No listing on Boardgamegeek

Boardgamegeek is essentially the standard of any game out there. If a boardgame Kickstarter does not have any presence on BGG then it is a good sign that the publishers haven’t thought the project through or that they are not up to date with the industry. There doesn’t have to be a massive amount of content on a page, but the presence of a page for the game and designer is a bare minimum with hopefully some content such as a rule book or designer’s diary is always a bonus.

Ignorant to risks

“We’ve done this before” or “we have been working on this game for years..” are hardly comforting words when it comes to big projects. Recently we have seen CMON (one of the biggest Kickstarter creators) run into issues with shipping and postage and they are a huuge company with incredible expertise. Sure, you may have worked on it, or done it before, but what is the plan should the project fail for some reason or another?

‘Only’ Tabletopia or online availability to reviewers

This isn’t to say that you need to have an incredible prototype, but that you probably need something physical to take to conventions, game nights and provide to reviewers. If a creator is only providing online copies there is a far greater chance that they are able to control the consensus of what people think about the game.

Only Previews

There are some content creators who will provide a preview for a game for payment – these previews will (usually) not have an opinion but rather highlight gameplay, theme or components, essentially an advertisement for the game. It’s my opinion that you should avoid campaigns that rely only onn these previews as their pre/during Kickstarter content. Look for campaigns that have p/reviews from several outlets.

Weird funding goals/Backer Numbers

I’m pretty sure is was the case for Overturn that the funding goal was met initially by a few backers who all backed for several thousand dollars each. People want to see something fund quickly, it allows us to easily gauge the popularity and potential success of a product, but beware when something funds too quickly. A good gauge is often divide the funding goal by backer numbers and if this equates to around about the pledge for a single game then you are safe. For example a $20 000 funding goal with 200 backers for a $100 game is reasonable whereas $20 000 goal with 16 backers is not.

Solo add-ons

Somewhere during the campaign there is all of a sudden a Solo Add On announced, this is usually in response to interest from the solo community and potentially a way to drag more backers in. y general feeling is that if a game starts to add player counts during the campaign then it probably won’t play great at those new player counts.

Those are some of my reasons to avoid a Kickstarter, what are some of yours?

The post When to avoid a Kickstarter appeared first on Next Player.

This post will coincide with the commencement of the Cytress Kickstarter, which you can find here.

I was approached by Sean Lee, designer of Cytress to preview the game for him and I said yes for 2 reasons – 1. It is an Australian design and I love to support local, 2. I have tried to play Cyberpunk 2077 on my PS4 and it hasn’t worked so far.

From the rules:

Cytress is an action-selection, engine-building game set in a post-modern cyberpunk world. Over multiple rounds, players will send their crew to complete missions for factions, earning abilities that build their lifepath; while vying for control of the surface world, and trying to escape to the floating city of Stratos.

My Impressions

While it has quite a bit of setup – Stratos doesn’t build itself – it is definitely worth it and I am really loving this game. The ability to customise your character, which is essentially the efficiency engine you are building, is great. You choose the missions that you will be going on and the skills that you will become most proficient which translates to benefits down the track in terms of resource generation or discount.
As is typical of the mechanism, as the game goes on your engine will continue to provide more and more benefits with the later turns a flurry of activity while trying to make your in-tubes into Stratos.

I only had a chance to play at 2 player which is great in itself, but almost all of the components have a flip side for higher player counts meaning that the development team have thought through the balancing of the game at all player counts. A solo mode, where you will be pitted against an AI, has also been developed for Cytress which I am also looking forward to giving a try.

The art direction is fantastic with a muted neon tone to the whole game in addition to well thought out player boards which allows for a minimum of table clutter but a maximum amount of information. I know I ‘only’ received a prototype copy of the game, but if the care and attention to detail is the same for the finished product you will be looking at something really special.

Who would Cytress suit?

If you have a strong interest in cyberpunk/futurism, then I definitely think that this is a must back for you. But really anyone looking for a mid weight, thematic game where multiple routes to victory are possible should definitely check this one out.

I would highly recommend checking out the Kickstarter which is live now – Cytress Kickstarter.

The post Cytress Kickstarter First Impressions appeared first on Next Player.

As you can see from the picture below the attention to detail is phenomenal with the team able to get details down to 0.2mm. But..the biggest selling point for me is that the tins are made just right so that they will fit in a standard size insert for Ticket to Ride!

