Toe Beans Magical Cat Cafe: A Supplement for Daggerheart

Each cat is enchanted to project their speech to people within the walls of the cafe, but only when they feel like it (they’re cats, after all). 
Your support helps us: 
Commission brand-new art for cats, drinks, and luscious spot illustrations from our project artist, Axel Defois!  
Hire guest writer Kat the Lore Mistress to create the Summer Fayre Ball adventure and guest writer Gothhoblin to create a two-page campaign insert for Toe Beans on the move! 
Print physical books and fulfil rewards.

Pledge Menu

Rather than piling on merch or extras, our stretch goals are designed to enhance the quality of the book and support the talented creatives behind it. Every milestone helps us pay collaborators fairly, add more artwork and writing, and make Toe Beans the loveliest, most beautiful version it can be. In an age where AI is finding it's way into the creative process and putting people at risk, we want to assure people that NO AI has been used in the making of this project and it is our earnest hope to hit as many stretch goals as we can to help support real creatives in the industry.

Additional character illustrations and delicious spot art throughout the book from our artist, Axel D. Axel's past work includes Wizards of the Coast, Ambertail Games, Manafox Entertainment and more. 

Our second guest writer, gothhoblin will create a short add-on adventure featuring a travelling version of the café — great for GMs who want a pop-up event in their campaign!

Emma Grier is a creative writer and TTRPG designer from Aotearoa New Zealand. Cat mom of four and self-confessed Toe Beans superfan, she loves finding ways to introduce her players to Mara and their feline friends. Emma has contributed to several popular indie games and art books, and her own TTRPG writing covers a range of genres from introspective journaling games through to whimsical heist adventures.

We’re aiming to pay ourselves (Steph & Logan) a fair rate for our work on writing, layout, and art, which we never usually do! 

Extra treats unlocked as funding grows! More physical prints for backers, an extra sticker sheet design, bookmarks, or even a printed zine short story about Mara opening the café. If we hit this tier, we will be reaching out to see what people would love to see!

I’ll write and produce a fully illustrated A5 novella exploring how Toe Beans first came to life.

This won’t be a simple digital add-on; it will be a beautifully presented short story with its own illustrated cover exclusive to the Kickstarter. The story will follow Mara at the edge of burnout, Foss arriving at exactly the right moment and the fragile beginning of something new. (I'm sure we've all read a few cosy fantasy cat cafe stories, and I adore them, but I want this to feel more grounded in what a lot of us have experienced: crippling burnout, a coffee addiction and cats who slowly multiply in number around you.)

At its heart, it’s about second chances and building something small that still matters aaaand it's inspired by my own experience of creating Toe Beans after stepping away from my graphic design career with burnout.

If unlocked:
Digital backers receive the full digital novella.
Physical backers receive a printed copy included in their pledge and a digital copy too.

The Team

Hi! I’m Steph (she/her) — a graphic designer, artist, and award winning TTRPG writer. 
Toe Beans was my first published tabletop project, originally written for D&D 5E back in 2021. I create the kinds of stories I’d want to play at the table, across a wide mix of genres and moods. Since then, Toe Beans has grown far beyond its cosy beginnings and opened the door to many more adventures in a variety of systems. 
For this edition, I’ll be handling most of the writing, along with contributing to the interior artwork.I’m joined by my friend and business partner Logan, a seasoned graphic and print designer with over 15 years of experience. Together, we run Fistful of Ink, a boutique print studio — and Crits is our adventure into the world of indie TTRPG publishing. 
This will be Logan’s first layout project for a TTRPG, and I can’t wait for you to see what we’ve created together. This project is lovingly built with help from artists, play testers, and guest writers — all of whom will be paid fairly thanks to your support. 

Timeline & Production

The bulk of writing for the Base and Winter adventure modules is already complete, alongside our updated mechanics and conversions for Daggerheart. Layout work is underway, with Logan currently building the book’s structure. 

AI Usage 
We believe that real creativity is more worthwhile when in the hands of human creators. To that end, please be assured that no part of this project has included AI in any kind - we create ourselves, and hire real human artists, editors and writers to bring our ideas to life. We are working with artists and writers who we know and have personally vetted.

The Dice
We chose to work with an artisan for our dice tier, meaning there's no mass manufacturing involved. Roll Gothica specialising in eco-friendly dice, made of a faux-stone alternative to resin called Jesmonite that have a significantly lower environmental impact - they don't emit toxic gases, and if left in water for 2+ weeks they will start breaking down, avoiding adding to the raw plastics in the world. (They're fully waterproof, just don't leave them submerged for weeks and weeks!)

The Printing
We are aiming for Toe Beans to be a perfect bound book, printed on recycled paper. As a studio of two, we've built our production time to accomodate the fact that we will be making the books, prints and extras by hand ourselves. Our quality of work has been highly praised in the indie TTRPG community. You can see examples of our work on our website, Fistful of Crits.This product includes materials from the Daggerheart System Reference Document 1.0, © Critical Role, LLC. under the terms of the Darrington Press Community Gaming (DPCGL) License. More information can be found at https://www.daggerheart.com. There are no previous modifications by others. 
Darrington Press™ and the Darrington Press authorized work logo are trademarks of Critical Role, LLC and used with permission.

Testimonial

Praise for the Original Toe Beans (5E Edition) 
While this new edition is lovingly adapted for Daggerheart, the heart of Toe Beans remains the same — carefully crafted and designed, heartfelt storytelling in a magical cat café. Here’s what players said about the original:

You can also read a review of Toe Beans 5e by Emma Grier on her website, here!