September Update: Progress
3 days ago
– Tue, Sep 29, 2026 at 12:51:49 PM
Hello all,
In this update, we have updates on production, shipping, the art book, and 4-player mode.
Shipping Costs:
Shipping costs have been finalized and lowered from our original campaign estimates. Please see our campaign update yesterday for the details, and let me know if you have any questions.
Cards won't be charged in Backerkit for shipping, taxes, or add-ons until manufacturing is complete. I will send out another update before cards are charged.
Physical Production:
The factory is working on assembly! This is exciting and you will likely get your games earlier than our initial estimate. However, a lot can still go wrong between the games being finished and getting them to you, so I'll keep you updated throughout the process.
The bamboo box sample has been approved, and they are now ordered as well. I don't have a timeline on when these will arrive yet.
4-Player "Chaos" Game Mode
It's nearly done, but we're playing with final tweaks to make it as fun to play as we can. It's taken more balancing than we anticipated to make the 4-player game mode go from "good" to "great" at 4 players with just 24 cards.
Thanks to all who voted in the last poll! Here's a work-in-progress update on the new characters. Due to this being a shorter update, I'm also going to share the original woodblock prints of each historical outfit.
Big thanks to Art Institute of Chicago for releasing photos of these public domain works into the public domain. Art history should be for everyone :)
Kiki, American Shorthair.
This kimono is from Eishosai Choki's 1790's print, Hanaogi of the Ogiya, from the series “Beauties of the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro bijin awase).” I'm excited about this one because it gave me an opportunity to learn about Eishosai Choki, an artist I haven't covered in the other illustrations. My bio on him will be in the artbook.
Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle - WIP (lineart & detail sketch)
This elaborate outfit is from Actors as Fujisawa Shiro, Asari Yoichi, and Hangaku, from an untitled series of half-block images of kabuki scenes by Utagawa Kunisada I in 1851/1852. Kunisada was one of the most popular Ukiyo-e artists of his own time, and studied under Toyokuni I (the artist from the fugu character below).
Tiger Pufferfish (Fugu) - WIP (initial sketch)
The pufferfish is wearing the outfit from Actor Sawamura Gennosuke Riding on Ox as Sugawara no Michizane, a print by Utagawa Toyokuni I from the early 1800s. Toyokuni I was a great master of Ukiyo-e, and Kunisada and Kuniyoshi (two artists heavily featured in the game) were his pupils.
Artbook:
It's coming along, but not formatted yet! I'm delaying the release until November, and adding new entries with the new 4-player characters.
Why? It's important to me to prioritize gameplay elements above "extra content," like the artbook. Due to some travel in the month of October, I can't finish both the artbook and 4-player mode next month, so the 4-player mode has to come first. I apologize to those who've been looking forward to it, but It'll be worth the wait in the end!
Thanks for your support in making indie games possible!
-Leslie
Shipping Costs Update
4 days ago
– Mon, Sep 28, 2026 at 10:42:12 AM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
August Update: Production underway, PNP files update, Poll, Giveaway!
about 1 month ago
– Wed, Aug 19, 2026 at 11:07:45 AM
In this update: mass production/printing update, shipping costs timeline, new PNP files and PNP timeline update, poll for new characters, and 2D Con/physical artbook giveaway!
Production Update
I've been waiting on sending this update until it's official, and now it is! Manufacturing for Shinobi Spy & Supply is underway!
Check out these pretty edges on the prototype, and the card stock quality is fantastic. As a note, this copy is missing the linen finish, but the final game will have linen finish texture.
These photos are taken in direct sunlight after a few test plays, and are unedited phone photos. It looks even nicer in person :)
Shipping costs finalization timeline
The shipping costs will be finalized by the end of September. I'm hoping to lower international shipping costs by $5-10usd depending on the shipping location, but can't guarantee this yet.
Prices will never be higher than the shipping table in the campaign page (which cannot be edited by me anymore, in case you were worried!)
