Kickstarter

Save the world from the Merchant of Death! The "merchant of death" is an infamous dealer of illegal arms whose business dealings have reaped him great profits, but have also put weapons into the hands of nefarious criminals throughout the world. In this game, players lead their own teams of international agents who pursue the Merchant of Death and confiscate his weapons. Will your agents succeed in bringing the Merchant of Death to justice?

Gunrunners is a relatively quick (30 minutes) strategic area control game that is easy to play, yet contains a fair amount of depth for a "filler" game. The game often culminates in a close victory whose outcome is not decided until the end. During the game, players use the various abilities of their "special operatives" to quickly alter the balance of power, leading to a high level of player interaction and unexpected twists of fate. Furthermore, the game has been excellently illustrated and designed, as is evidenced by the sample artwork shown below.

Watch these video previews of Gunrunners for a description of how to play:

If you prefer to read a written review of the game, you may do so here on boardgamegeek.com.

You can also find more information about Gunrunners, including a draft rulebook, on Dr. Finn's Gunrunners Info page.

The goal of Dr. Finn's Games is to produce "filler" games that are quick, have straightforward rules, involve some strategic planning, contain a limited element of luck, and whose outcome is rarely determined early in the game. In some of the pledge levels, other Dr. Finn's Games are included along with Gunrunners. Here are sample comments about Dr. Finn's Games on boardgamegeek.com.

About Biblios
"This game is a blast. I need to go play it right now." - Impr3ssion

"After a handful of 2-player plays, I'm in love. The tension, the touch choices about which colors to keep, which colors to dump on, how much to bid, how to signal opponents to throw them off the scent of what you're doing...there's just so much good stuff going on here, and it all happens inside about 15 minutes. Wow." - Mr Nuts

"This is the best card game of 2008, and my all-round favorite self-published game. It's a brilliant auction/bluffing game in a small package, with one of the most singular card-drafting mechanics I've ever seen. Strongly recommended." - tommynomad

About Scripts and Scribes: The Dice Game
"This is an excellent filler! Very simple rules, a lot of fun, and it has agonizing decisions. Very well constructed dice game." - Thyrlos

"One of the best two player dice games I've ever played." - Travvller

"More superb filler from Dr. Finn" - eekamouse

Gunrunners will likely retail for $30.

CANADIAN backers: You have different shipping costs.  Please add $8 for 1 copy of a game, $12 for 2 games, and $15 for 3 games and over.  Just add the appropriate amount to the pledge level.

If you would like to add additional copies of Gunrunners to any pledge level, each additional copy costs $25 with free shipping in the U.S.  Add $10 per additional copy for shipping outside the U.S. Limit 6 total copies.

If you would like to receive a Print N Play with any of the pledge levels at or above the $20 Early Bird, please add $5 to your pledge.

A "signed" copy can include a short personalized message with Steve Finn's signature. A signed copy will not be shrink wrapped.

If this project is successful, the manufacturing of the games is scheduled to begin in March. It should then take 2-3 months for manufacturing to be complete and shipped by ocean freight. The likely delivery of the games to the US will be in June, so games will be shipped out to supporters in June or July.

Kickstarter offers individuals the ability to help support the "little guys (and gals)" in a way that was not previously possible. Dr. Finn's Games is a small, one-person company that seeks to self-publish its own games. It is very risky for a small company to have 1000 copies of a game made (the standard minimum) without truly knowing the demand for the game. Kickstarter allows for the minimization of that risk by ensuring that people will actually buy the product that is being manufactured. In addition, Kickstarter allows for innovative ways for individuals to get involved in the game, e.g., by offering pledge levels that allow people to put their names on the cards in the game. For these reasons, Kickstarter is an obvious choice to fund this project.