July Update #2: We're Meeeelting....& More Production Samples!
14 days ago – Wed, Jul 22, 2026 at 07:18:12 PM

THE MINIATURES ARE MELTING!

Just kidding…well…sorta.

Our factory has let us know that over the last week they’ve been battling an intense heat wave that has led to some pausing of production due to the impact on output quality (warping, detail loss, etc). Plastic injection molding is already done at molten temperatures, but when it's too hot it leads to some engineering problems and warpage during cooling/setting. Luckily, this was all caught by quality control, but it does mean we’re delayed by ~two weeks in SOME of our production efforts. We aren’t happy about this, but waiting is much preferable to melted miniatures.

Onto the positive, trays for Gloomhaven: Core Set came in this week, so here is how these models look all nested in their spots, along with the work-in-progress tray maps Layne has been building for us:















With trays largely out of our way, we also now know our final box dimensions so are completing in fuller confidence our packaging. Below is a "work-in-progress" side by side of each of the spines and how they'll roughly look on your shelf! (fits1.5 Kallax shelf cubes)

Gen Con

That’ll be it for this week.

We’ll be back on Aug 5th with a small post-Gen Con update for you.

Until then, have a great week and we hope you’re staying cool!

July Update #1: RPG Pre-Production Sample Arrives
29 days ago – Tue, Jul 07, 2026 at 07:39:42 PM

• Address: If your shipping address has changed please make sure your address is current and up to date now. To avoid any re-shipping fees or lost pledges, don’t wait until fulfillment is about to start! 
• Add-ons: This is your last chance to add any additional add-ons to your pledge 
• Pricing: The pricing for add-ons will be updated to reflect final production costs and retail pricing. This does NOT impact prior pledge discounts.
• Deadline: We will be leaving the pledge manager open for at least the next 30 days and will give at least 2 weeks prior notice to closure in an upcoming backerkit update.

The pre-production copy (PPC) is in!



This is our final sample that includes full color printing and assembly to our specifications before we set the factory in motion for mass production and assembly. 

Our internal production team will be taking this final opportunity to collaborate with the factory and fine-tune the color saturation and contrast of the components.

GLOOMHAVEN PLAYING CARDS GIFT

You will receive this free gift if:

1. You pledged at the “RPG Deluxe Box Set” level
2. You pledged at the “Ultimate Gloomhaven Set” level
3. You pledged at the "The Big One" level
4. You add(ed) Gloomhaven: RPG Deluxe Box Set to your existing pledge.

This last week we received our white box sample for the Miniatures of Gloomhaven: Core Set and our first round of mass production samples as well!

This shipment also contained our first mass production samples of the miniature BASE RINGS and FLIGHT STANDS. 

• Quality Assurance: Review and call out any unintentional errors with the models such as warpage, deformation, and/or faulty assembly. 
• Adjustments: Advocate for any adjustments in plastics used or plastic injection process including temperature, pressure, assembly, etc. In more extreme cases pursue fine adjustments to the mold tooling. 
• Base Rings: Test fit all base rings to all model bases
• Flight Stands: Test fit all flight stands to all models

• The models look really great! 
• They feel solid and firm, without being brittle.
• Quantities were correct.
• Base rings fit 100% of models; also fit flight stand bases
• Flight stands (that fit) fit securely and do not fall out even when shaken.

• Thus far, 2 models have had issues with flight stands falling out unintentionally when picked up. These have been reported and are being adjusted on their molds.
• A number of “flying” models (4 thus far) don’t yet fit their flight stand. The hole on their underside will be increased slightly on their mold to allow the flight stand to fit securely. 
• Still awaiting more Gloomhaven: Core Set models 

• It was our intent for the identification numbers on the base rings to be both embossed and painted. Unfortunately, the factory was not able to produce these with the numbers raised high enough to be read on their own. Furthermore, they were not able to line the painted numbers up with the raised numbers, resulting in legibility issues. For this reason, we will be removing the raised numbers on the base rings and using a paint-only approach. This will allow us to keep the base ring material soft and flexible for ease of use while also ensuring that their numbering is helpful and legible.

Buttons & Bugs: Pub Crawlers is AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW on cephalofair.com   (including advanced Gen Con pickup options). Order now and receive “The Flames of Ashtar” prequel micro-campaign FREE with your purchase when you add it to your cart!

June Update #2: Updating RPG & Miniature Timelines
about 2 months ago – Tue, Jun 16, 2026 at 06:45:54 PM

Greetings Grand Festival Backers!

As promised, we’re back this week with timeline updates for the Gloomhaven RPG and Miniatures of Gloomhaven projects.

• Update you twice a month!
• Communicate with both factories, multiple times per week, every week.
• Book freight in advance once guaranteed factory pickup dates are provided to us. 
• Track containers as they cross land and sea. (We’ll provide you with the boat info to track along!) 
• Coordinate with regional fulfillment centers so they know exactly when your pledges are estimated to arrive and plan for fulfillment start/completion dates.
• Provide daily backer support through fulfillment completion. 

