Smallfolk Monthly #4 - Lunar New Year Update and UKGE prep!
6 months ago
– Thu, Feb 26, 2026 at 08:25:11 AM
Welcome to the fourth monthly instalment of Smallfolk updates! February has been quite a slow month of admin, proof reading, and compliance checks. We had a small break in getting the files verified due to the Lunar New Year, but our manufacturing partners will soon be working again to get everything signed off for us to start the translations.
UKGE Prep
With May rapidly approaching, we are excited to be prepping for UKGE. We won't talk about it in this update, but we did want to show off a sneak-peek of our entry into the Pin Collective 2026...
This is our adorable Tanuki Teakettle, based off of the original illustration on the Smallfolk box art by Thomas Chamberlain-Keen. People loved our last year's entry, but we think this one is something special! We plan on printing a very limited quantity of these, so be sure to visit our stall (3-205) if you want to get your hands on one!
Pledge Manager
Almost 90% of backers have completed their Pledge Manager survey - we're almost there!
If you haven't received your survey yet, please check your spam or promotions folder. If it's still missing, you can recover it via the survey recovery page.
Please complete your survey as soon as possible. The sooner we have everyone's selections locked in, the sooner we can move onto the next production steps.
Note: Your address will remain editable right up until we begin fulfilment.
Late Pledge store
Missed the Kickstarter? No worries! The Pledge Manager will remain open for late pledges for the next few months, so there's still time to secure your copy of Smallfolk.
If you know anyone who might have missed the campaign, feel free to point them towards our Late Pledge store.
General News
Indie Spotlight
Jess and Jamison from Only Then Studios have been hugely supportive of our Smallfolk release, and we recently added a character from their new game, Darkleaf Gambit, to the Familiar Faces pack. Their Late Pledge store is only open for a few more days, so if you're interested in checking the game out you should do so soon.
Another game we've backed is the 2nd edition of Hit the Silk by Escape Plan Board Games. It's a social, semi-co-op experience for those players who like backstabbing their friends... and it only has a few days left.
What's next?
Due to the Lunar New Year holidays, as well as certain compliance checks and proof-reading, we're still waiting to get the files verified before we start translation and localisation.
This means that while we haven't received our final prototype yet, it shouldn't be long! You'll be the first to see pictures when it finally arrives.
From all of us at Roc Nest Games, thank you again for your continued support. If there's anything you'd like us to cover in future updates, let us know in the comments and we'll be happy to include it!
Mo & Alice @rocnestgames
Smallfolk Monthly #3 - Rulebook
7 months ago
– Tue, Jan 27, 2026 at 09:55:22 AM
Welcome to the third monthly instalment of Smallfolk updates! We're a little late, but that's because we've been hard at work, alongside the incredibly talented Gamze Derinoz, putting the finishing touches on the rulebook and locking in the final Legend card designs.
Rulebook
We're happy to say that the Smallfolk rulebook is complete and currently undergoing a thorough proof-reading pass to ensure clarity, consistency, and accessibility throughout.
This stage is all about polish: tightening wording, double-checking examples, and making sure the rules read as smoothly as possible for new and experienced players alike. We're really proud of how it's shaping up and we'll share it with you as soon as the review process is complete.
... but here's a sneak peek anyway!
Pledge Manager
So far, 86% of backers have completed their Pledge Manager survey - thank you so much for the quick responses!
If you haven't received your survey yet, please check your spam or promotions folder. If it's still missing, you can recover it via the survey recovery page.
Please complete your survey as soon as possible. The sooner we have everyone's selections locked in, the sooner we can move onto the next production steps.
Note: Your address will remain editable right up until we begin fulfilment.
Late Pledge store
Missed the Kickstarter? No worries! The Pledge Manager will remain open for late pledges for the next few months, so there's still time to secure your copy of Smallfolk.
If you know anyone who might have missed the campaign, feel free to point them towards our Late Pledge store.
