GAMING POINT OF LOU – KICKSTART MY HEART 2.8.17
Welcome everyone to the August edition of “Kickstart My Heart”, the column where your’s truly basically sits on his butt and scrolls through the game campaigns on Kickstarter looking for offerings that interest me. They could be innovative, out of the ordinary, or just plain weird. This month for your viewing pleasure, I submit 2 card combat games: Clash, and Rise Of The Exiled. Along with a game that will actually let you see the sun and breathe fresh air, entitled Kingdoms Lawn Game. So read on, and decide for yourself if any of these are worth your hard earned money.
Kicking it off (see what I did there??) we have Clash, a combat card game by Duzax Studios ( www.duzaxstudios.com ) which the developers say “Plays like and old school arcade fighter”. Think Street Fighter, but before they added in all the crazy combos, and breaks, etc. You remember, when Guile and his stupid flash kick were a pain? Or when that 8 year old would spam Chun Li’s kick? and beat you? …Anywho… Clash attempts to recreate that in the card format by employing a couple of really interesting ideas:
1) You have your entire 10 card deck in your hand from the start, which is awesome, because it will eliminate the possibility of you losing a round due to a bad draw. Which should offer you greater tactical flexibility.
2) Both Players play their cards at the same time, so there is no advantage / disadvantage to the player going first or second.
3)And here is the coolest one: Spacing… yes you read that right… spacing. Your attacks will depend on the space between you and your opponent. Want to use that range attack? Make sure you aren’t right next to your opponent. Do you want to punch them squarely in the face?? Get up close and personal. This feature could be the “X” factor, the mechanic that really makes this game stand apart. So I’ll be interested to see if there are different character types that require you to fight one way or the other. ( I.E. Zangief vs. Dhalsim. )
As of this write up Clash still has 25 days left on its campaign, and is sitting pretty at $4,019 of it’s needed $5,000. This is a great position to be in, as this is a game that deserves to be funded based solely on the strength of the interesting innovations that it’s bringing to the table.
For the second card battle game, I give you Rise Of The Exiled by J&E Innovations (www.riseoftheexiled.com). It is a 2-12 player game that utilizes one of the simplest, yet most entertaining mechanics I can ever recall seeing in a game of this type… Card Throwing. Gameplay looks to be about as simple as:
1) Select one of 15 different characters, each with their own special ability, and a clear plastic weapon card to go along with it.
2) Line up across the table from your opponent.
3) Throw your clear weapon card across the table to hopefully have it cover up your opponents character card. Damage is calculated based on where the card lands: hit a limb, that’s 1 point of damage, hit the body 2 points, and a headshot is 3. (Characters start with 7 H.P.)
4) Move your character card up to one card length in any direction.
5) Rinse and repeat.
This game looks so simple and fun, and sometimes that is the most refreshing thing. There are no complex rules to get bogged down with, just fun that can be had with everyone in the family, whether they be 5 or 80.
There are 25 days left to get on board with this one, and it is currently at $5,100 of the needed $16,000, and with backer options starting at $22 this looks to be an inexpensive option for a fun family game night.
Ok, now this game has my anticipation level at eleven: Kingdoms Lawn Game (www.kingdomslawngame.com) brought to you by Dennis A. Weston. This game attempts to do what very few games have ever done before. Get you away from the table, while at the same time allowing you to enjoy the social aspects of gaming in an outdoor environment. Billed as a game for two to sixteen people, it puts you in command of one of four Kingdoms. Each of them having their own special ability, and represented by a uniquely colored block with their crest emblazoned on it. I’ve come to think of it as a cross between Bocce and a “G” rated Game of Thrones. Gameplay is pretty straightforward:
1) Mark out the field of play, which can be of any size, and can even include obstacles!!
2) Take turns tossing your 4 kingdom blocks out into the field, then go stand them up.
3) Start knocking them down by utilizing the included Bocce style balls.
Have your gaming group and their families over for a cookout, a day at the park, or the beach. Form alliances to take out a mutual enemy, betray them, or go rogue. The options are endless, and will most certainly be entertaining.
As of this writing the game is sitting at $16,349 of it’s needed $300,000, and I personally hope this one gets funded, so much so that I’ve jumped on as a backer as well.
Well that’s it for this edition, I hope you check out these creators offerings and throw some support their way. Every bit helps these talented individuals realize their dreams. Until next time everyone!!
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