Top 10 Upcoming Campaigns on Gamefound

10. Catch /Wrestling

Catch, as it seems to be mainly called, is a pro wrestling game where you’ll stop at nothing to win. I enjoy the storytelling, athletic feats and entertainment of pro wrestling. And I hope that sometime there will be a very good game on the theme. Catch looks like it could be interesting to me.

This is a tactical game where you can play with unique wrestlers with unique abilities. And it is card based so as compared to others that I’ve played, it’s not just checking dice or as much luck to it with card play. But it is a wrestling game, so do I know enough people who would play it with me? I think that I might as I have a group who watches wrestling together that I joined.

Follow Catch / Wrestling here on Gamefound.

9. Hell: Legends

This game should be higher on the list. It’s a dungeon crawler game with a lot going on in it. And it’s inspired by games like Diablo when creating the experience for it. So it’s going to be a pretty serious game.

There are a few things that I like a lot about it. Firstly it looks like it’s a relatively involved system. So it isn’t just going to be just dice chucking . And the dungeon that you go through is 3D. I’m not sure how much that plays into the game, but it gives it a nice table presence. And I like that it is a standee game. Yes, there are some minis it looks, but if you want a standee version is available at a much more reasonable price, I hope.

Follow the campaign on Gamefound here.

8. Ascension 15th Anniverary

One of the two purest deck building games out there, along with Dominion. I much prefer Ascension. I prefer it because it is a game with a changing market. And I like it when a deck building game is more reactive and less about figuring out the puzzle at the start of the game. I feel like Dominion offers too much of that for me, and Ascensions theming, fantasy, is more interesting.

But if you like the game and you want to get everything, this is going to be a way to do that. Now, I say everything, and I think from the Dice Tower Mega Announcement a few weeks ago it is everything. And a lot of the cards in foil as well.

I like the system because of what I mentioned above. But I also like it because it is mix and match. If I want to throw in an expansion and mix that all together, I can. If I just want to play the base game, I can. Or if I just want to play the expansion, yup, that is standalone too. It makes Ascension a very flexible system to dive into.

Follow the Ascension 15th Anniversary campaign on Gamefound here.

7. Spell Rift Legends

Spell Rift Legends is another campaign game and I don’t think that should be a surprise that sort of games dominates the list or is the most consistent on the list. When you look at a preview for a game often times those games stand out the most with some epic artwork. And this one definitely gives you the fantasy vibe. Even the style of the logo almost gives me that app or video game fantasy look.

One cool element of the game is that while it is obviously fantasy, you play as characters who are a bit more familiar. If you want to play as King Arthur or a Valkyrie, you play as that. But this one is really limited as to more information. But it hints are some things that I like. A countdown timer in terms of how many rounds the game can last. And immersive elements to the story, which I hope means narration and/or music to play in the background.

Follow the campaign for Spell Rift Legends on Gamefound here.

6. Legacy: Heroes of Asco’lah

Legacy: Heroes of Asco’lah is another one of those adventure, cooperative, campaign, dungeon crawler style of games. This one is above Hell on the list because Legacy (bad name without the subtitle) seems like a more unique setting to play in.

The game boasts a bunch of different ways to create unique characters. One the page it is called jobs and each job has skills. So I suspect that you can get a job and you probably don’t gain all the skills. That is going to let you tackle the same job multiple times. Or maybe as you progress you can combine jobs, not 100% sure from looking at the page.

My one nit-pick about it is that I wish the artwork was a bit better. There are some very nice elements to it. But overall, the job cards, for example, don’t look that great. The example they show of the Pyrotechnician looks dated and not nearly as sharp as it could.

Follow the campaign for Legacy: Heroes of Asco’lah on Gamefound here.

5. Falcon’s Formula Racing

I like a good racing game. I own a lot so it’s lower on the list as I don’t know that I need to own more. But looking at this one it looks like a bit more “serious” of a racing game. By that I mean there is going to be more going on with it that you need to keep track of, at least that is what I hope. I like a good light racing game, but that’s a limited space on my shelf for things like that.

