🎲 The UKGE Edition Part #2

Here's the final roundup of amazing crowdfunding campaigns that the expo had to offer

What’s inside: This week’s roundup features a dynamic sci-fi survival board game, a ‘90s occult investigation, a unique double-sided card game and a Ghibli-esque labyrinth adventure you’d be happy to get lost in.

1. HOXFALL

Upcoming Page | In space, no one can hear you scream

HOXFALL is the latest game from Xplored and their Teburu system. If you’ve never heard of it, Teburu blends physical and digital worlds to allow games to evolve in real time. It lets players stay focused on the board and its components while the system takes care of the game rules, enemy behaviour, and storytelling events. In this instance, HOXFALL’s military base becomes a living, breathing environment that directly responds to your choices. Depending on the route your squad takes through the campaign, the system dynamically shifts, unlocking entirely different gameplay paths based on your decisions. With multiple hugely successful games on their track record (Sword & Scorcery, The Bad Karma’s and Vampire The Masquerade: Milan Uprising), HOXFALL is next in line.

“Today’s media is full of ‘80s nostalgia, and we wanted to pay our own homage to the era we grew up in as kids and teenagers,” said Davide Garofalo, founder and CEO of Xplored. “Where The Bad Karmas features unpredictable heroes meeting in the right place at the right time, Hoxfall flips the script. Its protagonists are in the wrong place at the wrong time just as disaster strikes.”

As a survival horror dungeon crawler where one to five players try to escape a secret military facility after a failed experiment breaches containment, HOXFALL at first glance reminded me of Alien Breed , which launched on the Amiga back in 1991.

“HOXFALL is a blend of a few different gaming DNAs,” adds Davide. “First, it captures the survival horror atmosphere and corridor-combat tension of the Nemesis saga. From Zombicide, we took that sense of escalating dread where massive hordes of enemies chase you down, crowding the map with miniatures as the adrenaline ticks up. But we also drew inspiration from Stationfall and classic Euro-style ‘German’ games, where you spend turns carefully planning your long-term strategy. In HOXFALL, you’re constantly managing resources.”

HOXFALL launches on Gamefound in a month’s time.

2. Midnight of the Century

Live Page | This is a damn fine cup of coffee!

I last covered Odin’s Beard RPG in one of my very first newsletters. The incredible Runecairn Wardensaga is a Norse-fantasy tale wrapped in beautiful artwork, but Midnight of the Century is a huge departure.

“Right now I’m working on fulfilling my latest book (crowdfunded via Itch), Midnight of the Century,” said Colin Le Sueur, founder of Odin’s Beard. “It’s a ‘90s occult serial killer investigation TTRPG inspired by Millennium and Silence of the Lambs.” Available for £10.00 over on their Itch store page, it uses a light, no-combat framework.

I asked Colin about their next project and whether they’ll return to platforms such as Kickstarter or Gamefound. Interestingly, his focus is an update to his Weird West TTRPG, We Deal in Lead. “Omega City is a setting supplement and one-page dungeon book for my TTRPG We Deal in Lead,” he adds. “I’d previously Itchfunded an ashcan of Omega City and this is the full book. I do plan on returning to more traditional crowdfunding at some point, either Kickstarter, Backerkit, or Gamefound, but I enjoy the low-impact alternative with Itchfunding.”

Absolutely one to watch if their back catalogue is anything to go by.

3. Wickens

Live Page | Slay it, flip it, reverse it

Card games are a challenging space, and competitive card games that require deck building even more so. For many, I suspect it’s intimidating to even know where to start when it comes to constructing a deck. What’s interesting about Wickens is that it’s a double-sided card game, with mechanics similar to Slay the Spire, PvP closer to Flesh and Blood, and a varied hand-drawn art style for each unique Wicken. The crux of its gameplay revolves around utilizing creatures to wield their powers, whether you kill your own or battle your opponents’ to steal theirs for yourself.

“The idea for double-sided creature cards came from wanting to turn an aspect of League of Legends into a tabletop mechanic,” said its creator, Sam Walkden. “In League, you fight other players, but can fight monsters in the jungle to gain loot/buffs/exp. I wanted to turn this aspect of the game into a tabletop deckbuilding mechanic where defeating a creature will gain you their abilities as a card reward on the back.”

As a competitive card game, Sam was keen for it to be accessible. “Wickens will definitely scratch that itch if you’ve been wanting something more from current competitive deckbuilding games. It’s very accessible for people brand new to the genre, but offers something different that veterans will fall in love with quickly.”

It has already more than doubled its funding goal on Kickstarter and still has 3 days to go.

4. Eternal Ruins: The Roleplaying Game

Pre-order Page | There are worse-looking places to be trapped

Back in May, Mythworks landed itself a little over $300,000 in pledges to bring the TTRPG Eternal Ruins: The Roleplaying Game to life. Stewarded by an incredibly talented bunch who’ve previously worked on the lovely Glow and The Wild Sea, the team has a knack for creating Ghibli-Zelda-esque worlds that are wonderfully drawn and brimming with atmosphere. I chatted a little with Ellan Aldryc, author, editor, and contributor at Mythworks, about Eternal Ruins being not only her first collaborative title but also about what’s next for the studio.

“Eternal Ruins scratches a very universal itch. They’re beautiful, mysterious, and just so inviting,” said Ellan. “Sam Carr’s art basically beckons you—come and take a look at these carvings, this shrine, this strange little corner. And with the game mechanics, which really do promote free exploration and answer-seeking, you get to play as a wanderer who gets to go on little (or big) adventures all day, every day.”

With pre-orders now open to those who missed out on the original campaign, Eternal Ruins invites players to explore an endless labyrinth of ancient mysteries. If TTRPGs aren’t your thing, you can always just grab the artbook. If you’re heading to conventions, definitely seek the team out. They’ll be at Gen Con, Origins, Gamehole, and then MCM London in October as they return to their comic book roots a little more.

“We’re just about to launch issue 8 of Glow, our technomagical adventure comic, in June, and we've just started working on a new story set in our epic airship adventure world with Skies of Fire that is well under way, which should be launching either later this year or early 2027.”

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Final Turn

Remember GRIP: Combat Racing? It was launched back in 2016 by Caged Element. They’ve since gone on to make the incredible Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks (the love child of Rocket League and Twisted Metal). Well, they’re back with a new project: GRIP XR. It has already surpassed its modest funding goal, and if there’s one thing this team knows how to do, it’s deliver an amazing, adrenaline-fueled racer. At around £19 for the Steam key and with a demo already playable, it’s absolutely one to back if you’re in the market for a fast, futuristic combat racing game with rocket-powered, flippable vehicles. Here’s its Kickstarter trailer.

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