A cooperative board game about saving the world!
Now available from our store: https://www.sdrgames.studio/products/earth-rising
Order from there to guarantee shipping!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Research Overload!
over 2 years ago
– Sun, Nov 21, 2021 at 04:16:44 AM
Hi folks, it's Rhi here!
We're back again with our monthly update for Earth Rising. It's been a very busy month for Stop Drop and Roll, with countless calls and arrangements being made around production, and the future of the game! We've even had invitations to festivals and talks - but more on that soon...
First, lets share a bit of fun.
A few weeks ago, Laurie was able to attend a board gaming day hosted by Mid Sussex MeeplesIN PERSON! This is the first one he's attended since the pandemic first started, so it was very exciting. What was more exciting, is whilst he was there he got to witness what has been dubbed as themost intense game of Earth Rising ever played.
This six player game was a phenomenal show of teamwork and strategy, and even with SIX ecological collapses on the board, they managed to flip all segments into the centre by 2041. Unfortunately, the collapses meant that the final strain phase of the game did create a recession, forcing some of those minor burdens back out, but the fact that they managed to get this far when the odds were stacked against them was amazing! In our books, this counts as a win. Remember, the world doesn't end after those 20 years/turns, any impact you've had still exists, and the generations to come will use it as a springboard to finish what you started. We love how Earth Rising reflects our world with this, and how in this game they came so close to disaster and still managed to pull it back!
What's Next?
DigitalNews
Can't wait for the physical copy to arrive? Want to try saving the world with long-distance friends? Good news! We've updated our Screentop, and we're also working on an exciting update for our TTS mod too...
The new Screentop update has massively improved UI and makes it very easy to flick between the rulebook and the game. It's also got a handy new cheat-sheet for keyboard shortcuts for those who are new to online board games.Check it out here.
Surveys
We are finalising our backer surveys and will be doing a smoke test today. This means that 5% of you can expect a survey in your inbox soon! Doing a smoke test like this allows us to make sure that our surveys are working properly and that we aren't missing any valuable questions.
Research,Research,Research
Now that everything else is in order, we're able to sit down and finish writing the entries for the info booklet! At this point in time, we have 30 left to write and we've just finalised our method for doing so! These entries require a lot of careful research, as we have to ensure our sources are accessible, unbiased and up to date. We're also writing these entries in such a way that most people aged 11+ will be able to read them and gain a better understanding of what each sustainable and unsustainable practice means - both in terminology and for the world.
We'll be sure to share some new entries in future updates as we go - sneak peeks just for Backers!
In the meantime, check out what we've done so far here:
And that's all for our news for now! We had hoped that we'd be able to attend COP26 with Earth Rising this year, but due to personal commitments it just wasn't feasible. Did anyone manage to attend COP26, and if so what was your experience like?
Until next time,
Rhi & The SDR Team!
Earth Rising begins its journey to reality!
over 2 years ago
– Sun, Oct 24, 2021 at 11:42:40 PM
Hello wonderful backers! It's Laurie here with our first post-completion update!
As I mentioned before, we'll be updating you at least once a month with news about what we've been getting up to, our progress so far, and exciting news you'll want to know about! Today we have all three, so let's get down to it.
Many of you won't realise, but Kickstarter takes approximately two weeks to process the funds donated to us after deducting its 10% cut, so we took that first week to get things in order, and the second to recover! Running a Kickstarter, especially with a small team like ours, is effectively a month of 12 hour days (on top of other work, commitments and life events), and although it was a fantastic and phenomenal ride, we definitely needed that break! Now we're back and refreshed, and we've been setting up the BackerKit Pledge Manager and Late Pledge system.
At the same time we've been in talks with Fulfilment companies, Manufacturers, Schools and actual scientists about Earth Rising and the best way to get it to all the places it needs to be! Part of this is to do with the current ongoing shipping crisis, and finding ways we can get around it should it still be ongoing in the new year. There are a lot of conflicting reports surrounding when prices will return to more manageable levels, with optimistic estimates saying early this coming year, and pessimistic ones saying "NEVER!". While we aren't pessimists at SDR, we need to be prepared for the worst, so we're getting a vast quantity of quotes from both alternative manufacturers in Europe and shipping agents. Do we have a concrete answer yet? Nope! But rest assured, we're working on making sure that when it comes time to manufacture, we'll do so in a place where we can reliably make sure our games can reach our backers.
