I love Kickstarter. Sure, I hate the exclusives that companies like CMON use to drive FOMO during their campaigns, but I love that the platform has birthed amazing games like Gloomhaven and 7th Continent that otherwise may not exist.

I’ve backed many games over the years and as a feature to this site I’ll be looking at new and interesting board game campaigns. I’ll also give my reasons for ultimately backing or passing.

First up is Starcadia Quest (SQ). This campaign is already funded and only has a few days left. Generally, CMON offers a late pledge for at least a couple months after the campaign wraps up, so no need to rush into anything if funds are tight.

There are 2 pledge levels offered:

1. $80 – this includes the game, some stretch goals and exclusive Major Tomm (RIP David Bowie) mini
2. $120 – includes all of the above plus the ARRRmada expansion and Crackin’ Jim mini

Of course as standard with CMON campaigns there are tons of add-ons that can empty your wallet real quick.

This game seems like a natural fit for me because:

1. I am huge mark for good miniatures. This amounts to essentially playing with toys while also playing a board game. How can it not be fun?
2. I like the game it is based off, Arcadia Quest (AQ).
   
3. As much as I hate to say it, CMON’s FOMO tactics generally work on me. Even if I find the game isn’t that great once played, it can generally be resold for break-even (or maybe a profit) with all the exclusives.
4. I love a good sci-fi theme.

With that out of the way, onto the game!

For better or worse this game is essentially a sci-fi reskin of AQ. For those that have not played AQ before it is essentially an arena fighter style PVP/PVE game. Kind of a lite dungeon-crawler with a lot of dice rolling and some minor character progression. Basically you progress through the campaign (or standalone scenarios) attempting to be the first player to complete your objectives, hopefully collecting a ton of loot in the process. AQ has had tons of add-ons over the years and is still highly regarded in the board game community.

Positives:

1. This iteration adds streamlined setup – the map is built as the game progresses as opposed to setting it up beforehand. 
2. Players control 2 characters as opposed to 3 as found in earlier AQ iterations.
3. The minis. CMON always has great minis and this campaign has some nice ones. With references to Star Wars, Tron and Battlestar Gallactica, there are a few cool ones.
4. It’s Arcadia Quest. The gameplay, replayability and components are all top notch.

Negatives:

1. Many of the stretch goals require you to purchase game add-ons or pledge at the higher level to unlock. $120 + the cost of add-ons is a tough pill to swallow. I’m not sure the content offered is worth this high price point.
2. Though good overall, I feel this campaign is more hit or miss with interesting minis. The minis also doesn’t seem to form as cohesive a theme as found in other CMON games. The octopus and pirate minis, to me, are meh.
3. It’s Arcadia Quest. Why do we need another version of this game? CMON seriously played it safe with this campaign, offering little in the way of innovation with this game.
   

I gotta say of all the campaigns I have watched from CMON, this one feels like the biggest cash grab. CMON already attempts generates FOMO with their KS campaigns but that is amplified in this one, forcing backers to upgrade and buy add-ons to truly unlock all stretch goal content. I question whether this is being done due to slow funding for this campaign. The buzz just doesn’t feel the same as past campaigns and the pledge numbers seem to reflect that. It’s possible these minis would have been unlocked to both pledge levels or without the necessity of purchasing add-ons if funding was flooding in as with past CMON projects.

Overall, if you don’t own Arcadia Quest in some form already, Starcadia Quest will certainly fill that void. Though this campaign isn’t as exciting as past CMON ones you still get some exclusives, especially if you don’t mind upping to the higher pledge and buying some add-ons. For those that already own Arcadia Quest or find the price to high, this one is an easy pass.

Final Verdict – PASS!

tl;dr: CMON wants all your money. Don’t give it to them during this campaign. Be like me and give it to them during the next one.