Mexica // Bridges of Shangri-la // Gheos // Reel Rivals

Late Pledges Now Open!
5 days ago – Mon, Oct 12, 2026 at 05:29:02 AM

Hi everyone,

Here is what we've been doing in the last month. 

Manufacturing Progress

We've now finalised specs for all four games with our manufacturer, and got new costs back from them. This is the first step in calculating how many of each game we are going to print. Once we have decided that, we can lock in manufacturing dates with the factory.

Game Development Progress

After another round of testing last month, we've made some minor changes to Reel Rivals. 

Before, players had a supply of barries (used to protect Fishermen) and binoculars (used to score points for birds on neighbouring tiles). They could take various actions in the game to add more of these pieces to their supply, and could place up to one barrier and binoculars each turn.

We wanted to heighten the decision about where to go in turn order even more, and streamline out this seperate personal supply of pieces players needed to maintain. To do this, we took inspiration from El Grande - the game's spirutual predecessor. We've introduced four bonus tiles. You resolve an available bonus tile when your turn comes around. The bonus tiles are 'place binoculars,' 'place barrier,' 'place an extra landscape tile,' and 'take the first player marker.' 

This has made the game easier to teach, not so much because of a change in the amount of rules, but because each rule flows into the next more logically. It has also made the game deeper, as a systemic incentive to go higher in turn order (to take your preferred bonus tile) has added a welcome counterweight to the advantage gained by going later and seeing what your opponents do first. 

Late Pledges Now Open

As with our previous campaigns, we are using BackerKit as a pre-order store. If you missed the campaign, this is the last chance to hop on board. Late pledges will include the KS extra components and discounts that will not be available at retail. If you know anyone that missed out but still wants to get their hands on copies, spread the word! Click the link below to head over to the store. 

A couple of notes. Late pledges are not the same as the pledge manager. That is not open yet. So if you've already backed the Kickstarter, you don't need to take any action at this time. Also, due to some increases in manufacturing cost, the price of additional copies of Mexica on the late pledges and pledge manager will increase slightly. Obviously, for those of you who backed during the campaign, we will absorb the extra cost and will not pass it onto you.

Next Steps

The next thing we are working on is finalizing the design of our rulebooks and box backs. As you can imagine there's a lot of work on Archie here as this one project is made up of four games. It's also super important to not rush rulebooks and let any silly mistakes slip by. Once we have final drafts we'll be sure to share those with you. 

After that, we've got a few things to do, including meeting with our distribution partners to acertain demand and finalise print numbers. Then we'll set production dates. Once we're underway with production, we'll get the pledge manager set up, collect shipping addresses, and charge shipping. 

Until next time!

Paul, Archie, Anthony 

Next Steps!
about 1 month ago – Thu, Sep 10, 2026 at 01:28:58 PM

Hi everyone,

Thank you again for helping us bring these games back to life! 

We met up in person on Saturday to talk about some final production improvements we want to make, go over some minor rule tweaks and clarify any outstanding elements.  

What's Next

Right now we're still waiting on Kickstarter to process the funds from the campaign. In the meantime we've got a list of things to finish off before we can hit go on production.

• finalising the specs for production
• finalising rulebooks
• designing box backs

We're currently in talks with licensing partners for the print run, which will help us bring these games to new countries in more languages. More on that when we have contracts finalised. 

Going forward we'll provide you with monthly updates on progress along with a visual timeline in each update showing the steps to project fulfillment. We will also be using backerkit to collect address details and open up late pledges. More on that once we have it up and running with finalised shipping costs. 

Thanks again for all your support on our most ambitious campaign!

Until next time,

Archie, Anthony and Paul 

Final 48 Hours!
about 2 months ago – Sun, Aug 23, 2026 at 10:55:21 PM

Hi!

We're now into the final 48 hours. This is the last big push to bring as many people on board as we can. 

We've poured our heart and soul into this project, which features:

• Double the amount of games as our last campaign. 
• Our most ambitious productions yet. 
• Remaking much-loved classic games for the first time.
• No stretch goals.
• No massive $200+ deluxe editions. 

We hope you'll agree with us that we've focused on what matters. Making great games that look and feel exceptional without adding unnecessary extras.  What we are offering are four games that are easy to teach, easy to get to the table, and that deserve a place in your collection.

If you're just joining us here's a quick recap on the individual spotlights for each game. 

• Bridges of Shangri-La Spotlight
• Mexica Spotlight
• Gheos Spotlight
• Reel Rivals Spotlight

Final Reminder - Flat Shipping

You only pay one shipping rate regardless of how many games you get! So if you've backed one of our games, it's a great opportunity to pick up our other titles at no extra cost to the shipping rate, a discounted RRP, and complete with KS extras.

Thank You

This is our third Kickstarter campaign. Without you we wouldn't still be here. We're a small team of passionate friends who want to keep making great games. Thank you for your support.

- Archie, Anthony and Paul 

Reel Rivals Spotlight!
about 2 months ago – Fri, Aug 21, 2026 at 05:22:20 AM

Hi everyone!

Why We Are Kickstarting This Game

I'm really excited to finally get a chance to tell you more about Reel Rivals. This is probably the least well known game in this collection and the one that has changed the most since its original incarnation. 

The origins of Reel Rivals begins with El Caballero, the 1998 Spiel des Jahres recommended game and the spiritual sequel to El Grande. The original game had a theme we knew we wanted to reconsider, as well as some gameplay elements we wanted to streamline. 

