Late pledge store – Fame and Fable: a fantasy board game

February Update
2 days ago – Tue, Mar 10, 2026 at 03:50:06 AM

There are no major updates this month, but this is a round-up of our February...

Paradice

We had a fabulous time at Paradice last weekend, and thanks to everyone who came and said hello. I demoed Fame and Fable, and, as always, it was great to see those games unfold. 

Mariners

We also had the chance to share a handmade prototype of our new game, Mariners. It was awesome to watch so many of you enjoying it. For those who asked about the Kickstarter for Mariners, here is a link to the pre-launch page—it looks very bare-bones at the moment, and the actual campaign won't go live until later this year, but if you click the 'Notify me on launch' button, it will help you keep track of its progress. Here are a couple of shots of it hitting the table at the weekend:

Fame and Fable Production Schedule

I don't have a lot to tell you here. I am still waiting for the mass-production samples from the factory. They have now told me I will receive these at the end of March. I do not yet have a solid date for when the games will be ready to ship, but it looks like this will be toward the end of April. Unfortunately, this is all completely out of my control. As always, I will keep you updated as things develop.

In the meantime, if you need to change your delivery address, you can do so in BackerKit. If you have any issues with this or any part of your order, [email protected] is standing by, ready to help.

What is on My Gaming Table?

First up is a lightweight party game that is as much about getting to know the other players as anything else. The lovely folk at Gamely Games have just launched their first Kickstarter in a decade, The Curator. This is a really fun experience which forces you to be creative using beautiful photos to convey human experiences—along the lines of games like Dixit or Mysterium. I managed to snag the coveted title of backer #1 for this, so come and join the party.

Secondly, we have the considerably heftier The Old King's Crown by Eerie Idol Games, which now has a second printing live on Gamefound, along with the New Songs of Home Expansion and a particularly intriguing in-world mini game called Annulet. The original game is an absolute beauty and a real love letter to illustration and board game production. Ostensibly, this is a trick-taking game about bluffing and battle lines, but that really doesn't do it justice. It has been lauded with acclaim from all angles, including swathes of love being pelted at it from folks like The Dice Tower and Shut Up and Sit Down. No wonder it sold out everywhere! 

Bye!

See you in the next update!

January Update | Mass Production | Another Bag Upgrade | Schedule Update | Paradice
about 1 month ago – Sun, Feb 08, 2026 at 09:36:01 AM

Mass Production

Fame and Fable is being made as we speak—cards and rulebooks are being printed and trimmed, boxes assembled, and player tokens cut, painted and screen printed. We had two more attempts at getting all the colours right before I was happy to sign them off, but the factory is now busy getting everything created to its usual high standards. 

One thing that became clear from the prototypes was some inconsistency issues with screen printing onto the lovely textured bags. Sometimes they came out great, but sometimes there were areas of poor coverage or smudged paint. This isn't an issue with the factory, but the combination of materials and the nature of mass manufacturing. I didn't want to settle for blank bags or provide you all with something so variable, so I am upgrading your bags yet again to a new embroidered finish! These look and feel really lovely and I'm super excited for all you Legend-tier backers to get your hands on them. Here's a photo of how these beauties are looking.

Production Schedule

I am now at the mercy of the factory with the timeline, but there's no chance they'll get the games out before Chinese New Year. I do not regret this (my goal has always been to prioritise quality over speed), but I do apologise for the delay. We hope to ship an example of mass production copies out to the language partners (and me) before Chinese New Year so that those approvals can happen while the factory is closed. When the factory reopens at the start of March, assembly of all your games should then only take a few weeks. 

When I have a clear idea of how these small delays may affect the overall schedules for fulfilment to backers in the different territories, I will let you all know, so please keep an eye on these updates. 

Paradice

In exciting news, Owen Davey Games will be at Paradice in Worthing again this year. This is my hometown games convention and the third time I'll be exhibiting there. I'm delighted to share that we'll be demoing a brand new game called 'Mariners', which I will be crowdfunding in the near future, after you have your copies of Fame and Fable.

Fame and Fable will, of course, also be there to show to people—I should have a couple of properly manufactured copies by then, so that you can play a real version of the final game, rather than just a prototype. Fame and Fable will not be available for sale or for collection at this event. If any of you are making a special trip for Paradice, please do reach out to me to book a demo of either game by emailing me at [email protected]

What is on My Gaming Table?

If you often play two-player games and you're looking for something that is beautifully made, cosy and a bit thinky, Flamecraft Duals by Cardboard Alchemy is brilliant, in my opinion. I backed this one on Kickstarter and they have done a wonderful job on the production. Just look at that gorgeous artwork by Sandara Tang!

Each turn, you take a token from a bag and place it on a board. You're trying to match the tokens on the board to your hidden cards. Each token you place has a special power, which can affect other tokens on the board. This is not a game of long-term strategy, but is a reactive gem, which allows for some satisfying chain effects that let you score multiple cards on a single turn. If you've had the chance to play Harmonies, it's a bit like that, but with dragons (each with their own superpowers). I've loved it, and I'm looking forward to trying it out solo too. 

