Hey Feather Fanatics,

Spring is just around the corner, and soon, many of our favorite birds will be migrating back for summer! With the changing seasons comes an exciting milestone for this project—we're thrilled to announce that development is nearly complete, and it's time to start locking orders in the Pledge Manager.

Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work finalizing all the files for the various Bird games and accessories. At this stage, everything is nearly complete, with the only remaining pieces being the Goose and Mr. Darcy Stuffies. We’re happy to report that we’re 100% on track with our estimated timeline and plan to kick off manufacturing in June.

As we receive samples of the final products, we’ll be sure to share updates and sneak peeks with you—so stay tuned!

With manufacturing just a few months away, it’s time to start locking in orders through the Pledge Manager. This step helps us confirm the exact quantities we need to produce and ensures a smooth shipping process.

If you haven’t finalized your order yet, now is the time! We’ll be sending out Completion Reminders and Final Notices next week, so you’ll have a heads-up before your order is locked and your payment method is charged.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].

Some of you have asked how the new tariffs are impacting us, so we wanted to take a moment to break it down and explain why it matters.

The short version? These tariffs hit small publishers like us hard. Unlike what some might assume, tariffs aren’t paid by the country they target—they’re paid by businesses importing goods. That means every time we bring a product into the U.S., we’re charged a percentage of the manufacturing cost. In some cases, we even get hit with the tariff twice—once when it enters the U.S. and again when we ship it to a fulfillment center in Canada.

A predictable tariff isn’t the problem—we typically account for a tariff of less than 10% when pricing our games, adjusting factors like art and production costs to keep the MSRP reasonable. The real problem arises when tariffs suddenly change or spike dramatically. Overnight increases can throw off all of our carefully planned budgets, making games unexpectedly expensive to produce and even unprofitable once they’ve already been manufactured and shipped.

Some might suggest manufacturing in the U.S. as a solution, but unfortunately, that’s not an option—there simply aren’t factories here capable of producing board games at the same level of quality. Even if such facilities were built, they’d likely be booked solid by larger publishers, leaving little room for smaller companies like ours.

What does this mean for us? For now, we’re absorbing the extra costs, sacrificing profit margins to keep our games from increasing in price. But there may come a point where we need to raise prices in order to continue investing in future art, game development, and our team. If you're one of our backers, there's not much to worry about—your prices are locked in. But we’re sharing this because we want you to know that these policy changes have very real consequences for small businesses like ours. If this resonates with you, feel free to share our story as an example of how trade policies impact independent publishers.

And to those who’ve reached out with concern—thank you. Your support means everything to us!

That’s it for now! Thanks for being part of this journey with us and get excited for the next stage of the project!

Happy Friday,
The Rose Gauntlet Team

It’s February, and we’re officially jealous of anyone who had the chance to migrate to warmer climates. For those of us braving the snowy north, we’re making it through with plenty of shoveling—but also unlimited hot chocolate! While February tends to be a quieter month due to the Chinese New Year, it’s also a time for reflection and planning. Looking ahead to new projects has always made it one of my favorite months. 

Even as we plan for the future, we’re making great progress on all four Bird Games! We’ve received new samples, allowing us to see previously unprinted components and test different materials. These samples are very close to the final versions, and we’re excited to share them with you!

Flock now features its finished feather tokens and player boards, and the colors really pop on the table. Plus, check out the brand-new first player token in the top right corner! Everything is coming together beautifully.

Rook Requiem now has its final tokens, and the cards have been slightly updated since the last version. We’re especially loving the unique expressions in the ghost deck—each ghost has a name and a mysterious backstory hinting at their past.

All of Pebbles’ tokens are here, and they look incredible! Only some are pictured, but Lyss did an amazing job adding tiny details that bring this strange little world to life. The wooden meeples are also looking fantastic—I have no idea how I’ll choose which team to play when they all look so good!

Birds on Birds now has its final score track and squirrel score tokens! The wooden bird pieces turned out great, with eye-catching vibrant colors. We’re still deciding on the best type of wood to use—different options have varying weights and brightness levels in printing. Since this is our first dexterity game, it’s been fun learning about all the tiny details that go into a game like this!

One of the reasons we pushed to get these new samples made? We’re heading to GAMA Expo later this month! If you’re attending, stop by the Allplay Booth to see these samples up close. You can also demo our upcoming game Keystone North America 2nd Edition before its official release this spring!

With development almost complete, we’re turning our attention to accessories! First up: the premium acrylic feather tokens for Flock! They turned out amazing—and we can confirm they feel just as good as they look! The bright, crisp printing and the satisfying click they make on the table add an extra layer of fun. If you missed out on this accessory, there’s still time to add it to your order!

To those affected by the California wildfires, our hearts go out to you. If you need to cancel your pledge due to these hardships, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We completely understand and will do our best to support whatever decision you need to make. Your safety and well-being come first. You can reach out to us via email at [email protected]

Thanks for all your support and we'll be back next month with another update! 

The Rose Gauntlet Team

Exciting news: the Pledge Manager is now open! This is a crucial step in the crowdfunding process as it helps us determine final order quantities for this project. Even better, it means we’re one step closer to bringing these fun games to your table. We’re also thrilled to share the rulebooks for all four games. These are still works in progress (WIP), so enjoy this early look with the understanding that some tweaks may happen before they’re finalized.

The Pledge Manager is your personalized portal to:

To access the Pledge Manager, just follow the instructions in the email we’ve sent to you. If you run into any issues or have questions, our support team is here to help. Contact us anytime at [email protected], and we’ll gladly assist you.

You can click here to late pledge and receive all the same benefits and access to products as being a backer.

The rulebooks for all four games are now available for download! Each one features its own unique style and layout, giving you a taste of what’s to come. Please keep in mind that these are still in development, and changes may be made before they go to print.

Birds on Birds Rulebook
Flock! Rulebook
Pebbles Rulebook
Rook Requiem Rulebook

Thank you for your continued support as we bring the Bird Series to life. We can’t wait to share more updates with you next month!

The Rose Gauntlet Team

Hey Feather Fanatics,

We've made it to the end of the year! As December wraps up, we've been busy finalizing all the game files and rulebooks. We're thrilled to share the official rulebooks with you next month. Our next step is to apply the same level of detail and care to all the expansions and accessories.  On another exciting note, the Pledge Manager will be opening in early January!  When it opens, we'll provide a special update with instructions on how to complete your order (don't worry it's super easy). 

As the year draws to a close, we wanted to express our heartfelt gratitude for your support throughout 2024. Our company has grown significantly this year, but we're still 100% remote. Often, it's just us in our home offices, hoping our latest idea will resonate with someone out there. Your support through crowdfunding projects helps us feel connected to the gaming community and motivates us to overcome the challenges of the creative process. In other words, it makes us feel like we're all in this together! Thank you—without this community, our company and games wouldn't be the same.

On behalf of the entire Rose Gauntlet Team, we'd like to wish you all a wonderful holiday season, whether you're celebrating now or in the weeks to come.

Lindsey and Isaac