Awaken Realms NEXT 2024

Castles of Burgundy Deluxe Reprint

You miss out on getting the fancy Castles of Burgundy, I did, but didn’t at the same time, you can get it now. I need to play the game now. I don’t think it’s ever one I’ll go all fancy on, but it’s tempting. Instead, this might be the one for you, if you love the game and now you’ve seen the production, you have a chance to get it without paying scalper prices.

Follow Castles of Burgundy Deluxe Reprint here.

Puerto Rico Deluxe

This is another one that really isn’t for me. But Puerto Rico is a classic worker placement game. And I know a lot of people are going to be intrigued by this. Do you need a massive deluxe version, probably  not. Will it make your old version obsolete, absolutely not. But might it be cool if this is a game that you play a ton, probably. So one to checkout in what seems to be a growing line of deluxe euro game versions. This is Q3 campaign for 2024.

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AR Vault

Last year they did some dice. Which I have a set of those dice coming eventually. Do I need more dice, no. But this year it’s miniatures. Awaken Realms is a miniatures company, at least in terms of what they started out as. And their games, Etherfields, Tainted Grail, and more have come with amazing miniatures. So if you’re looking for some awesome looking miniatures, this is going to be the spot to get them. For me an okay announcement, I don’t really get miniatures unless they are for a game, so while I’ll look at them, not going to be one that I back. This will be coming back in Q1.

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Grimcoven

This is a big boss battler game. Do I need more boss battlers, absolutely, especially anything that is done by Awaken Realms. I like the idea of a boss battler, I need to dive more into the ones that I have. But coming in Q2 of 2024, from Awaken Realms you know that it’s going to drip with the aesthetic. And I’m hear for this witch hunter feel as you are a hunter battling against these bosses.

It’s interesting, it’s just a boss battler. Kind of like Primal how it can work that way. But it’s going to not have a campaign to it. So that’s nice, because you get to dive in and experience it and then be out of it. I hope that the world is strongly built for the game. But sounds like you do evolve your character, but it happens during the game, which I like the sound of. And each hunter is going to be different. Color me very intrigued overall.

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Lands of Evershade

It’s a board game, it’s an RPG, and it’s going to be massive and epic. Let’s say, as much as Grimcoven looks awesome. Lands of Evershade looks even more awesome. It’s really the type of game that I just adore with massive amounts of story and them. This, to me, is what Awaken Realms does best. I need to get back Etherfields sometime to play that, but I’ve loved their big story games with ISS Vanguard and Tainted Grail. This is coming in Q4 of 2024.

The trailer looks amazingly epic. And I want to know more about it and everything that is going on in it. The aesthetic is completely one that I like. And it’s supposed to be more RPG like in that it won’t drive your directions maybe as much. Though, I feel like Tainted Grail, while it has chapters, gave you sometimes new ways to handle it. And ISS Vanguard brought you into a solar system where you could go wherever. I hope this builds upon what they have learned from those games.

It’s also a game system. I am curious to see what that means. It is supposed to give you a lot of freedom to create your own character. It’s going to be RPG like in how creation of character. That is cool, there are some very sandbox games, but it might limit you. But it’s also going to have dungeon crawler elements and combat elements. I think it sounds very fun that way. But it’s also going to be very narrative heavy.

I’ll leave the world building something for you to dive into. They talk about it a bunch in the video, and if you’re curious, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Follow Lands of Evershade here.

Final Thoughts

Last year Dragon Eclipse was the game that interested me. The rest of them were just okay for me. STALKER definitely was interesting. Here are there are two games that really stand out to me. Lands of Evershade is an instant back. And Grimcoven also looks amazing. I think that type of game works really well for me because it’s what I want in a game, heavily thematic, and knowing Awaken Realms, going to have a lot of interesting mechanisms. But it’s a one off game, which to me is a great option for how I play.

Which one of these games or projects interests you the most? Do you want a deluxe version of a game like Castles of Burgundy or Puerto Rico? Or are you more into the heavy story and them like I am?

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Pros

• Proven Game
• Even the standard version is nicer
• Good Price

Cons

• Will Come to Retail with Standard Version

The Page

This is a very nice looking page, and the rules are pretty high on it. Even before you get to the point where you would likely pledge. And because the rules for this game are generally pretty simple, it makes it easier to understand from the page how to play.

I also think that they do a solid job of showing off the differences between the editions or versions of the game. And while I do think that the wooden tokens are nice, I find them to be a little bit more than I’d want. Same with the metal coins, for a person who loves their deluxe editions, it offers nice things. For me, that is not as much of a selling point as it could be. And I find the metal point tokens to just look okay.

The Game

So, this is a game that I’ve actually played before. The original printing of Ra is not easy to find and doesn’t look this good. But still a nice game. I do find it simple, and while it floats around my Top 100 games, on the lower end, it isn’t one that I’ve picked up myself yet.

Auctioning

Ra is an auction and set collection game where the most interesting thing is the auction. You bid, and then the winning tile goes into the middle, and you, who wins, gets the tile that was there. You can’t immediately, then bid with that tile, but with the game played over several rounds, you can then bid with it in a future round. It makes an interesting economy for the game.

For example, it’s a good set-up of tiles to get, but the one is in the middle. So I could bid with the highest number, 16, and for sure I get those tiles. But now I am going to get the one at the cost of my 16. Is the value of those tiles there for me. Maybe it is, maybe it’ll give me a lot of points. Now, though, you win the 16 with a nine the next time, or even a six, let’s say. You’ve gotten a massive improvement for your bidding whereas, my one is likely going to be whatever tiles are left next round.