General News
Indie Spotlight
There's one game we've been eagerly waiting for, and it launched today!
Stellar Ventures is an interactive economic game set in space. Play as investors who each compete to have the most money. Take turns building outposts across the map, unlocking powerful technologies, and making sordid deals with with the aliens.
While the tone is very different from the cozy, relaxed vibe of Smallfolk, we absolutely love its rich thematic setting, beautiful production, and deep decision space. If you're looking for something more strategic and cut-throat, it's well worth checking out!
What's next?
We're now putting the final touches on Smallfolk as a whole and completing proof-reading across all components before sending the files off for translation and localisation.
Also, we expect to receive our final prototype soon (fingers crossed by the end of February), which will be the next milestone for Smallfolk.
From all of us at Roc Nest Games, thank you again for your continued support. If there's anything you'd like us to cover in future updates, let us know in the comments and we'll be happy to include it!
Mo & Alice @rocnestgames
Smallfolk Monthly #2 - Solo Mode
8 months ago
– Mon, Dec 22, 2025 at 09:06:35 AM
Welcome to the second monthly instalment of Smallfolk updates. It's been a slower month than usual due to the holidays, but we've still got some content for you!
Solo Mode
With the new and improved solo mode, you walk the hero's path. Join the 12 Heroes in their story, helping them complete their unique quest.
Each extra large-sized Legend card represents the story of a Hero; their own personal myth. It lays out the unique set of objectives you'll need to achieve in order to win the game.
Each Legend card contains three objectives, usually made up of:
-
A victory point requirement
For Moonfolk: your story and victory point pool must total 35 VP or more
-
A task
For Moonfolk: you must refresh 3 or more story cards in a single turn
-
An endgame condition
For Moonfolk: you must have 4 Air cards in your story at the end of the game
These objectives push you to try different strategies, lean into your Hero's ability, and approach each solo game with a clear goal in mind.
If you manage to complete all three objectives, store it back in the box flipped as a reminder of your success.
Flipped Legend cards act as a record of your accomplishments, letting you easily track which Heroes you've mastered and which legends are waiting to be told. They also tell you a bit more about the Hero in question, giving some insight into their story. But you can, of course, re-tell each Legend as many times as you'd like!
After you've completed all the base game Legends, you're ready to step up to the challenge of the six new Heroes from the Taller Tales mini-expansion, each bringing their own objectives and tales!
Pledge Manager
We sent out the Pledge Manager via email last month over 80% of you have already responded! If you haven't received yours yet, it may have been caught by your spam filter. Please try the survey recovery page if you still can't find it.
Please complete your survey as soon as possible. The sooner we have everyone's orders, the sooner we can move on to the next steps.
Note: Your address will remain editable until we begin shipping.
Late Pledges
If you missed the Smallfolk Kickstarter but still want to join in, you can visit our Late Pledge store to get access to the game!
General News
Indie Spotlight
December is traditionally a slow month for Kickstarter releases so we don't have any games to mention this Indie Spotlight. However, last month you provided us a few games that we ended up backing, and we'd love to hear from you again!
If you’ve backed any exciting games recently, please do share them in the comments.
What's next?
The talented Gamze Derinoz has been helping us put the finishing touches on the rulebook and we hope we can share that with you next month. We're also hard at work making sure all the text in Smallfolk has been proof-read and finalised so that we can start translations as soon as possible.
If there's anything else you'd like to see covered in the next update, please comment below and we'll be sure to include it!
From all of us at Roc Nest Games, we wish you happy holidays!
Mo & Alice @rocnestgames
Smallfolk Monthly #1 - Pledge Manager LIVE!
9 months ago
– Thu, Nov 27, 2025 at 08:53:16 AM
Welcome to the first monthly instalment of Smallfolk updates. Since your support helped us become officially funded, we've been hard at work getting everything ready for printing!
