Xeno-Ecological Devlog!
Mechanics meet Scientific Thematics while Designing an Alien Ecosystem.
My latest and largest project to date is currently in development.
I would genuinely value your input, so I encourage you to read through to the end, or at least take a moment to skim it!
Game Premise
Abnormalities
You buried another victim from the crash today. The colors around your eyes flared brighter as stress quickened your breathing, unknowingly drawing further unfiltered compounds into your lungs. Looking up from the grave, you spot smoke rising in the distance. This is when the coughing began.
You have been forcibly sent to an alien planet to study its native life until your inevitable demise. Despite the circumstances, the uncomeatable truth is that you genuinely care about the work. Confronting very human struggles while relying on realistic scientific methods, you approach this unfamiliar world with the mindset of a research assistant determined to understand it.
Map the planet’s ecosystems while gaining points based on how you place ecological relationships, illustrate newly discovered organisms within provided silhouettes, and complete a series of research-focused minigames that can help or hinder your expedition. Along the way, you may also choose to keep a scientific journal documenting your observations and discoveries
I designed this modular game to move beyond the familiar ecological facts that often dominate popular science, such as mantis shrimp pinches or axolotl regeneration. Instead, it draws on my background in biology alongside extensive research from scientific literature, with each page grounded in real ecological concepts and primary sources.
Priorities
My number one priority is to make this game fun. I didn’t want it to be something like, “You place down the mitochondria card and get 5 photosynthesis points!” I’ve been teaching this stuff for over seven years, and if somethings that boring it’s not gonna do the job (today we just had a cheese-tasting bio class which, while great, did leave my belly full of cheese). In this game you are getting specific flavors of alien worlds that are more than just jumbled up Earthly topics and have ample opportunity to choose and shape how this system connects together.
I was fortunate to see my previous archaeology game, To Care is to Cairn, presented at the New Zealand Archaeology Conference as an outreach resource and later adopted by university instructors teaching Roman antiquity. Experiences like that have only reinforced what I want to make: educational games that are genuinely enjoyable to play, intellectually engaging, and built around meaningful mechanics rather than simply dressing up classroom worksheets in solarpunk clothes.
If you want to check out my past work: https://kaimedina.itch.io/ plus there’s various other blogs on this substack.
My second priority is to fill the TTRPG with real and interesting ecology. Sources include studies on the social perspective of xenobiology in labs, moths jamming their predators echolocation, fungi spreading their spores through smoke, megafauna going extinct and causing the rapid and problematic increases in European vegetation, the mafia hypothesis in parasite birds, and mushrooms entering predatory modes following chemical cues.
That’s just the sources for two of the minigames, under dozens of planned events. The game also incorporates contemporary examples of the scientific process, drawing on techniques and conversations that are actively shaping research today. Topics such as LiDAR-based surveying and archaeological decolonization are included not as distant case studies, but as living practices that friends and colleagues of mine are currently using and troubleshooting in their own work.
This is me being a Pop Culture scientist ^
Next, it has to speak from the human perspective of a scientist. The game draws not only on biology, but also on my own vulnerable experiences as a scientist: struggling to be autistic with peers off the grid in the Ecuadorian rainforest, helping friends decompress from the pressures of astronomy PhDs, exploring my own identity while snorkeling alongside squid in Puerto Rico, trying to connect with new family while birding in India, being run off the road by a truck after taking care of rescued possums, and missing my home while holding a bat as a blood sample was drawn. These are normal experiences that aren’t talked about enough in the field.
Science is not just NASA sweatshirts and admiring the Grand Guignol of nature in beauty and awe, it’s trying to do so while being a person.
So how is the game going now?
It’s coming along well, thanks for checking in! I’m currently working with a graphic designer through the Unpub Tabletop Mentorship Program, and the experience has been invaluable. He’s been fantastic, constantly challenging my ideas and helping elevate the presentation of the game.
Each creature page is designed to be more than a stat block. Alongside lore, you’ll find opportunities for scientific journaling, bespoke connections to real research, curated primary sources, and minigames that either reflect skills I’ve used in the field or capture an authentic part of the scientific process. All while hopefully capturing that wonderful energy from media such as Scavengers Reign.
The game also features an ecosystem mapping system ran between minigames inspired in part by the mechanics of Cascadia. As you discover species, you’ll build an increasingly complex ecological network, earning rewards for creating diverse communities and meaningful relationships between organisms rather than simply collecting them. You can play solo or compete for points with friends. Hold your breath, build dice towers, and discover what your planet has to offer :)
I’ll be keeping an eye on zine quest in February to crowdfund physical copies and potentially hire artists. Please subscribe if you’re interested in seeing where this all goes!
Your input!
I need the following! Please send it my way if you have any leads:
Scientific papers written by you or your friends/family - everything will be properly credited. I just want to show off your work to others and see how it could be applied in a fictional setting.
Shows, books, plays, art, etc. that I can check out for inspiration.
Interesting game mechanics or even games you made that I can both support and connect to.
Playtesting! Not yet though, but hey leave a comment so I know who to get when it’s time.
Very cool! I love this idea. The layout is beautiful. Please keep me posted if when you're ready for playtesters!