Follow the Chronofiends!! Campaign.

Chronofiends!! Highlights

My plan is not to go into game play in depth here. This is not like my normal reviews where I’m going to give my grade an opinion at the end. The company sent me a prototype of the game to cover. So it is unfair for me to give a review on it. Instead, I want to highlight elements of Chronofiends!! that will help you make your decision on knowing if this is the right game for you to back.

Ease of System

This one is a mixed bag. Mainly, it is a mixed bag because it is not the fastest set-up in the world. It is not like the system or scenarios are that complex, but there are a number of pieces to get out of the box. But when you get to the game play itself the system is slick and easy to play.

In particular, I like the turn order. This is not unique to Chronofiends!! where the player highest on the turn order goes next, but it is easy to keep track of. And the turn itself is easy to keep track of, you move and then you complete some task in a room. The trickiest bit of the system is when the chronofiends go and you need to pay attention to which way they move.

Leveling/Powering Up

The leveling up skills system is really fun as well. The more time you spend doing something the more knowledgeable you become at it. That is easy to keep track of as you play as well. And then to have something that you are good at improve over and over so as the loops get shorter and shorter you can still have a chance, it’s a smart system.

It is a system that I didn’t utilize to the best of my ability in my streamed playthrough. But I want to talk about that more in the next section.

Keeping on this, I mentioned how the system is smart. It is smart for two reasons. Firstly, the shorter time period keeps the pressure on you. But you also feel more powerful as you go. So it is this race condition as you play, can your power out pace the reduction in time that is happening?

Strategy/Looping

So now let’s dive into this looping and strategy that it forces (and that I didn’t use that well). What do I mean by that? In Chronofiends!!, kind of like in TIME Stories, you loop back. And as a player and character you keep the knowledge that you have of the space ship. So it is easier to go through because you know what you are coming up against.

There is also, then, gaining experience. So not only do you know that you are coming up against, you also know how to deal with it better. But there are elements that are different. While the work that you’ve done does reset, the chronofiends do not. Each time you play or each time you loop that is going to make the game different.

Now, in my play I think I took a less than ideal strategy. I think the first loop or two can be avoiding, finding, and leveling up. I went after the big objective the second time. It does help with leveling up, but not so much avoiding and finding. When you play, that is going to help you out, I think. But it means that there is strategy and planning you need to do as a player.

The Be Aware

I only want to call out one thing in the be aware section. So no sub headers for it. But this is not a small game. I think the box size, and this is not the final box size, kind of hides how large this game can be. I definitely had to adjust my normal streaming set-up because of the size. This is not a negative or positive for the game. But know what you play on. This is not going to be a coffee table game, nor does it need to be that.

Final Thoughts

So, I won’t give a grade or anything like that. I think that Chronofiends!! has a lot of positives to it and gives you an interesting time travel game. And I like that compared to TIME Stories where a loop can be ruined by bad luck of a die roll, you are in control here. Sure the chronofiends might get you, but there is strategy around where you go and how they go with that.

And as I mentioned, depending on your strategy that is going to affect how you want to play solo. I think I played more as I laid out in my section on strategy, I might have won. That said, it is easy to play two handed solo. There is not a ton to keep track of per character, so that is going to make it dealers choice for that. And information is not hidden, so no advantage playing two handed that way.

What do you think of Chronofiends!!? Is it a game that you are going to be checking out when it comes to crowdfunding? Again, follow the campaign here.

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Checkout the campaign page here. And sneak a peek at the website here.

What Is Tabletop Recorder

The best way I can put what Tabletop Recorder is, is it’s that it’s like the AI note taking technology you see for work meetings. But, it’s specifically tailored to working with RPG’s. You give it an audio file of your D&D or other RPG campaign and it is going to spit out the session notes and give you an interface where you can query what has happened.

The creators of Tabletop Recorder reached out to me to see if I wanted to give it a try before the campaign went live. And I love to see tech integrated well into something, and with my podcast equipment, it made it easy to record, though, it’d also be easy to record on a phone as well. So I got to play around with it and get early access, which I’m much appreciative for, and use it for a couple D&D sessions and a couple of dummy sessions.

Let’s talk quickly about how it works. Right now the system is record an audio file, upload that audio file and it processes it giving you some outputs and letting you query against it. There are plans depending on how the crowdfunding campaign does to let you record to the website, or with enough time and money possibly native apps for iOS and Android. But right now it’s record a file, upload, and let it do it’s thing. But let’s talk about how well it does it’s thing.

How Well Does It Work at Transcribing?

The starting thing that I wanted to know was how it worked when it came to catching everything for a full campaign. The campaign that I’m running has time travel and is reaching end game so there are a lot of already established NPC’s, locations, and lore within the game. It’s not a simple setting and series of events at this point. In fact, the players had just managed to screw up the timeline really badly with some created paradoxes via time travel.

And it does a good job with the transcription. It actually gives you four different ways that you can look at your session. There is the full transcription which is a transcription as you would expect. But there is also the long, medium, and short recaps. I think that all of them are solid and they all serve a different purpose. But for really getting all the information, the transcript and the long are going to be your best bet. The medium is great for that quick recap of what happened, and the short is a slightly too long description that I’d use for a podcast if I recorded for a podcast as well.

Short Description

The short, to it’s credit does try and be a narrative telling of what happened. And it does a pretty solid job of that. I might use it for kind of a quick check on what happened previously as I plan a next session, but it’s going to be light on details.

Cleaning It Up

And if you think it missed something, or you want to correct something you can. For example, you’ll see it below, we have a PC named Barai in our game. It learned it as Bry, so it classified Barai as an NPC. But I can go in and edit that to help it learn and connect things. And I can do that really easily. One feature that I’d love to see in their editor is a bit more of a robust find and replace feature. But I clicked edit, copy and pasted to Notepad and did it there, which is easy.

