in which, in the spirit of our recent D.C. Giving Guide, we recommend some worthy Kickstarter projects

THE PROJECT: Zoneplex, a new board game (!) masterminded by former D.C. indie vet Shelby Cinca (Frodus, The Cassettes) and his pal Kenny Jakobsson, in which you, a warrior monk, must gain control of an alien pyramid spacecraft at the center of a black hole. In board-game talk, Zoneplex “combines a tile-laying/exploration mechanism, a collaborative battle system, and a zone control system to create an intriguing adventure deep within an alien structure.” Groovy.

ASK: $12,000, ending Feb. 25

KARMA SCORE: As high as the universe is vast.

THE PROJECT: On Your Mark, Get Set, MOW, a documentary about lawnmower racing by D.C. filmmaker Mike Ratel. The film focuses not on the sport’s more chaotic possibilities but its more charitable side—-specifically, an annual lawnmower race in Michigan that raises money to combat Huntington’s Disease. If all of that isn’t sentimental enough, Arlo Guthrie manages to appear.

ASK: $2,500, ending Feb. 13.

KARMA SCORE: 8

THE PROJECT: DDP, or Decentralized Dance Party, which looks like it’s basically the worst shit ever. Here’s the deal, so you know I’m not phoning in this blog feature: Founded in Vancouver, DDP is a flash mob-style itinerant rave involving an iPod, a backpack with an FM transmitter, and however many people with boomboxes show up. Its organizers have Miami Vice suits, at least one fake mustache, and a line chart that says “PARTY.” There is a dude in a monkey suit. And it is apparently coming here soon. Watch the video and despair.

ASK: $1,000, ending Feb. 10.

KARMA SCORE: -30.