Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Sep 27, 2022 6:42 pm

You wanna go to www.gamefound.com and log in as a backer. Use the same email you use for kickstarter and if you don't remember/know your password, just use the Forgot Password link. Then once you're in, you should see your order. From there you can view what you purchased item by item.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Sep 27, 2022 10:40 pm

Tainted Grail: Kings Of Ruin

New stand-alone adventure by creators of original Tainted Grail. Discover secrets of Claudyne the Unknighted, Amberqueen Veneda and Nonus, Bishop of the Deep!

Including availability of 2.0 updates for Fall of Avalon and extras. And a playmat.

Fardaza · Post by **Fardaza** » Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:09 am

hepcat wrote: Tue Sep 27, 2022 6:42 pm You wanna go to www.gamefound.com and log in as a backer. Use the same email you use for kickstarter and if you don't remember/know your password, just use the Forgot Password link. Then once you're in, you should see your order. From there you can view what you purchased item by item.

Thanks Hep!
It looks like I only ordered the Core box and stretch goals. Maybe next time.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:10 am

You can get Mystery Tales on Amazon or just about anywhere. I love that it adds a horror mode. It also gives you a pool of survivors you can choose from as you play, so that if you lose someone you can grab another survivor and keep going. It's limited, but it adds a bit more help.

Fardaza · Post by **Fardaza** » Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:14 am

hepcat wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:10 am You can get Mystery Tales on Amazon or just about anywhere. I love that it adds a horror mode. It also gives you a pool of survivors you can choose from as you play, so that if you lose someone you can grab another survivor and keep going. It's limited, but it adds a bit more help.

I'm going to wait until after the game arrives. Hopefully it will still be available then.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:30 am

Oh, i'm sure it will be

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Sep 29, 2022 10:47 am

Welp, here's one I'm backing because I love the theme, the rules seem solid and I love the theme.

Age of Comics: The Golden Years

Age of Comics: The Golden Years Age of Comics: The Golden Years is a worker placement
management game in which players will run a publishing company during the golden age of comics (1938-54).

In each round the players, in turn, must position 4 meeples (workers called editors). They can choose 4 out of 6 spaces, called publishing tasks. There are 6 publishing tasks in total that can be performed in any order and lead to 6 specific player actions: hire, develop, ideas, print, sales, and royalties. When a player prints a comic book she must pay using monetary resources ($) + 2 identical token ideas and display, on the table, the comic book cover and, underneath, show both a writer and an artist card. The comics’ value (needed for collecting orders on the map) will be the sum of the value of its creatives (artist + writer). Each creative card has a value ranging from 1 to 3.
The game lasts 5 rounds. The objective of the game is to accumulate the highest number of fans, make money by publishing comics and create the best portfolio of comic books. There are three main ways to accumulate fans:

being the first to publish a specific genre and specializing in it;
publishing comic books with specialized creatives;
collecting orders on the map.

Throughout the game, a fan chart will track the number of fans accumulated by the comics and will award victory points based on the players’ ranking at the end of every round. In the last round, the number of fans is converted into victory points. The money accumulated is instead divided by 4.

The winner is the player who scores the most victory points (VP from now on, represented by a star icon)
at the end of five rounds.VP are awarded both during and at the end of the game by:
• Publishing original comic books
• Accumulating fans
• Being at the top of the comic book chart every round
• Earning money (but pay attention to taxes)
• Generating ideas
• Improving the printing quality

Did I mention I love the theme?

Oh, and it has a solo mode.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Sep 29, 2022 11:22 am

I was seriously considering it, but I haven't seen a good rundown of how the solo mode works yet. It would really need to have an excellent solo mode for me because the chances of my group playing it are virtually nil.

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Thu Sep 29, 2022 1:00 pm

FYI - ISS Vanguard is supposed to be delivered to the docks today. But the docks have been slow moving products, so that may mean a wait. Also Quartermaster is fulfilling for ISS Vanguard and the storm had delayed some of their work. Thankfully, QM indicated on Facebook that they were able to return today and it seemed like everyone was ok after the storm.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Sep 29, 2022 1:15 pm

Fardaza wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:14 am
hepcat wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:10 am You can get Mystery Tales on Amazon or just about anywhere. I love that it adds a horror mode. It also gives you a pool of survivors you can choose from as you play, so that if you lose someone you can grab another survivor and keep going. It's limited, but it adds a bit more help.
I'm going to wait until after the game arrives. Hopefully it will still be available then.

Okay, I swear to you I don't work for Portal. But I just noticed that Amazon is having a sale on board games....and Mystery Tales is going for 27 dollars right now.