What Else Does It Do?

The other big feature is that you get a Q&A tool. This tool is going to query either a specific session or a specific campaign for you. And you get back details about what happened in a session, or in a moment. Let me give a few examples of what I’ve used it for.

Asking for NPC’s

If I want a list of NPC’s, I can ask it for a list of NPC’s. And it is going to give me that list with a little description, or I can ask for a list without a description just so I can get as many NPC names as I can. I can do that for the whole campaign if I want, and it’ll give me a solid list.

Character names won’t make any sense, but it does a very good job. I will call out that Kip and Barai are both player characters, but you can go in and tweak that.

Asking for Plot

That is a relatively easy request. So let’s give it a more open prompt. And this is a prompt that I think a lot of Dungeon Masters would like. What is the players plan?

That isn’t even everything. But it does a solid job of splitting things out. And it is going back not only across the latest session, but the multiple sessions to pull out details. I can select only the last session if I wanted to get exactly where we are out. Or I can go across everything, I like I did, and review where the players are at to help me plan my next session.

And More

And you can query more as well. These are just two examples that I think highlight a very practical side of using it. But more than that, also a very useful side in terms of gathering narrative points. But you can really ask to your hearts content with it and create queries to get the answers you need.

Who is Tabletop Recorder For?

Before we get to if I’d use it or not, let’s talk about who it’s going to benefit the most. To me this is a Dungeon Master tool. Yes, I think there are things that the players will like about it too, but the strength is going to be for a dungeon master.

Why is that? Do players want to know everything in the campaign, sure. It can replace note taking. But that’s the big benefit for the players. For the Dungeon Master it is going to be a tool that helps with that note taking but also planning sessions and keeping track of all those loose ends. And I think even worldbuilding it’s going to be a dynamic tool for the Dungeon Master.

So, while everyone will get a benefit from it, there are some people it’ll benefit more. And some will depend on how you can access it. If everyone needs a subscription to access it, I don’t know that it’s worth it. But if there’s a dungeon master level to pledge and access and then lesser licenses, or links that can be shared to the campaign, it’ll be a good tool for everyone. It’ll depend on the access model to determine how much value it will hold.

Would I Use Tabletop Recorder?

So first, off, this is a preview. I was not paid for the preview, but I did get early access to the system. So, I give my honest opinion on it, but it is a preview. I want you to take what I say with a grain of salt.

I want to use this in my next campaign. It is something that I already found useful. But I think for a new campaign it is going to be very useful for me. Your mileage might vary depending on how you run your game. But for how I play Dungeons and Dragons, in my case, it is great. Let’s talk about why.

Note Taking

I am not the best at taking notes. I play theater of the mind and improv a ton in my games. That means that we go in unexpected directions a lot. And we tend to be a narrative heavy campaign and interaction heavy campaign versus a combat heavy campaign. In two sessions, I already like the ability to recap things and help me remember what happened last session. Whether it being me querying specific things or reading the short or medium recap to remember what is going on.

This is a great replacement for note taking for me. And it’s unobtrusive. I just stick my microphone in the middle of the table, hit record and we start playing. And, I think we did a good job of actually playing a real session. By that I mean tangents happened. We got sidetracked, we made references to things, and it was still useful for me.

Worldbuilding

This is an element that I think is going to be useful, but I haven’t done yet. I mainly think of it for a new campaign, but to prime for a session as well it would be good. What am I talking about?

So, I start a new game and I jot down some notes for a new world. They could offer me a way to enter them into the system, which I wouldn’t mind. But I can also record those notes, who are NPC’s that the players are going to meet. What is the end goal situation of the campaign and things like that. I can prime the system to know NPC names and all of that jazz. Then I can use a tablet, laptop, or phone, behind the DM’s screen to look those things up. It already has my planning notes in there for me.

Now not everything should go in there. If I plan to have a combat, don’t add those to the system ahead of time. That’s part of the active story. But I easy can see myself using it to prep a new campaign with some town names, NPC names, and history of the world so I can easily query it in the moment.

Final Thoughts

Tabletop Recorder is a luxury RPG add-on. Let’s be clear about that. Is it something that you need for your campaign, no. Is it something that is going to make your life easier, yes. To me that is what a good product for an RPG should be. If it claims it’s needed, I get really suspicious. But let me say, I find this nice already. I see the value already for keeping my planning time shorter and note taking easier.

You might not find that value. You might already have a way that you like to prepare for your campaign. But if that is a burden on you, I think that Tabletop Recorder is worth looking into. And for me, I see the value of it. It all comes down to how much it costs though, because there is a value of time versus the value of money that you need to make a decision on. But this is true with everything from the new version of Dungeons and Dragons to miniatures to the snacks you have while you game.

For me, I think it could very well be worth it though. I value that time that I can quickly prepare in versus the time that I spend flipping through the light notes that I have. And from what I’ve seen the technology is working well. And as a software engineer and a manager who has looked at Teams tools and Microsoft Co-Pilot, this is a nice system that is specifically for what I’d want for D&D.

So one last plug to checkout the Tabletop Recorder campaign coming soon to see if it’s for you.

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Top 10 Crowdfunding Games I Backed In 2024

10. Luthier

This one I knew I was going to be backing. I’m pretty sure I met the designer who is friends with a good friend of mine years ago at this point. But the theme is fun as well, and from Paverson Games the company that made the hit game Distilled, I’m already intrigued. Luthier is about crafting instruments which is a unique theme as well. And the production, at least the renderings of it, look gorgeous and the whole aesthetic is great. It’s not my normal type of game, but with a cool theme and a great look, I’m very excited for it.

