Board Game Friday: Lookin' Back at Kickstarted Things (Volume 4)

Welcome to the fourth installment of my series where I go over stuff I've backed on Kickstarter.  If you missed the third in the series, here's the link to that entry.  Each time I do this, I try to show off the next three things that I backed on Kickstarter (chronologically speaking).  Given that we are now at the fourth in the series, let's look at the tenth project that I supported on the site.

Dwar7's Fall Collector's Edition:

Dwar7's Fall was the first game in what has become the Dwar7's universe of sorts (there's  Dwar7's Winter that's been released since then along with Dwar7's Spring).  I believe that Dwar7's Summer will be released fairly soon as well!  For me, this particular game was my first introduction to games designed by Luís Brüeh - and since then he's quickly become a designer for whom I really enjoy his games!  In fact, I only backed this reprint of Dwar7's Fall (with expansions) because of my previous success with the Dwar7's Winter campaign (which I talked about here).  

**Quick side note on Dwar7's Winter:  About two or three weeks ago, I tried to teach my five-year-old son how to play that game since there isn't any reading on the cards (it's all done via language independent symbols).  Unfortunately, the rule book has a lot of words though and by the time we got through the rules he had lost interest in playing the game.  I don't think the 13+ age rating is necessarily appropriate but I can also say that even a precocious game playing five-year-old isn't quite ready for the Dwar7's universe!**

I've only played this game a couple of times (and those plays happened several years ago) so my memory of the mechanics of the game are rather fuzzy.  That said, I do have a positive memory of the plays so this is certainly a game that I'll to return to my board gaming table in the near future (perhaps once my son is able to play with me)!  I also haven't opened the one expansion that came with the Kickstarter so I definitely have some growth and excitement to go through with this game yet!  Overall, I'll give this one a 7/10.

Next, I backed D6:  Dungeons, Dudes, Dames, Danger, Dice, and Dragons.

First up, let me start by saying D6 is a horrible name for a board game.  It's only marginally better than naming your game "The Game" which has also been done (albeit by a different company).  I was initially drawn to D6 for both the quirky artwork as well as the promise of a fun cooperative game.  In reality, the true co-op in D6 turned out to be less fun than I was hoping, this game is more to be played as a "Munchkin"-esque game with lots of take-that mechanisms (something that doesn't appeal to me nearly as much).  

With that out of the way, I must say that the components and storage options within this game are some of the best that I've ever seen in a board game.  Everything was done in a super thoughtful way and clearly the project was one born out of love and care.  I still want to like D6 more than I do, and I'll probably give this one another go at some point but for now it's hard to give it anything higher than a 5/10 on my grading scale.

Finally, let's end today's post with a game that I backed that's probably now considered a modern classic:  Welcome To.

Welcome To is a flip-and-write game where you try to fill in three streets of a town with houses in increasing numerical house numbers.  This particular Kickstarter was another "second printing" of sorts so I had the luxury at the time of knowing that the game was good prior to backing it!  I didn't go for any of the expansions, but even so the base game itself has held up remarkably well.  This one was a great choice and an easy 10/10 grade!

By the time I got around to backing the above three games, I had been on Kickstarter long enough to have a much better feel for what I'd actually end up liking!  Sure, D6 wasn't the best choice but there's still so much in that game that I truly do like that it's hard to call it a complete bust (and who knows, maybe if I try playing it with someone else it'll end up being a favorite).  That said, even if D6 ends up disappointing, both of the other games today have been proven winners and both are games that I don't see leaving my collection any time soon!