Bye!

See you in the next update!

A Big Year | BackerKit Charging Cards | Pre-Production Images
2 months ago – Fri, Jan 02, 2026 at 09:09:28 AM

2025

It's easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day development, details and organisation of manufacturing a board game, but today, I wanted to remind myself that one year ago, this project was still just a dream. Granted, it was a dream I'd spent years working towards, but I had no idea whether it would actually work out or not. This game is now becoming a reality, and yet again, I'd like to thank you all for helping make this happen!

I've spent the last couple of weeks in full Dad mode, snatching only brief moments to pester Panda (the manufacturers) and language partners, but here is where the project is as we move into 2026...

BackerKit will Charge Cards Soon

Most of you have input details to BackerKit, your delivery and taxes have been calculated, and your order is locked. Your addresses have not been locked—these can be updated until closer to the fulfilment of your order, and you will be given a warning. Your BackerKit charges have not yet been taken from your accounts, but BackerKit will be charging your cards on the 7th January. I was going to set this in motion before Christmas, but I thought it best to allow everyone to hopefully get their January payday first. 

Pre Production Sample

In general, I'm delighted with how the pre-production sample (PPC) turned out from the factory. It's only digital printing for this sample rather than the full glory of lithography, but things are looking great. I particularly love the new Retail box with its artworked insert. There are a few things that need fixing for me to be completely happy, but we're almost there. Below, I've detailed some of the changes that we're making.

The Scale of a Legend

We've had to shrink the length of the packaging for the Legend Expansion Packs by 1cm so they fit in the largest insert area in the Deluxe Edition box—it's just something I foolishly never thought to check until the physical copy arrived. Luckily, it was an easy fix.

Insert Here

The insert for the Retail Edition has been adjusted after receiving the PPC to improve the structural integrity of the overall design. Originally, the lowest section was one long thin area to house all the tokens—this created a weak point at both the highlighted white section AND the highlighted red/orange section in the left image above. We decided to remove the divider in the orange section and place the components in that well. The small cards now fit in the bottom section, and the piece of card (highlighted pink in the right image above) now runs from top to bottom, creating a sturdier design overall.

This short clip shows the original design being replaced with an updated white prototype before a quick test with the colour again. I think this design makes a lot more sense and will stand the test of time. 

Component Colours

I chose to make a game using only 8 colours, so trying to keep those colours consistent across multiple materials was always going to be a challenge. Panda has done a fabulous job with this so far, but there are a few pieces where we've had to try again.

In the image above, the player token on the left is from the recent PPC, which the factory had tried to colour-match to some printed components. The one on the right used a Pantone reference and was included in the prototype Panda made for us. This prototype version is far superior, so we have reverted to the initial prototype colour—you can see how well it matches the colour behind it.

Every example of the off-white was inconsistent with the off-white shown on the printed game board behind it. The factory had tried to colour match them, because Pantone colours are pretty rubbish with off-white colours, but I've asked for them to look at it again. Some of the pieces almost have that glow-in-the-dark kind of colour (but without any glow-in-the-dark capabilities). Anyway, it wasn't right, so I'm getting new samples from the factory soon.

What is on My Gaming Table?

I've been enjoying some solo gaming time in the evenings with Kinfire Delve, by Incredible Dream Studios. I was playing Scorn's Stockade (obviously, I chose the pink version), and it took me a few games to get good enough to win. It has beautiful artwork, a rich fantasy theme and a satisfying puzzle of efficiency each turn—something I think you Fame and Fable backers should be able to get behind. 

Players use cards in different combos, triggering special abilities and burning through an enemy deck to face off against the big baddy at the end. I'd played it 3-player before (combined with Vainglory's Grotto), which I loved, but this was my first solo outing and the control it brought elevated it to a new level for me. You really have to plan turns ahead to make sure you're using your cards wisely, because refreshing them brings a penalty that can cause you to lose. I also love the little bit of dice-rolling, which added some luck and drama to each turn.

Bye!

See you in the next update!

November Update | Update on the Timeline | Photos from the Factory | Art
4 months ago – Wed, Nov 26, 2025 at 08:07:39 AM

November Update

Progress Report

My Pre-Production Copy is due to arrive any day now, and all language files have been handed off to Panda Manufacturing, who is currently preparing the necessary digital proofs.

This game contains a huge number of cards, each with substantial text, which means a lot of translation work. It hasn’t been an easy task. We’ve worked closely with our language partners to produce high-quality translations for every card, and in many cases have gone through multiple revision passes to ensure players get the best possible experience in every supported language.

This level of care and attention, unfortunately, takes time. The one month I originally set aside for translation effectively became a four-month job. As a result, we have had to move the schedule. As always, I would much rather deliver an exceptional product a little later than send out a rushed, lower-quality version on time. I am sorry for the delay, and I appreciate your continued patience. 