9. Floe

This game intrigued me for a lot of reasons. Mainly, the Brothers Murph had a great playthrough of the prototype. While the game has changed some, from the sounds of it, I’m still definitely excited for it. This is a travel the map, collect goods, fulfill contracts and do it again sort of game. And that is a fun type of experience to play. This is also a game with great artwork, so I’m excited to get something to the table that isn’t just a giant adventure of a game, but still has that sense of discovery with it as well.

8. Storyfold: Wildwoods

This is lower on the list than I thought it might be. Some of that is because it is a solo story adventure game. That should be higher, but it’s one that I know I won’t get for a while. I’m still waiting on Stonesaga from Open Owl Studios. And this one just wrapped up it’s crowdfunding in December. So my expectation for a timeline for the game is that I’ll get it in May or later of 2026. But the artwork, the card play, and just the overall aesthetic of the game is one that I’m really excited to get to the table and play and see what it’s all about.

7. One Hit Heroes

This is the first of a couple of superhero games that are on the list. This one Meet Me At the Table had a great playthrough showing how the game worked. I am excited for this one because it looked great on the table, but also easy to learn and play with a good amount of strategy. The strategy comes from how you make everything interact versus a lot of rules, and I love it when a game can pull of that. Plus it’s a boss battler game but one without a lot of minis to set-up, though it is a progression of games, and I have a boss battler on the list that isn’t coming up soon.

6. Super Squad High

This is one that I doubt is on many peoples lists of one that they anticipate from 2024. But I am excited for this game. It is about being a superhero, so that is fun. But it’s not just being a superhero. You are a superhero at a high school and you need to balance your real life of school, dating and more with dealing with a villain and figuring out who that villain is because it might be a classmate of yours. The whole theme sounds like a show that I’d watch and to get to play that game also sounds like a lot of fun.

5. Grimcoven

An Awaken Realms game, this isn’t the only one on the list. But I am very excited to get Grimcoven in, whenever it comes in. I don’t expect it for a little bit, I just got Dragon Eclipse which was a 2023 game. But Grimcoven is a boss battler game. But unlike a lot which are campaigns this one is only for that one shot game. The gothic horror look to it is awesome as well. So I suspect this is going to be one of those games I’ll stream from time to time and pull out for the game group when we want to just fight a monster.

4. Flash Point: Legacy of Flame

I love legacy games, and this is one that feels cool to be getting one. Flash Point is a game about stopping fires. Well, now they are making a legacy game about that. And I’ve held off on getting the base game because it’s kind of Pandemic like. And I find that I want more in that sort of game now, though I’ll gladly play them, so when they announced a legacy game, I was super excited. I hope that it’s going to be an awesome game with great story going through it and some fun twists along the way. But mainly, it needs to keep that game play that makes the regular game good.

3. Rove

Rove is another one of those big campaign games. There are certainly going to be a few of them on the list. And Rove is one that I’ve known about for a while and that it was coming to crowdfunding. This game is from the person who designed the fan expansion for Gloomhaven, which I still want to get my hands on. So when they branched out into something new and something they had designed I was curious. And the game looks like it’s going to be a cool campaign game. I hope that it’s a good design since the previous work was based off of something else.

2. Enormity

It’s a big campaign game, another shocker there, I’m sure. But Enormity is one that I had kind of glossed over until the Dice Tower crew was talking about it on Crowdsurfing. This one looks fun because it isn’t the normal. It is more sci-fi and horror, two things that I like. And it is supposed to be more modular as well as you play. I assume kind of like Shadows of Brimstone. You know your objective, that stays the same, but as you explore out the map could be different every time. And I like that for a game, though it does add to some set-up in the middle of the game.

1. Lands of Evershade

This one is at the top of my list for two reasons. Firstly it is an epic campaign game, and I love epic campaign game. But it is also an epic campaign game from Awaken Realms. I love games from Awaken realms like Lords of Hellas and Tainted Grail which is sitting as my #2 game of all time right now. So when they offer me a game like Lands of Evershade, a big campaign style of game, I know I will back it. And it is one of the more recent ones that I backed. I plan to add more on in the pledge manager, but even just the core stuff is going to be a lot to play.

What Else to Say

It was a great year for games on crowdfunding. I suspect that creators might have found it to be down slightly, but if you wanted a project, there is a project, just in my list, probably for everyone. Though a lot of them are going to skew more towards those heavily thematic games out there that I really love. And I know that there are more I could be talking about. I backed and got already some Button Shy solo games, some solo only games that come in basically a VHS case, and more. And I need to get those played as well.

Plus it is a great year for more content on crowdfunding for games you might already have. I have Agemonia, I got more for it. Mythwind, I got more for that game as well. Same for Stars of Akarios, and really there are even more that I could mention on that list. Now I just need to find even more time to play games because playing games is probably my favorite thing to do, that are eat great food with great friends, but who says that after you eat you can’t play games as well?

What games did you back on crowdfunding in 2024?

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Top 10 Anticipated Crowdfunding Games Arriving in 2025

10. Knitting Circle

This one is lower on the list because it’s not as much my type of game. But I could say that about the predecessor to the game, Calico as well. And I really like Calico. Now the two games are quite different, one is about quilting and one is about knitting. But beyond that, there are more differences as well as you are trying to complete various scarves and things like that in knitting circle to score the most points.

One element that I do like is that it is thematic to knitting. I’m not an expert when it comes to knitting so I’ll get it wrong, just from what I know it is thematic. And I appreciate too, that it lets you “mess up” as that is also thematic. Now that sounds slightly mean, but to miss a stich somewhere, that might happen, so this game has that as an element to it. I find that just fun and unique.

