Wandering the busy halls of the UK Games Expo, it is easy to get caught up in the massive, flashing displays of industry giants. However, Geek Native’s boots on the ground at Hall 2 discovered a genuine, unannounced gem quietly being playtested by Scarborough-based indie publisher Fights And Fancy.
While the studio is primarily known at the show for their two-player roleplaying games like Roll Table For 2, they are currently running curated, early-adopter playtests at Stand 2-977 for a brand new title: The Watcher’s Draw.
The Watcher’s Draw shifts gears from traditional RPG supplements into a card-based god game. Players take on the role of a minor deity watching over a small settlement. By pulling from the deck, you decide how to use your cosmic power to nudge events along, doing little favours for your adopted people in an attempt to secure their devotion.
The game’s mechanical hook relies on a delicate balance between fate and benevolence.
The team at Fights And Fancy explained to Geek Native at UK Games Expo that if players manage their hands well and do enough favours, the settlement will come to believe in them. Achieving this locks in a win state: you have successfully created a religion, and you are the god they worship.
However, playing a deity is not without its perils. Geek Native observed that the deck is entirely capable of fighting back. A brutal loss state exists for unlucky gods; one playtester pulled a succession of negative draws from the deck. No matter how hard they tried to course-correct and provide for their settlement, the harsh realities of the cards overwhelmed them, and their adopted civilisation tragically died off.
This blend of whimsical divine intervention and the sudden, grim reality of a bad shuffle makes The Watcher’s Draw a highly compelling prototype to watch.
Beyond their new game, Fights And Fancy remains a fantastic UK indie success story. Originally started in 2020 by a wife-and-wife illustrator duo, the team has expanded to six members and even opened a brick-and-mortar community space in Scarborough last year. Alongside their indie games, their UKGE booth is packed with charming tabletop accessories, ranging from D&D tools and character workbooks to excellent apparel and merchandise, including a highly relatable “Today’s Gay Agenda” notebook.
Attendees at the UK Games Expo can find Fights And Fancy at Stand 2-977 to try the curated playtest of The Watcher’s Draw and browse their catalogue of traditional gaming tools.
