Sometimes there are absolutely exceptional projects that literally shoot through the roof in the crowdfunding segment. This month we're talking about the miniatures game Kingdom Death: Monster 1.5 as part of our Kickstarter Don't mess around with reports. At first glance, this is not even due to the quality of the game, but simply the fact that this miniatures game from Kingdom Death exceeds the comprehensible financing limits many times over. Because in addition to Kingdom Death: Monster 1.5, all the other great ideas from the field of board game crowdfunding should not be forgotten, we are introducing you to two more exciting projects in our current Kickstarter report for December 2016.
Kingdom Death: Monsters 1.5
If a board game developer realistically calculates the financing costs and comes up with an amount of 100.000 US dollars that they want to raise from a crowdfunding community, that's hardly worth mentioning - even if the brand is particularly strong. If, however, a funding target is around the stated amount, but it is exceeded tenfold after 19 minutes, that is a completely different matter. This is exactly what the miniatures game has Kingdom Death: Monsters 1.5 Made it at the end of November. Around ten hours after the project started, it was already 3,5 million US dollars. Since then, the hype has at least flattened out a little, even if the current financing status seems almost surreal in view of the targeted 100.000 US dollars: over 8 million US dollars Kingdom Death: Monsters 1.5 meanwhile achieved - and the money counting machine is already rattling on. A total of 18 days remain until the end of the financing.
Is free from scandals Kingdom Death: Monsters 1.5 however not. In a miniature game with such financial success, critics take a particularly close look. And find in the case of Kingdom Death: Monsters 1.5 so many stumbling blocks. Sexism is one of the most common terms one reads when reporting on this miniature game from the heart of New York. And in fact, parts of the game material are designed to be unusually revealing. Half-naked women do not have a playful added value in a strategic board game, so that the criticism ultimately seems justified. The fact that the inhabitants of the game world walk around so lightly clothed with such gigantic income is incomprehensible anyway, but corresponds to the common clichés of modern horror scenarios. Bloodthirsty creatures have had a special interest in scantily clad women since the beginning of the horror films - and that is also with Kingdom Death: Monsters 1.5 not different.
The miniature game of Kingdom Death can be experienced with 2 to 6 players, but also completely alone as a solo game. A game round should last around 30 to 60 minutes, during which the participants gradually develop the game people further within the campaign. And because thickly armored monsters and naked human warriors do not get along so well for reasons of game balance, you can ensure more fairness by collecting equipment and weapons. So that the fights don't get boring later in the game, the opposing creatures also develop further, so that a loot spiral known from modern MMORPGs is at least hinted at. The game box is meanwhile packed full of countless (beautiful, but partly half-naked) miniatures, but above all with over 1.000 cards. It weighs around eight kilograms Kingdom Death: Monsters 1.5 so on the scales and is therefore at least externally a real playful heavyweight.
Otherwise, the details of the rules have changed compared to the two-year-old version of the miniatures game. Owners of the original version can bring their gaming experience up to date with the help of upgrades.
The money counter from Kingdom Death: Monsters 1.5 you can admire here watch with your own eyes.
The Other Side
Also the steampunk miniatures game The Other Side by Wyrd Miniatures is running very successfully on Kickstarter - even if the funding is currently "only" three times the targeted funding goal of $75.000. Because the project on the crowdfunding platform is still running for a whole 31 days, a much higher project sum can be assumed, which fans ultimately incorporated into this game idea. Away from the fantasy or horror miniatures that are trendy today, the creative minds at Wyrd Miniatures from Marietta, Georgia are focusing on a genuine and, as usual, wacky steampunk scenario. This is clever because it gives the character designers almost limitless possibilities for character design. In fact, the detailed miniatures look superb on the images, which will appeal to hobbyist painters in particular. The level of detail provides a perfect canvas for fans who want to paint their own miniatures to play with color and shade.
In a playful way, Wyrd Miniatures promises easy-to-learn basic rules that give experienced players the freedom to refine their tactics. Once the objective of the mission is known, the players first assemble their armed forces in order to then bring game actions onto the board with the help of cards. Each unit has completely different skills that need to be used at the right moments. Because it is a classic miniature concept, the measuring tape is an integral part of the necessary equipment. The size of a game round depends not least on the agreement on the number of military leaders with whom the players want to go into battle.
The strength of The Other Side is clearly in the richness of detail of the figures, so that even pure collectors should take a look at this title - here on the official project website, for example.
Sector 6
The time required to reach the minimum goal is on Kickstarter became a kind of competition. The Spanish developers Draco Ideas are at least aggressively advertising the fact that their strategy game Sector 6 reached the minimum after just 6 hours and 60 minutes (the sixes are important). More than 1.200 supporters have increased the funding amount to currently over 30.000 US dollars, the planned funding target was just under 9.000 US dollars. For those interested, there are now a further 26 days until the project expires. Sector 6 relies on a fast, comparatively uncomplicated gameplay, which is basically all about surviving in a galactic prison. Equipped with breathing masks and knowing full well that oxygen is a scarce commodity on the planet, the players whiz through a labyrinth of corridors - always looking for the next oxygen point.
On a clear game board, which is composed entirely of individual cells, the players race along the open paths during their turns. Another tactical element is that the cells can also be rotated to reveal new routes. If used strategically, this puzzle mechanism ensures that the opponent's paths can be closed in order to gain game advantages. Skillfully blocking opponents is therefore just as important as collecting point markers.
The highlight: The cells are connected to one another so that the rotation of a selected cell also sets the surrounding cells in motion. This requires a bit of forward thinking and a good imagination from the players. Originally independent tiles can be connected with each other by skillful rotation, in order to then ensure proper movement in the labyrinth in one of the next moves - provided the opponent does not pursue an even better plan. Behind Sector 6 there is more to it than you would think at first glance. As a special rule also applies: If both miniatures of a player are blocked, he may rotate fields twice in a row.
The final scoring results from the number of colored markers, each of which brings different point values to the player accounts.
More about the strategic puzzle game Sector 6 you can find out if you are interested here.