9. FLOE

FLOE was one that I hadn’t originally planned on backing. But when I watched The Brothers Murph play it, I knew it was a game that I was going to like. There is a bunch going on, worker placement, adventuring, and more to basically get resources and turn in those resources to improve what you can do and get points, if I’m not mistaken. What drew me in with it is the fun theme for it. And that idea of the adventure in the game. Plus the artwork adds to that as well.

8. Marvel Dice Throne: X-Men

It might surprise some people that a Dice Throne game is so low on the list. And honestly, I am very much anticipating this one. I love Dice Throne, it’s a top 10 game of all time for me, but because that, I own everything for it. And because I own everything for it, I’m anticipating it just a bit less than I would be some others. Also, I could just put down Dice Throne, I backed the new one as well, and I expect that’ll come out in 2025 as well.

But for the X-Men I’m just really excited for it for the characters. Yes, there is Deadpool, and I get why they added him as an extra character. He is going to be a wacky one to play, once in a while. But I’m way m ore interested in the other characters. And I think it’ll be obvious why, if you listen to 10 Minute Marvel, you know that I love Gambit and Rogue, so two the characters, and then Psylocke in there is a great character as well. Sure there is Wolverine, who I know a lot of people will love, but he’s lower on my list to play.

7. Super Squad High

Now another one that is a bit out there. But this one really drew me in for some reason. I think it’s because you can set most stories in a high school setting and no matter who it is, vampires, wizards, or superheroes, it’s going to make an interesting story. And then of course, this is a board game with that theme, which is interesting to me.

I also like that there are some interesting ideas behind it. Yes, you play as heroes trying to figure out which one of your classmates if the villain responsible for the crime wave, that makes sense. But you need to do things like still go to school with it, so you need to balance your time between schoolwork, fighting crime and your dating life, because there is a dating element to the game as well. I hope it’s a fun, silly, and thematic game.

6. Spire’s End: Rangitaki

The next game in the Spire’s End line, and you’ve seen my play Spire’s End and Spire’s End Hildegard on Malts and Meeples before. This is one that I like how the designer keeps on taking new stabs at choose your own adventure story games with some combat and other mechanisms in them. Plus the artwork on all the games are just amazing.

I think some of it too is the thematic world of the game. It’s very deep in this shared world that has been created across all of the games. I want to know more of what happened before, and while it seems like Spire’s End might be the finishing point, there is a lot of story that can be told as to how the world got there. And Hildegard does a good job of telling part of that story, so I’m hopeful that Rangitaki will continue to tell more and build on it.

5. Dragon Eclipse

Next up is the one Awaken Realms game on the list. I am tempted to put down Grimcoven as well, but I think that could sneak into the start of 2024, which is why I didn’t. Plus I am also very excited for Dragon Eclipse. And I know that it has started shipping out, the date says 2024, but I think it’s really a 2025 game. Maybe, if someone is lucky, it’ll show up in 2024, but I don’t know that is even possible.

This is a one to two player card battling game where you get dragons and battle them to capture more dragons. Does this sound a bit like Pokemon, it should. But you get to build up a deck of cards and use your dragons. And while it’s not a narrative driven game, there is some campaign element to it or story element to it for the thematic setting of the world. This is totally one I plan to stream on Malts and Meeples, when it comes in.

4. The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era

Chip Theory Games now almost always holds my interest. I like Burncycle and Too Many Bones from them a lot. And I want to get Cloudspire to the table, I’m just not sure when I will. So when they announced an Elder Scrolls game with the the Too Many Bones system, I was interested.

I am not a big Elder Scrolls gamer, so it is not completely the theme that drew me in. But as people spoke about it, they talked about how it took the Too Many Bones system and made it simpler. Plus there is a campaign element to it as well that I like. There is in Too Many Bones as well, but this one is going to show a bit more story around it I believe.

And from what I know the leveling up is going to be a bit more dynamic in how you do it. By that I mean that Too Many Bones you wanted to get base stats a lot. Here I think you can choose between base stats or abilities.

3. Witchbound

This is one that I got to demo at the very start of it. And I really like this game. It is a point and click adventure game about becoming a witch. I get a bit of Kiki’s Delivery Service, maybe a bit of 8-bit adventure games too. But it isn’t an 8-bit artwork game, the artwork in it is amazing actually. And there is a lot that you can interact with.

I think that some people are going to find this game too simple. You find numbers on the board and combine them with different lines of dialog or actions. That is about it, so you need to figure out the puzzles of how things work to succeed. There is combat, there are mini games of sorts, I believe, but it is mainly the setting. This world is vibrant and exciting to play in. And the theme that there were witches, but they are gone and you become one, it’s a fun story idea.

2. Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread

Next up is one that I know I am going to get this year. It is on the ships now and reviewers are starting to get some early copies. This is a game that was long in the making. And it is actually one that I didn’t even back at the beginning on Kickstarter. I like the looks of the game and I did back then, but it was competing with a lot.

There is one particular element that brought me to backing the game. Or really, I think I should say that it is three. It is the fact that you play the game at three different levels. There is this bigger world map where you travel around for your adventure. Story happens there, but it’s kind of on this grander traveling level. Then you get down to a ton or something like that. And you interact with people and things like that there. But finally, you get down to a tactical battle level. You interact with movement and enemies and do the standard dungeon crawl. But the three together is great.

1. Rogue Angels

Finally, I have hope that it comes this year, but it’s been so anticipated for a long time. And it is one that I know the work is happening, so I’ve never had a concern that it might not happen. I left a game off the list that I want to get, but it’ll get here when/if it gets here. But Rogue Angels is an amazing story driven tactical space dungeon crawler. So of course it is the top on my list. And the story in the game is great. You can see my play it multiple times on Malts and Meeples as well.

