Hummingbirds look like delicate little jewels. In reality they are tiny, territorial maniacs that dive-bomb rivals and steal each other's food, and a new tabletop game called Hover wants you to play one. Designed by Victor Shiu for his studio Ibis Tea, Hover has already blown well past its Kickstarter goal, so plenty of players clearly fancy a scrap.
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Set up your group for freeIt's a game for 2 to 4 players (ages 10 and up) that runs 30 to 60 minutes. On your turn you get two actions to spend on flying around the board, working an area, or attacking a rival bird. You win by building a nest, which takes two twigs and two spider silk, and then winning a "courting call", out-bidding rivals with energy and showing off the prettiest plumage. Part area control, part resource grab, part beauty pageant, with a lot of pecking in between.
The presentation is doing plenty of heavy lifting too. Shawna Shiu's artwork makes the birds lovely, which is a nice contrast with how nasty the play gets. If you've enjoyed the recent wave of wildlife games like Wingspan but wished they had a bit more bite, Hover is pitching straight at you.
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Find events near youThe campaign has pulled in more than $204,000 against a $10,000 goal, from over 2,600 backers. Pledges start at $39 (around £31) for the base game, $69 (about £55) with the expansion, and $89 (about £70) for a collector's set with upgraded components. It runs until 19 June, and it's already well clear of target, so shipping looks likely.
If brutal little birds sound like your kind of evening, it might be time to round up your flock for a game night.
Sources: GeekDad | Kicktraq | Kickstarter
