Welcome to Kickstart Monday! This is our weekly series featuring 2 or more crowdfunding projects that have caught our eye. We scour over platforms like Kickstarter, Gamefound, and Indigogo to find projects that interest us.

There are certainly some exciting projects out in crowdfunding land. Let’s take a look at a couple of games that we think you should check out.

Armello: The Board Game

Our first game this week is Armello: The Board Game from King of the Castle Games Company on Kickstarter.

Armello is a fantasy strategy deck building game for 2 to 4 players and is a board game adaptation of the popular video game of the same name. The king of the great kingdom of Armello has fallen into madness and it is up to the players as one of the heroes of the Great Clans to overthrow the mad king and become the new ruler of Armello. Only one can claim the throne so players will compete against rival clans to quest, explore, fight monsters and gain enough power and prestige to face off against the king and take the throne.

Players will take the role of one of four heroes: Thane of the Wolf Clan, Sana of the Bear Clan, Amber of the Rabbit Clan and Mercurio of the Rat Clan. Each hero has two custom decks of cards unique to their character, a starter deck and an experience deck that they can earn cards from as they rise in power. Players will need to travel to different regions and terrain types to complete quests which are an important source of prestige. During their travels players will also come into combat with palace guards, monsters and even other players.

As the game goes on players will be able to add new cards to strengthen their deck like followers, treasures and spells. New cards are obtained by buying them  from the market, or earning them through quests.  Once a player has earned at least 30 prestige points from their adventure they can attempt a special combat with the mad king. Not only must they face the king but they must also contend with “Palace Perils” that make the combat more challenging. If they overcome all these obstacles they can claim the throne and win the game.

Armello: The Board Game is available in three backer tiers. First is The standard edition for $79 including all stretch goals. Second is a collector’s edition for $109 which features a metal first player token and an upgraded board and palace model and a few other upgraded components. And third is the Everything Armello tier for $150 that adds on upgraded hero dice, screen printed wooden tokens and 4 enamel pins. The campaign for Armello: The Board Game ends on April 4, 2024, so venture on over to the Kickstarter page before then.

FantasyForm

Next up this week we have FantasyForm on Kickstarter from Button Shy Games.

FantasyForm is a single player wallet game where you use your abilities as an alchemist to increase your skills and defeat a rival alchemist. In FantasyForm you play as an alchemist who has the power to alter their body and transform into forms that wield the power of elements like Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Your goal is to defeat your rival the Dark Alchemist who abuses their alchemical prowess for nefarious purposes. 

Each turn you will resolve encounters in the Outland and Forge phases. Encounters earn you resources like Shards and Alchemical essences but can sometimes cost you these resources instead. After resolving encounters you have the opportunity to increase your power in the Market phase by purchasing upgrades with shards in the form of Companions, Artifacts or new Elemental Forms. You can also purchase Essences cards that act like potions and provide various beneficial effects like reducing damage, providing healing or cycling through cards. 

You will need to use your resources wisely to get the upgrades you need to face off against your rival. After upgrading you will either Explore or complete the Rival Phase. You will need to spend Shards and use your other resources to defeat the Dark Alchemist, but be careful! Your rival can take on Elemental Forms of their own and use their special powers to deal you damage and deplete your resources. If you manage to reduce your rival to 0 health you are victorious!

FantasyForm is available on Kickstarter for $12 and that pledge also includes a copy of the 6 cards Frozen Over expansion. You can also get a copy of FantasyForm along with the expansion and the designers previous wallet game SpaceShipped for only $22. If you are looking for even more you can pledge $32 for the FantasyForm and SpaceShipped collection which includes both games and additional expansions for SpaceShipped. The Kickstarter for FantasyForm will end soon on March 23, 2024, so be sure to visit the campaign page by then to make your pledge.

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 our social media or email.

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