One thing that I really like about it is how you play out actions. You put out cards and they have a cooldown on them. So if I use my great gun, it might mean that I now need to wait a few rounds before I can get it back. But I can also rest to move things down faster, but that means giving up an action when I could be doing something else.

I also like how the enemies activate. It is simple to do. But with that said, the enemies are not easy and you can easily get swarmed under if you stay in place too long. And I like that there are yellow and red enemies, so two different groups that will activate. Yellow then red and back and forth. But if you take out all of one color, the other is going to go at double speed, so you sometimes want to avoid taking out one group completely otherwise the other might just come in and wipe you out because they’ll arrive faster.

Final Thoughts

Like I said, there are more I could put on the list as well. I won’t go into them, but it’s one of those things, it’s tough to wait for the games. I feel like I should give a reminder here. Crowdfunding games will get there when and if they get there. Very few, I’d say this even wasn’t Mythic Games intent, companies go out of their way to screw over their backers. But it is like anything that requires creative ideas, it’s going to take time to get right and to get it to where the person wants it to be.

And for me, it’s doubly so with the games I back. I back games that are big with lots of story. So it might be a nice long time before they come out like Rogue Angels, Witchbound, which hasn’t been that long really, or Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread.

What is the game that you anticipate most coming in from crowdfunding in 2024?

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Why I Initially Backed the Cosmere RPG?

Let’s start out with what drew me to this campaign in the first place. Honestly, the biggest thing is the theme. I like the Mistborn series, in fact, with the deckbuilder coming out for it, I’m reading through it again. And I’m enjoying it more the second time through. Plus I love the Stormlight Archive. Those books are amazing and while they are a beast to read, I enjoy the unfolding world and story. I’m working my way through them a second time, on audiobook, as well.

I really like the idea of playing in the worlds as well. Both of them would offer really interesting role playing possibilities. From the spren in Stormlight Archive to the burning of metals in Mistborn, all of that feels like it could provide a lot of unique storytelling and room for adventures.

Finally, I just like RPG’s. I like to sit down and play or run Dungeons and Dragons in particular. But when I could make it to AcadeCon, I loved trying out new systems in a setting where it was all about trying and playing new games. And this is a new system with the other two things going for it, so I was immediately interested in it.

So Why Did I Cancel?

Budget

There are two main reasons why I cancelled. Let’s dive in and talk about them some. The first one being, it’s expensive. I need to make a choice as to what I get and what I don’t. And this is not a choice that I’m always the best at making. And it’s something that I want to get better about. But that’s not the main reason that I cancelled it. But it is part of it and a good reason. Especially because the level I’d have wanted to back would not be that cheap because I want it all, or at least a bunch of it.

How Many Systems Do I Need?

The bigger reason is, I need to determine that I am going to play. When I look at it, I think it looks like fun. Again, I love the setting of the Cosmere RPG. And I think I’d enjoy playing in that world. However, I know from my past experience of owning different RPG’s, I don’t play them. My brain likes to hold one RPG in it, and that one right now D&D 5th Edition. And I already bought the new stuff for 5th Edition. So I need to learn those updates when they come in.

And previously I’ve owned systems like the Dresden Files Fate system. Star Wars from Fantasy Flight also was in my collection. Fiasco and some other smaller ones were on my shelf for ages. What did I find out? I don’t play those systems. I play a single campaign and my campaign of choice is in Dungeons and Dragons. If someone else were to invite me to a game, I’d play for sure. But I don’t need to own it myself. And I still even own the new Marvel system which I need to run a game of as well.

Why Talk About My Choice with the Cosmere RPG?

Let’s wrap up by talking about why I wanted to talk about this. I was really torn on whether or not to keep my pledge. Even now I know late pledging will be an option. But I want to hold my ground on it, because I think that my reasons for not backing are good, for me. And I think that is so much of it.

There is part of me that feels like I am missing out. Why, because I think I truly would enjoy the system. And I think that part will exist as I see people get in the game when it comes out. And it might even be one that I pick-up later. But I need to know and have a plan for playing it. If I don’t, it is going to be another thing where I keep it around because I want to play it, but I don’t get around to playing it.

Did you back this massive crowdfunding campaign? If so, can I play in your game?

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Top 10 Anticipated Crowdfunding Games

10. Grimcoven

Let’s start with Awaken Realms and a game that is just about to go live by the time this article is coming out. In fact, it might have, and I can’t wait for this one. It is a boss battling game where you are hunters who tap into powers to defeat monsters. But tapping into powers can make you monstrous in nature yourself. So how do you not give into that dark side while leveling up and defeating a monster?

Now that might all sound like a campaign to you, but the fun thing is that it’s not. It is a thematic boss battler that you play a one off. You still get to level up your character in the battle, but no needing to plan on playing the game for weeks on end. Instead you can just pull it off the shelf, grab your hunter and start fighting.

Back now.

9. Avatar: The Journey of Aang

I want a fun Avatar game and this one looks like it. A cooperative game where you need to help Aang get all his powers in line because if you go too slow the comet will come and Fire Lord Ozai might be too powerful to defeat. It isn’t a give campaign game, but it is going to provide story as it goes along. Which I like that about it because it makes it more accessible for me to play with people who just like Avatar and are maybe less into board games.

8. Edgeguard

Now we’re coming to a campaign game. I got to demo this one and do a bit of coverage on it when it was on crowdfunding the first time. The game is fun, it’s a good straight forward campaign game with dice chucking, leveling, weapons, and really all that you would want. Did it stand out as something that is highly unique, not really, but it stood out because it was solid and familiar feeling. I’m not sure when this coming back to crowdfunding but I can’t wait.