• These timelines are estimates and subject to change.
• Any real or potential timeline changes will be communicated in our twice-monthly project updates as we identify them.
• Factors that can impact these timelines:
  • Factory delays
  • Pre-production/master production copy errors/correction
  • Ocean freight delays due to weather, politics, piracy, etc. 
  • Port delays/congestion
  • Holidays
  • Fulfillment partner congestion based on other project fulfillment operations.
  • U.S. tariffs & trade policy changes
• Factors that do not impact Grand Festival timelines:
  • Restock/reprints of existing titles
  • Announcements of new/future titles/projects
  • Pre-order campaigns for new/future titles/projects

• RPG & Miniatures projects are being produced by two different manufacturers overseas. 
• RPG & Miniatures projects are projected to arrive and fulfill separately from one another. 

• We will be working with regional fulfillment partners in the U.S.A, Canada, Australia, China, and UK (UK/EU/Rest of World). 
• Regions will be fulfilled independently and ASAP once pledges hit their respective warehouses. 
• December is typically “no-man’s land” for project fulfillment, so as indicated above and below, we’ve added an additional buffer to account for uncertainty between Black Friday and Christmas.

Timeline Estimations

• JUNE
  • RPG: Pre-production efforts between factory and Cephalofair completed. PPC approved.
  • Minis: Pre-production efforts between factory and Cephalofair completed, molds completed. 
• JULY
  • BOTH: Pledge manager reopens.
  • RPG: Mass production in full swing.
  • Minis: Mass production in full swing.
  • BOTH: Pledge manager closes.
• AUGUST
  • RPG: Master proofing copy (MPC) approved. Assembly begins.
  • Minis: Mass production continues. 
• SEPTEMBER
  • RPG: Ocean freight begins.
  • Minis: Assembly begins. 
• OCTOBER
  • RPG: Ocean freight continues.
  • Minis: Ocean freight begins. 
• NOVEMBER
  • RPG: Arrives for land freight to fulfillment centers.
  • Minis: Ocean freight continues.
• DECEMBER:
  • RPG: Arrives at fulfillment centers, begins fulfillment.
  • Minis: Arrives for land freight to fulfillment centers.
• JANUARY:
  • RPG: Fulfillment completion.
  • Minis: Arrives at fulfillment centers, begins fulfillment. 
• FEBRUARY:
  • Minis: Fulfillment completion. 

It is a major internal milestone here at Cephalofair knowing that our portion of production work for RPG and Miniatures is finally coming to a completion. Shout out to our production team for all their hard work getting these fantastic new entries over the final hurdles and into the hands of our factory.

These projects remain our primary focus internally at Cephalofair. We are coordinating and planning logistics and support prep for the final two pieces of the Grand Festival while production begins. Please keep an eye out for the Pledge Manager to open sometime in the coming month. We will provide those specific dates in our next update.

With the RPG and Miniatures headed to production, members of our production, sales, and marketing teams will start to spend more time on other projects that have been brewing behind the scenes. We’ve hired literally dozens of new contractors in the last six months alone to support the team with finishing the Grand Festival and moving our other projects forward.

This week we will be formally announcing an upcoming release that will be available for Gen Con pre-order. Similar to last year’s Gen Con release, we were fortunate enough to lean on external developers to help get this project completed while keeping our core team on the outstanding Grand Festival projects.

And if you want the latest scoop from us on new/upcoming releases, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter HERE.

June Update: Returning to Bi-Monthly Updates ; RPG Digital Proofs Approved For Print!
2 months ago – Tue, Jun 02, 2026 at 06:41:31 PM

Before we get into the nitty gritty, we’d like to briefly address project updates & timelines.

The missing cubby was also added back in for the GM screen and character/company sheet pads. 

From here, the factory will take our approved digital proofs and begin making our pre-production copy (PPC).

Our team physically reviewing the PPC is the last step in the pre-production phase before mass manufacturing officially begins! With our approval, the factory will get started making all books, cards, boxes, etc. and assembling them for ocean freight.

We received additional white box samples this last week for both of the Summons expansion sets (Gloomhaven/Frosthaven). Each of these sets will be fitting a single-tray box that shares the same face dimensions of the Gloomhaven/Frosthaven game boxes.






While not reflected in this photo, we are working with the factory to make sure that summons are grouped by class in the final layout:

Additionally, each tray will come with an accompanying storage map of which models go where to aid in setup/tear down. The image below is not final.

May Update: Prototypes for Gloomhaven: RPG and Jaws of the Lion/Forgotten Circles Miniature Sets
3 months ago – Tue, May 05, 2026 at 03:39:41 PM

Hello Grand Festival Backers!

Price here. Today we’ve got….RPG & MINIATURE PROTOTYPES AND WHITE BOX SAMPLES!

