March of Empires is the latest mobile hit to head into the world of tabletop with a new Kickstarter

• March of Empires is set to arrive on tabletop with a new Kickstarter
• March of Empires: Time of War boasts fast-paced action for 2-4 players
• The key Hourglass feature manages how you build your kingdom and recruit units

It seems as if it were only a week ago that the Clash of Clans tabletop Kickstarter smashed records and was funded in mere hours. But now it seems they're not the only mobile hit making their way to a kitchen table near you. That's because March of Empires is starting off its own Kickstarter for a new tabletop adaptation!

March of Empires: Time of War is intended as a fast-paced strategy experience that neatly blends the kingdom-building and warfare aspects of the mobile game. With a play time of only 30 minutes and 2-4 players recommended, it may not be Cathan but it certainly sounds accessible, which is always great.

More than that, it also adapts a highly contentious mechanic from mobile strategy. Hourglasses, timers! Whatever you want to call them, they're a pain. But in Time of War, they're key to managing the building of your kingdom and recruitment of units. So keep an eye out because these aren't just slowing you down.

Time goes by, so slowly

The decision to bring March of Empires to tabletop may work out a little more favourably than Clash of Clans. I think that where Clash may suffer from being too recognisable, March of Empires can pass for a brand new IP on the store shelves, meaning there's no stigma attached to it.

Not to say I think anyone would be turned away by Clash of Clans. But the peril of an IP-based board game is that it can turn away those not already familiar, who assume it to be an impenetrable fan-focused experience.

If you want to see what other great strategy experiences could be coming to tabletop, why not go ahead and dig into some of our lists? Check out our ranking of the best strategy games for Android to get started!