Pico is a tabletop roleplaying game where you play as tiny bugs going on small adventures in a big world.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
A Tiny Pre-Christmas Update
6 months ago
– Sat, Dec 20, 2025 at 02:17:21 PM
Evening people, Felix here!
No BIG news to give, but I thought people might appreciate a small update on the printing process...
The full-book proofs are on their way to the US for the Mythworks folks to look over, and should be with them in a couple of days. They'll be sending me over pictures as well (and I might even get a full video-call-leaf-through experience, same as I did for the individual unbound page proofs).
The Mythworks team have constructed the actual orders (so the printers know how and where to store/send things when the final print run happens). Likely not exciting, but definitely an important part of the process!
And that final print run should start as soon as the final proofs are approved, and then about a week after that the books will exist. Huge piles of the things, all ready to be loaded into the appropriate crates...
... so that those crates can be loaded onto boats! THEN we simply have to rely on the mysterious, ancient art of transatlantic shipping - always a nerve-wracking part of the process for me personally, because at that point everything is completely out of my hands for the first time. And while I can swim, I do have my limits.
So there you have it! Not an exciting update in terms of colourful pictures, admittedly, but hopefully one that reassures people that books are on their way.
Anyway, that's all from me - I'm off to enjoy christmas. Hope you reader do as well, if that's the kind of holiday you celebrate. And, if not, have a good time doing other things instead!
Stay safe, piconauts!
Felix
PICO PROOFS ARE IN!
8 months ago
– Tue, Nov 11, 2025 at 08:54:00 AM
What's that Felix? You've got big news?
Well yes, those-who-would-be-tiny-bugs, I have!
I'll keep it light on the words and heavy on the images this time around - prepare for a cavalcade of stills taken from a call between publisher Ray and I, as we went over the PICO proofs that the printers just delivered page by page!
All loose book pages lovingly displayed by publisher Ray's hands!
TIMELINES
... Are what I wish I could solidify today, but unfortunately progress doesn't always translate into temporal certainty.
That's what comes next, I think - basically, until the print job starts, we don't know any dates for certain in terms of final delivery. Hopefully that job will start this week, but when you're working with third parties (even very good third parties, as our printers are), you never can tell.
So I'll hold off on the next update until the books are fully printed (and hopefully in transit), unless there's some kind of significant delay (in which case I'll hop on here and tell you about it). That'll give us a clearer idea of timelines too.
So fingers crossed that the print job all goes well - it's great to see things moving, and I can't quite put into words how good it feels to see book pages in real life for the first time after staring at them on a screen for a year and a half :)
But before I go, I think the publishers would be annoyed if I didn't mention that we have 48 hours left on the crowdfunder for Tigers on the Wire, the new Wildsea adventure. It's a great place to pick up the existing books too. So if you're a wildsea fan, or maybe even a would-be-wildsea fan, give it a look if you haven't already! You'll find the link HERE.
Be safe, people!
PICO: THE DIGITAL FULL RELEASE IS HERE!
9 months ago
– Fri, Oct 03, 2025 at 01:52:21 PM
It's been a long old road, hasn't it? And there have definitely been a few obstacles along the way.
But I'm really, really proud to announce that the full digital version of PICO is now ready to go, along with the digital picodex AND a free set of updated pre-gen characters, along with two styles of character sheet for each (one based on our convention play sheets, one on the true PICO character sheet).
A very simple image, but EXTREMELY satisfying for me to look at!
HOW DO I GET MY DIGITAL REWARDS?
You should get a ping from BackerKit via email. From there, simply follow the download links to our top secret download landing pages and pick up your PDFs!
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF PICO?
Well, it means that the print version can be locked as well, which is (as you might imagine) the first step toward actual, hot-from-the-oven books being delivered to your door. Printing and shipping will still take some time, but now we're entering the realm of LOGISTICS - the stuff that, all going well, ensures a smooth transition from 'well this was a cool idea' to 'oh wow this is a real book'.
So I'd like to say thank you, again, to everyone along the way that's made it possible - perhaps most of all zkarab, who has created a truly immense amount of bespoke art for the game in the past four years. This has been my first project working with a single artist, and it's been a rollercoaster.
The fun kind.
And, talking of fun...
INTRODUCING: PICO PAL
And this also seems a good time to mention that, as well as the existing PICO online character creation tools, we have another set geared towards smartphonish types (both Android and IOS)! And, as I often try to do, I'll let the creator speak about their work themselves...
