Everybody grab one: July KS Grumpy

Athena: JW, a heatwave is going to hit Greece in a few days. Not the best conditions for gaming... Are there any good Kickstarters to spend money on at least?

JW: I will certainly buy the new version of In Magnificent Style, but not through Kickstarter. The campaigns by Worthington Publishing are just not worth it. Even if my local store overcharges, it will turn out cheaper than paying for the game plus shipping.

Athena: I see quite a few abstract games launching this month. Like Spirits of the Forest: Moonlight. Not even the cute bunnies can mask how abstract it is.

JW: It's not just that it's all puzzles. They can't make games that are interesting every time you play them anymore now, can they? Everything has to have scenarios. Or a campaign.

Athena: Ah yes. Relics of Rajavihara. It's an abstract sliding puzzle game. Quite similar to ThinkFun's Lunar Landing but with another theme.

JW: Oh cool, stealing treasures from Asia! We Europeans sure love that. I wonder what it is though. Somehow those flat meeples don't give me the full Tomb Raider vibe.

Any more puzzles?

Athena:The Night Cage is abstract path-making in a horror setting.

JW: But the real horror of course is the complexity of handling four characters. Also, thinking while you play a game is boring.

Athena: In the 'oh God, not another one' category, we have Shadow Kingdoms of Valeria (more Valeria!), and The Original Sherlock Holmes and His Baker Street Irregulars (more Sherlock Holmes!)

JW: They thought they could fool you by calling it "original", but you saw right through them.

Rallyman: Dirt won't be original, but this new edition will have hex tiles, so you can do your own crossovers. A Dakar version with Sands of Shurax. A dinky toy version in Minions of the Meadow.

If you're lazy, Ascension Tactics: Miniatures Deckbuilding Game has done all the crossing over for you. It's the fantasy version of Street Masters Clank!

Athena: The Shivers asks: have you ever wanted to play a pop-up book?

JW: (chokes on his beer)

Image source: BGG

Athena: Then of course, we have the ever-popular euro Automa category. One. Perseverance: Castaway Chronicles pits you against the Dissenters. Not sure what to make of the camp style of this game. Passengers on a cruise ship, dinosaurs, pink and purple colours. It could be a film by John Waters. Though it would then pit you against the Dysenters.

JW: 😄 It sounds good to me, and it has dice, but I don't understand the campaign. Are you being forced to buy the first two games in a series of four? Or is it only half a game and will the other half come later? I don't like either option. I'll wait for the next time they're on Kickstarter.

Athena: Two. Dead Reckoning: a resource collecting, area-majority game with the famous card crafting gimmick. It has an automated opponent. And pirates, as they are so 2020.

JW: And three, there's the reskin for Pile of Shit.

Athena: Yes, Bag of Penis pits you against King Penii. But it's not a euro. It has 'real-time penis grabbing'. Who knew I would write these words within a board game context. Or write these words, period.

JW: The things we have to do for this site. I'm off to test the solo mode.