Again, I DO NOT work for Portal! I just sound like I do!

p.s. there's a whole bunch of games on sale other than that.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Sep 29, 2022 1:37 pm

baelthazar wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 1:00 pm FYI - ISS Vanguard is supposed to be delivered to the docks today. But the docks have been slow moving products, so that may mean a wait. Also Quartermaster is fulfilling for ISS Vanguard and the storm had delayed some of their work. Thankfully, QM indicated on Facebook that they were able to return today and it seemed like everyone was ok after the storm.

Wow, didn't even consider that.

Meanwhile, my Drunagor box has been sitting at "label created" for 4 days now. Apparently "Your package has shipped" means something different in Michigan.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Sep 29, 2022 1:46 pm

I sorted my copy of Drunagor last night and I'm probably going to play the demo scenario tomorrow afternoon after work.

What really impresses me about the game is the developer involvement. There were complaints that the game became too easy after a short amount of time (especially with higher player count), so they started making the QR code backed online door database to increase the difficulty. And they did this in pretty short order after the complaints started coming in. I like a proactive game company.

EzeKieL · Post by **EzeKieL** » Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:16 pm

I'm so sad I chose single wave shipping for ISS Vanguard... Sure I saved some money but the envy is hard to swallow

At least I'll get a massive parcel next year I guess...

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Sep 29, 2022 10:45 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Fri Sep 16, 2022 11:45 am
hepcat wrote: Fri Sep 16, 2022 11:19 am
Isgrimnur wrote: Fri Sep 16, 2022 10:57 am ...damn you...
Did you back it too?
No. I just bought the base game from their website.

I am not used to getting games delivered to me this quickly. V-Sabotage arrived today.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 2:42 pm

Hope you enjoy it! It’s a really great game once you get the hang of it. But be prepared to be frustrated with the difficulty at first. That’s all part of the fun. You have to learn how to avoid tripping alarms until it’s absolutely unavoidable in order to complete the mission(s).

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 2:49 pm

Dude, it takes me years to get a game prepped and punched! I pledged for Fall of Avalon 2.0 materials, and 1.0 is still in the shrink wrap.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 4:12 pm

Did anyone see the kickstarter for coins that are dice? Or is that dice that are coins? I'm mildly intrigued. But I don't know that I'm $100 intrigued.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 5:04 pm

Reinventing the lightbulb so that it resembles a candle is next.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 5:05 pm

hepcat wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 5:04 pm Reinventing the lightbulb so that it resembles a candle is next.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 5:45 pm

TheMix wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 4:12 pm Did anyone see the kickstarter for coins that are dice? Or is that dice that are coins? I'm mildly intrigued. But I don't know that I'm $100 intrigued.

50% of the time the ball will be on the other side from you. I think it is a cool idea that just wouldn't work well.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 5:47 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 5:45 pm
TheMix wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 4:12 pm Did anyone see the kickstarter for coins that are dice? Or is that dice that are coins? I'm mildly intrigued. But I don't know that I'm $100 intrigued.
50% of the time the ball will be on the other side from you. I think it is a cool idea that just wouldn't work well.

I had the same thought. It seems like they think everyone rolls dice while standing in such a way as to be looking directly down on them.

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 12:57 pm

TheMix wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 4:12 pm Did anyone see the kickstarter for coins that are dice? Or is that dice that are coins? I'm mildly intrigued. But I don't know that I'm $100 intrigued.

NO NO NO! Dice are supposed to look like GEMS and clickity-clackity. If they look like COINS how am I going to keep my dragon hoard treasure straight?!

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 1:46 pm

It's all fun and games until you have to find, flip, and then read 12d8.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 1:55 pm

That's an edge case.

Besides, we all know that you already have that many dice available to not slow the game down.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 2:04 pm

That depends heavily on the game (and on your character - even in vanilla D&D you can get rogue builds that throw handsfulls of dice every round.) But yeah, you'd have to use these for only single rolls and switch back to dice for everything else. Personally, they'd just end up feeling like table clutter and I'd end up just using the dice to simplify things.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Tue Oct 04, 2022 1:43 pm

hepcat wrote: Mon Sep 26, 2022 9:57 pm And I just got the shipping notice for John Company. I took a look at the updated rulebook recently. 48 pages. Oof.

John Company arrived yesterday, and I started digesting the rulebook. It's a lot to take in! I have complaints about the component list and set-up section, but the rules themselves are very clearly written.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Oct 04, 2022 1:59 pm

From what I've read, the game is purposely designed in a way that you can go through each phase and learn them individually. In other words, they're almost made to be self contained functions within the game.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 1:47 pm

S3 of Cthulhu Death May Die coming to KS....

Malificent · Post by **Malificent** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 10:06 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Wed Oct 05, 2022 1:47 pm S3 of Cthulhu Death May Die coming to KS....

Yes please and thank you.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 10:07 pm

BAM…in.

