The latest indie project to hit Kickstarter is a Stardew Valley-inspired indie management sim where you run a board game cafe.
Dragons Brew, from British indie developer Radic Creative, is very much an amalgamation of its inspirations: Stardew Valley, a tavern management sim called Travellers Rest, and, much to my delight, a real-life board game coffee shop called Dice that the developers have frequented for years.
“The experiences and joy of playing board games in Dice inspired us to incorporate a board game system into Dragons Brew,” says Radic. “In the game, each board game affects the operations of the café and the gameplay, which adds a unique twist to the simulation genre.”
Right now, the developer says there are “over 100” board games you can put on your coffee shop shelves, but Radic says there are new board games and food and drink recipes being added “continually” while the game is still in its pre-alpha stage. Each board game comes with its own unique gameplay mechanics and effects on your coffee shop, whether it’s to increase customer satisfaction, attract more customers to your coffee shop, or add special bonuses.
Like any good café owner, you'll also have food and drink to serve to your loyal customers. You can grow and harvest a variety of herbs, vegetables, and magical plants of varying rarity to create a menu that will keep people coming back for more than just board games.
Outside of the café, you can take on various quests assigned to you by the townspeople or organize special events to promote your café. There is also a character system where you must build relationships with the townspeople to gain their trust and ultimately improve your café's reputation.
You'll also be able to explore areas beyond your coffee shop, including neighboring towns, charming forests, retail parks, coffee roasteries, and board game conventions for the nerdiest among you. Much like Stardew, you'll be rewarded for exploring new locations with unique ingredients and opportunities that you can bring back to improve your own coffee shop.
Look, this all sounds great, even if it's a little offbeat. While there are a ton of different games like Stardew Valley, it's hard to imagine a more welcoming environment than a board game cafe – and that's exactly what you want in these kinds of games. Perhaps it's no surprise then that Dragons Brew is seeing huge success on Kickstarter, having been fully funded in less than 24 hours and now over 500% funded just a week away from its debut. If it continues this momentum, we could get additional stretches like an improved character creator and cafe, console ports, an arcade cafe extension (!!!), and more.
Minecraft meets Stardew Valley in the excellent Core Keeper survival game, and its big 1.0 release has its creator feeling like he “must be dreaming.”