Dragons Brew - A Board Game Café Simulator

Kickstarter Update – 27/02/26
18 days ago – Fri, Feb 27, 2026 at 08:43:10 AM

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic February. It’s been a big month for NPCs and the new Arcade system so let’s dive into what’s new in Dragon’s Brew!

February 2026 Development:

NPC System Overhaul

Town NPCs have received a major upgrade! Previously, they would spawn at one end of town, follow a fixed waypoint path, and despawn at the other. That system has now been replaced with a brand-new dynamic pathing system and state machine, allowing NPCs to:

• Wander naturally instead of moving strictly from A to B
• Loiter around town
• Chat with other NPCs
• Stop to browse shop windows
• Enter shops to look around and even buy items themselves!

This is a huge step toward making the town feel more alive and believable! The same improvements now apply to customers inside your cafe. Instead of teleporting between the board game shelf and their seats, customers will now walk dynamically to their chosen seat and return naturally to the shelf when finished!

These systems are still early in development, but they already make a massive difference to immersion and overall flow.

Character Development (Classified 👀)

Behind the scenes, we’ve been significantly expanding each NPC with deeper detail on:

• Relationships with other townsfolk
• Personal backstories
• Aspirations
• Secrets
• Their role within the wider community

However this is all very much spoiler territory... I have a full development spreadsheet breaking everything down, but I’ve completely redacted it for now to avoid giving too much away 😅 A lot of what’s being built here ties directly into future story updates, quests, and character progression.. Just know that a lot is happening behind the scenes!

Gifting & Friendship Progression

The new friendship progression system is now fully implemented! After enough interactions you’ll no longer be considered a stranger, and as your friendship level increases:

• You unlock the ability to gift items
• Each NPC has their own preferences
• Gifting the right items increases friendship further
• Preferences become clearer the more you interact

At higher friendship levels, NPCs may even call you and gift their own unique special recipe for you to make and serve in your cafe. This system adds meaningful progression and makes relationships feel far more personal and rewarding!

New NPC Portraits

We’ve started rolling out a new portrait style across Pebblebrook’s NPCs and have begun work on Thistledown’s residents as well! More reveals coming soon!

Arcade System Development Begins!

Now for the exciting part… the Arcade System is officially in progress! Following feedback in our community discord, arcade cabinets will provide an active effect (similar to board games) and generate passive income while in use. The core system is now implemented (with polish still to come):

• Customers have a third option at the till (if you own an arcade machine)
• If selected, they’ll walk to an available cabinet
• They’ll play for a random duration
• Every in-game 10 minutes generates 1 money
• Arcade customers can order food and drinks while gaming
• Each cabinet provides an active effect
• There will be a cabinet to match each board game genre to theme around your cafe 👍

Arcade machines will be fairly expensive, but they’re designed as a strong late-game progression tool to evolve and enhance your cafe over time.

🗺️ New Public Roadmap

We’ve launched a more focused and streamlined public roadmap:

https://trello.com/b/iq8MiUkf

The previous roadmap was helpful but revealed too much and felt too broad. The new version is clearer, more structured, and keeps certain surprises under wraps while still showing what’s ahead.

What’s Next?

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be:

• Continuing development and cleanup of the arcade system
• Fixing bugs and refining arcade behaviour
• Finishing remaining NPC portraits
• Expanding NPC backstories and dialogue

I originally hoped to have this update fully wrapped before the end of the month, but with the additional systems and improvements being added it’s been pushed back slightly. I’m confident the extra time will be worth it!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and patience. Dragon’s Brew keeps growing because of you

❤️

Radic Creative

Kickstarter Update – 30/01/26
about 2 months ago – Fri, Jan 30, 2026 at 08:56:59 AM

Hi everyone, and welcome to the first Dragon’s Brew kickstarter update of 2026! 🎉 I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year break. Development is now back in full swing, and we’ve officially kicked off work on Update 0.5 with some exciting changes and a clearer direction moving forward.