Er…if they set a reasonable shipping cost and promise not to drastically change it at the last minute, that is.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 11:15 am

Yeah I'm a bit skittish of their shipping stuff, but I really want this (even though I have Season 2 unplayed still in the shrink!). Still, it's one of my favorites.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Oct 06, 2022 11:52 am

It's a classic....but Lang and Daviau haven't been confirmed as being part of the design and I do think what they came up with for the original is part of the reason it's well-loved.If this new season copies that? Might be good. If they modify core design elements because they've done in-house tweaks or hired someone else to create a new version? I'm not sure.

Regardless, it might be a way to get your hands on anything you missed during the first KS, but I 'm also guessing they're going to have people over a barrel with prices and shipping. Scalpers are bad but if CMON can just do slightly better than scalper prices on reprints...

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sun Oct 09, 2022 5:12 pm

I’ll be honest, John Company so far is a mess of obtuse and fiddly rules. The rules are well organized, but they’re often lacking images or examples that could help you understand what you’re doing. And they often assume you know what piece, token, board location, card or yet to be explained rule they’re referring to.

I’m also struggling to see where a player has any real agency in the game. I feel like I’m just doing what they tell me I should be doing each turn instead of actually playing the game. I’m really not sure I want to keep this one in my collection. I sure as hell don’t see myself teaching this game to anyone without causing frustration.

p.s. All of the above comes with the caveat that I may change my mind after I've played it a few times. Pax Pamir was low on my list until one day I just broke it out and started playing...until an "a ha!" moment arrived and I realized how the game should be played. Now I love it.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Tue Oct 11, 2022 3:39 pm

hepcat wrote: Sun Oct 09, 2022 5:12 pm I’m also struggling to see where a player has any real agency in the game. I feel like I’m just doing what they tell me I should be doing each turn instead of actually playing the game. I’m really not sure I want to keep this one in my collection. I sure as hell don’t see myself teaching this game to anyone without causing frustration.

John Company is very procedural, that's for sure. First the Chairman allocates funds, then the Director of Trade tries to open up a new trading location, etc, etc. Having played it only once, my impression is that there are three "games" interacting and co-existing:

First, a co-operative game with other players to open up new areas of India and trade there, bringing revenue to the Company. You're playing together against the event deck; it's basically Pandemic.

Second, a negotiation game with other players to make sure you can take your desired actions. Want to trade in Madras? You may need to bribe the Director of Shipping to make sure that there are ships in port to carry your goods back to England. This part of the game vacillates between friendly - a favor for a favor - and straight up blackmail.

Finally, the competitive race for VPs that shapes every decision in the game. If you've built up a VP point lead, for example, you may want to abandon the co-operation and let the company crumble.

Overall, it's a game of influence by inches, not tactical master strikes.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Oct 11, 2022 4:27 pm

I think part of my problem is that I'll most likely be playing this solo as I highly doubt anyone I know will enjoy this one. And the solo game just tries to emulate the bribing and other financial tomfoolery between players via the promise cubes you trade back and forth with the Crown.

But it honestly isn't a game I see coming to the table with my group. It just feels way too dry and procedural (as you say). Master of Orion 3 comes to mind whenever I see John Company spread out on my kitchen table right now. Some folks might like all the number crunching that goes into that game, but I am not one of them. I was hoping this would be more like a true Pax game, in that the mechanics would be firmly nestled behind a thematic overlay with a bunch of cards or what not that help you find a story as you play. This one doesn't have that, in my opinion. I only see the math while I'm trying to play. That's all.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Oct 18, 2022 1:11 pm

If you were interested in the reprint and didn't want to pay the scalper prices for a current copy, the 2nd Edition has relaunched. Delivery October 2023.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Tue Oct 18, 2022 1:25 pm

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Tue Oct 18, 2022 10:02 pm

Smoove_B wrote:If you were interested in the reprint and didn't want to pay the scalper prices for a current copy, the 2nd Edition has relaunched.

I backed the Base (standee) version. I've heard nothing but good things about this one, and based on the videos I've watched it's right up my alley. Nice blend of mechanics, boss battles, campaign, yada yada yada.

I was fine with the standees as I really don't need any more minis to paint, and especially don't need to be paying nearly double for the privilege.

While a year is a ways off, I have so many Kickstarters arriving next year I don't think I'm going to be bored in the meantime.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Oct 18, 2022 10:15 pm

I did the same. I really wanted the minis version but after being honest with myself, there's really just no way to justify the storage of three Gloomhaven sized boxes.

What's funny is I remember the original KS and going back and forth about backing, namely because they were an unknown. With all the delays and pandemic, it really could have been a train wreck so I was really happy to see so many positive reviews. I mean, I wish I had it now, but in truth it's probably better to be getting the 2nd edition in a year.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Oct 18, 2022 10:21 pm

Well damn it all, now I have to back it. Which then means baelthazar has to, and then the mix, then ….well, you know.

With great power comes great responsibility, you two. Come on.