A special KS update will be sent out just for shipping cost transparency in September. If you'd like to wait to fill out your Backerkit survey until then, that's totally fine.
PNP files!
File distribution:
Files will only be available through Backerkit, not Kickstarter. After conversations with the Kickstarter help team, I have been informed that their file distribution is ONLY available through their own pledge manager service, and thus I don't have access to it.
I apologize for any confusion, and if you need help accessing your printable files through Backerkit, please let me know and I can help!
Low Ink PNP Version:
Now available to download in Backerkit! A4 and Letter size.
Spanish Instructions and Shopkeepers (player aids):
Thanks to Fernando Cuautle, we have a Spanish translation of Shinobi Spy & Supply! The printable files will be available on Backerkit and on BGG by the end of the month.
3/4 Player game mode Printable Delayed:
We need a bit more time to test the instructions and iron out a rule change, so we are pushing back the release of the 3/4 player game mode PNP until October.
As compensation, we're adding 4 new exclusive playable characters to the game mode!
All of these characters (and the whole 3/4 player game mode) will be Printable only, and the files are included in all PNP and Physical game tiers.
In addition, I'd like to officially announce that the 3/4 player mode will also have a Spanish translation!
The first character is the american beaver, which started as a joke with a close friend. Can you figure out where his armor is from? If so, you'll understand why the american beaver makes an appearance in the game!
The second character is another cat. This is our beloved tortoiseshell cat Kiki, who was diagnosed with cancer the day before we launched on Kickstarter, and crossed the rainbow bridge a few weeks ago.
We wanted to honor her in the project in some way, so we're including her as one of the PNP exclusive characters for the 3/4 player mode.
The Last 2 Characters will be decided by you!
There is a Poll below where you can vote for your favorite Japanese animal that's not already represented in the game.
Choose Between (the top 2 characters will win!):
- Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle (Kabutomushi)
- Green Pheasant (Kiji)
- Japanese Spider Crab (taka-ashi-gani)
- Japanese Boar (Inoshishi)
- Tiger Pufferfish (Fugu)
Vote in the attached poll below!
Updated PNP Timeline:
Local 2D Con convention
(and Physical Artbook giveaway)
We will be at the Indie Island of Minnesota's 2D Con this weekend! Come say hi, test the game with us, and have fun at the convention!
We also have a fun giveaway for con-goers as well as y'all!
When the artbook is finished in October, we will be printing an extremely limited number of physical copies for giveaways. We unfortunately will not be selling the physical book version at this time.
As a reminder, everyone will have access to the digital version of the artbook when it's finished in October!
You can enter to win a copy of the physical book by signing up to our Orca Island Games email list here or at 2D Con! Emails will only be sent 2-4 times a year, and will contain game updates and news for our released games, upcoming game previews, downloads, and other fun stuff.
The Details:
We will be giving away 1 signed physical copy of the artbook with 1 signed copy of Shinobi Spy & Supply, shipped to the winner free of charge, after both the book and game are finished and printed (No later than May 5, 2027). The contest can be entered for free by signing up to our email list from August 19-24th. One winner will be randomly chosen using a random digital selection, and contacted via email no later than one week after the contest closes. The contest is open from August 19th at 1:00pm CDT until it closes on Monday, August 24 at 11:59pm CDT. Each person may enter the giveaway only one time, and additional entry attempts will be disqualified. This giveaway offer is void where prohibited by law.
Thank you!
Thank you for supporting our game! We can't wait for you to try it, and thanks to those who've already crafted the PNP! It's an honor to have our game on your shelves.
-Leslie
July Update: PnP Files, Pledge Manager, Development Updates
3 months ago
– Mon, Jul 06, 2026 at 12:13:36 PM
Hello everyone!
In this update: the pledge manager is going out via email over the next few days, the first wave of print and play files are ready, physical game production update, and game development updates.
I apologize for the delay; I decided to postpone this update until after the USA holiday weekend so if something goes wrong with the pledge manager, Backerkit support is available to help.
Pledge manager!
