The Antibyss Remark – No. 010

Prototypes/Crowdfunding Projects to keep an eye on:

Regicide Inferno and Regicide: Crown Duels (Badgers from Mars) – this project is live on Kickstarter until April 14th! I mentioned the original game last time and now they are funding two new games of the same style! Regicide Inferno adds a 5th suit and crown duel uses a traditional deck format so you can try before you buy.

The Old King’s Crown Second Printing & New Songs of Home Expansion (Eerie Idol Games) – this project is live on Gamefound until March 31st! This game was in the hot games section of Dice Tower West this year and it was so busy I didn’t get a chance to play it, but the hype is definitely there for this strategic game. So, if that is your thing, it is worth checking out their second printing!

Botany Floral Dragons (Dux Somnium) – this project is live on Kickstarter until April 2nd! This is a standalone game based on previous hit Botany that takes a more fantastical approach to the theme with some tweaks to gameplay.  As always, Dux Somnium has made another staggeringly beautiful game.

Games we were playing this month:

Mistwind (First Fish Games) – After finding Canals of Windcrest last month, I sought out Mistwind at the convention. It was a really fun network and transportation game. I really enjoyed the action token system it uses, but if you aren’t careful with your resources your transport whale might unfortunately get stuck in a corner for a while leaving you a little frustrated and determined never to let it happen again.

Galactic Cruise (Kinson Key Games) – This was one of my favorites from the convention because of both the theme and the gameplay were both fun and thought out. I will admit, this game was definitely a commitment timewise to learn and play through the first time, and we were lucky enough to have a teacher.

Fromage (R2I) – This game has been on my list to try for a while since I am a huge fan of Canvas from R2I. This game was just an absolute joy to play and just made me want to get a charcuterie board and give the game another spin. The only issue we had was that the convention tables weren’t flat which made spinning the board a little difficult, but that is just another thing that could be overcome.

Dice Tower West 2026

I just got home from another amazing year at Dice Tower West! It’s hard to believe this is the third-year demoing Project Aleutian at this convention. This year I had 5 time slots, and I had play testers for 4 of them! During the 5th timeslot I didn’t end up catching anyone as they walked by but I got to pick the brain the designer of Zeal who was demoing his game next to mine. There was a lot of encouragement from all of those who play tested Project Aleutian on everything from the mechanics to the artwork! Of course, there was also a lot of good feedback on a few things to tweak here and there, but all in all I came away very encouraged!

Beyond just playtesting Project Aleutian, Dice Tower West has become very special reunion of sorts with friends who live far away. We get to set aside our day jobs and meet up in Las Vegas and just have a great time enjoying this hobby that we all share together. We played several games and I plan to share a few of those during the Antibyss Remark next weekend!

If you’ve never attended a board game convention I would highly encourage you to do so (even if you only do it once). It is a really fun and unique way to enjoy the hobby that, in my experience, always brings great memories and goes by too quickly.

I just want to give another big thank you to all of the players and designers I interacted with who made this weekend amazing!

DTW 2026 This Week

Just a quick final plug this week since we officially have our time slots for Dice Tower West this year! Project Aleutian playtest times are posted on cardboardevents.com and we have 5 time slots this year: Thursday (3/12, Table 7) for two time slots 10am, and 12pm, Friday (3/13) for two timeslots 12pm (Table 9) and 6pm (Table 8), and Saturday (3/14, Table 5) at 12pm. Excited to see you in the prototype area and give you an update of how the convention went next week!

The Antibyss Remark – No. 009

Prototypes/Crowdfunding Projects to keep an eye on:

For the gods (Mighty Boards) – this project is live on Kickstarter until March 10th! I love the visible style and the column stacking is both fun for the theme and as a mechanic. Plus, they also have lots of options for you to test it out before you back!

Forest Fellowship (Costavolcano Games) – this project is live on Kickstarter until March 4th! This game has a fun tableau of cards that you navigate through and the cool idea that it expanding they player count with each deck. They also have a bunch of cool painting time-lapses you can check out of the artwork.

Canals of Windcrest (First Fish Games) – this project is live on Kickstarter until March 12th! Flying whale taxis… what else do I need to say? Nothing, but it looks like it will be a great time delivering people and their goods where they need to go.

Games we were playing this month:

Regicide (Badgers from Mars) – I backed this game way back in 2020, and this is a game that usually comes with us travelling. The game is definitely a challenge and they dynamic changes with the number of players. I also definitely was inspired by sketchgoblin’s style for Project Aleutian.

The Blessed Dark (Nathan Mueunier) – This is another one that fits in a small form factor with a fun push your luck mechanic to cast spells and summon demons. I always enjoy talking about collecting blood and summoning demons in cafes.

The Search for the Lost Species (Renegade Game Studios) – This is the second game in “The Search for…” series of games that I’ve played, and I really enjoyed it. It was different enough and the way that you engaged with the board was a very fun change of pace after playing Search for Planet X so much!

We’re Going to DTW 2026

Antibyss will be at the Prototype Con at Dice Tower West again this year to showcase Project Aleutian! Project Aleutian playtest times will be posted on cardboardevents.com in the next couple of weeks. If you don’t have a badge already, online badge sales are still available but close on 2/13. As of 2/3 they were reporting that sales are 20% larger than last year and there is no guarantee tickets will be available at the door! If you are planning on going to the con, you can sign up for the prototype session in your my.cardboardevents portal once they are available (so keep your eyes peeled). I am excited to see you there and hope you’ll have a chance to try out Project Aleutian! That said, there is an exciting line up of other prototypes at the con this year and I encourage you to give them a try as well!

