That's strange. I wouldn't expect anyone to get techlocked at all until chapter 8+
Wait.... do we have different definitions of "small guys"?
To me "small guys" are anyone in chapter 1-6, maybe chapter 7.
First, a Chapter 1 player should not be investing in KP for anything but building their city. They don't even have an AW to join an AW program. If the program is required by everyone in your FS, it's because you don't allow Chapter 1 players to join. (not you personally, but any AM) Players don't even get their 1st AW tech unlocked until mid-2nd chapter, and even then it requires runes to fill them to build them.
Now consider that in chapter 2, a player
may get golden abyss and want to upgrade it right away. They could do that alone, with every KP they get from only the hourly earning, in just 4.5 days. Why would they want to join a KP thread when they should be building their cities?
I've had a huge variety of players get tech locked and it was an absolute mystery to me how anyone could get tech locked prior to dwarves chapter, but they do (for reasons already stated by Ted). Also, my FS helps new players with 10K of each T1 good with 1:4 trades, so even though they have the goods not to get tech locked, there's nothing we can do about tools except give them visits and have them boost their culture buildings. I don't allow non-boosted cities in our FS because they are
continuously tech locked.
Now, some FS don't accept members below 10K score, which is chapter 3. Below 20K score is about chapter 4. Not sure how any player could be called anything but "little guy" until they're in about fairy chapter.
If everyone was a "planner" and read every forum thread, they might be prepared for what's in store for the dwarf and beyond guest race chapters. But the typical scenario I see is people get tech locked in dwarves chapter. I never have, and I have 2 cities beyond dwarf chapter. I have given advice and tips, written up things, posted links to other Elvenar tips websites til I'm blue in the face, but players do what they wanna do and build the way they wanna build.
I once had a player ask me if completing dwarf chapter in 2 months was faster than usual. I said that I don't base how long it takes them to get through a chapter "fast" so much as how long they were tech locked. And I still stand by that. I'm a planner, I don't want to be tech locked. But the only time I've ever donated KP to my own, or someone else's AW is when I am tech locked.
I do not expect players to join a KP program because I think it's far more beneficial to them personally to build their cities. Let's talk about the abyss. Yes it gives extra coins and population. But if they'd upgrade their houses, build all relevant culture and
tear down their old culture, have their culture boosted, and all the rest of what it takes to get 150 or more % culture boost, they'd get more coins and supplies to do the things they want. They'd gain score by upgrading that housing and factories, rather than the meager amounts (in the beginning) of an AW (and even then, I consider ranking points for many AWs rather meager compared to other buildings one could build.
It's all philosophical and how one builds their FS, and how important they think AWs are. The main AW I consider worth upgrading is the Mountain Halls, which isn't obtained until later anyway, to get the goods boosts.