It’s the final year of XOXO Fest — the experimental festival for independent artists and creators who work on the internet. BackerKit is proud to once again be a patron along with Fastly and Cotton Bureau as the event takes one last, triumphant bow.
We’ve always been fans of XOXO Fest and the folks behind it. Their mission to spotlight and champion amazing indie creatives resonates deeply with us at BackerKit. We believe that a single crowdfunding project can be the start of something bigger, and we’re dedicated to helping artists, writers, designers, and innovators of all kinds lead their boldest creative lives. XOXO Fest embodies that spirit, and we are thrilled to be a part of the festivities this year and connect with those of you who will be attending.
Where to find us
BackerKit will be at Show Bar throughout XOXO Fest. We’ll be hosting two exciting events there for tabletop creators and fans, and we’ll be around to chat, so stop by and visit us!
Join the Game Jam | Friday, August 23rd, 11 AM – 5 PM
Are you ready to make your own tabletop game? On Friday, BackerKit will be hosting a Tabletop Game Jam. This is your opportunity to collaborate with other game designers to create a new game or give a classic a new spin. The event will wrap up with each team unveiling their creations to the group.
Play indie tabletop games with their designers | Friday, August 23rd, 7pm – 11pm
The following creators will be joining us:
Wilmot’s Warehouse
Adapted from the video game of the same name, Wilmot’s Warehouse is a colorful cooperative memory game where your team works together to organize the warehouse, using memory, imagination, and silly stories you make up. Presented by James Nathan Spencer, COO of CMYK (Wavelength, Monikers, Daybreak).
Nekojima
In Unfriendly Games’ Nekojima, players stack electrical poles to power districts across “The Island of Cats,” navigating the narrow territory while avoiding the mischievous cats strolling on the cables, in a balancing act of concentration and skill. Presented by Hachette Director T. Caires.
Drawn Hungry: Play Like A Chef
Game designer and illustrator Jordan Mishra Johnson spent over 1,000 hours drawing 323 unique illustrations for Drawn Hungry, a culinary card game in which players compete to make the best meal for special occasions using lushly-illustrated dish and ingredient cards from their hand.
Canopy: Evergreen / March of the Ants
Weird City Games’ Tim Eisner previews two upcoming upgrades to his beloved nature-themed strategy games. In Canopy: Evergreen, players grow a bountiful 3D forest set in the Pacific Northwest, while in March of the Ants: Evolved Edition, players grow their ant colony and compete with rival nests.
Hurt Party: A Game of Bad Apologies
The latest conversational card game from Pink Tiger Games, Hurt Party is a party game that pokes fun at all of the terrible ways we say we’re sorry, in which players try to make up for ridiculous hurts by delivering terrible apologies from their hand. Presented by creator Ami Baio.
Shape Shape
A card game for lousy artists, great artists, and everyone in between. In Shape Shape, players try to draw a secret drawing prompt for their partner using only shapes from their shape cards. Designer Jason Furie shares the latest prototype of the game, coming to BackerKit next year.
Epilogue: Finish Your Story
Violet Daisy Games’ upcoming Epilogue is a word-building storytelling game where you play as ghosts trying to figure out how you died so you can pass on to the other side, using word fragment cards to cooperatively build words to move the story along. Presented by designer Emma Larkins.
Tabletop Library
Like past years, we asked festival friend and GeekDad senior editor Jonathan H. Liu to share his favorite games from his extensive tabletop library. They’re available any time for you to check out from inside the tent to play, just bring them back when you’re done!
You can check out the full schedule of events here.
Say hello to the BackerKit team
Please drop by to discuss any upcoming crowdfunding launches you have in the works. Our expert team will be on hand to answer your questions about BackerKit and offer advice on how you can set yourself up for success.
If you’re planning to go to XOXO Fest, you can reach out to us ahead of time at [email protected] to let us know you’ll be there.
We can’t wait to see you in Portland!