Most Anticipated Games Delivered from Kickstarter in 2020 Part 1

To continue our series of articles covering game that we are most looking forward to in 2020 we first have to look back.  2019 brought us some belting Kickstarter campaigns and these are just some of the games we are eagerly awaiting the delivery of (mainly in May as it turns out). 

In the previous articles, we covered the games coming to Kickstarter Part 1 & Part 2 (that we know about), likewise this article and it's Part 2 really only covers games that got us excited in 2019, there are of course many, many other great games.

But yes, you're right, this is basically Andy's boardgame shopping list of 2019. 

District 9: The Boardgame

Hopefully arriving in August

Aside from the fact that District 9 is a great film and that Weta makes fantastically produced games there are a number of reasons to be excited about this game that comes down to:

1. Since Weta made the movie and the game, this isn’t a licensed tie-in product.  The game can be seen as a true extension of the movie, meaning a poor quality game isn’t just a bad game, its damaging to the story and Weta brand.
2. Weta has taken, and continue to take backer and gamer commentary seriously.  The first attempt at the Kickstarter campaign was cancelled despite being well on track to being funded (albeit a bit slower than one would have originally thought) because there were a number of concerns raised by backers about the gameplay.  Weta pulled the plug, went back into development and returned 5 months later after a bunch of further work and released a project that funded within 3 days.
3. The game just looks damn cool.

Cosmic Colonies

Hopefully arriving in May

This game has a lot of ingredients I like in my games, it looks pretty straightforward rules-wise but there are going to be some great and tough decisions to make each round.   With  

drafting workers that have multiple uses depending on when they are played, turn order bidding, polyomino tile placement and area control and a little engine building on top I'm confident that this is going to tick box after box for me.

Designed by Scott Almes, and from Floodgate Games I have a feeling this game will hit my #LunchBreakGames table a lot in 2020.

Dwellings of Eldervale

Hopefully arriving in May

A medium/heavy worker placement, tableau engine building game with a fantasy setting, cracking artwork, a modular, versatile board with multiple paths to victory and some belting miniatures. 

It took Andy all of 4 seconds to back this after it was pointed out to him.

Godspeed

Hopefully arriving April 2020

Godspeed boasts a new and special worker placement system where each worker in a player’s pool is uniquely skilled, which to my mind immediately ramps up the “Interesting Choices” dial several notches. There is also a very intriguing level of player negotiation/coercion where players will have to “work together” to meet the demands of an event where all players need to be invested to receive a round bonus, otherwise all players receive a penalty. On top of that, the end game scoring system is a bit different too, with final scores being calculated on a player's relative position on various tracks to one another.  

All in all, this game looks really interesting on paper and seems to be exploring new and different ways to bring player interaction into games.  Despite this being the first game from designers Clayton Hargrave and Adam Hill, it is being published by Panadasaurus Games, which in my book have a great track record for product quality and development (with the one exception of the Mind) so this game gets two thumbs up from me.

The Grand Carnival

Hopefully arriving in May

I’m a sucker for Ryan Goldsberry.  And polyomino games.  And carnivals (especially since reading Something Wicked This Way Comes), which we don’t have in the UK.

Understandably then this game caught my eye.  This game sounds like a bit of a mix of Tiny Towns and a roll and write with polyominoes used instead.  All the things that I’m very much enjoying in my games at the moment so this was a very easy back for me.   

Odyssey of the Dragonlords: Player's Guide 

Hopefully arrived by now

Since we first found out about this project we’ve been a little bit excited about it here at Collider Towers.  Part of the reason for this excitement is because we’re all on a big RPG binge currently (you should check out our weekly live D&D stream on Twitch or later on Youtube #JustSayin), but the main reason is the team that is behind this project. 

 

Odyssey of the Dragonlords is a 5th edition adventure inspired by Greek myth written by Arcanum World, a company founded by ex-BioWare lead designers James Ohlen and Jesse Sky (Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Age: Origins, Baldurs Gate I & II, Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: The Old Republic) and Drew Karpyshyn, BioWare senior writer on Mass Effect I & II and Knights of the Old Republic.  So, a pretty high calibre creative team I’m sure you’ll agree.

On Mars

Hopefully arrived by now

Hopefully, anyone reading this will have already received their copy of On Mars, so it’s appearance in this list of highly anticipated games for backers will be fully appreciated by now I hope.  For those that didn’t back it though:

Vital Lacerda

Ian O’Toole

Mars

What? That isn’t enough?  Okay then. 

In this game of martial terraforming, players will choose the game goals as well as their own secret objectives.  There is a pool of action and resources each turn available to all players and you’ll need to carefully select and manage these to grow your colony.  Everything has a cost in On Mars, forming part of a chain that needs to be carefully considered and planned for.  All require energy, so keeping the generators upgraded and the power grid stable is a must, but energy is just one piece of what is needed, you’ll also need ore, people and oxygen.

This is a typically heavy Lacerda game, mixing economic engine building, worker placement, area control and Rover meeples.  And the art and design of this game looks amazing too.

Venice

Hopefully arriving in June

I loved the look of this game from very early on.  The spiritual sequel to Ragusa (which I also loved) and designed by David Turczi this was a high priority game to play during the UK Games Expo 2019.  And, despite losing, - horribly - and yes, there was some sulking going on, I still really enjoyed the very clever engine that it at work in this pick-up-and-deliver style game.

Placing workers at key locations that then get promoted and become more efficient when other players do the same is a great touch of indirect player interaction.  Direct player interaction comes into play when you cross paths...or canals, with another Nobel and you start spreading dirty rumours about them (and them about you).  There is a wonderful level of cost, of risk management as you simply try and fulfill your contract. 

This was an instaback for me when the campaign launched in November 2019 and I’m really hoping production and delivery go very smoothly because I want this on my table ASAP.