April was really packed when it comes to board game campaigns on Kickstarter. Terraforming Mars: Turmoil, On Mars, Oceans, Kingdom Rush, Bloodborne… So many titles left us with empty wallets, only to make way for the May campaigns, lurking around the corner. Let’s take a look at 3 that grabbed our attention the most.
Cleopatra and the Society of Architects: Deluxe Edition – May 1st
A deluxe edition of Cleopatra, debuts on Kickstarter on the first day of May. The game is based on 2006 title of the same name by amazing the amazing duo od Bruno Cathala and Ludovic Maublanc. New illustrations were prepared by Miguel Coimbra, whom you may know from the 7 Wonders games.
The game, just like the original, focuses on building Cleopatra’s palace. Each player becomes an architect and needs to impress the famous ruler. Players gain money for their creations and compete to become the richest. Some dirty tactics, like the help of cursed gods are allowed, but might bring punishment by the end of the game and result in losing some points.
So what’s new? The palace easily stands out the most. The details, and stone-like quality walls look stunning, especially comparing to buildings found in most euro style games. The mechanics also got reworked a bit. This includes scoring, rewards, resources and character cards.
Judging from some of the prelaunch discussions, we’re also expecting a new expansion added to the game as an optional pledge.
Too Many Bones: Splice & Dice – May 21st
A beloved “dice building” game from Josh and Adam Carlson, who gave us Cloudspire last year, is coming back to Kickstarter. Too Many Bones is a strategy heavy co-op title aimed at up to 4 players (with a solo mode available as well). Everyone picks a character belonging to a specific class, and then gets access to a number of exclusive abilities (out of over 100).
During each adventure, players complete card based encounters, while pursuing bosses known as “tyrants”. Defeating these is the main goal of each game. Progressing grants access to new dice, tied to newly learned skills.
The first big expansion – “The Undertow” added new characters to the party and also worked as a smaller, standalone game. “Splice & Dice” seems to be going in a similar route. We’re expecting new heroes, tyrants, encounters, but Josh and Adam are also teasing things that “no one sees coming”. What are they? We’ll learn on May 21st, when the campaign launches.
Icaion – May 21st
I like how some creators keep all their games in the same universe, sometimes even when the genres don’t really match. Tabula Games already gave us Mysthea and Volfyrion – both taking place in the same world, with interchangeable elements. In less than a month, a third game will join the franchise.
Icaion takes us back to the land, we already know from 2 previous games. Players become the so-called Seekers, who look for forgotten relics of ancient eras. Creators are devoting lots of time and website space to describe the lore, and it seems really intriguing and refreshing.
The game boasts over 70 minis and a pretty unique feature. When you combine Icaion with Mysthea, you get a completely new co-op game called “Mysthea: the Fall”.
Icaion mechanics consist of “engine territory building”, resource gathering and some elements of exploration. The map also contains a huge colossus (much bigger than other minis) who’s a source of priceless Primal Shards, but also a huge threat to anyone approaching him. Said shards are actually a part of his figure and can be removed when gathered.
The entire box, and many elements come covered with incredible illustrations by Travis Anderson, adding a whole new layer of eeriness and mystery.