Pledge Manager
We sent out the Pledge Manager via email today and well over 25% of you have already responded - that's fantastic! If you haven't received it yet, it may have been caught by your spam filter. Please check your junk folder and reach out if you still can't find it.
Please complete your survey as soon as possible. The sooner we have everyone's orders, the sooner we can move on to the next steps.
Note: Your address will remain editable until we begin shipping.
Late Pledges
If you missed the Smallfolk Kickstarter but still want to join in, you can visit our Late Pledge store to get access to the game!
True Hero pledges
Everyone who grabbed a True Hero pledge has now been contacted and @sansiia has been hard at work fulfilling their requests. If you're interested in claiming a True Hero pledge yourself, you'll be able to purchase once through the Pledge Manager.
These are extremely limited; only 4 remain - so act fast!
We'll reach out after purchase to collaborate with you on your unique art.
Tariff Charges
If US tariffs on Chinese goods remain at their current low rate, we will cover this additional cost ourselves. However, if tariffs increase before goods ship from the factory, we may need to pass a portion of the increased cost on to backers receiving their pledges from the US fulfilment centre, in the form of an additional shipping fee.
iOS App Users
Due to Apple's privacy settings, we are unable to automatically connect backers who pledged using the iOS Kickstarter app to their Pledge Manager accounts. We've sent Kickstarter messages to those affected asking for a secondary email so that we can link your pledge.
General News
Indie Spotlight
Each month, we’ll highlight games that have caught our eye. This month, we’ve been fully focused on launching the Pledge Manager, so we haven’t backed any new projects.
However, we’d love to hear from you! If you’ve backed any exciting games recently, share them in the comments; we’re always on the lookout to support fellow game designers!
What's next?
We’ve been putting the final touches on the new and improved solo mode (from the Legends stretch goal), and we’re excited to share more about it in next month’s update.
If there's anything else you'd like to see covered in the next update, please comment below and we'll be sure to include it!
Mo & Alice @rocnestgames
FUNDING OVER - Final Statistics
10 months ago
– Tue, Oct 07, 2025 at 09:18:21 AM
What a journey this has been! We'd like to thank each and every backer who helped Smallfolk not only cross the finish line, but fund 1066% of its original goal!
You're all amazing; from the 543 backers that want the base game of Smallfolk, to the 1,454 backers who went as deluxe as possible!
Some statistics
Our first backer was a from Alabama, USA; howdy!
We funded in 15 minutes; that's over twice as fast as our first campaign, Chroma Arcana.
Speaking of Chroma Arcana, 144 of you loved it so much that you've come back for more. Welcome back!
We closed at 1066% funded with 2,243 backers and £106,638 ($143,727) raised!
There were 121 backers who had never used Kickstarter before. Welcome - we'll make sure you'll enjoy your first Kickstarter experience.
An incredible 19% of our pre-Kickstarter followers backed us. For a little perspective, the average successful Kickstarter has a conversion rate of 10%, meaning our fan-base really liked what they saw!
In total, you have helped us plant 2,021 mangrove trees!
Our last backer was from Glasgow, Scotland; tapadh leibh!
What's next?
It's time for us to take a week to relax - we learned from Chroma Arcana that it's important to take a break at the end of the campaign.
During our break, our fulfilment partner (the wonderful Back Office by Naylor Games) will be preparing the Pledge Manager. When we get back, we'll work on finalising the copy on all the cards and sending them over to our various partners to start translations!
Indie Spotlight
Eclipse Phase is one of our favourite roleplaying games, and we're very excited to see it expanded further into the board game SCUM. They're already well over 200% of their funding goal, but there are only a few days left to back and it looks like it's going to be a very satisfyingly crunchy board game.
And don't forget, you can still partake in our Fund it Forward campaign with Robo Rescue.
Finally...
We'll be switching to monthly updates to avoid overwhelming you with emails.
From everyone here at Roc Nest Games: thank you for all your support!