It is also important to me that it has a solo mode. I find that sometimes a racing game doesn’t come with one and because it’s either more complex or fiddly, it is harder to get tot he table. Falcon’s Formula Racing is one that I want to know more about for sure, especially to know if it would fill a spot in my racing games that I don’t already have filled. And the team racing element might just be that.

Follow the campaign for Falcon’s Formula Racing on Gamefound here.

4. Restless

Yes, I am spacing out my adventure campaign games on the list. Restless gets me more than the other two because of the artwork for the game. Just the box cover stands out as gorgeous. This also doesn’t seem to be as much of a dungeon crawler as some. They refer a boss battler element, which enjoy as well. But not being a dungeon crawler does seem like it has created a more focused game and one that takes up less table space.

This is one that doesn’t have that much out on it though. So last thing to say is follow Restless on Gamefound here.

3. Echoes of Extinction

We’re breaking the pattern of when we put in campaign games. Echoes of Extinction is another campaign style game and one that is fairly limited on the information. But there are elements to it that I certainly look for in a campaign game. In particular the idea that the story if “flexible” which I assume means that it branches in ways that makes decisions feel like they matter.

I am also interested by this idea of a dynamic, uncertain turn system. Sounds like you won’t know when you are coming up in turn versus the enemies or more, as it teases. Which I assume that more is possible interactions from the gods of the world, which are probably not to your benefit. This is one that I’m quite interested in seeing more artwork and components for it and to learn more about the systems.

Follow Echoes of Extinction here on Gamefound.

2. Storm Weavers: Stronghold

Another campaign style game with cooperative and solo play. Storm Weavers is a bit different though in that it is a mix of a gamebook and board game. Now a game book can kind of be a self directed RPG as well if you want. And that is the element that stands out to me around the system and intrigues me about it.

You never appear to have a massive map and board in the game. So I suspect that it is going to be a game that really relies upon that narrative element of the gamebook. And I like the sound of that. It also doesn’t appear to be component heavy which a lot of campaign games can be. Standees instead of minis and just using some basic dice.

My knock on it is that elements of the graphic design, I think, need to be cleaned up. And I feel like as someone who has played a ton of games as well as worked on websites creating content but also building out websites for a lot of clients, I understand some graphic design and layout things.

Follow the campaign for Storm Weavers Stronghold on Gamefound here.

1. Veilward

This one is kind of a cheat to put on the list. I know that I like The Isofarian Guard already. It’s one of those games that I’d love to get back to and play some more. But life happens. Isofarian Guard is a multi-story solo and two player game. The main mechanism is around drawing chips out of bags to see what events happen and for combat. As well as then story elements where you go through a pretty big adventure that is split over multiple groups of characters.

Veilward is going to add more to that. This is set after the events of The Isofarian Guard. And while some of the mechanisms remain the same, others are being tweaked slightly. Now there are different interactions beyond the chips, depending on where cards are placed to activate them.

Follow the campaign on Gamefound here. It launches in just a few days.

Final Thoughts

Obviously for my lists of games, I put a lot of focus on games that are campaign games. I know that is what I like and while I can’t always get to them as quickly as I’d hope, I still want to get them played and I want to add them to my collection. And they tend to be more expensive when you find them on the secondary market, assuming they are a good game.

But there are a ton of other games that you can checkout as well. Gamefound has a really nice to navigate section to just scroll and look at games. So head over to Gamefound and see what game looks the best for you. And let me know that down in the comment section below.

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Often times, though board games find trouble when it comes to doing racing games. Part of a good racing experience often times is the tension at the end. Did I do enough to win? Can I get that last second pass in? I want to get that feeling from a board game. So let’s talk about what games give that experience for me the best.

Top 5 Racing Games

5. Tiny Turbo Cars

Let’s start with one of the more unique games on the list. Tiny Turbo Cars is an RC racing game. You play with a controller and everything. Except this is a crazy racing time as you race across a house and try to be the first one to launch across the finish line. I enjoy the house theme for this game. I find that it makes the game feel different.