January 2026 Development:

New Recipes

To kick off 0.5, we’re adding a huge batch of 50 brand-new recipes to the game!

These include a mix of:

• Pancakes
• Pies
• Sodas
• Bubble teas
• Special recipes

…and more!

New Board Games & Genres

Alongside the new recipes, brand-new board games are also coming in Update 0.5!

These introduce two new genres:

• Wild West
• Witchcraft

Both genres will be unlocked through normal gameplay, just like existing boardgame types, and will bring fresh themes and synergies to your cafe builds!

NPC Improvements - Friendship System

With the focus shifting toward NPCs, work has begun on a brand-new friendship system:

• Certain NPCs can now be befriended
• Each NPC has 6 heart levels
• Hearts are earned in different ways
• Each heart level unlocks unique perks and benefits

It’s still early days, but the system is already opening the door to much deeper NPC interactions, side quests, and routines.

Update Direction & 0.5 Changes

Originally, 0.5 was planned as one large expansion combining recipes, boardgames, decor, and Kickstarter-created content. After some reflection, I realised a better approach is to drip-feed backer content into updates as it becomes ready, rather than holding everything back for one big drop.

Here’s the updated plan for 0.5:

• ✅ New recipes (completed)
• 🤠 Wild West board games (completed)
• 🧙 Witchcraft board games (completed)
• 👥 Major NPC updates and improvements
• 🕹️ The Arcade System!

I’m currently aiming to launch Update 0.5 in late February to early March.

Backer content is absolutely still coming and if you’ve already confirmed your final designs with me, they’re safely on my list and will be added as each piece is ready!

What’s Next?

Over the coming week, the focus will be on:

• Launching Update 0.4.4 which will include new content, requested quality of life improvements and bug fixes!
• Continuing work on the NPC friendship system
• Adding NPC side quests
• Implementing daily routines for NPCs

Thank you again for the continued support, feedback, and patience. Your enthusiasm makes every update better, and there’s a lot to be excited about as we head into 2026!

Here’s to a fantastic year ahead for Dragon’s Brew 

❤️

Radic Creative

Kickstarter Update – 23/12/25
3 months ago – Tue, Dec 23, 2025 at 07:24:39 AM

Hi everyone! This will be our final Kickstarter update of 2025, and instead of our typical monthly development update, it feels like the perfect moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate just how far Dragon’s Brew has come since the Kickstarter wrapped up over a year ago!

Looking Back on 2025

As we approach the end of the year, it’s honestly incredible to see how much has changed in such a short time. Some major highlights from the past year include:

• Alpha launched back in April
• A full visual overhaul and the creation of an entirely new town
• Our Discord community continuing to grow into something truly special
• Major systems added, including critics, delivery orders, appliance upgrades, weather, and more
• The launch of the official Dragon’s Brew Wiki

And now… Beta is live, with players already jumping in and shaping the future of the game!

Beta News:

A huge thank you to everyone who’s taken the time to report issues and share feedback through the in-game form, Discord channels, and support tickets.

To show just how impactful your feedback already is, since Beta launch:

• 🐞 34 bugs fixed thanks to your reports
• ✨ 9 new features added directly from community suggestions

If something you reported isn’t fixed yet, don’t worry! It’s still on the list and will be tackled soon.

Festive Recipes Now Live! 🎄

To celebrate the season, we’ve added three brand-new festive recipes, available for everyone to use right now!

These recipes are tied to the Christmas event, so be sure to make the most of them and stock up while you can as they’ll be removed in the New Year!

Best Cafe Competition🏆

To celebrate the release of beta we’re running a cafe design competition, and the winner will receive a Wholesome Snack 2025 Humble Bundle plus their cafe will be featured in our newsletter at the end of the month!

Simply post a screenshot of your cafe in #db-media on our Discord for a chance to win a Wholesome Snack Humble Bundle, packed with cosy games!

