Philharmonix, a tabletop worker placement and euro game from Archona Games, just launched a new Kickstarter campaign this week. It was fully funded in just an hour, and already has three times the goal amount.

In Philharmonix, 1 to 4 players compete for prestige points to become the greatest orchestra manager in the galaxy. You’ll need to tour the galaxy, build experience, recruit and train musicians, win sponsors, and even compose your own music to perform.

On Kickstarter, Philharmonix currently has an estimated delivery set for May 2025. Archona Games released a gameplay trailer earlier this month, with a detailed breakdown of game flow and components.

Tabletop fans may recognize Archona Games for Small Samurai Empires, an area control TTG. They released a heavier expansion, Rise of Tokugawa, just last year.

But Philharmonix simply looks brilliantly thematic. It might have thrived just fine without the sci-fi angle, since an orchestra is elaborate enough on its own.

However, the designers do seem to justify the spacefaring approach. The gameplay involves ship management too. While I haven’t had the chance to preview the game, it does look like your ship could shake up some familiar euro mechanics.

Composing your own music might seem a bit overmuch for some, and adds more weight. But as a musician myself, the mechanic looks like a real treat.

I also appreciate the cosmic art design seen in the latest trailer. The galactic scope seemed to invite more opportunities for lightheartedness, without losing the elegance of the profession.

The components themselves have unexpected table presence. The player boards and musician stages fit the space theme, but still look very tidy. That cleanliness is consistent with previous Archona Games titles.

The solo mode is also welcome surprise. The game’s many novelties should definitely intrigue fans of the genre, particularly fellow music lovers.

Support LBR and artists by reading more of our Tabletop and Video Game posts!