The pledge manager will go out this week as soon as it's approved by Backerkit! Around 10% of backers will receive their email surveys first, and the rest will be sent out the following day if all goes well*.
The pledge manager is used to collect taxes, addresses for shipping, to distribute digital files, and later will also be used to collect shipping costs. We are not charging shipping yet. Shipping will be charged closer to when the games deliver. We want to make sure we don’t overcharge for shipping your games to you, so we’re leaving open the possibility of shipping costs being lowered!
*If you use an email relay service for your Kickstarter email, such as AppleID relay, you may not receive your survey. If you don't receive your survey by the end of the week, please reach out to me and I'll be in touch to help fix it!
Print and play
Update: Currently in contact with Kickstarter to get their file distribution working correctly. It's a new feature, and I've discovered a bug. I'll update more on the situation through the comments on this update! Regardless of if the delivery through Kickstarter works, the files will also be available through Backerkit by the end of the week and delivered through the pledge manager!! (End Update)
The first wave of print and play files are available! They will be downloadable in Backerkit and here on Kickstarter. The additional files we unlocked during the campaign and the art book will take a bit more time to make sure everything is finished and high enough quality for my standards, so we’re releasing them in waves! See the image below for details.
Physical production:
Our sample of the game is on it's way!! If it requires no changes, the full mass production can start. I should have more details next month or if something particularly exciting happens!
Game development updates:
We also made some small graphic design and balance changes that had to be extensively tested over the last few weeks. The great news about that testing is that all of the changes feel so natural that the game feels like it should’ve been this way all along!
Here’s the graphics changes laid out: the new look differentiates the card resource and the cost, and connects the card cost with the bonus action (which you take after paying the cost). In addition, the scoring is streamlined visually by changing the location of where the spy resource and cost is on the card backs.
The new balance change: the 3 cards that score 4 points per set have an increased cost of 3 resources instead of 2 resources! This feels more balanced and natural, and is the only change to the gameplay.
Thank you for your patience and for supporting our game!! Please reach out if you have any questions.
-Leslie
We did it!!!
4 months ago
– Wed, Jun 03, 2026 at 08:08:59 PM
The Kickstarter campaign is officially complete! Shinobi Spy & Supply is 422% funded thanks to 345 amazing backers!!!
Thank you all so much for supporting our project, Micro May games, and indie tabletop games in general! We're so excited to be able to manufacture Shinobi Spy & Supply and get it into your hands.
I have a few things to update you all about next steps and end of campaign things.
Updates:
From this point, you can expect a monthly update from me on the progress of the project, and an additional update if something important happens!
Pledge Manager:
There's 2 important things to note here!
- The Pledge Manager will open by late June/early July, and surveys will be sent to your emails. If you use an AppleID Relay email for your Kickstarter account, you may not receive the survey and it may have to be fixed manually. I'll be in touch about this before surveys go out.
- I WON'T be charging for shipping immediately when the Pledge Manager opens, and will be using Backerkit's "Charge Shipping Later" feature.
The reason for charging shipping later is that I won't need to charge for shipping until the game is manufactured, and shipping costs are currently higher than average due to global events (as seen on the campaign page). I really don't want to overcharge for shipping if global shipping prices lower by the time I'm ready to ship the game. I also guarantee that I won't ever charge more for shipping than listed on the campaign.
I'll send out an update before the Pledge Manager opens with more details.
Digital Rewards (PNP, art book, 4 player mode):
The digital rewards will be available in July through Kickstarter's Digital File Sharing tool! This is a new tool that I haven't used yet, so hopefully everything works smoothly! The files will also be available through Backerkit once the pledge manager opens.
Thank You's!!
Thank you to all of you amazing backers who've helped us make this project a reality!!
We also owe a huge "thank you" to all of the incredible people who've helped made this game happen behind the scenes, by playtesting, rulebook reading, campaign feedback, graphic design input, Micro May spotlights, collaborations, game reviews, moral support and encouragement, and more.
It wouldn't have been possible without you all!
Cheers,
Leslie
