I’m always looking for a new card game to play, especially through crowdfunding. I find that these small indie games are the absolute best when it comes to unbridled fun without cookie-cutter publisher rules. So when I saw a new game centered entirely around Mad-Max-style cars, I had to check it out.
Dustbiters is described as a “quick and furious card game about rival car gangs racing to outrun a giant dust storm.” And yes, that’s about it. It’s a fast game with few rules, just like you’d expect in the apocalypse.
So how do you play? It’s actually pretty simple. You only have the cards in your hand; there are no dice or tokens or fuzzy math involved. Your cars, all with their own unique abilities, battle against your opponent’s cards through a series of action points per round. And the kicker is that the last card in your fleet is always knocked out by the dust storm at the end of every turn.
The Dustbiters team consists of game developers from all across the globe from a variety of genres who decided to come together to make the car-based post-apocalyptic card game of their dreams. And despite the fact that they were able to grab Tim Schafer for their promotional video, they want to make sure everyone knows that the Psychonauts designer did not work on Dustbiters.
The Kickstarter campaign just launched yesterday (August 2) and already it has racked up over $35k of its $26k goal at the time of this writing. With 28 days left to go, we imagine the team should start thinking of more stretch goals quickly!
You can grab the deluxe version of the game with 21 cards and manual for only €22 (or around $27 USD), but if you’re feeling extra benevolent, you can pledge as high as €800 for a custom card based on your own vehicle (plus a copy of the game, an art zine, lapel pin, and special edition bandana).
Of course there are all kinds of other pledge levels in between, so be sure to head over to the game’s Kickstarter page for complete info.
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