Seraphs & Serpents
One Hebrew word, saraph, names both sides of the table.
- Seraphs
- The burning ones above the throne, each with six wings. One touches the prophet's lips with a burning coal. Isa 6:2, 6:6
- Serpents
- The fiery serpents in the wilderness, and Leviathan, the twisting serpent of the sea. Num 21:6, 8 · Isa 27:1
- Write it
- Seraphs & Serpents, always with the ampersand and both capitals. In running text it is never shortened; “S&S” is for internal files only.
- The decks
- The Covenant (gold, the people of God and the Tabernacle) and the Deep (bronze and dark water, the giants, beasts and foes). Lower-case “the” in a sentence: “Play the Deep next game.”
- Lines we use
- Descriptor: The Old Testament card game. Subtitle: Giants · Angels · the Deep. Tagline: Fire from above. Serpents from the deep. Second line: The Covenant against the Deep.
A title that is drawn, not typed
The name is a piece of lettering, like the title on an old book cover. Use the artwork; never set the name in a font to stand in for it.
One line: the website header, the box spine, banners and anywhere wide.
Stacked: phones, the box front, posters and square spaces.
Cinzel Decorative Black, kerned by the font, then outlined. The first S of each word is a quarter larger and sits on the line.
A dark keyline inside a gold rim. It holds the title on any painting without a box behind it.
Beaten gold with a hard horizon across the middle. SERAPHS stays fire-gold; SERPENTS sinks from gold into verdigris: heaven above, the Deep below.
Use it like this
- On Night, on the Deep, or on a painting darkened behind the title.
- Keep clear space around it the height of the letter E in SERAPHS, measured from the coal at the top.
- Smallest sizes: one line 240 px wide on screen or 50 mm in print; stacked 160 px or 35 mm. Smaller than that, use the emblem alone.
Never
- Retype the name in Cinzel or any other font in its place.
- Swap the cast ampersand for a typed one or for a creature, or move it apart from the words.
- Recolour, stretch, outline again, add drop shadows or bevels of your own.
- Put it on a light or busy ground without its casing.
Typed in a font
Recoloured
Stretched or squashed
The burning coal over the &
The ampersand joins the two halves of the name, so it carries both worlds: it is cast in the same metal as the letters, gold at the top for the seraphs, verdigris at the foot for the Deep.
- The burning coal. Above it hangs the coal from the altar that the seraph carried to Isaiah: fire from above. Isa 6:6–7
- One with the letters. Same keyline, same gold rim, same beaten metal, so the title reads as one piece.
- No creature. Neither the title nor the emblem carries a serpent drawing. The Deep's creatures belong on the Deep's cards, painted in their stories.
Earlier drafts drew the “&” as a sea serpent. It was retired on 11 November 2026; do not bring a snake back into the title.
Six wings around a burning coal
Six gold wings in three tiers: two cover the face, two cover the feet, two fly. At the centre burns the coal from the altar. No face or body is drawn, and nothing sits beneath: the emblem is the seraph's side only. Isa 6:2, 6:6
- Use it alone where the title is too small: app icon, favicon, card corners, stamps, embroidery.
- Never add a serpent or any creature beneath the wings. An earlier draft had one; it was retired on 11 November 2026.
- Keep the upper pair of wings bowed outward. Bowed inward, the centre reads as a staff with wings: the caduceus, which is someone else's sign.
Gold above, verdigris below, violet between
The palette is the game's world: the seraph's fire, the patina of the Deep, the violet of glory, all on a midnight ground. Contrast is measured against Night.
- Night
#07070F1.0:1 on Night · ground / decorationThe ground of every page, box and back: midnight with a violet bias.
- Vault
#10101E1.1:1 on Night · ground / decorationRaised panels and cards on the page.
- Linen
#F2ECDF17.0:1 on Night · textReading text on dark grounds.
- Ash
#AAA4BC8.4:1 on Night · textSecondary text, captions and notes.
- Seraph gold
#D4B26A9.9:1 on Night · textThe fire from above: rims, rules, the emblem, key numbers.
- Coal light
#F2DDA415.0:1 on Night · textHighlights in metal; links on dark.
- Old bronze
#8C6A2C4.0:1 on Night · large textShadows in metal; quiet dividers.
- Glory violet
#8E6CF05.3:1 on Night · textGlows and large accents only (not small text).
- Lilac
#CDBBFF11.6:1 on Night · textEyebrows, labels and small accents in violet.
- Verdigris
#5FB3A48.1:1 on Night · textThe serpent and the Deep: the patina on old bronze.
- The Deep
#06171A1.1:1 on Night · ground / decorationGrounds for the Deep: dark water.
