The dust has settled on the exhibition floors of the recently concluded UK Games Expo 2026, but independent tabletop studio Fistful of Crits has left a lasting impression on the convention, both through its print publishing and its industry ethics. While many traders spent the weekend rallying around the studio’s viral, maroon “Human Made” anti-AI signs that rapidly spread across exhibition booths, the UK-based team quietly delivered a surprise for fans of indie romance roleplaying games.
Speaking to Geek Native following the UK Games Expo, the studio showcased physical copies of Sworn Heart: Alone Together, a completely unannounced solo journaling game. The physical booklet was available for purchase directly from the booth, serving as a stealth release for an audience eager for fresh independent mechanics.
Managing Divine Vows and Messy Choices Alone
Sworn Heart: Alone Together is built from the ground up as a solo journaling experience focusing on divine vows, inconvenient feelings, and solving deeply strange mysteries. The narrative loop forces the player to interact with a persistent second voice that has distinctly terrible timing, capturing a sharp, comedic romantasy tone.
Players can choose to step into the armoured boots of The Sworn, a dedicated Paladin trying desperately to uphold a sacred oath, or The Heart, an emotionally volatile companion who keeps the Paladin tethered to reality through pure stubbornness and bad decisions. The gameplay loop demands that the player navigate increasingly questionable situations, ranging from investigating haunted ovens and suspicious goats to intercepting impossible love letters, all while the primary relationship occasionally survives contact with divine instability.
Rebuilding Toe Beans for a Cosier Kind of Grit
Beyond their surprise romance launch, the Fistful of Crits booth served as a major update hub for Toe Beans, the studio’s magical cat café supplement. Initially launched as a fifth-edition homebrew shopping module, the supplement was completely rebuilt from scratch following a successful Kickstarter campaign in March to serve as a narrative-forward plug-in for Darrington Press’s Daggerheart system.
The team brought early physical “ashcan” booklets, a stripped-back, basic print copy of the game, straight to UKGE, fulfilling a promise announced during their crowdfunding campaign. Rather than treating “cosy gaming” as a mere aesthetic filled with enchanted elixirs and fey-touched kittens, Toe Beans focuses on the authentic, sometimes vulnerable grit of community maintenance. The module features structured, three-act seasonal adventures that leverage Daggerheart tags and Hope/Fear mechanics to frame quiet, honest character conversations that larger heroic-fantasy quests often skip over.
The shift away from traditional fantasy combat systems reflects a growing desire within the independent scene for low-stakes gameplay that still carries meaningful narrative consequences. It marks a distinct evolution for the studio, whose previous catalogue includes Royal Sending Service, a tongue-in-cheek mashup of classic roleplaying tropes and the inner workings of the Royal Mail.
The “Human Made” Hall Takeover
What truly put Fistful of Crits on the radar of mainstream international publishers navigating the convention floor, however, was their visual takeover of trading spaces. The studio’s distinct maroon “Human Made” badges, proudly printed on the backs of their zines, quickly transformed into physical signage adopted by dozens of independent creators and gaming booths throughout the weekend.
The campaign served as a rallying cry against the use of generative AI in tabletop artwork and layout design, a stance the studio has rigidly maintained across its apparel, merchandise, and books. With major publishers closely monitoring the shifting consumer landscape regarding digital automation, and some requiring its use, the viral spread of the maroon badges served as a loud reminder of the grassroots appeal driving the UK’s independent design movement.
Physical copies of Sworn Heart: Alone Together were sold directly to attendees at the event. While official retail dates for the remaining physical book stock are currently unannounced as the studio catches up on post-convention logistics, the digital storefront at itch has copies available.
