Reporting live from the UK Games Expo show floor, Geek Native has had a first-hand look at Three Kobolds in a Trench Coat, a brand-new bluffing party game from independent publisher FanCraftedLtd. Launching officially at the convention, the game arrives with a refreshing and increasingly rare business model for the tabletop industry: it is entirely self-funded.
Instead of relying on the standard tabletop crowdfunding machine, FanCrafted chose to finance their debut print run independently. Speaking to Geek Native at the UK Games Expo, representatives for the studio explained that they bypassed Kickstarter entirely because they were concerned that the current crowdfunding model can be a bit dodgy. Citing personal frustration with tabletop publishers failing to deliver on funded projects, the team opted to retain full control over their manufacturing and fulfilment timeline.
The premise of the game leans into one of the most beloved running jokes in tabletop roleplaying games. While the concept of three diminutive monsters stacked in a coat to pass as human has appeared everywhere from the official Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden adventure book to Chase Noseworthy‘s massively viral YouTube music video, FanCrafted has turned the cultural footprint of that meme into a dedicated mechanical experience.
Designed for two to four players aged 12 and up, Three Kobolds in a Trench Coat takes roughly 15 to 45 minutes to play. Players take on the role of these disguised monsters attempting to blend into the village of Crumblebatch as regular citizens. The gameplay revolves around hidden information and social deduction. Behind a player screen, you must keep your three kobolds concealed while completing quests, gathering gold, and engaging in physical or bluffing challenges against opponents. If you run out of gold to pay the roaming village guard, or get caught in a lie when you lack the required skill for a quest, you lose a kobold. The last player with a hidden monster wins.
Notably, FanCrafted’s development process included working alongside neurodiverse groups during playtesting. This inclusive approach extends to the game’s mechanics; for example, if players feel uncomfortable with the physical or prolonged eye-contact requirements of certain “Challenge” cards, there is a built-in “Challenge Lite” mode that removes them entirely.
The studio is also taking a firm stance on their production pipeline. All artwork has been hand-drawn by illustrator William M. Muljo, with initial sketches by James from FanCrafted, and graphic design by James and Harriet. The team explicitly confirmed that no AI generative tools were used in the game’s creation.
The passion for the project is highly visible at the convention, with someone walking the hall in a one-third-of-a-trench-coat disguise. FanCraftedLtd, whose strapline is “Crafted by the fans, for the fans,” is running full-day demos throughout the weekend.
Convention attendees can find FanCrafted and demo Three Kobolds in a Trench Coat at Stand 3-154. The standard edition of the game is retailing for £35 and is available directly through the FanCraftedLtd webstore for UK and European shipping.