But the biggest element that makes the game feel different is the real time element. And I appreciate that you get a burst of real time and then it’s not. So, like a Galaxy Trucker, it isn’t just doing things in real time all the time. But for the real time you are programming how your car and move. It’s a slide puzzle and it’s great and challenging because you activate the eight symbols in the middle two rows. Mess it up and you might find yourself crashing, a lot. But that’s some of the hectic fun of the game.

4. Pitchcar

Next up is Pitchcar. This one is a dexterity game. You flick your car along as track as far as you can. But you need to stay on the track so you can’t go purely with power. It’s balancing launching forward all the time while hitting turns. There is skill to this game and the more you play the better you’ll get. But it also has a great element of, sometimes you just get lucky with an amazing shot. And when you are a few cars back half way through the race and you hit that shot to catch up, or you got stuck somewhere and you blast through, people get excited.

I like that about the game because I want you to do well. Not better than me, but I want you to do well. And there is an excitement about the game that is heightened by the fact everyone is standing up. The experience is just a little bit different in this game when it comes to racing.

3. Dungeon Kart

Now, maybe you want a Mario Kart style of game. Dungeon Kart from Brotherwise Games is going to give you some of that feel. It’s a bit like Tiny Turbo Cars in that there are certainly a good amount of chaotic elements to the game. But this one makes the game simpler than that one is.

In this one you get a car and a driver with a power and what you are better at. You want to race around the track, collecting spells and using them to keep yourself in the front. You blast someone, well, that might be good, but there is no guarantee that will stop them from catching up and blasting you next turn. But it isn’t just pure chaos. You also need to plan out your movement because some lines are shorter, but is it worth it for hitting the brakes and going across grass?

2. Ready Set Bet

I only put one mainly betting game on the list. Others like Long Shot: The Dice Game and Downforce could hit the list as well. But I went with Ready Set Bet because it is a racing game that has stand-up moments in the game.

In Ready Set Bet one player is calling the game each race. And that is just done by rolling dice. Everyone else is betting in real time. You want to end up with the winning horse paying out well for you. But so does everyone else. So if the seven horse gets out to an early lead is that enough for you to go all in there? Or do you want to risk it for bigger odds on a less likely horse? I’ve seen horses in from every lane, so it’s crazy chaos.

And at the end of the game after all the bets are done, the players stand around and a pulling for certain dice rolls. There is actual tension to the game as it wraps up which I find amazing. How can just rolling some dice create so much excitement?

1. Heat: Pedal to the Metal

Finally I want to add Heat: Pedal to the Metal, probably the most popular racing game as of late. This one takes hand management and push your luck in a really fun way. The coolest element to me is how you need to manage the heat on your engine. As you push to go fast on the straightaways and then need to slam on the brakes going into a corner, everything can heat up your engine.

So you need to know when to push it and build up that heat. When is it worth it to push around a corner faster than you should? It might cost some heat, but if you save a turn, is that a good enough reason to do it? That element of the game is just a ton of fun and a great puzzle to try and figure out.

Plus it makes sense, you push your engine too hard you risk running into issues. Or at least it is going to force you to cool down your engine. But if you can kind of hang out just by the leaders you can potentially draft past them at key times without exerting your engine as much.

Final Thoughts

I really like racing games. There are more racing games that didn’t make the list that I have really enjoyed or do really enjoy. The Quest for Eldorado might look like a deck builder, but it is a racing game where you are trying to build up that deck that let’s you race to the end faster than others. Titan Race has that Mario Kart feel to it and then the two that I mentioned with Ready Set Bet offer great betting and racing.

One that might make the list if I do it again in the future is Rallyman Dirt. This is a time trial race like rally racing is. And I really enjoyed my play, though it wasn’t a full game play at Gen Con. I think there are a ton of cool elements to it and the fact that you can do a series of races is also great. That one and Heat: Pedal to the Metal are ones that I’d love to do a race circuit of with friends to see who is the best racer out of all of them.

