Citizen Sleeper feels like it was based on a tabletop RPG. In many ways it was, albeit one in creator Gareth Damian Martin’s imagination. The cult indie hit was inspired by many TTRPG mechanics, and Damian Martin was keen to move away from the D&D pigeonhole that video game RPGs often fall into.

The result was spectacular. Like all the best science fiction, Citizen Sleeper tells very real stories that reflect on modern day problems as much as they embody the far future. And like all the best video games, it creates a system that feels fresh and new, despite its myriad inspirations. And now, finally, it has come full circle. Developer Jump Over The Age is releasing a physical tabletop version of the game called Cycles of the Eye, and it looks special.

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My eyes are immediately drawn to the dice. They mean everything in the video game, and that’s also the case for its tabletop counterpart. If I’m going to be staring at them for hours on end, pondering where best to spend those precious pip-based resources, they best look good. Don’t worry, they do. I’m the kind of person who orders custom D&D dice to befit my character, though, and has separate colour-coded sets for each of my Warhammer armies. If you think I’m going on too much about dice, this is the tip of the iceberg, I assure you. But for us tabletop geeks, nice dice are an immediate draw, but the game needs substance to back it up.

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While we don’t know the full extent of the rules yet, it initially seems similar to the video game. It’s a single-player RPG, where the dice measure your resources. In lieu of an AI Dungeon Master, you draw from a deck of tarot cards, which dictate the events punctuating your fight for survival on the Eye. There’s also a second set of dice to track your quests, perfect for all us dice weirdos out there. If you’re not as into dice as me, you can use any old D6s you have lying around, but you’ll lose some of the style that comes with buying the physical TTRPG. After all, we’re here for the nice box and shiny tarot, aren’t we?

Veteran tabletop designer Alfred Valley has had a part to play in the game’s creation, which the team sees as somewhere between a journaling game and a reflective self-led experience, depending on the player. Indeed, crafting your Sleeper’s narrative from your discarded tarot each time you play means it could be either or both, depending on how you’re feeling at the time. If you want to play sci-fi solitaire, you can do just that.

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The base game of Cycles of the Eye comprises the rules and tarot deck, and costs £29.99. During the funding campaign, you can opt to splash out on the Deluxe Edition (£119.99), which includes the beautiful physical Citizen Sleeper art book by Lost in Cult, ten custom dice, and a foil version of the tarot deck. Finally, the Anniversary Edition (£249.99) also includes a vinyl soundtrack (also available separately for £39.99) and a special edition signed print. These are luxury items for sure, but collectors will jump at the chance to fill their shelves with physical incarnations of Citizen Sleeper’s locales and characters.

Fans of the video game have been clamouring for something like this since its release, and the fervour has only increased after the final DLC. Gareth Damian Martin themself has thrown us a few red herrings along the way, but I’m just glad this is finally a thing. You’ll be able to feel Citizen Sleeper’s dice in your palms, deal yourself a hand, and play the game for the first time all over again. What more could you ask for?Next: Ocean Fishing Hits Different After Dredge