A Kickstarter board game has announced that it's going full Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, hiding actual golden tickets in backers' orders. Five copies of Art Society: Deluxe Edition will come with a ticket inside that can be exchanged for five free board games.
Art Society isn't exactly a new board game; its original edition launched in 2023. However, it's certainly a well-regarded one, as it was nominated by the Golden Geek Awards as one of the best board games of that year. Designed for two to four players, Art Society challenges you to chase the trends of the art connoisseur world.
Everyone will bid on the most desirable paintings and, if they outbid the competition, add these to their private galleries. Each art piece is beautiful, but their worth fluctuates depending on current trends, which can even be altered by the paintings everyone chose to ignore.
These rules will be familiar to experienced Art Society players, but the deluxe edition also comes with the board game's debut expansion. 'Friends in High Places' introduces a curator, a socialite, and a critic for you to try to impress. Doing so offers unique benefits that can push your score that little bit higher.
Beyond new rules, the main draw of the deluxe edition is the luxurious, limited edition components. Heck, the Kickstarter page says that even the box is limited edition. Inside, you'll find a solid wooden gavel, double-layered player boards, metal prestige and score markers, and a tidy storage solution for all those small pieces. Plus, there's gold foil stamped on the paintings, decor tiles, and bidding cards.
The elusive golden ticket promises to provide five more board games from Art Society's publisher, Mighty Boards. There's also a single platinum ticket to be found that offers eight board games: your copy of Art Society Deluxe, plus Mighty Board's four newest releases and three games of your choice. That's pretty much the entire board game backlog of the publisher.
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