To Embrace a Swamp Creature
A downloadable game
To Embrace a Swamp Creature gives you an austerity crushed commuter town, friendships debating their continued existence, toxic air, visions of the stench, zombies trekking out of the bog for a pub breakfast, pride and madness; asking “What do you do next?”
To Embrace a Swamp Creature is a role-playing game of Belonging outside Belonging. It is a game for 2-6 players as you all play a group of mentally ill post-teens living in Swamp Strange, a commuter town wrecked by over a decade of austerity. All players share responsibility for setting the mood and tone of the game, creating trouble and conflict, sharing the spotlight and spotlighting your setting, and looking after each other, however you can.
Reminiscent of Night in the Woods, assorted small press slice of life indie comics and films like Shiva Baby and Appropriate Behaviour (but with a swampy magical realist twist). Its a game about having come of age in a place that couldn’t handle your queerness and neurodivergence. Its game about knowing people who’ve seen you at your worst and fearing that’s all they’ll ever see you as.
Physical Copies
You can purchase physical copies of the To Embrace a Swamp Creature at the Rat Wave Webstore. If you purchased a physical copy and would like digital access please contact Kayla via pdf.ratwave.uk
Inspired by the Mountain Goats song "How to Embrace a Swamp Creature"
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $15 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Community Copies
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Community Copies
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Development log
- To Embrace a Swamp Creature, formerly How ToNov 23, 2023
Comments
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I own "How to Embrace a Swamp Creature" from the Indie bundle for Palestinian Aid, but when I click on it to download it now it says "This project is not available for download
This game is not published and can not be downloaded. If you think this is a mistake, please get in touch with support.".
Have you removed it from accounts that own it? Thanks.
How to Embrace a Swamp Creature was the first edition of the this game and was a separate Itch project. I believe I sent out an email with a free download key to the new edition four years ago when it was released, though I think that email would have only been received by those who'd already claimed the game from bundles.
Maybe. I have thousands of things from bundles, so only downloaded that one at some point last year, though the link worked from the bundle fine at that point.
I had been surprised by the first edition of this Belonging Outside Belonging game, which attracted me at first by its rather naive and clumsy cover, reflecting in my opinion the game's purpose: to play a bunch of losers in a small British town where toxic barrels are dumped from the neighboring factory; a bunch of irradiated losers, who don't really belong here, but wouldn't know where to go if they left. The 2nd edition is not much prettier than the first one, but it is full of intelligent additions, including excellent advice on how to set up a game of any BoB game, including on the long term, with a really great calendar principle (adapted from Wanderhome). A great read, even more so that I would have thought at first!