There’s a new version of one of our favorite card games! Campy Creatures Volume 1 is the third iteration of Campy Creatures. This game has players sending their monsters into the world to capture mortals using a bidding mechanic and hand management. So, what’s new in this new version and most importantly, is it worth your money?
Monster Basics
The basics of the gameplay hasn’t changed. Players have a hand of cards with a variety of creatures. Each creature has a numerical value and ability that can be triggered when played. Each round, players choose a card from their hand with everyone simultaneously revealing their creature to see who gets first pick of the mortals that are in the center of the table.
The highest value creature will get first choice, with other players going in turn order. Ties are broken by the Clash-O-Meter where each player can rise through the ranks to break ties. Mortals have different scoring criteria. Some score for sets, majorities, number of icons, and some even deal negative points to the player. There are even two end game scoring variants included in the game which is nice.
A full game is still three rounds but each of the rounds are shorter with all players only playing a total of four creatures from their hand during the round. Now, let’s talk about what has changed.
Ch-ch-ch-changes
Campy Creatures Volume 1 has plenty of changes without disrupting the formula that we really enjoy. Players will notice a reduced number of monsters in their hand in this new game. Originally the game had nine creatures, the 2019 expansion introduced four alternate creatures that could swap in/out before starting a game.
This new edition slims down your hand to seven creatures with mostly new abilities on their cards. Players will capture a mortal and do the ability on their card as long as it wasn’t cancelled.
- 0 – The Mummy – Gains two Energy tokens and go to the top of the Clash-O-Meter (this cannot be cancelled)
- 1 – The Werewolf – Gain one Energy token OR Give the mortal you captured to another player
- 2 – The Swamp Creature – Your next creature gets +2 strength
- 3 – The Man-Eating Plant – Capture two mortals
- 4 – The Invisible Man – You may draw a mortal and capture it facedown instead
- 5 – The Vampire – Cancel the ability of the creature to your left
- X – The Monster – After revealing creatures, spend Energy tokens to give this card a strength number
This new edition doesn’t rely so much on timing with creature abilities which makes the gameplay smooth and easier to teach new players. The artwork hasn’t changed but the iconography and text at the bottom of each card has.
In this new edition, mortal cards are smaller in size, but there are more of them. Instead of scoring and shuffling each round, players will keep the mortals between each round, until scoring at the end of the game. Mortals also come with some additional icons on some of the cards, forcing players to discard Energy tokens or giving players a blind draw of a new mortal card. These changes are all really great, but I’ve never been a fan of small cards. This is a personal preference for me.
Energy tokens are brand-new. These neon green gems are used during the game to give strength to The Monster and are worth points at the end of the game. Also, something new are scene cards. Each round, there are four scene cards on the table. The player who plays the highest creature gets the scene card associated with the turn. These scenes have instant bonuses or end game scoring perks which are really nice.
What’s Missing?
Thankfully, the score track that was never big enough and super frustrating, is now gone. The score track for both first and second edition of this game was annoyingly small and is now gone, because rounds are shorter and mortal cards are more plentiful. Great change!
Location cards have also been removed and replaced with scenes. The locations that were added in second edition were fine but lacked balance. In our handful of playthroughs, the scenes work so much better and there’s less confusion with new players.
Some of the creatures that we knew and loved like the Kaiju, Beast, and Blob are gone even though some of the abilities are present in other forms. I’m sad that some of the expanded creatures from the Campy Creatures expansion aren’t around this time, but I know they are still lurking out there. While I have no information from Keymaster Games, there’s a reason why this is called “Volume 1”.
Final thoughts
Campy Creatures Volume 1 streamlines much of the game and removes locations which was an issue I heard from a lot of people who had the second edition. On the surface, it feels like there is “less game” here because of all the expansion extras that we’ve been playing with since 2019. I actually think that Campy Creatures Volume 1 goes back to the basics and gives players a very sleek game that removes some of the clunky elements.
The game moves faster because there’s no scoring between rounds. Players continue working on their collection of mortals through all three rounds. The artwork from Josh Emrich is familiar and gorgeous as always. The box opening like a VHS tape is so fitting for this game. The production is what you’d expect from Keymaster Games and you can tell they love this property.
My old copies of Campy Creatures will probably collect dust on the shelf because of this new edition. I’m still deeply connected to the old game because of all the memories of playing with family and co-workers. But, this new edition is fresh and moves quicker than the previous iterations. Here’s to hoping that we see an expansion leading into Halloween next year, giving us even more campy gameplay.
Campy Creatures Volume 1 is available at your local game store, through the Keymaster Games webstore and online through Amazon today.
This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.
Highs
- Incredible art and design brings everything together
- Addition of Energy tokens and scenes work so well
- Quicker gameplay and less confusion for new players
- Good-bye tiny score tracker!
Lows
- Not compatible with the 2019 expansion
Complexity
Time Commitment
Replayability
