Around The Republic

It’s been a busy week here at the CR, although it’s like an iceberg effect: a lot of it isn’t visible on the surface. For starters, we made the announcement that we are currently seeking new contributors. Plus, we’ve begun the early stages on a new site feature that’s still quite a ways off from announcing formally, but we’re excited about it all the same.

As for regular contributor stuff, last week we also put up our review of Firefly: the Game, a preview of the most brutal lawn game ever in Killer Croquet, and we had on the tabletop coordinator of the upcoming Boston Festival of Indie Games on September 13th.

Speaking of BFIG, in case we haven’t mentioned it, like, a bunch of times already, we’ll be there! All day even! Come on by if you’re in the area and say hello!

And now, some Kickstarters!

Crowdfunding Corner Top Three

Title: Bomb Squad
Publisher: Tasty Minstrel Games
Designer: Dan Keltner
Buy-In: $35

Why It’s Special: Bomb Squads have a tough job. If a weatherman is wrong, he’s made fun of. If an actor botches a line, he can do another take. If a bomb diffusion member picks the wrong wire…there is no re-do button. That’s enough to make anyone realize why we now send the robot in first. You know, before they go all sentient and start refusing.

Bomb Squad, the latest game from TMG, is a rare mix of mechanics rolled into one time-sensitive and tension-filled game. In this real-time co-op game, players must work with one another to deactivate the bomb before it goes off. The team only has a half hour – literally – to accomplish this. Players have to rely on each other to get all the correct information, though. It has the tension of Pandemic, the franticness of Damage Report, and the inverse card information of Hanabi. Hey, no one said it’d be easy.

Title: Space Movers
Publisher: KnA Games
Designer: Kevin Cox
Buy-In: $55

Why It’s Special: Aboard the space ship Liberty, players are members of the crew whose job it is to planet hop in order to secure the cargo needed to keep flying. In the spirit of those space-faring shows we all enjoy so dearly (as well you should), Space Movers is all about the condition of both the mundane aspects of space travel and the dangers and excitement of exploration.

The unique aspect to this co-op game, however, lies with a dynamic dice rolling system where players get to roll dice at previously rolled dice to create unique results and situations. It’s like what you’d get if you combined dice with marbles or curling. That alone is worth taking a peak over.

Title: Apocalypse: Galactic Arena
Publisher: Storyception Games
Designer:  Christos Chrysou
Buy-In: $45

Why It’s Special: Storyception has launched an ambitious and impressive gameplan for their company: create multiple games of different styles whose stories and flavor will be represented from game to game. That includes a competitive board game, a co-op, and there’s even plans for an RPG. Some companies have their intellectual property span multiple styles of game systems (i.e. Greater Than Games’ Sentinels lines or the Warmahordes diversity from Privateer Press), but few aim to do it right out of the gate.

They are starting here with Galactic Arena, a tactical battle game. Here, players act as known characters who are pitted against one another in space-based gladiatorial combat, moving around a hex board and looking to earn both glory and the upper hand. Each player has unique abilities and can choose from a number of different units to suit their style. The most notable thing thus far is how evident it is that they put a ton of effort into balancing all of their units. Hopefully all of that diligence pays off for them, as this is just the beginning of the Storyception series.

Honorable Mentions: Producer, King Down

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