From the Ennie award-winning creator of Mothership Companion and Cyberpunk Red Companion comes a brand-new buggy binary: Pico Pal! Wait no, not that kind of buggy. Here, let me show you...
Pico Pal is an unofficial companion app for Pico, designed to help you create your bug in a matter of moments. It is available now, for free, on iOS and Android, with a Web version on the way.
But don't think that's all I have to announce today! Because as I've waited for corrections and edits, I've been working on two other certain somethings for Mythworks - and I haven't been working alone...
A lone wanderer crosses a bridge, somewhere in the ruins. Art by Sam Carr.
A collaboration between me, Rob Leigh (the creator of When the Moon Hangs Low) and Sam Carr (the creator of, well, The Eternal Ruins), this is a new Wild Words game about exploring a vast labyrinth of wonders and horrors, with a balance of cozy moments and existential dread. The world it takes place in isn't my own, for once - Sam has a youtube channel you can visit HERE, where he's built up the lore of the Ruins over the past few years. It was actually that youtube channel that prompted me to reach out to him, poking him with a 'Hey, this would make a really good Wild Words game' type of message.
Luckily, he agreed.
The Rascal, one of the many paths a wanderer might take as they learn to survive the Eternal Ruins. Art by Sam Carr.
The Eternal Ruins draws inspiration from things like the Legend of Zelda and Spirited Away, following child-like wanderers trying to make sense of the impossibly ancient megastructure they inhabit. It's cute, at times, but like PICO has its darker moments.
Unlike PICO, there are far more of them.
I'll share more about the Eternal Ruins at some point in the future, likely when I have another big update for the PICO printing process. But, for now, you can REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE - we're already somewhere in the 800s for followers, which is a lovely start, but if you're a PICO fan there's a good chance you'll find something here that you like.
If you've followed the Wildsea at all (which is likely, if you're a PICO fan, as it runs on the same engine), then you've probably heard about this already, but we're only a couple of weeks away from launching Tigers on the Wire, the next Wildsea adventure!
There will be tigers. Well, almost...
Tigers on the Wire is aimed primarily at those who have a little bit of experience with the rustling waves, but can also work well as an introduction to the world for new players who are feeling particularly brave.
We're crowdfunding this one over on Gamefound this time, as part of an RPG-centric push they're running. If you fancy checking it out, follow this weird green link here!
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!
(Okay, I didn't actually work personally on this last one, but it is pretty cool...)
Another Mythworks property, the Ennie-nominated Last Caravan is getting two whole expansions that are up on kickstarter right now. But rather than me blather on, I'll let the writer Ted (who I have shared several tables with over the past few years, and who is particularly good at sound effects) tell you about them himself!
The Last Caravan is a game about a midwinter family road trip in the wake of an alien invasion. In the expansions, that family expands — with Lost Highway adding alien character playbooks and Westward Bound offering a total alternate journey where you are, instead, a group of dogs on a road trip to find your humans after the invasion.
Like Pico, this is a journey that has a coziness and a sense of wild exploration. The alien invasion has transformed the continent, seeding jungles of alien flora like Weird Virginia, welcoming species like the song-wielding Aernians and the crablike Ek-Ik-Mak. The core book comes with 23 unique Regions that serve as unique adventures, and the expansions will add numerous new Regions and Scenarios.
Like Wildsea, it’s a game about characters, with vivid and unique character classes and mechanics that lean you into the narrative.
So there you have it! Good PICO news, new Felix project news, and other Mythworks news! It's almost like we enjoy making games or something. :)
Felix, out!
VERY Quick Update - Backerkit Closing Soon!
9 months ago
– Thu, Sep 18, 2025 at 09:14:41 AM
No fancy stuff this time people, just some important info - I'll be locking in for the final version of PICO (and the PICODEX) on monday, ready to be sent off to the printers on tuesday. because of this we'll be closing the backerkit on sunday, so if you haven't thrown your info in there (particularly the name you want to be credited by), then do it by sunday!
Oh... Go on then. One bit of art, from the picodex.
I'll be in touch again when the books get the okay from the printers!
Felix
Backerkit Rollout, Textual Updates Applied, and Digital Character Sheet Updates!