SDR at AwSHUX21!
That's right folks, we're presenting ourselves at our booth in AwSHUX21... come and join us! We're three quarters of the way down in Hall 4 and we're also answering any questions and running demos of the game through the AwSHUX Discord! Come say hi, it's free to be there and it starts today!
We'd be so thrilled to see you there if you can make it, and we'd love to show off the game you'll be getting next year!
If there's anything burning in your hearts that we haven't addressed, feel free to make a comment below, otherwise we'll be back in November with more Earth Rising progress updates! Until then, keep it green, friends! 💚
~Laurie & the SDR Team
Earth Rising Funded! All Stretch Goals Unlocked!
over 2 years ago
– Mon, Sep 27, 2021 at 04:31:05 PM
Thank you Earth Rising Backers!!
Hello everyone and thank you for your incredible support! We're thrilled with the reception you've given us, and we absolutely cannot wait to get your games to your doorsteps!
Of course, even with as much completed as we have, board games are sadly not made overnight. We've got quite a way to go ahead, but we'll be beginning with the process right away.
So what's next?
We're planning on updating you roughly once a month with news and updates on how Earth Rising is coming along! Of course, we'll wait until we have solid news to give or things to show, so it may not be as clockwork as the during-campaign updates, but we'll still be keeping you in the loop as often as possible!
First of all, in a few days we'll be launching the BackerKit Pledge Manager, and working with them to transfer all your pledge data and get you set up for shipping payments, order adjustments and giving us your address.
We'll also be working with a number of fine folks who are excited to translate Earth Rising's rulebook into new languages, soon to be available via online PDF!
At the end of October we'll be at SHUX21, the Shut Up & Sit Down convention, with our own booth! It's online this year, so if you're attending, come and say hi! They're doing a video all about Earth Rising, don't miss it!
There's a lot of work ahead of us, between making the Informational Booklet, making sure all the art is perfect, adjusting the rulebook so it's as clear and possible, making sure everything is correct for the manufacturer, and working with our fulfilment managers to ensure that the games are all going to the right places - so please bear with us! We may not be as responsive as we were during the campaign, and we do not get notified if people comment on the Kickstarter Story anymore, but we will be checking fairly regularly so if we don't respond immediately, don't panic!
Of course before we go we'd just like to thank you once more for making our game possible - we can't wait to get the physical thing to each of you, and allow you all to save our world!
We'll update you again when the Pledge Manager is live, but you should also be notified by email.
Until then!
~Laurie, Rhi, Rob & Jasper (The SDR Team)
The Final 24 Hours Begin! ⏰ Dev Blog 15!
over 2 years ago
– Fri, Sep 24, 2021 at 07:55:09 PM
Welcome, wonderful backers old and new, to the final 24 hours of Earth Rising: 20 Years to Transform Our World! 🌍🌱
Do you know what we haven't mentioned in a little while? MICRO-GOAL TREES! 🌲🌳
We're thrilled to announce we have hit an exceptional 🌳58 trees!🌲 (That is an incredible 1218kg of carbon absorbed per year once they're fully grown.) We're not expecting many more to be added within the next 24 hours, but maybe you could prove us wrong? Check out our Micro-Goals on the main campaign page and see if you can help!
It's been an incredible ride this past month, and we are absolutely blown away by all the support shown, and we're looking forward to doing a proper post about it all once it's over. Until then, thanks for backing and supporting Earth Rising, we can't wait to get your games to you - and any last minute sharing you can do of our posts or through your own tagged posts will be an incredible help to get Earth Rising's message across the world!
For now, please enjoy our final Dev Blog: Featuring the Innovator!