Community Beta Stats

We’ve also added a new system as of 0.4.2 that tracks community-wide Beta stats, including:

• Total money earned
• Customers served
• Recipes made
• Board games played

And in the span of a week, players have already reached:

• 💵 Money Earned: 914,691
• 👥 Customers Served: 71,362
• ☕ Recipes Made: 72,505
• 🎲 Board Games Played: 26,200

Some of you are really raking it in already! 😎

The Start of Update 0.5

Alongside all the bug fixing and polish, we’ve officially started work on Update 0.5. One of the first new systems in development is a Customer Profile System, allowing you to click or interact with customers to view:

• Who they are
• Their comments
• Time spent in your cafe
• How much they’ve spent
• How long they have left in their current visit

…and more!

We’ll be sharing more details on this system in the next update!

Looking Ahead to 2026

Even though we’ve reached Beta, there’s still a lot ahead, including remaining backer rewards, which haven’t been forgotten and will roll out alongside future updates.

If timelines stay on track, our next major milestones are planned as:

• v0.5 - A huge game expansion
• v0.6 - The Arcade Update
• v0.7 - The Board Game Shop Cafe Expansion
• v0.8 - The Main Story Update

We’re still aiming for a Q3 2026 full release, with console versions planned to launch alongside or shortly after the PC release.

Thank You ❤️

As a solo developer (with Abigail on community and Tim on music), this journey has been a massive learning experience, but your patience, enthusiasm, and support make it all worthwhile. Thank you! You’re the reason Dragon’s Brew exists!

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and here’s to everything we’ll build together in 2026!

❤️

Radic Creative

🚀 Dragon’s Brew Beta is Here!
3 months ago – Fri, Dec 12, 2025 at 09:30:19 AM

Hi everyone! Today marks a huge milestone for Dragon’s Brew! The Beta is officially LIVE! We’ve had an incredibly exciting few days between the beta rollout, a brand-new official wiki, and our first hotfix patch already out in the wild. Let’s jump in!

Dragons Brew Beta is Now Live!

The long-awaited Beta has officially launched!

Alpha Backers

You should already have your Steam keys, and your build should now be fully updated to the Beta version. You’re good to go so enjoy exploring!

Beta Backers

Your keys should now be in your email inbox. Redeem them on Steam and dive in right away!

Help Shape the Future of Dragon’s Brew

As always, your feedback is incredibly important at this stage. While you play:

📝 Feedback: Use the in-game feedback form or share thoughts on Discord in #db-feedback

🐞 Bug Reports: Report any issues in the in-game feedback form or on Discord in #bug-reports

💡 Suggestions: Got an idea? Drop it in the in-game feedback form or on Discord in #suggestions

🔑 Key Issues: Trouble accessing your key? Head to #key-help in our Discord and we’ll get you sorted

Thank you for helping us polish, refine, and improve the game during Beta!

Patch 0.4.0.1 - First Beta Hotfix

A big thank you to everyone who jumped in early and shared your first bug reports. Thanks to your help, Patch 0.4.0.1 is now live!

This update includes:

• Stability improvements
• Various bug fixes
• General polish and performance updates

If you spot anything new, keep the reports coming as they’ve been incredibly helpful!

Extra Key Purchases

If you purchased an additional game key through BackerKit, it should now be available in your email or BackerKit profile.

Streaming, Sharing, and Recording

You are completely free to:

• Stream the Beta
• Share screenshots
• Record videos
• Post gameplay anywhere you like

We love seeing your experiences, so feel free to share your creations!

The Official Dragon’s Brew Wiki Is Live!

We have another big announcement…
The Official Dragon’s Brew Wiki is now live!

You can visit it here!

It’s still early, but already includes:

• Every item currently in the game
• Recipes & ingredients
• Decor & furniture lists
• Town locations
• Gameplay systems and guides

The wiki will grow alongside development as we continue fleshing out content. We hope this becomes a handy companion for anyone playing the Beta or just wanting to learn more about the world of Dragon’s Brew!

What’s Next?

With the Beta now out in the wild, our immediate focus is:

• Monitoring and fixing any major bugs
• Reviewing feedback and suggestions
• Preparing for the next major milestone: Update 0.5

You can follow development progress on our public Trello board, which will continue to be updated with upcoming features, planned improvements, and progress notes.