To that end, Reel Rivals best represents what we're trying to achieve as a company. Taking overlooked games and revitalizing them for a new audience to enjoy and find a permenant place in your collection. 

What Changes Have We Made Since the Last Edition?

A lot! Anthony took on the challenge of developing the game and diligently worked on countless iterations. We tried out new card powers, different scoring, and different setups, all the while refining and rethinking what it was about the core experience that made us fall in love with the game in the first place. 

The key was change and most substantial improvement came from a simplification. In the original edition, players had a hand of cards which they used to bid for turn order, and a stack of tiles that had numbers on every side and that could be orientation to represent the approriate strength depending on the number of armies a player wanted to deploy. Anthony combined the two. Now, tiles have a single number on them, which determins both your place in turn order, and the strength of the tile when added to the map. This added a fascinating tension not present in the original - higher strength tiles now also forced you to play earlier in turn order, giving your opponents the opportunity to react. It also considerably improved the visual clarity of the map, which was a common complaint with the original edition. 

With Wolfgang's blessing we started working on the theme. The initial idea was to go with a medieval theme - in keeping with the original game's castle building element. But even in the original game there felt like a disconnect between what your tiles represented and how they actually functioned in the game. We challenged ourselves to find a theme that was approachable and that would help fans of the game get it to the table. We settled on fishing!

Paul took the game to a local playtesting event and even with a very homemade prototype it went down a storm. People loved the theme, the cut-throat nature, the 2 player experience, and most importantly, we learnt we definitely needed a first player marker! Reel Rivals now boasts its own BBG page as a re-implementation of El Cabello.  

With our new theme established, we set about approaching the perfect artist, who Archie had already had his eye on for a while - Holly Astle. Holly is an illustrator living on a narrowboat on the UK waterways, and is surrounded and inspired every day by a world just like the one we wanted to create. Check the end of this update for a showcase of Holly's work on the box and tiles. 

Some Great Video Previews

Kickstarter's "Project We Love!"

We are so excited to say that Kickstarter has awarded us their coveted Project We Love status! We've never received this accolate before on our previous projects. The mystical Kickstarter gods have smiled upon us! We see this as validation of what we already knew, that these are great games that need to have a place in the modern lexicon of board games. Big thank you to everyone for supporting us on this journey and helping bring it to Kickstarters attention. 

Spread the Word

Unfortunately, as a small publisher, we don't have the marketing resources to help fans of OG eurogames, many of which might not otherwise be aware of what's happening on Kickstarter, find the campaign. So as we enter the final stretch, we are asking for your help. Share the campaign if you can, and help us get the word out about what we are doing. The more support we get, the more likely we can bring more great and deserving games back from obscurity and give them the glow-up they deserve. 

That's all for now. We will leave you with the showcase of Holly's evocative illustrations for the and box and tiles. 
 

Gheos Spotlight
2 months ago – Mon, Aug 17, 2026 at 01:10:15 PM

Why We Are Kickstarting This Game

Gheos has so much of what we look for in our games. It is a full area control game in a card game sized box, and it is super replayable, making it ideal for taking with you while travelling. It is deeply interactive, posessing the same 'gaining stakes in different civilisations' thing from games like The King is Dead and Imperial 2030. It produces 'wow moments.' Gameplay is sharp and tight but it leaves a lot of space for positive interactions and cooperation between players. And, like the all the best tile-laying games, it leaves you feeling like you have built something cool together.

Some Great Video Previews

What Changes Have We Made Since the Last Edition?

The game had some high variance elements that we have softened, to give an experience the more consistently rewards good play. 

For example, the game has Epoch tiles. When Epoch tiles are drawn from the tile stack, players score points for Civilisations that control Temples. Furthermore, when the sixth Epoch tile is drawn, the game ends. In the original edition, Epoch tiles were shuffled randomly into the stack of Terrain tiles. This meant if muliple tiles were drawn back to back players might get a huge lead very quikcly, and then the game might end immediately and unexpectedly. Now, during setup, Terrain Tiles are split into six roughly equal stacks, and one Epoch tile shuffled into each, like the Epidemic cards in Pandemic. This makes it a bit easier for players to plan. 

In addition, in Gheos you have three scoring tokens to spend. When you spend these is a big decision, as they are the main way to earn points for your followers. Making the Epoch tile distribution more predictable reduces the number of times you'll end the game with unspent scoring tokens. In additon, we have added a rule that unspent scoring tokens at the end of the game are worth 5 points. This a) mitigates the feel bad moment of not having spent them in time and b) helps signpost to players what a good score with these tokens is, so that they don't use them too early!

A Note on Flat Shipping

Remember - for this campaign, we are offering a flat shipping rate. That means you only pay one shipping rate regardless of how many games you get. So if you've backed another game, it's a great opportunity to also pick up Gheos with no additional shipping cost, a discounted RRP, and KS extras included.

Spread the Word

OG euro style games don't often show up on Kickstarter. As a result, fans of these games don't generally check this website. This means a lot of people who would enjoy these games aren't seeing the campaign. Unfortunately, as a small publisher, we don't have the resources to make enough noise for these people to find us. So we are asking for your help. If you know people, online or in person, who would dig these games, please do share the campaign with them. The more support we get, the more likely we can keep doing this.

That's all for now. We will leave you with this showcase of Rebecca Hu's epic illustrations for the and box and tiles. 

Anthony