Casual Game Crowdfunding: Nightmares and Alien Visitors

Dare to Dream (Turtle Dream Games) – In this asymmetrical card game, one player takes on the role of the Darkness, which sends nightmares and terrors at the remaining players who are the Dreamers, and who are attempting to sleep through the night. Each time a Dreamer wakes up, the Darkness scores a point. If the Darkness scores enough points before the end of the game, he wins. Dreamers each start the game with two guardians, which help protect them from the monsters through the night. Each Dreamer is also dealt cards from the Dreamers deck, which includes items, actions, or special abilities. Dreamers all share sand tokens which they use to play action cards and activate abilities. Used tokens are given to the Darkness, who can then use them for his own actions. The Darkness draws cards from the Darkness deck which include monsters, nightmares, and actions.

Visitor in Blackwood Grove (Mary Flanagan) – One player is the alien visitor, one player is the kid, and the remaining players are the government agents. The visitor chooses a secret rule that will dictate which cards the visitor will accept and which ones it will not. The kid and agents take turns submitting cards to the visitor and seeing if he accepts them or not. If the kid correctly figures out what the secret rule is first, the kid and visitor win. If the agents figure out the rule first, or nobody is able to solve it, then the agents win.

A Dog’s Life (Beton Games) – You're a dog, trying to scrounge for food, beg at restaurants, deliver papers, eat bones, and avoid the dog catcher. Be the first dog to bury three bones and you win the game. On your turn you must choose how to use your action points, moving around the board and taking actions. But not all actions will be successful and your deck of action cards will be used to show the result of the various actions your dog takes. The game comes with detailed dog miniatures. You can read our review of the game here.

Ninjitsu! (Jellybean Games) – Each game takes five minutes or less to play. All the cards are shuffled together and each player draws four cards. Each turn you choose to draw two cards from the deck, play a card, or steal a hidden treasure from another player. Cards you can play include both hidden and revealed treasure, and also cards which grant you a special ability. Treasure cards stay in front of you on the table. Some hidden treasures will be trapped, which makes stealing them dangerous. The first player to reach twenty-one points worth of treasure wins the game.

Rolf (DFTBA Games) – In this party game, one player draws a card, and picks one the phrases to read out loud, which all have one missing word that is written on the back of the card. All the other players shout out words that start with the letter shown on the back of the card but without saying the actual word written there. The player who read the phrase then chooses his or her favorite answer.

Polite Society: The Jane Austen Board Game (Veldi Games) – Each player has their own dinner table board. In order to win the game, you must be the first to fill your table with guests. You collect guest using social asset and action cards, as different guests have different requirements before they will come to your table. The game features 52 characters from all six of Austen's novels, and all the cards feature quotes from her books.

The Shipwreck Arcana (Meromorph Games) – In this cooperative deduction card game, you draw two fate tokens on your turn from the bag. You must play a token on one of the cards on the table and keep the second one secret. Each card's ability determines which fate tokens can be played on it. The other players try to deduce based on where you played your open fate token, and where you did not play it, what your secret fate token is. You earn points by creating accurate predictions, while cards are on the table keep shifting throughout gameplay.