Crowdfunding

Despite games with deadly themes, this month’s roundup features several family games as well as one quirky, dexterity marble surfing game.

In case you haven't seen our many announcements on social media and elsewhere, this week we launched a Kickstarter campaign to gather support for our 3rd year of Casual Game Insider. Not only are we hoping to continue production of the magazine, but we also will be expanding onto mainstream newsstands — a huge undertaking!

There are a ton of video gamers out there of all different levels. A TON. Which is why it is always nice to have a game that helps draw them in to the wonderful world of tabletop gaming. Game Over is a new video game themed card game by upstart publisher Pointless Hobby that is now seeking your support on Kickstarter. We recently had the opportunity to evaluate a prototype of the game to form our own opinions of it. But first, the gameplay!

Both established game companies and first time designers are bringing their gaming ideas to Kickstarter this month. Several games have great themes, aimed at attracting children with rules that are engaging for the whole family.

If you enjoy auctions in games, take a look at the Kickstarter campaign for The Game of 49 by Mark Corsey. I had the pleasure to meet Mark and play his game at Unpub 4 early this year. The board is a 7x7 matrix with spaces numbered 1-49. You start with $49 in cash. Spaces are auctioned. Outbid your opponents, and you get to put your chip on that space. Get 4 chips in a row and you win. A deck of cards is used to determine which space is next on the auction block.

Maha Yodha is a 2-player card game currently making a splash on Kickstarter. Published by upstart company Leprechaun Games, Maha Yodha attempts to capture ancient Indian mythology in a relatively simple, yet strategic card game. We have had the opportunity to play a prototype of the game and have much to say about it. But first, the gameplay.

Time for the monthly Kickstarter roundup! May brings us several new card games, as well as the first in a new line from an established gaming company (North Star Games). A popular game from Russia is seeking an English release, and a new racing game mixes things up with a map-building mechanic.

This month brings us several fun games suitable for the entire family with little reliance on language skills, while microgames are still going strong.

A lot of the Kickstarter games this month have very strong themes and really embrace them, both through their mechanics and the artwork. There’s also a fairly good mix of card games, board games and dice games being offered, with a nice range of mechanics from bluffing to worker placement to resource management.

This month, Kickstarter has a couple of interesting two-player games and several board games with fun looking themes. Microgames are still being pitched and Game Salute is seeking funding for two separate campaigns.