The latest indie darling blowing up on Kickstarter is a Stardew Valley-inspired indie management sim in which you're in charge of a board game café.
Dragons Brew, from UK-based indie dev Radic Creative, is very much an amalgam of its inspirations: Stardew Valley, a tavern management sim called Travellers Rest, and to my delight, a real-life board game café called Dice that the developers have frequented for years.
"The experiences and joy of playing boardgames at Dice inspired us to incorporate a boardgame system in Dragons Brew," says Radic. "In the game, each boardgame affects the cafe’s operations and the gameplay, adding a unique twist to the simulation genre."
Right now the developer says there are "over 100" board games you can put on the shelves of your café, but Radic says there are new board games and food and drink recipes "continuously" being added while the game's still in its pre-alpha stage. Each board game comes with its own unique gameplay mechanics and effects on your café, whether it's boosting customer satisfaction, bringing more patrons into your café, or adding special bonuses.
Like any good café owner, you'll also have food and drinks to serve your loyal patrons. You can farm and harvest a variety of herbs, vegetables, and magical plants of varying rareness to build out a menu that keeps people coming back for more than just board games.
Outside the café, you can take on various quests assigned to you by the townspeople or organize special events to promote your café. There's also a character system in which you build relationships with your fellow townsfolk to gain their trust and, ultimately, improve your café's reputation.
You'll also be able to explore areas beyond your café, including neighboring towns, enchanting forests, retail parks, coffee roasteries, and board game conventions for the super nerds. Like Stardew, you'll be rewarded for exploring new locations with unique ingredients and opportunities you can bring back to enhance your own café.
Look, this all sounds great, even if a tad bit derivative. Although there are a ton of different games like Stardew Valley, it's hard to imagine a cozier setting than a board game café, and that's exactly what you want in these kinds of games. It's perhaps no surprise then that Dragons Brew is doing gangbusters on Kickstarter, having been fully funded in less than 24 hours and now sitting with more than 500% funding just a week from its debut. If it continues this momentum, we could get stretch goals like an enhanced character and café builder, console ports, an arcade café extension (!!!), and more.
