Kickstarter Tabletop Games to check out before they go

There are so many great tabletop games being created at the moment, unfortunately, due to the climate and buying trends, publishers aren’t so keen to publish unknown games by unknown designers. Kickstarter however, has for the most part solved that problem. A lot of the time this is the only way to get a hold of these games, as publishers aren’t always going to pick them up or the designer isn’t planning on doing an extended run following the Kickstarter project ending. Everyday new tabletop games are appearing on there for us to get our hands on, so I have selected a few which are drawing to a close that you should really check out before they are possible gone forever.

The European political climate at present is a bit on edge, there are scandals going on left right and centre. What better way to cover this is a topical and light hearted way then in a tabletop game. The Lord of P.I.G.S.  is just that. You get to become one of the Nations hot shots, as you muscle your way into power without starting a revoloution from the people.

The game is that of a filler, and like all good fillers should take you around 20 minutes to play. It is quite a simple game to pick up and is a great gateway for non-gamers into the world of deck building and tabeltop gaming in general.

Although the game is pitched as 2-4 players, it really does fit better with just 4 as then you don’t have to worry about the final spots being filled by “AI”.

The art on the game keeps the light hearted theme, however there is a serious amount of satire thrown into the mix with an underlying message of what is actually happening in the world around us.

The Kickstarter project ends on December 30th and aims to ship in January/Feburary time. You can check out a print and play version of the game for as little as £1 to whet you appetite. Check out the game here.

Edo Jidai is a Ninja game that looks like it is being played on a modified Risk board. Which in essence it is so much so that the rules on the Kickstarter page only really tell you how it differs from Risk, but with a whole lot more being thrown into the mix with it.

To try and eliminate some of the standard game play tropes that appear in a standard game of Risk such as hoarding territory cards, the designers Big Forest Creativity Labs, have made there territory cards dual purpose and also double up as action cards. They have also switched the advantage from Defence (Risk) to Attackers having the main advantage, which stops hoards of armies blocking certain key territories. I think one of the biggest plus points they have done is set a time limit to the game, which I think is one of the reason Risk is not played as much as it once was.

Having only had the chance to see the print and play version of the game, I can’t comment on final quality however, based on looking at what I have seen the art looks good (fine some of the Action cards are overly wordy, but I can deal with that sometimes). There are also some great designed meeples to go with the game also.

Edo Jidai stops being on Kickstarter on 31st December 2014 and you can check it out here.

Some games on Kickstarer just look like they have just ready for the shelves with no tweaks needed. And on the face of it Rum and Bones is that game. The video they have looks professional and the KS page they have prepared is just top notch and other campaigners need to take not.

Rum and Bones, is as the name suggests a pirate themed game. Simple enough concept, two pirate ships are locked into battle against each other with their crews ready and waiting to attack. The object of the game is to attack the opponents ship and crew before they take down yours. Each team gets a set of “Heroes” which hold special abilities and ways of attacking.

There is also a action deck which allows players to throw in sneak attacks and help them on their quest. The game plays 2-6 players and is a co-op game once more than 2 people are playing.

The sculpts of the heroes look brilliant and the base game price is $90, which seems a bit on the pricey side, but for what you get inside the box it seems worth the money.

You won’t however get the game all that quick. Estimated delivery is in July 2015, so if you are willing to hold out till then this is one to get. Check out the Kickstarter here.

I remember as a child racing hot wheels around the living room floor, Thunder Track  appeals to me in so many different ways that it is unreal. This is (in my opinion) one of the most fun looking games on Kickstarter at the moment.

The game is customisable in oh so many ways. From the way that you lay out the track, to the cars that you use to race. Each time you play this game it is bound to be different.

The game comes with well over 100 track cards, and these are shuffled together and laid out in the space you have in whatever way you want to create your track for racing. The cards give you boosts along the track in order to get to the finishe lane faster, and also provide hazards to, well, stop you from getting there.

That’s just the track hazards, there is also your opponents to worry about, who come armed to the teeth to take you out by rolling dice and suing weapon cards.

The game also allows, and encourages the use of your own toy cars to play and the Kickstarter page shows some fans that have gone the distance with this.

With this in mind, this could really be the game that gets kids into tabletop gaming, what better way to spend a rainy afternoon playing with your toy cars then to play with your toy cars with a purpose.

Make sure to check out the Kickstarter page here