets of the ancients?
The other projects, however, will be a surprise, whether because the game is being newly announced or because the publisher has not used Gamefound previously. One of the upcoming projects, for example, is Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies, a standalone sequel to Ryan Laukat's Sleeping Gods from Red Raven Games. Here's an overview of this title:
Quote:
San Francisco, 1937: Your cargo plane flies through a portal in the sky, transporting you to a rugged landscape filled with bizarre creatures, scheming gods, and untold dangers. But can you find your way back before the portal closes?

From gallery of W Eric Martin

As in the original Sleeping Gods, in Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies you and your friends trek through a vast landscape as you read branching storylines and meet vivid characters, but in this game you interact with the atlas on a deeper level — camping, exploring, overcoming obstacles, and searching for lost relics. The new action system allows you even greater agency while you travel and explore.

In addition to the exploration and quest system from the original game, Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies features a fresh spin on combat. Players now build a combat deck from which they draw a varied hand of cards to play, making each combat encounter a fresh and dynamic puzzle.

Although Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies builds on story elements in the first game, you do not need to play Sleeping Gods to enjoy this sequel. The game features new characters and storylines, explaining concepts from the original game as you encounter them.
I've already mentioned twice that U.S. publisher 25th Century Games is releasing a new edition of Reiner Knizia's Ra, but what's news here is that after ten successful campaigns at Kickstarter, Chad Elkins of 25th Century Games is launching the crowdfunding campaign for Ra on Gamefound.

Similarly, after two wildly successful Kickstarter campaigns for Joking Hazard (KS link) and Trial by Trolley (KS link), the creators of webcomic Cyanide & Happiness are bringing their next project to Gamefound — although they have not yet revealed what that project will be.

From gallery of W Eric Martin

Finally we come to Andromeda's Edge, a design from Luke Laurie (Dwellings of Eldervale) and Cardboard Alchemy for 1-5 players. Here's a teaser about the game from the publisher's campaign draft:
Quote:
Behold, Andromeda's Edge: A dazzling, uncharted region of space on the edge of the Andromeda galaxy. Littered with the modular debris of the precursor civilization, patrolled by malicious extragalactic raiders, and bordered by dense nebulae, The Edge is a last resort for the brave and foolhardy who seek a new life beyond the oppressive reach of the Lords of Unity.

Board Game: Andromeda's Edge

In Andromeda's Edge, a game that features individual player powers, worker placement, area control, tableau-engine building, hand management, and dice battles, you lead a desperate faction seeking to build a new civilization on Andromeda's Edge. You begin with only a space station, a few ships, and a handful of resources. By carefully placing your ships, you gather resources, claim moons, acquire modules to add to your station, populate planets, and build developments on them. You battle opponents and compete with others in science, industry, commerce, government, and supremacy.

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