Let’s jump in.

 

Gloomhaven RPG

Arriving this week from Panda is a white box sample and prototype of the Gloomhaven: RPG Deluxe Box set. Please note: This is not the final design. Changes are still being made, physical testing is still underway, and final design must first meet our strict quality and usability requirements before we approve and put into mass production.

The Good:

-It’s really real! Panda did a great job bringing our rendered-only vision to physical life, and this is one of the most important steps before we make final design decisions.

-Card Tomes: We didn’t know how feasible this concept would be, and Panda tackled it head-on. Our original pitch was something like “Clamshell card insert, reminiscent of Disney VHS cases.” The tome feels both thematic and sturdy. 

-Elemental Bookmarks: These look and feel great! They’ve got good weight and size, and we can’t wait to see them in their full-color majesty.

-Storage Vault: We successfully ran tests storing a myriad of Gloomhaven board game components, map tiles, and accessories we can see GM’s using for their RPG sessions. 

-The Core Book: This is our first time seeing/holding the book in person…and MAN…is this thing thick! The final book will of course not only have full color, but embossed title treatment, foiled cover detailing, and two ribbons (red and gold). 

-Kallax Compatible: So far, we’re still Kallax (shelf) compatible! 

-Card Sleeve Compatible: Every tuckbox has been designed to fit sleeved cards and decks! The only exception is the “Ancestry Deck” which only holds non-used cards until you are ready to build them into your character’s “Ability Deck” tuckbox. That tuckbox does have room.

The Meh:
-Missing Shelf: The factory unfortunately overlooked one of our requirements in this first prototype attempt: a dedicated drawer for accessories such as the GM screen, character sheet pad, and mercenary company sheet pad. We’ve already informed them of this oversight and are correcting it in our next iteration. 

-Open Back: The factory included a lid that folds all the way off the reverse side, revealing a back with holes for which they intended the card tomes and books to be pushed out of the shelves. This was counter to our requirements and original design request. We’d hoped to explore other options first and will be continuing to work with them to perfect the best way to remove components from the shelves without difficulty; including finger cutouts, ribbons, and/or inset shelves to support removal from the box’s front side. We’ll report back!

-Card Tome Lids: The factory took a stab at designing an innovative plastic lid that could service both sides of the card tome sides at once. While a neat design, it gives us concern. Our original intent was to have one lid per side. Since the tuckboxes rest in wells, and cover the smaller perk deck wells underneath, this approach means you run a higher risk of multiple components falling out upon opening. We’d very much like to avoid that. They’ve taken our feedback and are going to return to our original request on the next iteration. 

-Book Size: The sample we got of the Core Rulebook was slightly larger (taller & wider) than our specifications for the designed/layed out the book, so we’ll be correcting this on the next sample.

Gloomhaven Miniatures

We’ve finally received white box samples for Forgotten Circles and Jaws of the Lion Miniature Sets, including production miniature samples, trays, lids, and base rings.

Let’s take a look:
(featuring my corgi, Max, drinking water in the background)

Jaws of the Lion Model Lineup:




Forgotten Circles Model Lineup:



Miniature Sample Findings:

• The boxes came out great, and to our requested dimensions. Same "footprint" as their respective games, but thinner. 
• Our factory was able to implement our requested "view windows" in the front facing cover (lid).
• The trays are thick and durable, and the lids fit nicely. 
• Production miniatures are secure but do not get stuck when removed from trays. 
• Production quality is high, no detail loss, and multi-part models feel secure and strong.
• Base rings have a nice fit, click, and do not fall out off the models when lifted.

 

Miniatures Next Steps:

With these first two miniature boxes approved, we are confidently continuing work on packaging design and layout for FORGOTTEN CIRCLES & JAWS OF THE LION. Design and layout choices here will directly flow into the other remaining box sets. According to our factory partner tray samples for GLOOMHAVEN SUMMONS and FROSTHAVEN SUMMONS should be wrapping up this week so we're expecting those to be the next two sets ready to share with you. 

We're also continuing to check in multiple times per week to make sure mold completion is progressing without delay and are asking for their assistance dialing in ETA's for mass production. Below is our updated Progress Tracker. Once we have all molds confirmed as approved all products in the "Mass Production" phase will be able to move forward together.

Community Spotlight

With the release of the third and final major content update for Frosthaven Digital before it leaves early access later this year, I thought it appropriate to give a shout-out to Youtuber High_on_Hopeium, who has been posting videos of his playthrough of Frosthaven Digital since it entered early access last year. He just posted his 50th video this week, which is some serious dedication. We wish him the best of luck as he works towards finishing the entire campaign.

And that will do it for this month. A big thank you to our whole Cephalofair team for their collaborative eyes and hands on these samples helping ensure all requirements are met and findings are found.

And thank YOU for reading and sharing your thoughts! We look forward to sharing with you more progress and updates next month.