See Creatures has two facets of gameplay to enjoy, a card game (with mechanics similar to exploding kittens) and an RPG, homebrewed from scratch!
The card game is turn based, where players collect enough cards to make a complete, matching animal to lay for points and to “inconvenience” your friends by strategically playing creatures for their effects. You could play a Happy Lendings to borrow 2 cards from another player who you think might be building a high point animal, or a Sticky Fingers to steal cards from them! Every creature has a unique effect usually based on science, pop culture references, or word play.
The base game deck suits 1 – 4 players, and the expansion decks (currently “Whales” and “Extra Queer Fish”) add up to another 3 – 4 players with games usually last 1 hour to 1.5 hours for a long-form game, but those who like a shorter match can remove the middles and play short-form, or even play solo for those who love games but rarely have the opportunities to play with others.
Players may decide they like to play with a slightly higher level of difficulty and remove some of the helpful solo cards or even add your own creations, make the deck your own!
Visit the “How To See Creatures” page for instructions.
The RPG is set in Atlantis, with playable 14 fishfolk and merfolk species, 6 classes, 9 festivals, 70+ premade characters, 30+ venues and locations, a prewritten horror session, 3 prewritten main plots and several minor plots and side quests – development will be a continuous project with expansions to come.
Each campaign guaranteed to be unique!
Check out the current campaign blog, the artwork, and general updates here!
Interested in becoming a backer? We will be relaunching the Kickstarter campaign in 2024! Follow us on socials to stay up to date on what’s happening.
Are you a game reviewer? Get in contact at deepsky.gameseries@gmail.com to discuss a free copy of the See Creatures Card Game!
The Catch
Each creature has a name, a species, and a little personality.
And usually a Top, Middle, and a Bottom, butt not always!
Is that giggling I hear?
Two Box Styles
The latest designs for the boxes are teal treasure chests and monster chests – both handmade by me!
The Treasure Chest is the standard box included with your base deck, The deluxe monster chest is made of velvet and features a large stone eye making every one unique, you can read more about it here! upgrading to the monster chests is £15 – but wouldn’t it look great in your collection?
Still working out box closures as there have been some complications, but I’m thinking gold slider buckles with silver faux leather straps!
Swing for Solo
Some cards could make or break your game, if you’re brave enough to risk a Solo.
Some, like Plankton, are cheap and cheerful! Others, like Whalefall, could finish you off. Atlantis could win you the game, but be careful not to fall behind!
Pass The Pebble
When your turn is done you can announce “I’ve seen creatures!” to let everyone know that your go has ended and it’s someone else’s problem now.
Having a non verbal day? Good news! A unique painted rock called a “Turn Stone” is included in the box for you to pass on after your go.
These rocks are freely sourced from wherever I happen to go and are cleaned before decorating. More info here!
Desperate or Devious
The Poisoned Puffer could save your game if you feel lucky enough to roll a six.
Or it could break your game if you fail the roll. If you’re well ahead early in the game you may want to try your luck and snatch a win from your competitors before they have a chance to catch up.
Sized to Suit
Decks come in a range of options to suit your needs.
The base deck comes in Basic, Eco Herbage, Travel Deck Basic, and Print At Home PDF.
Eco Herbage (made from recycled materials) has a rustic look and great texture and is the most expensive at £50, the Basic deck is professional quality smooth cardstock at £35, the Travel Deck is a miniature size (also professional smooth cardstock) at £20, and the Print At Home PDF is the cheapest at £10. (Why £10 when you’re the one putting it together? It’s because of the hundreds of hours of labour that has gone into making this game and arranging the PDF!)
Back Story
My name is Andrew and I am the creator of See Creatures! I’m a writer, artist, and community activist (among many other things), from rural East Anglia. SC really encapsulates my personality with puns, bright cartoons, and subtle (or not so subtle depending on your personality) innuendos. It also reflects my identity as a queer person with its references and humour, and many of the creatures used in the decks are also non cis-het normative (true to life!) I live in hope for the end of CHAP (cisgender, heterosexual, allosexual, perisex) narratives that misrepresent the true diversity of nature, both human and non human.
I had the idea for this game Christmas say ’22, and have been plugging away at it since. It started with “I’d like to measure out how long dinosaurs were”, to “I’m sure you can make a game based on the length of animals!” And so I began filling sketchbooks with ideas for See Creatures.
Having a low income I devised the prototype deck using free or cheap resources, such as Fire Alpaca and home printing, and built it slowly over 4 months before investing in a professionally printed deck.
This game has been a very personal form of art therapy for me when in the February of 23 my nose was broken by a radicalized far-right extremists after he started a violent altercation at a queer art rally I was hosting. Their presence was a surprise at such a small event, and dealing with the trauma afterwards was hard, but See Creatures brought me joy and gave me something enjoyable to focus on. I hope that it’s nudge-nudge wink-wink and pop culture references bring joy to others too.
I’ve done all the work myself, from designing the art and gameplay mechanics to crafting the boxes, turn stones, and cards, plus making the video and the music accompaniment. I don’t claim to be a professional at all of these things, I just do stuff that I love and hope that you love it too.
If you like my work check out my Instagram @NotSoWittyWriter or my website at akcopeman.co.uk!
Kickstarter Campaign Video
“Best Film”
Winner
“New Film Festival”
Winner
“Best Short”
Winner
