Why Early Access?

“Dragon's Brew has reached a point where we're excited to share the full board game cafe management experience with players, but we also have plenty of ideas for how to make it even better! We want to use Early Access to build upon the game's core foundations, introducing more content, new systems, and a larger world to discover! We also want to involve our community in that journey, listening to feedback and using it to help shape the future of Dragon's Brew. Early Access gives us the opportunity to grow the game alongside the people who play it.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We expect Dragon's Brew to remain in Early Access for approximately one year. While our goal is to release the full version in 2027, the exact timing will depend on development progress and the work needed to deliver the experience we envision.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“Our goal is to build upon everything already in Dragon's Brew, creating a richer board game cafe management experience and focusing on community feedback. During Early Access, we plan to introduce:
- A Main Storyline: An overarching story that brings the world and its characters together with new areas to explore.
- A Staff System: New ways to manage your board game cafe, with staff helping you run your growing business.
- Expanded NPCs and Relationships: More characters to meet, with further development of existing NPCs and their interactions.
- More Customisation: Expanded character customisation, including cosplay options, alongside new furniture and decorative items to make your cafe your own.
- Improved Steam Deck Support: Further optimisation and improvements to the Steam Deck experience.
- Improved and Balanced Systems: Refinements to existing mechanics, quality of life improvements, and balancing based on player feedback.

You can follow our public Trello roadmap to see what we're working towards. We'll also remain open to new ideas and suggestions from the community as development continues! Our aim is to make the full release a more complete, content-rich, and polished version of the Dragon's Brew experience.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The Early Access version of Dragon's Brew includes the core experience of running your own cosy board game cafe! You'll be able to:
- Run Your Cafe: Prepare and serve recipes, manage ingredients, and curate your board game collection.
- Discover Board Games: Collect board games across different genres and themes, and watch your customers enjoy them.
- Meet the Locals: Get to know Pebblebrook's residents and build friendships.
- Make It Your Own: Customise your character and decorate your cafe your way with a growing selection of furniture and decorative items.
- Explore More Activities: Discover additional systems and activities as you develop your cafe and progress through the game, from roasting your own coffee beans, protecting and upgrading your board games, and more!

The core gameplay systems are in place, and the game is fully playable. During Early Access, we'll be focusing on expanding the available content, refining existing mechanics, improving balance and quality of life, and introducing major new features such as the main storyline and staff system.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“Yes. The game is currently cheaper to reward those who want to support it early. We plan to increase the price of Dragon's Brew when it leaves Early Access to reflect the additional content, features, and improvements introduced during development!”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We want Dragon's Brew to be a game that grows alongside its community, and player feedback has already played an important role in shaping its development. Since our Kickstarter campaign, our backers have had exclusive access to the game, giving them the opportunity to share their thoughts, suggestions, and feedback directly with us. Many of their ideas and suggestions have already been implemented, helping us improve the game and shape its future. As we move into Early Access, we'll continue working closely with our community through our official Discord server, Steam Community Hub, social media channels, and our in-game feedback form. Whether it's reporting a bug, suggesting a new feature, sharing ideas for future content, or helping us balance existing systems, we want to hear what you think! We also maintain a public Trello roadmap where you can follow our development plans and see what we're working towards next. While we can't promise to implement every suggestion, we'll take your feedback seriously and use it to help guide our decisions as development continues. Thank you to everyone who has supported Dragon's Brew so far. We're excited to keep building the game together! ”