Welcome to another week of news and comment on the Kickstarter front! If you’ve got your own two pence to apply, then feel free to leave a comment on this post.

Aetherium

by Anvil Eight Games

Enter the Aetherium – a world between worlds, a place capable of containing the human mind, a place of infinite possibility, a place that is no place at all.

A skirmish-level game of miniatures, Aetherium takes place in the thus-named virtual reality where the anarchist Nanomei are said to struggle against the tyrannical and neo-fascist government of the Axion. Hackers and Agents control this ‘reality’, unleashing lower-level Avatars, Functions, and Sub-Routines to fight it out for domination.

Coup: Reformation

by Indie Boards and Cards

Hey, it’s Coup! And back on Kickstarter again!

Technically an expansion for the hit game, Coup: Reformation adds Allegiances into the mix; players are either Loyalists in support of the government, or Reformists that support the resistance. Additional Role cards are also included, enough to allow a full 10 players to enjoy a night of backstabbery and suspense.

Metamorphosis Alpha – Deluxe Hardcover Edition

by Goodman Games

Billed as the first Sci-Fi RPG, Metamorphosis Alpha was created by James M. Ward and produced in 1976 by TSR. While the system is currently available in its Fourth Edition, Goodman Games has decided to join the nostalgia train, and with Mr. Ward’s blessing, produce an oversized Collectors Edition of the original First-Edition printing. Additionally, a series of three new adventure modules will be published, each one playable from right out of the box.

I’m as much of a fan of retro-gaming as anyone, and something like this would be a slam-dunk for me if it weren’t for the $80 price tag. This does not include shipping, US or otherwise, and the adventures will be available for an additional $10-30 pledge.

Heavy Steam

by Greenbrier Games

A mash-up of everything that I hold dear, Heavy Steam combines miniatures combat with cube-pushing resource management in a steampunk-themed strategy game. As the pilot of a Steam Titan, your job is to manage the ebb and flow of the energy produced by your Titan’s boilers, directing it into locomotion, recharging a spent weapon, or what-have-you. Forcing you to think several turns ahead, energy is not immediately available as it must radiate outwards from the internal boilers, potentially being bled off by a damaged or discharged system before it can reach your intended reservoir.

While the artwork on both the player boards and the cards used to customize your Titan appears to be very well done, the aesthetic of the miniatures themselves can be… painful in my opinion.