The reviews for Shields Up! are coming in and it really is fantastic to see the response. As a designer the most gratifying thing is to see that the reviewers are interpreting the game exactly as I had intended.
One detail about the game that I really enjoy is that late in the game there can be a lot of cards tied up in hands, shields and equipment on the table. This leaves very few cards for the draw/discard pile. This can lead to a mini variation of the game each time as the contents of the draw pile can be really slim. This means players will repeatedly abuse those same cards to some end. The result of all this is that the end game dynamics can be very different in each game. Ultimately, there is always a way to win though, its all about spotting the chance first. I was really pleased to see that this review by Everything Board Games picked up on that.
Everything Board Games review of Shields Up!:
http://www.everythingboardgames.com/2018/04/shields-up-kickstarter-preview.html
In this video review by Boardgames and Bourbon its fantastic to hear how much they loved this little game. I believe that much of the success of the design is due to the rapid refinement it received at Protospiel Madison.
There is still pleanty of time to get in the Kickstarter. You can get just Shields Up! for $10, including shipping. Or for $24 you can get Shields Up! plus two other great 18 card mirco games! Again, shipping included!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1955058029/kingdom-18-itty-bitty-dungeon-delve-and-shields-up