If everything stays on track, mass manufacturing should be completed and out of the factories before Chinese New Year begins in mid-February. Shipping is estimated to take around two months. After that, the warehouses will begin packing and sending out your orders. Realistically, backers will likely start receiving their games in April, with deliveries continuing through May. I will continue to keep you updated with any new information during that time. 

Photos from the Factory

I love to see progress shots, so I thought I'd share some that Panda have shared with me:

You can see here the efforts they're making to get the closest colour matches for the wooden components vs the paper printed components (i.e. cards, art prints, etc.). It's not quite perfect yet, but we're getting close.

The colours in general are looking pretty spectacular from these shots, and I'm especially excited by how much the orange zings and how the two bags in the Deluxe Editions are looking. The white on the Action Trackers and the wooden components should be the same, so I've been chatting with Panda about fixing that, too.

To remind players of how many actions they have on their turn, I've added a little arrow to the design of the three (visible above). This number sits at the top of the design as well, so that when you place it the right way up in front of you, you'll already have it on the right number. These little user-friendly details are the kinds of things that I enjoy when playing games, so I hope you backers enjoy them too.

Artwork

More Monsters/Legends from the Legend Expansion and some Vanguard allies, which are in every game:

What is on My Gaming Table?

A little while back, I had the pleasure of meeting Hazel and Chris from Gamely Games, a local company that makes superb and beautiful party games. They are a carbon-neutral company that makes 100% plastic-free products and gives 10% of their profits to charity. They're all-around lovely humans. Their games have dominated my table recently — including their smash hit, Six Second Scribbles — but my kids are particularly into Bang Out of Order. This game forces you to guess numbers on the backs of cards and then place them in order from Zero to Infinity. Clues to those numbers are given on the front and may include 'Feathers on a Chicken', 'People who have ever climbed Mount Everest' and 'Blocks in Jenga' (I reckon I'd go Jenga as least and Feathers as the most in that combo). On your turn, if you think your opponents got it wrong, you shout "Bang Out of Order" and then turn the cards over. If anything is out of order, you win the cards, but if everything is as it should be, your opponents get them.

Anyway, this game is hard, but in the best way—and it's a lot of fun. It's great for letting my kids explore the idea of scale and use their logic, and it turns out they are often better at this than me. Plus, look, it's pink!

I thoroughly recommend you go check them out, and because they make small-box games that are beautifully presented, you could easily find a superb stocking-filler.

Bye!

See you in the next update

September & October Update
5 months ago – Tue, Oct 21, 2025 at 01:50:59 AM

Thanks for your patience, backers!

I've been waiting this month to give you a more comprehensive update, but a few of you have requested information, so here I am. Honestly, there's not a lot to tell you, but here's what I can share.

Digital Files Approved

All the design and artwork for each tier level and add-on have been created, reviewed, prepped for print and approved for the English version of Fame and Fable. I'm waiting on a few details from the manufacturer before a Pre-Production Copy of the game is made and sent to me to check over. It's one of those weird things where you can sometimes think all the digital files are perfect, then you receive the physical copy, and several little problems become immediately obvious. Suffice to say, this is an important part of the process to help avoid any mistakes in the final products. After this stage, a mass manufacturing version will be produced to make sure everything is tickety-boo, before the metaphorical big green button is pressed and the full print run kicks off. These interim stages might be a little boring, but they're a crucial chance to spot any necessary adjustments or tweaks. On my next update, I should be able to show you a sneak peek of how everything is looking.

Language Partners

A lot of the last two months has been about coordinating, reviewing and approving the fantastic work of the language partners. Fame and Fable has a lot of components and a lot of text, so this has been no mean feat. The finish line is in sight for these alternate languages, and every effort has been made by the teams to ensure we make a fantastic translation that stays true to the original game. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their continued efforts.

Pledge Manager

90% of you have filled in your details, which is superb. Anybody who will be expecting a physical reward, please check your BackerKit Pledge Manager and fill in your details if you haven't already. Pledges are now locked, so you cannot change the contents of your package, but you will be able to change your address for a while yet, so no need to panic there. As mentioned before, I will notify you before your shipping and taxes are actually charged.

As always, if you have any issues, please contact [email protected] who will be happy to help you out.

Artwork

I know you fine folk like to see the artwork from the game, so here are a few more. Most of these are from the Legend Expansion, or cards created for Vanguard backers. Those of you who played the game at UK Games Expo 2024 or Paradice 2025 may recognise one of the allies as my amazing expo helper, Chris, who makes an appearance and absolutely deserves to be immortalised in this game.

What is on My Gaming Table?

Okay, so I've not had much time to play board games recently, which is both ironic and a little sad. I did, however, manage a couple of games of Joyride: Turbo with some friends last month. Dice rolling, big chunky components, push-your-luck, player interaction and racing chaos all wrapped up in a gorgeous design with excellent artwork by Pye Parr. What's not to love? I think this Rebellion game plays best with 3 or 4 players, and there's so much replayability to it. If it sounds like your vibe, I thoroughly recommend checking it out! You obviously don't need to go all-in on this massive box version, but I think my investment will pay off over the years. It probably already has.

Bye!

See you in the next update