As always, thank you so much for your support. 

❤️

Radic Creative

Kickstarter Update – 28/11/25
4 months ago – Fri, Nov 28, 2025 at 11:30:26 AM

Hi everyone! We’re back with another monthly Dragon’s Brew update. November has been a jam-packed month as we gear up for three major releases in December: the extended demo, Update 0.4, and of course the Beta launch! Lots to share, so let’s dive in!

November 2025 Development:

New Coffee Bean System

This month, we introduced a brand new coffee bean system for 0.4! You’ll now be able to:

• Buy coffee bean seeds from Hometown Roasters in Thistledown
• Plant and grow them in your garden
• Harvest unique beans with special traits!

These traits carry through recipes when crafting, meaning if you infuse a special bean into a classic espresso and then use that espresso to craft another drink, the trait continues down the chain. Rarer beans come with stronger or more unique buffs, opening up tons of new recipe and boardgame synergy combos!

You’ll also be able to roast your harvested beans directly at Hometown Roasters, turning them into ready to use coffee beans for your drinks!

Collective & Co. New Shop + Boardgame Upgrade System

Say hello to Collective & Co., a new shop dedicated to boardgame upgrades and crafting!

Inside, you’ll be able to purchase Boardgame Protective Items each tied to a specific boardgame type to help reduce the chance of wear (uses) by 50%:

• Box Protector
• Card Sleeves
• Book Protector
• Foam Crate
• Dice Tower
• Laminated Score Pad

You can fuse these items onto your existing boardgames to extend their lifespan!

Boardgame Special Effects

Boardgame special effects are now ready for 0.4!

These unlock when all six slots on your boardgame shelf are filled with games of the same genre. You can toggle them on or off in the settings, and they offer far more than simple camera filters! Some even affect the visuals inside your cafe!

We’re keeping most effects a surprise, but here’s a sneak peek above at one you’ll see soon: The Glitch Filter for Cyberpunk boardgames!

These effects bring a whole new level of personality to your cafe themes.

The Codex System

The first version of the Codex has arrived ready for 0.4! This new menu lets players browse everything they’ve unlocked across:

• Boardgames
• Recipes
• Furniture
• Decor
• Appliances

The Codex also shows total counts, useful item details, and pairs perfectly with the recipe pinning system, making it easy to check ingredient needs at a glance!

This is only the beginning. Future plans include adding richer item descriptions, expanded categories, and eventually a full NPC section!

Inventory System Revamp

The inventory got a much-needed overhaul! New features include:

• Sort Button - Quickly organise both your main inventory and storage chests!
• Shift-Click Transfers - Instantly move item stacks between open inventories!

There’s still a bit of testing to go, but overall everything feels far smoother and more user-friendly.

Controller Support

Controller support is almost wrapped! Movement and interaction feel significantly better, and the full inventory system now works seamlessly with controller input.
The final big step is integrating controller support into build mode, which we’ll be finishing early next week. Once that’s done, controller support will be good to go for Beta.

Minor Christmas Update! 🎄

Launching alongside 0.4, the Beta, and extended demo, we’ll be releasing a small winter-themed update!

This event automatically sets your save’s weather to winter, transforming the town into a festive, snowy version of itself complete with seasonal decorations and a few little surprises. More info coming next week!

New Newsletter Launches This Weekend!

Our first ever newsletter, Behind the Beans, launches this Sunday!

It’ll feature:

• A snapshot of development progress
• Exclusive announcements and updates
• The start of Cafe of the Month!

Be sure to sign up so you don’t miss the very first edition! 

SIGN UP HERE!

What’s Next?

Next week’s focus will be on:

• Finalising controller support + build-mode integration
• Additional testing and bug-fixing
• Polishing all the final pieces for the Beta and extended demo

Everything is still on track for a Beta launch the following week!

As always, thank you so much for your support and excitement. 

❤️

Radic Creative