If you are serious about your train games whether it be Ticket to Ride, Irish Gauge or 18xx, you definitely owe it to yourself to check these out. Also, if you have an 18xx lover in your life who is hard to buy for, then this is the Kickstarter for you, what else can you buy them? A spreadsheet?

Do yourself a favour and check out The Dragon’s Tomb review on the trains!

*Little Plastic Train Company makes no promises about improving gaming outcomes.

The post Little Plastic Train Kickstarter appeared first on Next Player.

Context of the review – I am reviewing Curators during the current Kickstarter. I have played the game twice at the 2 player count, plus another time at the 3 player count. The copy of Curators is a prototype copy which was provided to reviewers by the designer. 

I love museums and have since I was a small child. The idea of perusing objects that were sometimes thousands of years old always held an appeal to me, especially dinosaurs. This actually brings up a memory where I was with family, around 4 years old at the time, and using the fire escape/internal stairs to get from one level to another in the Brisbane (or was it Sydney?) museum. As we were descending there was a loud moan, like that of a cartoon Mummy, that rang out through the stairwell. I believe that this is the first time that a child has ever reached Mach-4 while running where I burst out on the street and had the outer door close on me, locking me away from my mother and siblings…

Anyway, I’ve been told that this isn’t the place to process my trauma, so on we forge…

What is it?

Sometimes I find it easier to compare a game to what it is like, rather than to try to define it by itself. So, what is Curators? If I were to give it a comparison, I would say that it is a little like A Feast for Odin or a family weight tile laying Uwe Rosenburg, but also with some other great little touches that really make it unique.

The goal of the game is to have the best museum which is predicated on a few things – whether you have completed wings, how many visitors you get, your cash and what achievement cards you have fulfilled. 

Game Play

If you have been living under a rock, there is currently a worldwide Pandemic (actually I should be in Paris at the moment in the Musee D’Orsay) so this has meant a lot of time at home with the kids and homeschooling. Curators has made it out of the box now several times with the kids and it really seems to suit a family play style. By that I mean that there is often just enough but not too much going on in a turn that keeps the kids occupied. Why is that important? Because as a family gamer I know that there is a very fine line between what will keep young players attention and what will have them wandering off mid game. Curators definitely fits into a great space for our family, it is quick enough (30-45 minutes) without being overly complicated or easy and will definitely be hitting our table again. 

Each player will receive achievement cards at the start of the game (and throughout) which will outline some of the shapes that the players can make their museums to score additional points. Players will use their employees abilities to buy exhibits for their museums, to restore items to their proper places and also to ensure that they are buying and building the wings that they will need to fulfill their achievement cards. 

Each player has five employees of varying abilities and when used this employee must be flipped to their alternate side which is another of the employees. By careful strategy, if you have two of the same employee face up you can take a double turn of their action meaning more benefits for you. I really loved this mechanism as it allowed a further depth of strategy and the ability to plan ahead and ensured that players did not just spam a single action over and over. 

One of the roles, the Collection Manager, who buys items from the market seemed to be a little redundant, especially when the Archaeologist can so easily just select the items for free. However, in a more competitive game or with a different group, I may be proven wrong and the ability to buy specific items may actually be more benficial.

Final Verdict

Overall, I am a really big fan of Curators and really dig (get it, like an Archaelogist) the game. If you are looking for a game for the family then I would highly recommend Curators as a great game to pledge for. 

The Curators Kickstarter is still up for the next week, so make sure to check it out.

The post Curators review appeared first on Next Player.

Wonderland’s War by Druid City – This one looks really cool, like a mix between bag builders like Quacks and more strategy based games. Alice in Wonderland has never been a draw for me, but this darker take looks great and the game is getting some great buzz already from the industry.

Standard Retail edition you are looking at around $75 and with the Deluxe version plus chips around $175 plus postage.

Kanban EV by Eagle Gryphon – I am a big fan of Lacerda especially Vinhos and Kanban, so this one definitely has my attention. Now there isn’t a massive amount of rules changes from Kanban, however Kanban EV brings a massive change to graphic design and art, along with a solo mode by David Turczi and extra expansions.

Eagle Gryphon Kickstarters also offer the opportunity to grab a few exclusives and their previous Lacerda games at a slight discount when you order through their Kickstarters, so if there is anything that you have missed or want to grab this is a great opportunity.

Kanban EV is currently around $148 for the base game (not including postage) and should be fulfilling towards the end of the year.

Gorinto by Grand Gamer’s Guild – This looks like a great, chilled out strategy game in the same vein as Azul. Players are aiming to meet the public and private goal cards by removing tiles from a board all which follow slightly different criteria. Great looking theme, simple mechanics and looks like it could easily get to the table making it a great anytime game.

