Interesting Kickstarters (Week of 11/5/2017)

Although my wallet is tapped out for now, I still enjoy contemplating upcoming games, and there are a couple of interesting Kickstarter campaigns on my radar. 

1. Root
I initially didn't consider ​Root at all because there were no solo or co-op variants for the game. It is essentially a war game in which animal factions with asymmetric powers vie for control of a forest. This past week, solo and co-op modes were added as the result of a stretch goal, but I'm not entirely sold. I can't reliably get specific games to my table unless I intend to play them on my own. And I don't want to buy a game for its solo variant if it's just an afterthought. It's clear, however, that Root is really well put together. The art alone is tremendously compelling, and it's clear that a lot of thought has gone into making the mechanics both fun and accessible. I'll keep watching this one for sure.

---

2. Dawn of Peacemakers
So many of our games involve violent conflict and aggression. I'm very interested to see what Dawn of Peacemakers will add to the mix. Your goal in this cooperative game is to convince two warring factions to stop fighting each other, even if you have to be a bit manipulative to make it happen. I think that's a great concept for a game. Dawn of Peacemakers can be played as a campaign, which means that you will experience an overarching storyline. The designer has also emphasized, however, that this is not a legacy game. The game scenarios will be replayable, so you can try out different strategies. I would really like to see this one make it, even though I'm not likely to have the funds to contribute myself. So far, though, the funding for this campaign has been a bit sluggish—I suspect because of the $89 + shipping price point. 

Last thought: Is the theme of this week actually Kickstarters with cute animal art? 

---