Normally I wouldn’t highlight a project I already backed, but I am for two reasons. The first is, I’m backing for more. And the other is that this company came back from the dead. But is Project L a board game that’s worth you backing and what is the game even about?

Find the campaign for Project L Pieces Missing Kickstarter Here.

Project L

Project L is a game that reminds me of the spatial puzzles that you maybe played as a kid. Though, this is much easier as thee is always a solution even if you don’t play in the most optimized way. Plus you mix in an engine building game.

In Project L you are placing down polyomino tiles onto different cards trying to fill them in. If you complete one it gives you or two things. You get a new piece to add to your collection to help fill in more tiles. And it might provide you points. The goal is to get the most points, but getting more pieces helps speed that along.

For more details on the game play, you can checkout my review here.

Why Back Now?

Normally I put my reasons not to back first. In this case, if the game interests you at all, back it. Mainly because of the tale that I’m about to tell of a board game company that came back from the dead. Details as to how, I don’t have all of them, but they don’t seem like malicious zombies or other undead.

Boardcubator’s Story

Boardcubator had good success with Project L. It is a very fun game that I enjoy quite well. I got in on the game during the second Kickstarter. But for them it was the first big hit and turned out to maybe be a one hit wonder.

With the funds that they raised, plus I’m guessing other funds they raised they started work on an ambitious project: Kingdom Come – Deliverance. This is based off of a video game by the same name. A very open world RPG system where you don’t start out as a class but can put stats into whatever you want and build up your character that way. Boardcubator invested heavily into developing this game and an app for it and went to Gamefound to launch it.

That’s where the issues started. The game gained some traction but not enough to make it financially feasible. That’s a secret, poorly kept one, of crowdfunding. Often the goal isn’t the goal. Mainly, it costs a lot to do some parts of games, and you need a certain volume to make it feasible. They didn’t hit those totals fast enough or were even on track to hit those totals.

So, they cancelled the project. But not only cancelled, the issue was, that ate up their money. They were developing this massive, ambitious game with an app. And they didn’t have more money to continue as a company. So they went again. Now, they are back. Don’t know the details, but they are back with a game that there is track record to show that this is a fun game.

What’s New

So, say you already have the game and you want to support Boardcubator, what is new in the game for you. You can get the Phoenix expansion. In that expansion it is just more tiles you play with and those give you additional scoring opportunities higher than any others in the game. But they are shaped in ways that you need to think about using the smaller pieces. So slower completion but a way to get even more points.

What Works?

This is a game that has nice slick actions to it. You do a few actions but they are all pretty easy to follow and understand. The hardest being the master build action where you add to each shape you are building. But even that isn’t too bad when it gets down to it, there are just a few times, early, when you need to figure out how you are trying to optimize it.

This is a very good engine building game for people who want that light engine building. I’d put it in the same weight as a Splendor or a Century: Golem Edition. And that’s a very nice thing about it. Those games give you engine building and something interesting, though hopefully not too repetitive, as you play. And while I find that Splendor plays out pretty much the same each time, I haven’t hit that point with Project L yet. And with the expansions, I’m not sure that I will.

Back or Brick

I telegraphed this one, it is a Back for me. I already talked about that I like the game. And I might even back for a second copy of the game to give as a gift to someone, it’s a game that I think is really accessible that way. But beyond that, the board game hobby has lost a few companies recently.

I am out a Kickstarter game, adventure puzzle book, potentially because money ran out. And another company as well had to close their doors with crowdfunding games unfulfilled. And Mythic Games, while still going, was touch and go there for a little bit. If you wonder why game prices are going up, why shipping is higher, don’t. If that means you can’t back or support as many, so be it, but these companies aren’t trying to rip you off.

Boardcubator, I am really happy, is back. But that is going to be the rarer story than those who are just gone forever. So, support a good company trying to do the right thing. Support a fun game that you can play with family and friends. But know if the game is for you. I back it because I like the game already. And I’ll share it because I think others will do.

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