EarthQuest

Environmental Role-Playing Game

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EarthQuest

You and your friends gather around the table, each equipped with paper and pencil, EarthQuest Character Folder, and dice.  The Game Mentor (GM) sits at the other end of the table with his EarthQuest game, hidden from view by his colorful game screen.  Here you will use your imagination by taking on the roles of Guardians, exploring the new global landscape, solving sustainability problems, and trying to help the human race and the ecosystem survive.  Using your creativity, you respond to the situations and events relayed to you by the GM. You must solve problems, make decisions, and work together to explore new ecosystems, encounter new peoples, cultures and communities, engage threatening insurrectionists and terrorists, maintain social order under the newly created global government, develop new social alliances, defend the biotic and abiotic elements of the ecosystem, and ensure the health, safety and prosperity of humanity and the entire ecosystem equilibrium.  Your story might very well begin like this:

            “You and the other Guardians set out to meet Jasper Norman, Marshal of a North Atlantic coastal Ecoregion.  You will be investigating reports of terrorist activities, local skirmishes, and civil unrest related to illegal deforestation and wildlife trafficking.  As you meet in the newly constructed subsurface public security building, your hearts sink as you hear shouting and heated arguing from the large public meeting hall.  Crowds have gathered to debate new regulations on logging by small businesses. Marshals and Troopers begin scrambling through the halls in riot gear in response to the escalating conflict.   

            “Just then, you hear a piercing voice booming out through a bullhorn.  ‘We have a right to our forests, and we have a right to sell everything we cut.  The government can’t stop us from exercising our inalienable rights.  Let’s go show them what we can do.’  You scramble into the hallway to catch a glimpse of a sizable mob, marching out of the hall toward the exits.   One of the people in the crowd spins around and sees your band of Guardians, and points a finger toward your group.  “Tree huggers!  Gov’ment tree huggers!” he screams.  The mob picks up pace and volume and empties the building, spilling into the town. In the distance you hear the ominous new mob chant, “We’re taking back our trees.”