Casual Game Crowdfunding: Cats, Rats, and Cthulhus

Make a Mess (Delphin Druelle) – In this card game, tiles are laid out to represent the house. On your turn, you move the cat into a room and play a prank card. Some pranks are worse than others and if you create too much of a mess in any one room, you must leave a paw print behind. At the start of each turn, a die is rolled to move the owners of the cat around the house and if they end up in a room with your paw print, you're out of the game. The goal is to be the first player to use all your prank cards. You also have bonus cards in your hand which can change the rules and make things more challenging for your opponents.

Little Drop of Poison (Baksha Games) – You must play poison cards to kill the king or your opponents during several rounds of assassination. The first player to reach 10 points wins the game. Each assassination round is split into several poisoning rounds. At the start of each assassination round, a weasel or rat king is randomly selected and each player is randomly dealt either a weasel or rat peasant card. You score a point for assassinating a player of the opposite species, and extra points for killing the king of the opposite species. At the start of each poison round, every player is dealt two poison cards. Three drops of the same poison color will kill an opponent, while five or more drops are needed to kill the king. Each poison round, you must play one or more poison cards but may only target one character. After each round, the played poison cards are flipped over and players are eliminated if they are successfully poisoned and points are scored. Each assassination round ends after the king is killed or one or fewer players remain.

Lil' Cthulhu (De-Evolution Studios) – You are cultists looking after Lil' Cthulhu at the command of his father. Lil' Cthulhu will demand toys, which you must collect in pieces and put together before losing your sanity. You draw cards from the toy box deck, and may draw as many as you wish. But be careful, if you draw a tantrum card you will lose all the cards you've drawn so far (as well as some sanity).

Fog of Love (Hush Hush Projects) – This two player board game blends romantic comedies with gaming. Each player takes on the role of a character that has different characteristics, each of which comes with its own relationship goals. Story cards are used to create scenes for your characters to live through, while story ending cards determine whether you are actually working together cooperatively towards the same ending, competitively, or one of you is the heartbreaking traitor.

Dethroned (KiteLion Games) – In the spirit of Mafia and Resistance, this quick-playing card game has secret roles, player negotiations, and real time combat. Every player has a secret character card which dictates their agenda. They may make any claims as to who they really are, and some characters will need to work together if they want a joint victory. Every person holds three cards which can be used to attack and defend. After they have played these cards, they draw back up. Players can play them whenever they wish, choosing who to attack and who to defend. After someone's been eliminated the remaining players can vote on whether to continue the game and keep assassinating based on whether they believe their goals have been accomplished yet or not.

Pack O Game SET 2 (Perplext) – The second series in Perplext's set of games that fit into gum-sized boxes, this Kickstarter campaign features several games of widely different theme and mechanics. Orc has players competing for territories. In Sow players are attempting sprout and collect colored flowers to create the most beautiful bouquet. Rum has you collecting and playing sets of colored rum cards. While in Gym, players are school coaches, drafting students and sending them out to compete in events. Stretch goals unlock more games in the series. You can read our review of the games here.

Retreat to Darkmoor (Action Phase Games) – Players take on the role of evil overlords who are desperately trying to retreat after a failed attack and save as many of their minions as possible. Victory points are scored by controlling the territories you are retreating to and rescuing your creatures. On your turn, you play one of your minions. A line of minions begin to form, leading to the points of retreat, and mighty heroes will attack the minions in the rear. Some minions have abilities that will let you manipulate the order of your creatures or provide other advantages.