The Kickstarter Addiction

I buy too much stuff on Kickstarter. And so can you. Might be fun to look into some of the recent projects I’ve backed… especially since I can’t reliably connect to DCUO since the patch so I am practicing mandolin and backing Kickstarters… and one of them is too horrifying to talk about. The other one is about giving your money to strangers.

Hangin’ with Dr. Z: Season 2

Starting off with the one in the header, “Hangin’ with Dr. Z: Season 2“. Back last winter, I think it was, my boyfriend put on the Simpson’s “Planet of the Apes — the Musical” episode and all either of us were doing for the next few days were singing bits of “Doctor Zaius Doctor Zaius… Doctor Zaius”.

One thing led to another, and pretty soon we were watching Dana Gould’s “Hangin’ With Dr. Z”. He has returned from the 40th century to become a Rat Pack Z-list celebrity in the 60s and also somehow in the present. It was hilarious. It was event viewing. And now he wants a Season 2 so YEAH WE BACKED IT. His Kickstarter rewards are a little confusing, but if you’ve ever wanted to receive a DM from a famous comedian, well…

The only reward, aside from more episodes, that I could ever want was the Twitter shoutout.

.@tipadaknife oh what wild memories we have! It's because of one of those nights out that I was banned from The Cat and The Fiddle! Anyway, thank you for always being a dear friend and backing my Kickstarter campaign. https://t.co/JZtpJVOSws

— HangingWithDoctorZ (@hanging_z) August 29, 2021

I WILL TREASURE THIS FOREVER. THANK YOU, DOCTOR Z!

Sunrise Market: Pier 1, Boba Mahjong, and 1-2-3 Cheese!

If you’re a fan of cat-themed card games, and would like even more cute cardboard cats in your collection, you could do worse than start with “Sunrise Market: Pier 1, Boba Mahjong, and 1-2-3 Cheese!” Copying the descriptions from the KS page:

• Pier 1 is a solo Sudoku card game with a euro scoring mechanic. Long story short, it’s a super cute cat game that hurts your brain… in a good way 🙂
• Boba Mahjong is a rummy / set collection card game for two “bobarista”. In the game, players collect cards from the sets collected then score points from them. It’s deep and tasty just like the last bubble drink you had recently.
• 1-2-3 Cheese is a 2 to 5 player melting game. In the game, players are a group of mice trying to get away from a disastrous heist. The goal is to get rid of cheese cards on hand by dropping them on other players’ stash. The first mouse to get away wins the game!

We’re big Mahjong fans here — real Mahjong, not that tile matching game that everyone calls Mahjong. Boba Mahjong is not a tile matching game, so that’s good. Mahjong, in essence, is rummy with complicated win conditions. In Mahjong, you essentially make four melds of three tiles and a pair. You can capture discarded tiles from other players in certain conditions. There’s three suits (circles, characters and sticks), plus two sets of “honor” tiles with different rules (winds and dragons). Getting four melds and a pair isn’t enough to win; you also have to meet certain win conditions, and scoring is a minigame of its own.

I was dubious that a two player card game could fit much of Mahjong into it without just being Rummy with extra steps.

But, I watched the above video, and it looks like there are enough Mahjong elements in it to make it a “fund me” project for Mahjong collectors. I’ve been talking with the creator and I think he wants to make it live up to its name. Confusingly, his initial “stretch” goals would have all been met if the project even funded, which was weird. He has since added more.

Okay, those were my two projects still in flight.

Flamecraft

I didn’t back Flamecraft. My boyfriend, Kasul, did. But if hadn’t, I would have.

Watch the video.

In the world of Flamecraft, dragons are a race of artisanal craftswyrms whose creations are prized the world over.

From the rulebook:

You are a Flamekeeper, skilled in the art of conversing with dragons, placing them in their ideal home and using enchantments to entice them to produce wondrous things. Your reputation will grow as you aid the dragons and shopkeepers, and the Flamekeeper with the most reputation will be known as the Master of Flamecraft.

https://cardboardalchemy.com/Flamecraft_rulebook.pdf

It’s a worker placement game. You visit shops. You place your dragons. You die of cuteness.

Return to Dark Tower

A long, long, long time ago, I was just a kid who couldn’t afford Dark Tower. And then someone brought it to the university’s game club night. It was… it was amazing. Lights, screams, the tower itself. I don’t remember much of the game, I just remember how I felt playing it.

Really good.

Restoration Games, who have brought back such classics as Fireball Island and others, Kickstarted “Return to Dark Tower“, which would bring back the old game and place it firmly into the 21st century. The tower now spins, screams, doors open and rain chaos skulls on everyone. It’s a territory control game. It has quests and minis and cooperative or competitive gameplay. The finished tower looks incredible. My boyfriend backed this, but I would have and I can’t wait to bring it to family game night.

Last I read, it was basically waiting for shipping from China, which is an issue for almost every Kickstarter that includes manufactured or printed goods.

Rainbow 6: The Board Game

My son plays the video game version of this — all the time — on the PS4. As far as first person team-based shooters go, this is slower and more tactical than the spray-and-pray likes of Call of Duty. When I saw that “Rainbow 6: The Board Game” was on Kickstarter, I had to back it just because I think it would be cool to play with my son. I don’t need more reasons than that!

SacriFire

Hey look, it’s a JRPG with the same 2D sprites on a 3D background like Octopath Traveler!

Thank you for backing Sacrifire! I pledged at the level that gets me a cute pet.

I don’t think I have to say any more, do I?

You Are the Dungeon

In this game, like the title suggests, you are the dungeon. It’s a game for one to many players that uses a tarot deck to expand and populate a dungeon. The game goes on as long as you want it to. You are encouraged to think evil thoughts as adventurers try to plumb your mysteries and survive the dangers you send them.

This isn’t even the first solo “create a dungeon” project I’ve backed. “You Are the Dungeon” is one of a large number of pamphlet-based RPGs that work more as an inspiration than an actual game — I’ve backed several projects by the likes of Mousehole Press that promise real adventure with minimal rules.

Tiny Epic Dungeons

I keep getting this game mixed up with “Mini Rogue”, for some reason. I mean, I know why. You build a dungeon and then explore what you’ve built. You try to survive as the dangers increase.

“Tiny Epic Dungeons” goes Full Kickstarter, though. Minis. You have to have minis. Deluxe player boards. All the bits and pieces that makes games hits on Kickstarter.

To be honest, I’m not sure just why I backed it. “Mini Rogue” and the arriving as soon as it gets on its ship from China “Set a Watch: Swords of the Coin” do more-or-less the same thing. The dungeon building is right out of “Vast: The Crystal Caverns” without that game’s asymmetric game play. Which would make it easier to play and explain.

Still, by the time it arrives, I’ll probably be tired of all those other games. Except, I have a sudden desire to haul out and play “Vast” again. Unfortunately (or fortunately), “Jaws of the Lion” is consuming the game night we reserve for more tactical games. Maybe someday…

Next time…

Next time, I will talk about the games that I funded… but for which never received the rewards.