The Tabernacle colours
Blue, purple, scarlet and fine linen, the colours of the curtains, run through the Covenant: the stripe under the title, the card families and the box. Ex 26:1
- Blue
#1F4A7A - Purple
#55285F - Scarlet
#8C2620 - Fine linen
#E9DFC9
Card families
Each family has its own colour in the type band and inner frame of the card. These are the printed values.
- Patriarchs & priestsThe Covenant · 16 cards ·
#E9DFC9 - ProphetsThe Covenant · 7 cards ·
#1F4A7A - Heavenly hostThe Covenant · 4 cards ·
#2C6A9C - Kings, queens & courtiersThe Covenant · 6 cards ·
#55285F - Judges & warriorsThe Covenant · 7 cards ·
#8C2620 - Holy ThingsThe Covenant · 7 cards ·
#C9A84C - MiraclesThe Covenant · 14 cards ·
#F3E6B6 - Acts of faithThe Covenant · 2 cards ·
#76AEBB - GiantsThe Deep · 9 cards ·
#7A4A1E - Amorite KingsThe Deep · 5 cards ·
#4D4A2A - BeastsThe Deep · 5 cards ·
#163A3D - FoesThe Deep · 11 cards ·
#5C1E25 - StrongholdsThe Deep · 5 cards ·
#574C42 - SchemesThe Deep · 6 cards ·
#2B2B2B
Carved titles, a scribe's hand for reading
Section titles are short; never set a paragraph in Cinzel Decorative. Reading text stays at 17 px or larger on screens and 7 pt or larger in print (rules text 7.2 pt, powers 8 pt). The divine name is never written in the old scripts.
Gilt, stone and painted light
Gilded corners
Every panel takes a double gilt corner at top left and bottom right. Never a full border.
The Tabernacle stripe
Four bands under the title and on the box spine. Always in this order.
Painted backs
The Ark under the cherubim's wings; Leviathan round a dark tower. No maker's logo on a card back.
Paintings are rich, lit from within, with deep shadow: oil-painting light, not cartoons or photos. People are dressed for their time and place. God is never shown, and Christ is never a card.
Fire falls, the deep rises
Movement comes from the stories, plays slowly, and always has an off switch.
The title forges itself
On first load the rims appear, the metal rises letter by letter, then the burning coal comes down and settles over the &. Once only; after that the coal only glows.
Fire from heaven
Bolts of fire fall in the opening painting and burst into embers. 1 Kgs 18:38
The fountains of the deep
Water bursts up from below wherever the Deep is the ground. Gen 7:11
Light on gilt
Now and then a band of gold-to-violet light crosses the title and the cards, like light on a gilt edge.
- Every page has a Motion on/off switch, and starts with motion off for anyone whose device asks for less motion.
- Nothing flashes. Loops take six seconds or longer. Everything is complete and readable with motion off.
Plain words, every story sourced
We write for a ten-year-old and their grandparent at the same table. Short sentences, real names, and the Bible reference on everything.
Always
- Only the 66 books of the Bible, in the first edition and everything around it.
- Quote the ESV, print the reference, and carry Crossway's notice.
- Call the Deep player a storyteller, not a villain.
- Say every copy of the box is the same: no random packs.
- Speak of the people TCE trains as people given a second chance.
Never
- God as a card. Christ as a card: his works appear as Miracle cards.
- Anything from outside the 66 books, unless a later edition is chosen on purpose.
- Names for the Day Star beyond Isaiah's own words. Isa 14:12
- Gang symbols, occult signs or real-world hate symbols, even on the Deep.
- Cash prizes. Rankings, when they come, win trophies.
| Say | Not | Why |
|---|---|---|
| a day | a turn | The game's turn is called a day: Morning, Offering, Work, Go out, Evening. |
| the Deep | the enemy, the bad guys | The Deep is the other side of the story, not evil players. |
| Walls | life, health points | You defend the walls of Jerusalem or Babylon. Ps 51:18 |
| café night | tournament | We meet at TCE cafés first; leagues come later. |
| First Edition in preparation | coming soon, buy now | Nothing is for sale until the café tests pass. |
Made by The Caffeine Experience
Where the TCE logo goes
On the box, the leaflet, the playmats and the website, as the maker. Never on a card back: the backs carry only the game.
Lines to print
“1st print, December 2026 · © 2026 The Caffeine Experience Pte Ltd” on the box, the leaflet and the large-print rules. Contact: general@theofficialtce.com.
Scripture notice
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The artwork, ready to paste
Each button copies the drawing as SVG code. Paste it into a design tool or a web page; it scales to any size.