Kickstarter Board Game News: Hoplomachus and Tsuro of the Seas
This week, there’s been a few new games on Kickstarter that have caught my eye, Hoplomachus – The Lost Cities and Tsuro of the Seas. Below are also a few quick updates of some other campaigns we’ve been following.
A Hoplomachus battle in progress. My denarii's on the tall stack unit (Image via Kickstarter.com)
- Hoplomachus – The Lost Cities by Chip Theory Games jumped out to me entirely due to its heavy gladiatorial theme, and my favorite movie: Gladiator. Hoplomachus is a tactical game where players are playing chips onto the battlefield that represent various units (i.e. gladiators and their kin) and beasts. There will be three unique factions that players can choose from to play solo, 1 vs. 1, or play a 2-3 player co-op game vs. beasts. The goal of the standard 1 vs. 1 game is to destroy the other player’s champion by using your various units and tactics chips. As seen in the above photo, the designers are using additional chips below the units to indicate health. This actually gives a very spacial look to the battlefield, as you’ll be able to quickly tell where the stronger units are versus the ones that are easier to kill. There also looks to be a really cool “leveling” type of mechanic through gathering crowd favor and putting yourself more at risk by sitting in the middle of the battlefield. There are plenty of other awesome things (beasts, extra missions, etc.) listed on their KS page so if you like battlefield/tactical games, check this one out!
A simple, yet elegant Giant Squid-Dragon-thing (Image via Kickstarter.com)
- Tsuro of the Seas by Calliope Games is a sequel to Tsuro, now being published on Kickstarter. Similar to the original Tsuro, players try to be the last remaining stone on the Path. However, in Tsuro of the Seas, players also have to contend with a squid-dragony-thing, also known as a daikaiju. Personally, I love the original Tsuro and love the careful balance of strategy in the game. It’s also an extremely elegant game and, as the designers have said, players have often wanted to frame the game itself. From a gameplay perspective, there’s nothing more fun than sending your opponent off the board. Only now, you can send them into a squid-dragon. For those who are fans of Tsuro, check out the KS campaign here.
- Lastly, a quick update on two of the campaigns we’ve been following. Tammany Hall has just unlocked the first of the two meeple stretch goals and Ground Floor has unlocked a kickstarter exclusive box (plus other great goodies).
- Congrats to Lost Legacy for hitting their goal! I look forward to seeing the new art and expansions in this one.
