Kickstarter Hot Picks – July 16-31, 2018

Kickstarter is the world’s largest crowdfunding platform for creative projects. 2017 marked the first time that the Games category took the top spot on Kickstarter, with the number of Tabletop Games projects having grown significantly, up 18% from 2016.

Tabletop Games have constantly grown over the past few years, both in terms of the total amount of money raised, and the number of projects funded. After a record year in 2016, the subcategory grew again, by +36% in 2017. The number of funded projects grew by +20%. There is no doubt that Kickstarter is a serious driving force in the content being supplied in the board gaming industry.

In the latest roundup of Kickstarter Hot Picks, we build civilizations with dominoes, and when asked the burning question, exclaim… “Inconceivable!”

Let’s take a look at these hot Kickstarter campaigns…

Dominations – Road to Civilization

Dominations: Road to Civilization, by Holy Grail Games, is a 2 to 4 player, domino-based civilization building game. Players take on the role of a fledgling nation, which they will seek to grow into an empire whose influence will echo through the ages.

Dominations is an expert-level eurogame which offers players a great amount of freedom to choose and develop their strategies. The core mechanics of the game are simple, yet they offer a lot of depth, which keeps the game fluid and immersive. Veteran board gamers will be able to draw out all the subtleties of the game’s vast array of possibilities, whereas novice players can quickly assimilate the core rules before moving on to learn the key elements of the eurogame genre.

How to Play Dominations

A game of Dominations: Road to Civilization starts at the Cradle of Humanity. As their nations progress, players will be placing their triangular dominoes around this starting point to gain Knowledge, which is the main resource of the game.

A game of Dominations consists of three Ages, each representing an era of approximately 3,000 years in the existence of a civilization. During an Age, players will each play 5 Turns, each comprised of three Phases.
The Grow phase is where players must place a domino onto the board. The Build phase is where players may either build a City or a Monument. The Develop phase is where players may master a new Skill or perfect a previously mastered skill.

There are six different Domains of Knowledge upon which civilizations are built: Craftsmanship, Commerce, Art, Science, Government, and Religion. Each one of these Domains has its own color. These types of Knowledge shape the societies over time. By matching up the Knowledge colors on the dominoes, players can gain additional Knowledge points, which can then be used in a number of different ways. Players can build Cities and Monuments on the board to obtain extra points and special bonuses. They can also use their Knowledge to acquire and master skills. Each step a Civilization takes will earn points, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins!

For a pledge of €45 (approx. $53 USD), backers receive one copy of Dominations, the Kickstarter exclusive Capitals expansion, and all unlocked stretch goals.

The campaign ends on Thursday, July 26, 2018. The project has reached its goal and is currently 271% funded.

The Princess Bride: Inconceivable!

For a movie that recently celebrated 30 years, its popularity is still apparent. Inconceivable!, by Sparksworks, is a deck of 6 Princess Bride-themed cards that can be used with the line of Princess Bride games, any other games, or real-life situations that require a quick decision.

How, do you ask? Whenever you don’t want to do something, shout “Inconceivable!” and draw a card. If it is an Inconceivable card, you don’t have to do that action, and discard the card face up. But if you draw the “You keep using that word…” card, you are the unlucky one that must do that action.

The other Princess Bride games include The Princess Bride: I Hate to Kill You, The Princess Bride: A Battle of Wits, The Princess Bride: Prepare to Die!, and The Princess Bride: Prepare to Die! Again!!

For a pledge of $5, pledgers receive the Inconceivable! pack. A pledge of $39 receives the Inconceivable! pack as well as A Battle of Wits and Prepare to Die! Again!! games.

The campaign ends on Thursday, July 26, 2018. The project has reached its goal and is currently 184% funded.

Other Kickstarter Campaigns

Edible Games Cookbook: Play With Your Food
A beautiful cookbook of a dozen tabletop games you really eat!

Munchkin Unicorns and Friends
Munchkin Unicorns and Friends, a Munchkin mini-expansion loaded with unicorns, cows, and the undead!

Casual Game Insider (CGI) – Year 7
A quarterly board gaming magazine that focuses on the best new casual games from a wide variety of publishers. Time to start reading!

The GMs Tarot – Story Telling Made Easy
A system-neutral, deck-based story builder for GMs who need a helping hand to prepare for a session. Can be used to come up with interesting plotlines and encounters.