The Antibyss Remark – No. 008

Prototypes/Crowdfunding Projects to keep an eye on:

Medieval Madness (Mint Panda) – this project is live on Kickstarter until February 8th! This is a competitive trick taking game, which makes the rules familiar to most players, and it stands out amongst many co-op trick taking games out there right now.

Ants & Crumbles (Fried Potato Games) – this project is live on Kickstarter until February 19th! The theming of this game is just plain fun and it looks like it would be a fantastic 30 min start to a board game night that might lead to rematch after rematch when your ant colony crumbles and you need revenge.

Colt Express: The Complete Collection (Tycoon Games) – this project is live on Gamefound until January 29th! If you haven’t played Colt Express before I’d highly recommend it, and this campaign is for a complete collection of the base game and all of its expansions.

Games we were playing this month:

Everdell: New Leaf (Tycoon Games/Starling Games) – My wife and I keep coming back to Everdell, and I think New Leaf might be our favorite expansion. It adds several really fun mechanics to the base game not to mention several fun new cards.

It’s a Wonderful World (IAWW): Corruption and Ascension (Lucky Duck Games) – We talked about It’s a Wonderful World before, but this expansion found its way into our hands over the holidays. It adds a lot of fun changes to the base game and also expands the player cap up to 7!

Puerto Rico (Rio Grande Games Version, bgg) – I have a sentimental attachment to this game because it was the game that really got me into hobby gaming beyond Catan way back in high school. There is something just so refined about the gameplay that keeps me coming back with so many strategies and paths to victory. That said, whenever I bring this game to the table it also sparks a good and important discussion about the game’s themes of colonialism and how that theme was handled.  

Project Aleutian Art Update

It has been a while since I shared some of the cards or artwork for Project Aleutian, and I wanted to share some of the new visuals with you. The game continues to look more and more like a finished product with each added piece of artwork to the cards. Alongside the artwork, the graphic design on the cards is also seeing some refinement as we try to strike the right balance between keeping key information visible and better communicating the theme of the game. On a computer screen the scale of the physical cards can be hard to judge, and with each new printing and playtest we are learning about what works and what doesn’t.

Happy 2nd Anniversary

Happy New Year! As we step into 2026, we’re excited to be celebrating the Antibyss’ 2nd Anniversary! Last year was full of gameplay and card updates on Project Aleutian. We were busy with art, playtesting, and conventions. We also turned the focus outward a bit highlighting other exciting crowdfunding projects from other companies and people. Many of those projects were funded and are on their way to becoming a published game. With another year down, I can’t thank you, anyone who is reading this on social media, our blog, or in our newsletter, enough for being a partner with us on this ride. Your time is valuable in this busy busy world, and it means a lot that you are willing to spend it with us. A special thank you to all of the alpha testers who took time over the last year to play the game, and to Madelyn Hogrebe, @heartoflakesandmountains, whose contributions to Project Aleutian always encourage me and constantly make the project better!

As a fun look back at 2025, I’ve also included an image of my BG Stats year in review!

We’re excited for all that is on the horizon for Antibyss in 2026, and we’re excited for you to join us on that journey!

The Antibyss Remark – No. 007

Prototypes/Crowdfunding Projects to keep an eye on:

Beyond The Sky & Dead Star (titanboardgames.com) – this project is live on Kickstarter until January 19th! This is a pair of print and play games that look like they will be a fun and fast paced and can hit your table as early as 15 days after the kickstarter closes.

Forage (foragebeegame.com) – this project is live on Kickstarter until January 10th! In forage you will collect nectar across four seasons to create a thriving bee colony. Plus, the bees and other figures look amazing!

Intelliwar: Accession to the Throne (remarkable.games) – this project is live on Kickstarter until January 11th! An abstract war game like chess with a large variety of unique units and strategies.

Games we were playing this month:

Potions & Spells (potionsandspellsgame.com) – This is a fun game that is quick to learn, easy to teach, and is never played only a single time in one sitting.

Splendor (store.asmodee.com) – A game I don’t own, but always enjoy playing. I always find myself trying to do some crazy strategy with my sets of jewels that either really pays off or busts.

Herd Mentality (bigpotato.com) – This is a party game introduced to me by my extended family over the holidays. I couldn’t count the number of times someone was confident it would be a unanimous answer only to find they were the only one with their answer leading to a lot of laughs.

Project Aleutian Timeline (Dec. 2025)

As we come up on the end of the year, I wanted to give you a status update and a revised timeline for Project Aleutian.

The last time I gave a timeline was back in June with some pretty ambitious goals of having the artwork all done in November. Here we are in the middle of December and there is still a good amount of artwork to go. It is looking like we will actually be finishing the art closer to June 2026.

I know this is a big shift in the schedule and our targets, but I think this is a more realistic and conservative plan for the artwork. The dates beyond that are still very tentative (and will be until we get manufacturing quotes).

While artwork is the main focus, the game continues to get some tweaks both in gameplay and overall card layout in response to play tester feedback. With every play and new player, the game gets more refined which means a better product for everyone.

We are very excited about where the game is, and we are so grateful for you being with us on this journey.