7. West Story: A Town Building Game

Next up we have something smaller again. An old west game where you aren’t fighting bandits but instead you’re making your town and trying to have the best town possible. It is going to be that sort of engine building and tableau building that I definitely find interesting. And it is probably going to be one of the cheaper games on this list because it isn’t going to come with a ton of minis for it.

6. StarDriven: Gateway

Next up is StarDriven Gateway, and I’m not going to say too much about this one. Why, because I’ll be saying more about it leading into GenCon and I already talked some about it with the Feast and the GenCon events that I signed up for. So I get to demo this one and I’ll really get to know if it is a game for me.

5. Skytear Horde Campaign

This list has a few campaign games on it and a few expansions on it. This one is both. Skytear Horde is a game that I like a lot. It’s a very good solo tower defense game, or two player. And I like the energy management of the game as you try and figure out how to keep the horde from overtaking your troops and taking down your base.

This is going to offer a mini campaign. So I like that about it, maybe a game I can sit down in an evening and play all three connected games or one that I can stream over a few weeks. One I want to get back to the table soon.

4. Odalin

Next we have Odalin. It’s a dungeon crawler in a dark desert fantasy setting. That element is different, it’s not the typical European setting. But what will it offer that is different. Dragori games, though, has a good track record so I’m definitely hopeful for this one. I do need to know what price point this one is coming in at, because there  is another big game that might steal the funds from this one that we’ll talk about coming up.

3. Ascension Legends

Next up is Ascension Legends. I like Ascension a lot as a deck building game. It isn’t all that complex and Ascension Legends is just going to offer another box of stuff and another jumping in point. My main question, or the question I’m asking myself, is do I need more of Ascension. It is already a game that I own a fair amount for it. And it does hit the table still with good ease, but do I need more?

2. The 7^th Citadel

You might think, I already have that game. And y es, you are right. You can see how my Drums of Desolation play through is going. But The 7^th Citadel is coming back for those who missed it. And if you are like me, it is coming back with more threats that you can add into your game. That is going to open up even more replayability in the game. And I think even now with the Drums of Desolation there are certainly things that I could do a whole lot better. So I’m excited to see what new stuff will be added.

Back it now.

1. Lands of Evershade

And this truly is my #1. I am so excited for Lands of Evershade. This is a giant RPG and board game experience from Awaken Realms. I love their massive story games. ISS Vanguard is one that I want to get back to. And I beat everything in the original Tainted Grail. And I won’t lie, I’m very tempted to get back Etherfields to experience that one. But Evershade look amazing and I’m really curious to see what all the game is going to have. Because the RPG elements, I’m curious to see how they’ll manage to create a story  that doesn’t just seem like a choose your own adventure.

Final Thoughts

First off, no honoable mention, it’s shocking. There are some that I could put on an honorable mention, but 10 is a lot. That’s a lie, here are some of them just with no details what so ever. Also catching my attention:

• HEXPlore It: The Mountains of Godai
• Flames of Fafnir
• Agemonia Reprint/New Heroes
• Dragonbond Quest

That’s enough for now. And while I’m expecting those most of all the ones I’ve mentioned will come out this year, who knows. Some of them might be pushed back. I just expect with the Awaken Realms or any of them that were part of the Gamefound Feast, we’ll be seeing those on crowdfunding in 2024. Is there any that stands out to you as a must back? Or any crowdfunding games I missed that I should checkout?

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Top 5 Anticipated Backed Kickstarter Games

5. Horror on the Orient Express

This is one of the more recent games that I’ve backed, but I’m really excited for it. Mainly because the aesthetic of the game is really neat. You are on a train and you need to figure out who might be a cultists and stop bad things from happening before really bad things happen. But from what I can tell there are mechanisms that make it feel like a train. And you get a train as your board, so you move around something that is thematic. It is intriguing that way and I like that I is one off game.

My expectation is that this is going to be fun and challenging cooperative experience. Ideally one that I lose more often than I win, but that I feel like if I’d just done a tiny bit better I could have won. I also don’t expect to see this one for a while.

4. Stonesaga

Next up is Stonesaga, and the order of these is mainly made up. This one I’m very excited for, but it’s a bit less exciting because I’ve been on the playtest for it now twice. Not that that is a bad thing, it just means that I’ve experienced some of the game through TTS (Tabletop Simulator), so I think I know what the first bit is about. Again, not a bad thing, just means I’m a bit less excited about it, maybe.

But once I get it to the table, there is going to be a lot that is cool about it. I’m excited to see how this campaign game works where it isn’t as narrative, it more just remembers what you’ve done before and you build on that. And there is a lot of game that I haven’t seen, so that is going to be exciting to see how it builds upon those main actions with new challenges.

3. Horizon Forbidden West: Seeds of Rebellion

I have middling hopes for this one. Mainly I’m not trying to get too excited about it because the first game around Horizon was just okay, from what I’ve heard. I need to play my copy of it to see what I think about it. But this one adds more to it. It isn’t just the “new” setting of the Horizon games, it is also a campaign game. And we know I love campaign games. So that has me interested in it, it feels like it should add more depth to the game. But it depends on the level of the story.

From what I’ve heard about the original game is that it’s fun but it doesn’t feel enough like Horizon. And I say fun, I think for some it’s disappointing because you compete on hunts and that is about it. But if this can add even more to the system and it is cooperative, I like the sounds of it.

2. X-Men Dice Throne

Honestly, I shouldn’t write that much about this. By that I mean, I love Dice Throne. It is 8 new characters that I get to play in the game. But let’s talk about the extra stuff with it. It isn’t just the characters, it is also a new cooperative mode. I’m meh on the idea of Dice Throne being cooperative. And Dice Throne Adventures, while it looked interesting in theory, it never got played. I think what threw me off about that was that it seemed too long with too little feel of story. These missions now seem to be a whole lot shorter, so it is more likely to hit my table.

