Watch your Back: Week May 8 to 14
In the crowdfunding pot for next week we have four games simmering. Let's see what they are.
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The Tiny Epic series is still going strong with new additions every year. This time we have Tiny Epic Vikings: a 1-4 player drafting and area control game in which you lead a Viking clan and compete with other clans for territories and power.
You will be moving your ship to the island you wish to claim, and deploying settlers on it. You can build temples and ships, raid villages, and use the assistant cards you have drafted to perform extra actions. Players will also fight for rune cards that give points at the end of the game. No info on the solo mode has been released yet. It is launching on Kickstarter on May 10.
Personal opinion: I have only ever played one Tiny Epic game, it was Tiny Epic Zombies in co-op mode with JW. It was okay. I've never felt the need to purchase anything from the series, and Vikings isn't going to change that.
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Then we have Trailbazer: The John Muir Trail. This sounds similar to Parks, but plays differently. You are a hiker walking along the Californian trail, exploring the scenery, collecting flora and fauna and using gear from your backpack to progress forward and gather the most points.
Rounds are split into a Sunrise, a Daytime, and a Sunset phase. You will draw a weather token in Sunrise, then place your tracks to perform various actions in Daytime, and consume food and water in Sunset. The player with the most points at the end is the winner. Solo rules are still 'under construction'. It is launching on Kickstarter on May 10.
Personal opinion: Much as I like these nature-themed games, they are all competitive, which often means AI opponent, which means not for me.
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Thistroy Games like to put out small box games, and their latest is Micro Cosmos: a 1-4 player sci-fi resource management and pick-up-and-deliver game in which you are terraforming planets and bringing survivors back to their home worlds.
You will be moving your spaceship to planets, gathering resources, and scouting for survivors with the aim of scoring the most points. In the solo mode you are playing against a bot called RITA. A campaign mode will be included in the expansion. The Kickstarter will launch on May 10, and you can check the preview here.
Personal opinion: Not my style but let's see if JW and Zerbique will back this one. Base game is 22 euro.
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And last, we have Resist! A solitaire card game in which you manage a group of insurgents in Francoist Spain. In each session you have to complete a set of missions - you decide how many missions you can try to win.
You have a hand of cards consisting of your agents who you can choose to play as hidden or revealed. If you choose to reveal them, you have to discard them. You hand may get clogged with spies, however, and, even if you complete a mission, surviving enemies may cause damage by killing civilians or messing with your hand of cards. It is launching on Gamefound on May 12.
Personal opinion: It is highly likely I will back this. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the loose win condition with regard to how many missions you play (it has major and minor victories). I prefer clear-cut wins and losses.
I tried a few 'Tiny' games but don't understand the hype. With that although Micro Cosmos looks interesting, not sure I'm all for those timy/micro games with very small iconography on cards and markers that are hard to manipulate.
I initially dismissed Resist! until Cadet Stimpy mentioned it's designed by David Thompson who designed Pavlov's House. So I need to look at it.
I’ve never played a Tiny Epics before (nor cared) but I like Vikings so maybe I can give this a go. Also, Micro Cosmos looks interesting as I like the inclusion of an Automa and solo campaign. Resist! Looks cool as well. So yeah… three more games on my radar. Thanks, Athena.
Resistis one I will certainly be looking closely at and also Battlecrest. Everything else is not really of any interest! Still depressed over Euthia!!!!!!
What do we have here? New week full of games! Tiny Epic anything at this point is a pass. I never liked their visuals, so I focus on other "tiny" games.
Trailblazer looks nice, like all these types of games, but I already have Meadow and I don't really need more of this type of game, not to mention not a fan of AI solo.
Micro Cosmos surprised me, I found out about it a week ago, read the rules, watched the video... It has AI solo (meh), but I'm still intrigued. Since I'm getting rid of Outer Rim, this one I'll probably back. I like pick up and deliver and I am so charmed by the idea that you're helping…
I think I'll back Resist!, too. One of the designers is David Thompson, who also co-designed the Undaunted games, as well as By Stealth and Sea, which I enjoy. FWIW, Marco really liked it (see Video below).