Looking at between $53-$70 (depending on Retail or Deluxe) plus postage for Gorinto.

The post Kickstarter Week 7 2020 appeared first on Next Player.

I tend to swing towards Euro games and Solo games, but I am also a family gamer so when the opportunity came to check out Rival Restaurants came up I jumped at the chance. I received the Deluxe KS copy of Rival Restaurants before Christmas and it has been an absolute hoot to play with the family. 

The core of the game revolves around set collection – collect the ingredients that you need to make your recipes, but the game is far deeper than that. There are 3 phases to the game which equate to:

Money and Move – get your money for the round and make the call as to which of the markets you will be purchasing from

Buy and Barter – go to the market the you identified and buy from the market or other players (or enter a bidding war). This phase has a 60 second timer which adds to the stress and pressure of making sure you get the right ingredeints. 

Cook and Counter – complete any recipes that you have the ingredients for and reset the markets for the next round.

What I like about Rival Restaurants

I love games for the family that are a race to the finish, one of our family favourites is King of Tokyo, I find that these games allow one player to win without too many hurt feelings about the further positions. When a player hits 20 points based on the recipes they have cooked, they are the winner.

Thematically, the game is great too, from the silly restaurant names to the frenetic pace of getting the right ingredients through to acquiring rubbish for the successful completion of a recipe. There is a great pace to the game throughout and with 4 players I found that we were often finishing in around 45mins to an hour. 

Component quality is fantastic, however I can only comment on the Deluxe Kickstarter edition of the game. The tray for discards, acrylic coins and garbage tokens are all top quality. Card stock is just right, with no corners being cut in cost or production. 

The game also allows the purchasing of bonuses whether that is added income or the ability to complete more than one recipe at a time. These bonuses add a good little push and allow you to particularly work on your own strategy and how you want to earn your points. I found that towards the last rounds of the game that I was generating too much money per turn, however when I realsied that I can purchase from other players this soon stopped being a problem. 

Challenges

I found that some of the actions were difficult to take for younger players especially. Working out what player powers were or what action cards could be played means that there is a lot to think about. I actually found that removing action cards (which provide bonus actions on you or other players) was the best way to start. After a few games I reintroduced the cards and it was easier for players to understand.

While not a specific problem, I find that the game will play better at higher player counts as there will be greater interaction and competition for ingredients which lead to bidding wars. This interaction is a great element to the game, however younger players may need some guidance on how much they should bid at a time. 

Overall Impressions

I’m a big fan of this game, which has an expansion releasing on Kickstarter soon, and will happily play it with the family. The level of interactivity is great and younger players will also love this game, my youngest is always asking for more of it and trying to get it to the table at every chance, so that has to say something about it’s appeal. 

One of the problems that I have found about bidding games in the past is that they are often quite dry, Rival Restaurants is not like this at all and allows for a great deal of interaction, accessibility to a wide range of age and experience levels and is generally a joy to play. 

Make sure to check out the Gap Closer Games Kickstarter for the expansion when it releases very soon. 

The post Rival Restaurants review appeared first on Next Player.

There are a few great projects that have hit the site this week and, I dare say, will be pretty highly ranking when they are released whether it’s this year or next. 

Oath: Chronicles of Empire and Exile: Cole Wehrle has to be one of the hot designers at the moment. Unfortunately, my copy of Root sits unplayed on my shelf of shame, but that will change soon. I am a massive fan of Pax Pamir 2e and look out for whatever Cole does. Oath seems to be a bit of a legacy-esque game (although it says it’s not) where you 1-6 players will populate the land, recruit warbands and discover secrets. 

Price is steep, but you get plenty in the box. Around $130 Australian and will fulfill early 2021. 

Return to Dark Tower: This one looks beautiful, however I am a little put off by a few things. Number one is the nostalgia component. Restoration aim to re-release and re-build old games, however I am not sure that they have hit the mark just yet. The problem with nostalgia is that it tends to not allow objective criticsims and that people will attach out of emotion. The second issue is that like Fireball Island, this seems to be packed full of value adds that added to the price, but not too much to the game. 

Price is around $180 Australia plus postage and will fulfill early 2021. 

Foundations of Rome: Coming from Arcane Wonders and Emerson Matsuuchi this is a massive box game that looks incredible. It has already made the cut for Dice Tower Essentials and seems to be generating some good buzz. This is a city building game and comes with what look like incredibly detailed city miniatures. Besides videos there is very little on the KS page about actual gameplay. 