1. Rogue Angels

Finally, no shock here, there is Rogue Angels. I love the game, I love my plays of this game. And the updates that Emil is coming out with and how massive the story is getting, I cannot wait to play it when it finally ships. I don’t expect it for a while and I am okay with that. When it comes in, it is going to be a game that I get to the table quickly, and I hope that I can find a great group for it who are as excited about it as I am.

Honorable Mention

Of course the list can’t just be five. The one that I want to talk about here is the 25^th Century Import Collection. I’m excited for a lot of the games. Hamster Roll is probably the one that I want to get the most, but there are a ton in there. But because it is a bunch of games, I kept it off the list. It’s hard to weigh 8 games, or more I think versus a single game.

Final Thoughts

I won’t talk about more, but I want to talk about a few more. I plan on slowing down some on crowdfunding campaigns, but so many interesting games are coming out that I want to try. The simple solution is play more games, figure out which are the best for me. Do you have a game that you’re excited about from Kickstarter? And let’s keep in mind this is just for Kickstarter, my Gamefound list is coming.

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5 Crowdfunding Games Coming Soon

5. Vampire the Masquerade Chapters

This one is already out, not that it’s already on crowdfunding, but the game is already out. I am already playing this game and loving it. But there are some issues, mainly there is a lot more errata than you’d like to see for a big campaign game. Some things don’t lead where they should, and the story books work well, but they are creating a better solution.

So if you want an improved upon version of this Vampire story adventure RPG in a box game. It is coming back at the end of the month. That said, I’m going to have to see if they have an errata pack and what the timeline is for that. I’ll probably get it, but I expect it’ll show up after I’m done with the campaign.

4. Dragonbond Quest

Next up is Dragonbond Quest. This is from the Sadler brothers who made a Warhammer version of this as well as a Terrinoth version for Fantasy Flight. They’ve since branched out and done their own thing. Now they are working with Draco Studios to make another game in their Dragonbond setting. They are working with Logan Giannini who has worked with Chip Theory Games.

I’m definitely curious about this one. The Terrinoth and Warhammer versions are fun. But I want to see what they add to the game and how they build upon it. I’m hoping with Giannini helping on it, it’ll be developed into something a bit bigger. But one that I’ll want to track down some game plays.

3. Guns of the Old West

Until I looked today I didn’t know Guns of the Old West was a thing, not it should arguably be the top one on the list. This list just isn’t really in much of an order. At least when it comes to the Top 3.

Guns of the Old West looks like a big old west campaign adventure game. I don’t know a ton beyond that, I see cards, I see dice, and I see what looks like is going to be a very big game. So it’s definitely my type of game. The thing that is holding it down is that it’s a 2-8 player game. That’s a very high high end player count. And it doesn’t have solo, which is how I play so many games.

2. Wandering Galaxy

Next up is Wandering Galaxy. This uses a system that is finally getting more use. Freelancers last year, Wandering Galaxy coming to crowdfunding this year, Plaid Hat Games is putting out another game using their crossroads system. The original was Dead of Winter which is a fun game, but one that is not in my collection aymore.

Wandering Galaxy feels like it’s going to be a wacky fun adventure which is what I’m looking for. I get a bit of Space Dandy feel to it, maybe some Cowboy Bebop, but if you’ve watched Space Dandy, you know how goofy that can be. So I am very excited for Wandering Galaxy to hit crowdfunding.

1. Dante: Inferno

Finally is Dante: Inferno. This is from the same company that did Chronicles of Drunagor, a game that I want to come back to at some point in time. This looks like it’s going to be a big game again and there are some game plays out there now that I need to check out.

The question, as always, is do I need another big game in my collection. The answer is most asuredly not, but I still want it. So if the videos look fun on it, or with Guns of the West, I’m going to have to spend some time considering.

Which to Back?

I’ll have to end up seeing if I back any of these. But the last three in particular are really interesting to me. If I hadn’t already gotten a copy of Vampire The Masquerade Chapters that would be really high for me as well. That’s the one, because I’ve played it, that I recommend people look into, I really like the simplicity of the system and the fun of the story that we’ve played thus far.

From the top three, right now Wandering Galaxy is probably my top one. Guns of the West would be if it had solo play. Now it might be that it kind of does have solo play. If the game is cooperative, well, then you can control multiple characters and make it solo, but because they don’t say that, now I need to dig into it more to know for sure.

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But Steamforged is 10 years old now and they are talking about what is coming up. As they say in the video, this is just the start of announcements. It’s not a long video and worth watching, but if you want a breakdown of it, check it out below.

Steamforged Kicking Off 10 Years

Guild Ball

It’s where Steamforged started. And well, it’s coming back. Not a game that I’ve played, and one that I’m only so interested in. The cool thing is that it’s not available as a print on demand. That is a cool added feature to the game. I think there are a few other games that could maybe learn from this methodology, though it’d a be a bit trickier for some of them as well. It’s been hard to get a hold of, but now it’ll be way easier. And you can get the Kick Off! Set STL files and everything for free on Steamforged site.

Godtear

Another one that I haven’t played. It’s kind of a skirmish style of game, which I only have a few of that style of game. They are looking less to add in more characters, but more like Mythic Games (and soon hopefully CMON) was trying to do with Super Fantasy Brawl. So that’s some of the reason it hasn’t hit my collection, but I know that Steamforged has been pushing this one hard. I’d love to get a chance to demo it and see if it’s for me. But expect more organized play coming up for this one.

