Welcome to our weekly series with crowdfunding projects that have caught our eye. We scour over platforms like Kickstarter and Gamefound to find projects that interest us. This week’s picks include:

Read on to see why they caught our eye…

Assyria: Second Edition

Our first game this week is Assyria: Second Edition on Kickstarter from Garphill Games.

Assyria: Second Edition is a 1 to 4 player mid-weight strategic euro-game set in ancient times in the lands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Originally released in 2009 this second edition is bringing Assyria to a new generation. This new edition has been redesigned with the original designer Emanuele Ornella and the Garphill team.

In Assyria you will be aiming to gain the most victory points by building huts and ziggurats, increasing your influence in the land and making offerings to the gods. The game features a dynamic map, multiple paths to victory and plenty of player interaction. If you are looking for a game with a classic euro-game feel with some modern updates this could be the game for you. 

Assyria Second Edition is available now on Kickstarter for $49 which includes the base game and some promo Civilization boards as a bonus. If this one is of interest to you, you’ll need to get your pledge in before June 25, 2025, when the Kickstarter campaign ends.

Excalibur

Our second game this week is Excalibur from Roxley Games on Kickstarter.

Excalibur is a light-hearted 2-8 player game of deception, deduction, and backstabbing. Players are all vying to find the legendary sword Excalibur by selecting chip tokens from their hand and activating their powers. There are 58 chips in the game representing commoners and nobles with unique abilities and one single Excalibur chip that you must have at the end of the game in order to win.

Players start with 4 random chips and the rest are spread face down in the play area. On your turn you must reveal and play one chip to trigger its power. You might play Morgana to draw two chips and play one of them, or the Lady of the Lake to force all players to pass their chips to another player. Some abilities let you peek at other players hands and others let you steal chips so you might be able to figure out who has Excalibur in one turn and steal it from them in the next.

Deducing where Excalibur is at a given time is a key part of the game but getting Excalibur and then playing cleverly to hold onto it is the other big trick. You’ll likely need to deceive, scheme, and backstab if you want to be the one holding Excalibur in the end. Excalibur may Excalibur looks to be a fun and unique social deduction game and only takes approximately 20 minutes to play so it’s perfect for multiple rounds or for just a quick filler game. 

Let’s take a looks at the pledge levels available in this campaign: 

  • Deluxe Edition – includes the base game with upgraded wooden tokens.
  • Collectors Edition – includes the base game with metal swords, golden crown and 3D molded chips. 

If you are ready to make your claim to the throne of Camelot get your pledge in before the campaign for Excalibur on Kickstarter ends on June 27, 2025.

Did we miss your favorite project?

Thank you for checking out this week’s Kickstart Monday! If you find these interesting or want some attention on a Kickstarter or other crowdfunded projects that you would like to read more about please share your thoughts with us via social media or email.

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