Risk of Rain: The Board Game began crowdfunding on August 12, and it's already raised over $285,000. First announced in October 2024, publisher Nerdvana Games describes it as "a cooperative roguelike" that translates the teleporting, monster-fighting vibes of the videogame into an hour-long tabletop game.
There's not a huge amount of detail about how it plays on the Kickstarter page, but we do know one thing - it comes with a frankly overwhelming horde of plastic miniatures. The base game alone comes with 81 minis to represent monsters and survivors, and the deluxe version adds four additional boss minis. If you also back the two expansions, that adds 29 extra miniatures.
Risk of Rain is a co-op board game is designed for one to four players aged 14 and above. Based on the brief demo rulebook, it appears to be a roguelike campaign game where you complete three 'stages' before you face a final boss. Nerdvana Games hasn't used a lot of jargon that we're familiar with, but it specifies that this is not a legacy board game.
Each stage plays out in three phases. First, everyone adds an action card to the action row, along with action cards from the monster decks. The speed of each card will decide what order each action is resolved in. Phase two resolves these actions, which could include moving, attacking, healing, or interacting with nearby tokens. Lastly, the weather phase spawns monsters and makes them stronger.
To progress, players must find the teleporter, complete its linked locations, and face off against powerful monsters. In between runs, they can upgrade their action cards and improve their chances of survival.
A basic pledge costs $125, while the game's deluxe edition is available for $185. The pricier version adds additional miniatures and metal coins. If you want to buy any of the expansions, your only option seems to be the $235 all-in pledge tier, which adds Survivors of the Void and Seekers of the Storm. Delivery is estimated to be in August 2026.
Despite breezing past its crowdfunding goal, fans online remain concerned about the quality of the game and its Kickstarter. "There is not a single review from a reputable reviewer", one person comments on the Kickstarter page. "All-in tier consisting of several boxes with different sizes and no big/single box solution. Key information missing from the campaign page. This is not doing any service neither to the fans of the IP, nor to the board game enthusiasts."
Originally a brand dedicated to nerdy concept bars, Nerdvana Games is a relative newcomer to the world of tabletop games publishing. It only has one other successful Kickstarter under its belt, for the new board game Everbloom. Its only other notable publication is the Borderlands tabletop RPG Bunkers & Badasses.
Nerdvana Games is headed by Kristy Pitchford, wife of Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford. Gearbox is the publisher of the Risk of Rain videogames, as well as a developer for the Borderlands franchise.
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