The price is around $140 and will fulfill early 2021. 

What are some games that you are liking the look of at the moment of Kickstarter? 

The post Kickstarter in review – 2020 Week 3 appeared first on Next Player.

DVG Collection 

I love solo games and have been keeping an eye out for something that will scratch the war game itch for me. Sure there are the GMT Games, but they tend to be quite involved. Warfighter by Dan Verssen Games is that one has been recommended to me on numerous occassions. While I haven’t had a chance to play it yet, the word that I have received is that DVG games are quite accessible and solo-able. This current Kickstarter includes options to buy Thunderbolt Apache Leader, Fleet Commander: Nimitz and Tiger Leader as well as their expansions. 

If you are looking for a wargame, the choice of these would be Thunderbolt, and I would recommend this Kickstarter, as the games are often quite hard to get here in Australia. 

Stronghold: Undead

I love the work that Ignacy Trzewiczek puts out, especially Robinson Crusoe, so Stronghold: Undead definitely has caught my eye. A 2 player game where one player is defending a castle and the other is attacking. Through the use of a Necromancer the attacker can raise the dead to attack the castle, while the defender must ensure that the walls do not fall. Check out the video and campaign as I believe that this one can very easily surpass the original Stronghold. 

Namiji

This one doesn’t follow the general rule of the games I like, but I love Tokaido, so this is a big tick for me. Tokaido is such a beautiful game that feels relaxing to play, and for that reason it stays in my collection. It’s also a low conflict game that can very easily be pulled out for new players. As a result, I love the idea of Namiji, which may even be better looking that Tokaido. Namiji comes as a Collector set immediately, so there will be beautiful components aplenty. Like Tokaido, I think this will definitely be a feature piece for a lot of collections. 

What are you favourite Kickstarters of the week and what are you backing? 

The post Kickstarter in review – 2019 Week 46 appeared first on Next Player.

This week we are looking at Zestrea, a marriage negotiation board game, which is currently live on Kickstarter. Why Zestrea for the Kickstarter of the week? More below, but I love that this game is made by an independent team from Romania who seem to have had a great deal of fun in creating and sharing this game, and isn’t that what this hobby is all about? 

From the Kickstarter:

Experience ridiculous Romanian traditions, arrange weddings & survive Hard Times in a beautiful, witty game

Valiant Game Studio were kind enough to send me an advance prototype copy of Zestrea to check out and I have to say that it looks fantastic. The game also looks great with beautiful illustrations by Maria Surducan and is reminiscent of games like Azul, with it’s multi coloured tiles.

Now I have to admit that I have yet to play it yet, however, that is only because I have had a lack of people to play with recently.

Having read the rules, Zestrea plays best with 3-6 players and has a high level of negotiation and social interaction involved in the game, which is what I am most looking forward to. The game revolves around the idea that you are a Boyar (noble) aiming to be the richest in the land by having the most land and Zestre (currency) by the end of the game. To do this you will go through production and feeding phases but you will also go through a Negotiation phase, which is where the fun really lies.

So you want a new wife for a strapping young lad in your village? Then you are going to have to negotiate with other players to get the attention of the young woman and to determine who pays the cost (in Zestre) for the wedding. If you convince someone you then roll a die and on a 1 or 2 the marriage is a success (there are Fate cards which can also change the probability of a wedding occurring). If successful, you get a new couple to feed and hold land (meaning points) and the Boyar of the woman’s village gets a Fate card to play at a later time. From what I have seen and heard so far, the negotiation aspect of the game is the strongest part and encourages a high level of social interaction and engagement to make sure that you get your weddings across the line. 

The game ends after all the turns are completed (by turning Hard Times) cards and then totals are tallied, land, currency and most marriages being the scoring tracks. 

We will get a full review up in time, however Zestrea is currently 100% funded on Kickstarter with a few weeks still left to run on the campaign, so I highly recommend to get over there and check it out!

The post Kickstarter of the Week – Zestrea appeared first on Next Player.

My studies were the inspiration for the game theme. I am an aerospace engineer and I love everything about space and aeronautics. The first drafts began by anticipating and imitating the same technological challenges and problems that real life Space Programs had encountered for example: the difficulty of dropping the module accurately on the intended target position, The design of a ship that was well-equipped, enough to survive in space more than two turns and to create a realistic movement system that was both authentic and playable. 

That’s right, this game about space exploration is actually designed by a rocket scientist! 

The post Damian Korus – Exploration Kickstarter appeared first on Next Player.