If you have ever wanted to play as the bad guys in Slay the Spire, your moment has arrived. Contention Games has launched the Downfall expansion on Kickstarter, and it smashed through its $50,000 funding goal in just 10 minutes.
Based on the fan-favourite community mod of the same name, Downfall flips the script on the cooperative deck-building board game by letting you and your friends take on the roles of the Spire's iconic bosses. You can play as the Slime Boss, Hexaghost, Hermit, and Guardian, each with their own deck and playstyle. If you have played the original board game (which you will need to own, as Downfall is an expansion), you already know the core loop of building a deck and battling through encounters, but now you are doing it from the other side.
The campaign has been raising money at a staggering pace, with over $2.5 million pledged from more than 13,000 backers. Six pledge tiers are available, ranging from the base Downfall Pledge up to the Heart's All In tier, with options to add branded playmats, card sleeves, and a copy of the base game if you don't already own it. There is also a Collector's Edition with exclusive items only available during the campaign.
The timing is no accident. The expansion lands alongside continued hype around Slay the Spire 2, which recently received a vinyl re-release of its soundtrack. For board gamers who love the roguelike deck-builder genre, this is one of the most exciting tabletop Kickstarters running right now.
The campaign runs until 9th April, so you have a couple of weeks to decide which boss you want to be.