10 months ago
– Sun, Aug 24, 2025 at 09:20:40 AM
Morning/afternoon/evening folks, Felix here!
It's been a whirlwind of a last month, and the reception to the closed release of the version 0.999 copy of PICO has been really wonderful. So thank you, all of you!
With that said, there are a few big news items for today, so get ready for a very official(ish) update! Minimal pictures, maximum words this time around.
THE BACKERKIT ROLLOUT BEGINS!
Today marks the start of the backerkit rollout - it'll be appearing for some people as a small test, then once we know it's working correctly (likely in about two days) it should be fired off to everybody.
If you're part of the early rollout and you notice any errors or problems or missing fields etc, please do let us know in the comments of this update - getting a good, accurate backerkit release makes things a lot easier for us going forward.
Also, your answer to the very first question of the backerkit lets us know how you want to be credited. Because PICO is a little more family-friendly than the Wildsea, please do choose appropriate names - I won't hesistate to censor anything that goes off the deep end, especially if it would make a bug feel sad! We've never had problems with this in the past, as you have consistently been a lovely bunch, but it bears saying just in case. :P
EDITS HAVE BEEN APPLIED!
Your feedback for PICO crowd-editing has been excellent - some very fine-toothed combs have been released and put to good use, evidently!
So in no particular order, here's a 'thank you very much' to the following individuals, and a brief, cryptic outline of what they're being thanked for...
River Ray: A duplicate Nekopolis was removed, sewers were systemified, A new twigling bow has been added for easy Hunt and Slink damage at range, multiple appendix typos were untypoified, Shadow House page numbers pulled back from the abyss, a wild became a haunted, and Weirdnesses were re-ordered.
Jotra04: Midnight bites were capslocked, Roaming sheet language was updated, Dart and Jump references cleaned up, Picotitan March speed increased, and removed SOME of the scrape references (it's still an excellent word for a scuffle).
Lieutenant Lettuce: Clarified some aspect amount rules.
Ross Briddon: Some pixelated images have been sharpened.
Styrmir: For an augment amount clarification.
Brendant Truett: Removed an additional 'by', changed an 'and' to an 'any'.
The Crew of the Razored Front: Added 'D3s' as an acceptable name for the Ding-Dong-Ditchers, as was originally intended.
Malik: A rejuvenated art piece has been added (and definitely not because I clicked the wrong file at some point, of course I wouldn't do a thing like that).
Zach Mlynarczyk: Example aspects re-ordered, Crushing mandibles re-hearted, and Straw Hose aspect re-wettified.
Boy in Turqoise: Adding an S to effect.
Matthew Johnston: An or became a for, a wind-up key got new text, and a possible possible was added.
Matter: Excised an E where no E should be!
Indiana Sprig: For some clarification questions on Dash/Dance/Dart.
Groundhoggoth: For pointing out that mounts are your buddies (not your parts).
Andrew Sheridan: For catching some unintentional pseudoscientific duplicates.
Conbon: Fiesty? Feisty, more like!
Anonymous: Removed MOST of the references to the Specimachine and Brimstocchio (the Specimachine is on patreon, so I'm not againt leaving a tiny breadcrumb trail there).
And Celeste Tavarez Santana: For a whole host of minor but useful catches, very much appreciated!
So... what hasn't changed?
Well, most things, as you can probably imagine. But specifically...
+ Hover-over text not added yet, because I don't know how! This may change in the near future, but no promises there. + An aspect creation page has not added, because I don't have enough space! + Additional bolding is a firm maybe - Ellan the editor is queen of the bold, and decided that some paragraphs / pages would look weird with too much bold on them (which I agree with), so holding off for now (but that might well change in some instances for the final readthrough).
DIGITAL CHARACTER SHEET UPDATES!
Straight from the Cobo, the creator's, mouth...
The makers of the Wildsea digital companion site, Charsmith, have created a PICO version as well. Check it out HERE!
Charsmith is for both players and GMs to help manage everything in their games. It has digital character and picotitan sheets as well as a dedicated sheet for GMs to keep track of sessions. The Character Wizard can help guide new players to quickly create bugs so you can get to playing ASAP!
Support your PICO campaigns with this feature-rich digital character sheet!
So there you go!
THE FUTURE
Next update, timeline info I think - we're at the stage of getting things approved for printing now, so after that we should hopefully be back on track for a decent book-creation-and-delivery process!
