Interesting Kickstarters (Week of 3/19/18)

Hey gamers! We are headed into the last couple of weeks of March, and as usual, there are some great-looking solo board games to be found on Kickstarter. Let's get down to business, shall we? 
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1) Dragon Keepers

For solo gamers who also play with their families, Dragon Keepers looks like a solid choice. This game is about dragon keepers who train dragons and protect them from evil dragon hunters. It comes with several modes of play, including a cooperative mode in which dragon keepers train their dragons to attack the hunters who want to harm them. The art has a fun, whimsical style that is cute without being overly "for kids." The game is definitely not custom built for solo, and you'd have to play by controlling multiple hands, but based on a glance at the rules it looks very doable.  

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2) Dinosaur Island

This is as close as you can get to "Jurassic Park: The Board Game" without paying licensing fees. Dinosaur Island is a worker placement game in which you build a dinosaur park exciting enough to attract a lot of visitors... while also trying to keep those visitors safe from rampaging dinosaurs. This campaign also allows you to pledge for expansions and for Duelosaur Island, a two-player dino-themed face-off. I'm not planning to back this myself—I played a friend's copy and thought the multiplayer game was fun, but not enough for me to pledge $85 to play it solo. If the theme appeals to you, though, you should give it a look. 

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3) Architects of the West Kingdom

If you enjoyed the "North Sea" trilogy--Shipwrights of the North Sea, Raiders of the North Sea, and Explorers of the North Sea--then you might enjoy this one as it is designed to be the start of the next trilogy that follows up on those games. It's a worker placement game in which you are competing for glory while building a city, and there is some choice about whether you want to progress as a fine outstanding citizen or as someone who is willing to hire thieves to get things done. There is a fully-developed AI system for solo players to compete with, as well. I'm not planning to back this one, myself, because the North Sea games are now all available in retail stores, and my Kickstarter budget is very small right now. But if you love games in this overall series and you want to get the Kickstarter exclusives, it may be worth it for you.

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