The folks at Monolith are gearing up to launch their latest Kickstarter on November 6th (3:00 pm EST 9:00 pm GMT+1). This will be a redux of the classic two-player survival game, Claustrophobia. We had another chat with the folks at Monolith about Claustrophobia 1643 and how they are taking a new approach to the Kickstarter platform.

With Claustrophobia 1643, Monolith has reimagined the original game, giving it their own polish. Being miniatures enthusiasts who attract miniatures enthusiasts, they opted to provide high-quality, non-painted miniatures this time. Within this giant box, you will find forty-eight game tiles, loads of components, and a heap of new miniatures representing the infernal hordes of Hell as well as the holy warriors and convicts who fight them.

To be exact, backers will receive...

• 13x Demons
• 11x Troglodytes
• 2x Tough Troglodytes
• 2x Unique Hellhounds
• 7x Humans

That’s thirty-five miniatures, twenty-four of which are unique sculpts. Players of the original game may remember using one demon to represent many different demons, but that is no longer the case. Even each hellhound is unique.

Have a look at the unboxing video here for a peek at what's inside...

What else is new? The artwork, miniatures, and ergonomics have all been updated, but that’s not all. This version of the game also comes packed with the first expansion, “De Profundis”. In terms of gameplay, this version will hew very close to the original, though, Monolith has made a few refinements that allow greater control and ease of play.

In the first version, allocating certain dice results meant the Redeemer could trigger gifts. Now, this game mechanic is shared by all the characters, so the Human player can draw cards with a specific dice value. These cards can change the dice result or trigger effects, just like the demon cards. Additionally, the Infernal player’s Board of Destiny has been streamlined and made clearer, and both players have their own dice! For a peek into how the game plays, have a look at our previous article HERE.

And what about the Kickstarter itself? This campaign will be quite different than others. After much discussion within the team, market study, backer feedback and consultation with Kickstarter, Monolith has decided on a paradigm shift this time.

They have already begun producing a run of 10,000 copies of the game – 4,800 for North America, 4,800 for Europe, 200 for Asia, and 200 for Oceania. Pre-producing the game allows them to quickly get it out to backers in an unprecedented short turnaround of approximately 8 weeks. This rationale has been explained, at length, in this article HERE.

Monolith wants to be up-front and absolutely clear with their fans and supporters. These quantities are strictly limited for this campaign! They’re even including a numbered, limited edition art print in each box. So, if you know you want this game, they urge you to pledge when it launches November 6th (3:00 pm EST 9:00 pm GMT+1). The team do hope to produce an additional campaign, offering more content later, but that is dependent on the success of this Kickstarter.

Of course, with this model, they won’t offer stretch goals or add-ons because everything will already be in production. Backers also won’t have to fill out a pledge manager, as shipping will be charged when you pledge. Sounds simple, yes?

The price will be $79, which is approximately half the cost of a comparable game at retail. Backers will be spared the cost of retail markup or overhead, so this should be a great value.
Well, there you have it.

If you’re looking for a hellish two-player asymmetrical survival game, sounds like Monolith will have what you crave on November 6th (3:00 pm EST 9:00 pm GMT+1).

Are you going to be backing this campaign?