The Innovator: Designing New Ways For Humanity To Thrive
Today we’re going to get to know the man who knows that human ingenuity has got us this far, and it can take us further still!
The Innovator is the specialist for the Industry sector. They are able to place Start-Up tokens in the centre of the board. These tokens provide support for one person per token, and reduce the Strain created by unsupported people in poverty. Each sustainable practice within Industry’s sector allows the Innovator to place one more token.
What is Industry, and why is the Innovator its specialist?
The Industry sector is how our society produces, purchases, or otherwise obtains goods needed to provide to its people to give them a higher quality of life. These range from clothes to cars, plant pots to printers, whatever people may need. However, this sector also deals with what those items are made from, along with what happens to them after they’re discarded. As society stands, Industry is a core part of how our society functions, and as such is a vital area to address if we wish to reach sustainability.
Our current production methods have created a cycle of planned obsolescence and over-use of unsustainable materials that live in landfills for years and years. To stop this, we must implement circular production, promote E-waste recycling, and use more pioneer materials, along with creating firmer repercussions for companies that try to monopolise things we depend upon.
As with all sectors, Industry cannot work alone. The network of support created by all six sectors is necessary for change.
The Innovator is the specialist of the Industry sector because we believe that ultimately it is through our own ability to imagine and create new ways of working that will revolutionise entire sectors. At present we already have alternatives to the unsustainable practices plaguing our world, but we’re certain that around the corner are ideas that will revolutionise sectors in ways we haven’t even thought of yet. The Start-Ups they place represent the idea that even in their infancy, these ideas and practices can increasingly diversify both the wealth and methods of support that our society has.
Thank you to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation for allowing us to use their research for this sector of the game! While unable to partner with us, their research and efforts have been exceptionally useful in understanding the direction our Industry sector needs to progress, and we hope that their work continues to push this incredibly influential and powerful sector in the right direction.
This is our final Dev Blog for the Earth Rising campaign, and we hope that they've provided some thought provoking and eye opening material for you all to consider. Since it's the last one, why not tell us what you've thought! Did find them entertaining? Did you like one in particular? Did the insights into why the game is how it is influence your decision to back us? We'd love to know, as we may well consider doing similar updates for future games!
Whatever you thought, thanks for being a part of our journey, and we can't wait to have you along for the rest of it!
~Laurie & the SDR Team
200% funded! 😱 3 days to go! Box Insert Pics! Dev Blog 14!
over 2 years ago
– Thu, Sep 23, 2021 at 05:12:05 AM
Hello folks! This is out a little late as we've been working our butts off spreading the word and trying to get this campaign to go out with a BANG! 💥
Today we're incredibly pleased to announce that we hit 200% of our goal! Amazing! We could not possibly have imagined doubling what we asked, thinking that our later stretch goals were "dare to dream" levels... yet here we are with over 600 people helping us make this game a reality! With just a tiny bit more, we could unlock that final stretch goal... German print run and our Box Organiser Insert upgrade!
Speaking of that insert, we promised you pictures as soon as we could, and (as we hope to prove as we continue after this campaign) when we promise, we deliver!
This here is our initial prototype for the box insert. As you can see, the punchboard sections slot together to create a variety of sections for the cards, tokens and burden segments. These can be taken out to use as storage during the game while also fitting perfectly within the box. The board slots underneath to keep it safe, while the holes in the card housings allow you to push them out from below! The blue outline is where a little punchcard padder will sit to keep things snug so they don't move around too much in transit. Overall we're thrilled with the design and we think you will be too!
In the meantime, here's today's Dev Blog - worry not, it's more positive than it sounds!
Ecological Collapse! Our Planet Is Not An Infinite Resource
In Earth Rising, there are times when things just don’t go to plan. The Influence cards aren’t what you hoped, ending up with the wrong people at the wrong times, and there aren’t enough actions to help enough sectors, Strain is building up and then… the Status Quo Strike exactly where you hoped they wouldn’t.
There’s plenty of factors that can lead to an Ecological Collapse, but in the end, once fifteen Strain accumulates across both the minor and major burdens of a particular type, there’s no averting disaster.