Monster Hunter World

It’s also the 20^th anniversary of Monster Hunter. They are adding in some new releases. One of the biggest one is Kirin. I have the Iceborne one coming, so I’m going to be passing on this one as well. Plus it’s a lot of content in what I already have coming. There’s another monster box coming as well with several more monsters in there as well, which is a separate one from Kirin. So more “good luck” on defeating them. And it’s a pre-order, not a crowdfunding, but there are still some exclusive things or available only through Steamforged.

Upcoming Crowdfunding

Euthia: Torment of Resurrection

It’s coming back to Kickstarter as a crowdfunding exclusive game. And it’s coming this spring. It’s going to have the original content, plus, since with Kickstarter you can’t just redo a campaign, a new expansion for it as well. The next expansion is called Cruel Frost. So going cold like they did with Monster Hunter World.

Steet Masters

Like Euthia, Street Masters is coming back to crowdfunding. And it’s also originally from a company that wasn’t Steamforged. So keep an eye out for this one. If you backed the most recent crowdfunding campaign on Indigogo there is information there about what it means for your backing of the game as it was with the previous company. So just be aware of that and check it out. But if you’ve missed out on it and didn’t want to back it with the previous company who is practically gone at this point, Steamforged is going to be offering it again. This is coming in February.

Final Thoughts

According to them, this is just the start. There is going to be more for sure as Steamforged is always busy in what they have coming. Both new expansions for existing games and systems as well as new stuff. So I’m excited to see what they have coming out. And I’m glad that they are able to take over and benefit and grow some of these previous campaigns that have gotten stuck in limbo.

For me, the one that I’m most excited is Euthia: Torment of Resurrection. That is a system that sounds interesting. And if you saw my wishlist for games, you know that Euthia is pretty high on that list. Do any of these announcements interest you?

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Crowdfunding Round-up

Critter Kitchen

Critter Kitchen I wrote about a bit ago as it was announced during the Dice Tower Summer Spectacular. So it might have gotten lost in the shuffle, but this is a game from Cardboard Alchemy, known mainly for putting out Flamecraft. Flamecraft is a fun family weight worker placement game that maybe takes a little long but has the most adorable dragons and artwork.

When they announced Critter Kitchen what caught my attention was the amazing artwork. Sandara Tang is doing it again and this time it’s all animals not just dragons. But for the game itself, you are collecting resources to be the best rated and reviewed chef during food week. So it takes place over several rounds as you try and complete recipes and goals that will get you the most points. It’s still a worker placement game, but like Flamecraft, one with a very fun theme.

Backed

Spirit Fire

First of two games that should be solo only or solo mainly. Spirit Fire is from Orange Nebula. Orange Nebula if you aren’t familiar with their other crowdfunding games, did Vindication and Unsettled. Two big games that have great components. Spirit Fire is their take on an adventure story driven game, and one that is solo. It is mainly solo because you can play it two player but it’ll be shared decision making, like most solo games.

I know less about this game play than some of the others. But the company so they already have some built in trust that way. But the game itself sounds unique. It’s an open world adventure but one that says it won’t have much story. You create the story as you go. This could be a great thing where it gives you a lot of freedom, it could be awkward. But again, Orange Nebula has my trust on it.

Backed

DreamEscape

DreamEscape is one that I stumbled across more. I like how on Gamefound you can explore the upcoming crowdfunding games. I came across it there and it immediately sounded interesting to me. A Lovecraftian setting where you are trying to escape dreams sounds fun. And I like the idea of living, dying, and replaying scenarios. It lets you use your knowledge in the game.

The question I have about this game which sounds like a card exploration and adventure game, is replayability. I said I like the sound of the scenarios being a challenge, and I hope that they stay a challenge. But it reminds me of a cross between something like an Etherfields and an Arkham Horror Card Game which are two things that immediately draw me in. And again, a solo game (or two player) but seems like mainly a solo experience.

Backed

Secrets of the Lost Tomb

Secrets of the Lost Tomb is the only one of these that I’ve played around with. And I didn’t play the original version. At Gen Con this is a game that I got to demo, and I’ll say demo loosely. I got to sit down and learn a little bit about the game. But it caught my attention for a few reasons.

Firstly, it’s a scenario driven game where you’re exploring a tomb in a cooperative nature. But you’re building out the tomb like you build out the house in Betrayal at House on the Hill. And I like that idea that each scenario doesn’t have to be set-up a certain way. I can start playing it faster because I’m not looking to make sure certain rooms are in certain spots. Also, the fact they aren’t increases the replayability.

The other thing is that it’s fully cooperative and you still have the finding loot, leveling up character that going on. Secrets of the Lost Tomb looks like beer and pretzels fun, though too big to play at a bar. The game just seems like it leans into the pulp nature and the nature that anything could happen. That makes it a bit rough around the edges, but what felt like it’d be a fun game.

Pick-up at Retail

Final Thoughts

As much as I want to pick-up Secrets of the Lost Tomb, I think it’s a game that would make more sense at retail. The extra content, scenarios you can go on, is a lot. And not all of that might be coming to retail. But what comes in the main box is a lot as well. And I can’t back all the games on crowdfunding.

What I did choose to back, I think it makes sense to back it there. Critter Kitchen would be the other one that I maybe could wait for retail on. But Orange Nebula does all their games on crowdfunding, so picking it up later would mean buy Spirit Fire at a mark-up on the second hand market. And I’d guess the same with DreamEscape but that’d be even harder to find because right now it has less people backing it.

Out of all of these games, I think I’m most excited for Spirit Fire. It’s so ambitious. But Critter Kitchen and DreamEscape are obvious close behind for me to back them. It was a strong week and there is a game, Wonderous Creatures, that I know is coming soon to crowdfunding as well, possibly today.

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