What are your favorite racing games?

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That one is trickier, in some ways, to pick out games for. Because, it isn’t like I can pull out a heavy board game off the shelf to play with. It is often too many people to do that with. And I need to think about the different levels of gamer and numbers as well. I like to theme the nights, as well, so people know what they are getting into.

Top 5 Themes for Board Game Night

5. Racing Games

Kicking off this board game theme list is racing games. And this actually catches some games in other categories that I came up with as well. But racing games work well because racing is a theme that people understand. I want to finish the race first. Or, a lot of racing games, I want to win the most money because I bet best on the racing games. It might be more about the betting than the racing, but people understand it either way.

The downside to some racing games, Formula D for example, is that they can take a while. But then there are other ones that are fast and action filled. You might even decide to play a dexterity game like Pitchcar in this as well. And that one might take a bit, but it has some other benefits which we’ll talk about coming up. But racing games often play a number of people, you just want to make sure they are fast moving ones, as a race should be.

4. Roll and Writes

Roll and write style games work well for a board game night as well. Mainly, again, a lot of them play higher player counts. It might be a bit solitaire in what the players are doing, but it works because everyone is playing off of the dice on their own sheet of paper.

I think of games like Cartographers, or Paper Dungeons, though, that offer a little bit of interaction that makes it work. Or other games, though, like Trek 12, Welcome To… or Railroad Ink that offer less. So you can choose between a few options, but generally you’ll find that you play a few more of these that work well as competitive but non confrontational games.

3. Dexterity Games

Now, this type of board game might seem odd to be in there for an adult group playing games. But dexterity games really do work great for a board game night. They provide a party game atmosphere without having to play party games every time. And some of them definitely handle a high player count well.

And for me, one thing that I really love is that they are light and silly, but they offer feel good moments. For example, with Pitchcar, a game of racing disc cars around a track, when someone makes an amazing shot, everyone is excited. Why, because it is an amazing shot. And even if you play the game a lot there is an element of luck to pull off an amazing shot.

2. Drafting Games

Next I want to talk about drafting games, because they are an interesting sort of game for a game night. A good drafting game is going to stand out in that it can handle a lot of people. Why, because a lot of the drafting games are fairly simple and they keep everyone engaged at the same time.

I think of games like 7 Wonders, Sushi Go Party! or any of the Ecosystem games. They all run off of a similar systems. When I am drafting a card, so are you. Everyone is involved at the same time. And 7 Wonders and Sushi Go Party! both work with a higher player count. The others could as well, it’s just fewer cards, so that limits the player count. But because you all play at once, there is no downtime which makes it easier.

1. Party Games

This is an obvious one. However, I will say, this doesn’t mean Taboo, Balderdash, Catch Phrase, and Cards Against Humanity. Thankfully, now is a good time for party games. And it is also a time where there are several cooperative ones, so it’s easy to sit down with a group and enjoy without it becoming too competitive. Which is something that is needed for some groups.

When we play party games, I think of games like Doodle Dash, Just One, Blank Slate, Medium, and So Clover that top the list. All of these are solid games with solid theories behind them as to how they work. And they provide humor and a good time through the players versus something like Cards Against Humanity which tries to add that via the cards only.

Final Thoughts

There are a ton of different themes. And often times i look at it and I think, I could mix in another type of game, or it might change based on player count. If we end up with just a few people, sure, I’m going to pull out a couple of heavier games, or even a couple of games that play at a lower player count. We get ten players, it might pivot to party game night, or we might split into two groups. It is about knowing your group for a game night.

At the same time, it’s fun to give a theme or an idea of what games are coming. Why, because then people can decide if it’s a night for them or not. Maybe you don’t like roll and write games, that is fine, you skip the board game night where it is roll and writes. But as someone coming, you now know what is coming to help you make a decision.

Do you find that your game group gravitates towards different types of themes in board games?

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