Set Collection

The set collection element is good, too. Mainly because it causes you to really think about what you want to take. To look at my example, again, it might be that there are tiles that just aren’t worth it for me in the collection for the bid and it might be good for you. I only can win two bids per round, so do I want to spend a decent bid hoping to get you to spend more on it? It’s an interesting decision making space, or do I bid a lot to keep you from getting more points and hoping the next set of tiles isn’t what I want, or still really good for you?

Back or Brick

I am very torn on this one what to do. I enjoy Ra a lot. And this is a great looking version of the game. It is also cheaper than the out of print version. But do I back it now, or later? Right now, I lean towards this being a Brick for me. Not because I don’t want Ra, I do, but because I can get it later at retail.

The downside of waiting is that I might not get a copy in the original print run. In that case, I might wait for a while to get it. If I back it now on Gamefound, then I am going to get the game. It is made trickier because I don’t care of the deluxe edition. I think it offers some nice upgrades, but not ones that I need. A more standard product from 25th Century Games is still very good quality.

How about for you, is Ra a Back or a Brick?

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With FOMO, it’s about controlling a desire for what you want to back. But in this case, you know you want to back that game on Kickstarter or Gamefound, but what level do you decide to back it at, and what should you be looking out for?

What Are Common Crowdfunding Pledge Levels?

So, before we talk about what level to back at, let’s talk about common levels. Because there are a few that I would say you see fairly often.

Retail

This is going to be the version of the game that will hit retail.

Game Play

This is going to be a pledge level where you can get everything that might have anything to do with game play. So, more cards, this level, and expansion, this level of pledge.

Deluxe

At Deluxe, it is going to contain the fancy pieces. It might not have all game play but it’ll have upgrades pieces like metal coins, screen printed meeples, things like that.

Retailer

This is not the retail level, the retailer level is if you want to get access to the pledge manager and order several for a store.

Print and Play

Print and Play is going to let you get the game without getting the game. You get the files for the game that you can print off and use. This is pretty common for roll and write games, or small card games.

What To Consider When Picking A Pledge Level?

There are a few things to consider when picking what level you want to pledge a game at. But we’ll start with one of the big ones, how much game play content do you actually need? And then what will add enjoyment to your experience.

How Much Do You Actually Need?

This is a bit of a FOMO thing, but how much do you really need. At this point, you know you want the game but is it worth getting everything for the game? And not even at the side of FOMO, how much will you actually play. Do you feel like you’re missing out, or is this just going to be more stuff that you will have sit on a shelf?

I know that there are some games out there, where having more makes it harder to play. I believe it’s the Sator Box for Black Rose War that there is just so much to sort through that it’s almost impossible to get it to the table. So you don’t want to end up with too much stuff that it makes the base game harder to table as well.

So look at how much you get in the pledge. Let’s talk about the opposite of the Sator Box, Marvel United has a ton of stuff in it, but that doesn’t change how easy it is to play the game. You grab a character, villain, locations, and go. The only thing that might be slower is finding the minis. And the variety makes the game even more fun to play. So consider how much you actually need.

Will It Make The Game More Enjoyable?

This one pertains more to stuff like the deluxe version of a game. Metal coins are cool and all, but will it make the game more enjoyable? Minis are cool, but are they going to make it more enjoyable than standees would? The answer to those questions might be yes. It might make the game more immersive than it was before and give you a better experience.

On the other hand, much like all the game play content, it might make the game harder to get to the table. Do you pull three boxes off of the shelf now instead of when you pull one off the shelf? And is that going to make you more likely to pull it off the shelf?

I like when games, like Dwellings of Eldervale, give you deluxe components that fit in the main box. I don’t need to worry about grabbing anything more, just the one box. And I’m not sorting through deluxe and regular components to find what I need. I think that’s a smart way to do it. It does mean I have regular components I can’t use.

On the flip side with Dwellings of Eldervale, if you didn’t get deluxe, you end up with empty space in your box. And that’s an issue as well because I don’t want stuff sliding around. Now there are holder for the deluxe bits but they are empty, so to me that’s a bit odd, I’d prefer a smaller box in that case.

So, What Level Should I Pledge At?

For me, the place I start is at the game play level. I look to see how much it is going to cost to get everything for game play. And sometimes I’ll back at that level and other times I won’t. It depends on cost and how much there is.

But for me, game play is always the starting point at where I look. With game play, you know what you are getting the whole of what you can play around with. And some games don’t need everything, I can give some examples here.

Going back to Marvel United and Marvel United X-Men, I don’t need fancy tokens. The extra thick location tiles, not interested. But I do want all the characters because the game is easy to play even with everything.

On the flip side, when I backed Primal, I didn’t back extra monsters, I just got the base game. Yes, the different monsters will behave differently. So I am missing out on game play content. But I also get a lot. And I don’t think that I need that extra variety. I’d take it because the monsters are cool, but I don’t need it.

Crowdfunding Pledge Level Final Thoughts

The milage on what you pick might be different for you than me. I do think it’s important to look at what you get in the game play level and decide on how much you need. I will also say, don’t back the retail level. If they are planning on going to retail, get it there, and get free shipping if you go through an online retailer.

The only reason, I see, to back at the retail pledge level instead of getting it at retail would be to support the company. And I do approve of that reason. I back stuff from Indie Board and Cards for Aeon’s End and now Astro Knights that will come to retail, why, because I want to support the company and get it slightly sooner.

How do you decide what level to pledge at?

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