But what does this mean? An ecological disaster in Earth Rising lasts forever, yet that’s not the same as real life, is it?
The Ultimate Game Over
There’s two parts to an Ecological Collapse in Earth Rising. The first part is the placement of a collapse token itself, which shows the disaster on its surface, but the second and arguably more important part is the Rising Temperature token, which represents our planet exceeding its first degree beyond its natural temperature.
Combined, these tokens show a decline in the capacity of our planet, and the effects resonate across the board. First you have the sector where a collapse token is placed limited by one circle, making it harder to support your people, and impossible to support as many as before. This also guarantees a minimum of one ‘people’ token in poverty for good, as they will never be able to inhabit that circle. Finally, you have the Rising Temperature token adding one additional Strain during the Poverty Strain phase, meaning no matter what you will always have Strain to deal with, no matter how well you’ve overcome future problems.
The message behind these mechanics is simple: undoing damage is far harder than changing our world before it’s too late, and if we don’t do what we need to before it’s too late, the task ahead of us will only become harder.
This message is a grim one, and difficult to engage with, which leads me to the second part of this dev blog, and the primary force behind Earth Rising…
Before We Change Our World, We First Have To Change Our Message
It’s been recognised by sociologists for over 20 years that, beginning with the advent of television, news reporting has become more focused on fear than ever before. While this was significantly exacerbated by the aftermath of the World Trade Centre attack, it was recognised much earlier, with the above paper ending its abstract with the message:
“No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.”
We can see this play out ever since, with the recent Pandemic displaying its efficacy in what messages compel people to act or retreat and deny.In this TED talk by Psychologist and Environmental Engagement Strategist Renée Lertzman she talks about how when we endure a high amount of stress we retreat into a state of disengagement and, eventually, denial and anger. This state has been increasing throughout the climate crisis, and as I discussed in my blog post about how Earth Rising started, I was once in this “beyond my threshold” state myself.
But we can change it. She goes on to state how we can reframe our message, and change the challenge ahead of us in the minds of others.
In her article on Tackling Apathy and Denial, she explains that by looking at the way the human mind takes information in, we can better orientate our message to be something that inspires people to want to act, and when enough people act, we can accomplish anything. Through her research, she found that instead of trying to motivate people to act, we need to empower them to act. Most people already want to do something about our crisis, but feel as though they are unable to make any impact.
Then, even if they feel empowered, they need to know what to do, with a clear understanding of the effects we will have if we engage with those solutions.
Finally, and this is a critical element to climate activism, we need to show people that their reasons for acting should not necessarily be out of fear of a worse world, but out of empathy for those who will suffer from our crisis, whether or not they believe they will be included in that suffering.
Earth Rising Is Designed To Be Exactly What We Need
I hadn’t read her article before I designed Earth Rising, but to my surprise and delight I realisedit reflected everything she felt our message should become.
By putting you in the position of our specialists, we seek to empower you and give you the feeling that you have a direct hand in changing our world. By putting you in that position, you interact with both Unsustainable practices, engaging with what needs to change, and transitioning them to Sustainable alternatives to make our world better. Finally, by including poverty as a central element, we hope to bring a sense of empathy towards those who will suffer from our climate crisis, and give you an emotional reason to work hard and together to make our world and society a better place.
This, combined with the information included in our informational booklet, is what we hope will spur people on to look at our climate crisis from a different perspective - turning away from fear and towards a positive, hopeful, and determined outlook. Every time you win the game, your fear-infused brain will take in the message, however quiet at first, that we can overcome this. Even when you lose, you can see how far you’ve come, and how well we can do in just 20 years.
In this way, we hope that Earth Rising will be part of a growing movement to look at the real life disasters that are increasingly generated across our world, and instead of feeling afraid, feel ever more inspired to be part of the change that’s needed.
We’ve got just 3 days left, and on Friday we’ll be getting to know our final specialist - the Innovator. Until then, please do what you can to help us get even further! Spread the message that Earth Rising is here, and help us blow away the board gaming world!
