The studio behind Cascadia just locked down its next two games, and the campaign is already done. Flatout Games, home to Spiel des Jahres winner Cascadia (designed by Randy Flynn), Point Salad, and Calico, raised $142,843 on Kickstarter for a double-feature campaign: Forage and Honeypot. That is 1,785% of their $8,000 goal, backed by 4,417 people. The campaign closed on March 21, and both games are now heading into production with AEG handling distribution.
Forage is a roll-and-write for one to six players from designers Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, and Shawn Stankewich, the trio who founded Flatout Games and created Point Salad. Instead of a paper pad, you write on cards in an ever-changing tableau. Each round, you roll forage dice, reveal trail tiles, and choose between exploration, pantry management, or gift-giving. Over 90 unique cards mean the game plays differently every time, and the scoring conditions shift as your tableau grows. The art is by Beth Sobel, whose painterly nature illustrations also graced Wingspan and Arboretum.
Honeypot comes from designer Joseph Z. Chen and is a very different beast. It is an "I cut, you choose" set-collection game for one to six players that plays in 15 to 30 minutes. You play as bear secret agents (yes, really) trying to gather intel and spy supplies without getting stung. Each round, you arrange secret caches for your opponents and carefully sift through the ones passed to you. The massive deck of cards means every round presents a new puzzle, and the social tension of building traps for your friends keeps things lively. Art duties are split between Brigette Indelicato and Kwanchai Moriya.
Both games fit the Flatout signature: accessible, colourful, and satisfying to puzzle through. If Cascadia is already on your shelf, these two look like natural companions. Expect them at retail later this year.
Sources: Flatout Games | Kickstarter Campaign | Kicktraq