Three years ago, Sam, James, and Chloe approached me to discuss the possibility of using Trophy as a teaching tool in the environmental sciences, specifically to counter the feelings of powerlessness that come up when facing the climate crisis. They saw how tabletop roleplaying games can use fantasy as metaphor for contemporary struggles, can shift perspective and broaden empathy, and—most importantly—can empower people and drive them to action.
From those early conversations, Rooted in Crisis was born. Roleplaying games are inherently collaborative—magic happens when diverse voices and talents come together in an act of creation. We recruited game designers and climate crisis researchers, pairing them together to share ideas and find common ground based on their own interests, fields of study, and lived experiences.
The end result is five diverse but interconnected games exploring different facets of humanity’s impact on the ecosystem. Each game shares a foundation based in the push-your-luck mechanics of Trophy Dark and Trophy Gold, but each adds innovative twists to tell their own unique story.
In The Forgotten City, Gabriel Robinson, Chris Skinner, and Amy Skinner explore topics of disaster relief and community resiliency in a magical city facing a catastrophic flood.
In The Culling, Finn Arne Jørgensen and Brian Sago invite us to explore disposable items, waste, and the creation of life in a medieval abbey with an unnatural means of production.
In New Ozymandias, Aaron Burkett and Caitlyn A. Hall take on the corrupting nature of power in a game about investigators discovering the truth behind a malignant darkness sweeping the world.
In Shadows in the Ice, Kevan Manwaring (with developmental and games design assistance from Darren Brockes and James Smith) blends science fiction and folklore in a post-apocalyptic tale of a fateful arctic expedition.
In Gaia Station, Jim Crocker and Lev Horodyskyj take us to outer space in a darkly comic exploration of elite recklessness in the face of impending catastrophe.
Rooted in Crisis is currently in layout, and we’re launching on Kickstarter on May 28th. We’d love for you to join us and help share these horrific, humorous, and—ultimately—hopeful approaches to the climate crisis with the world.
Sample layouts of the game. Final design subject to change.
Let’s use the stories we tell to guide us to a better future.