Resolve's second tabletop game, our follow-up to Project AUDE, will be a board game about the history of geology and palaeontology on Canada's Atlantic Coast!
About the Project
Step into the Maritime Provinces in the 19th Century, and become a founding member of the Steinhammer Club. Play as ambitious young citizen-scientists, curious to unravel the remarkable secrets hidden beneath the stony hills and jagged coastlines, and help to pioneer geosciences in Canada. Learn more about geoscience, deep time, and the history of science along the way.
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This is a light-strategy tabletop game of set collecting and hand management for 1 to 4 players that plays in about 1 hr.
The game features a board, featuring a historical map with famous fossil sites on Canada's east coast, and 105 discovery cards divided into 6 different decks. Each card contains a unique fossil, belonging to one of ten different geological periods, and one of four different forms of life (vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, and single-celled organisms). Bonus cards featuring real-life historical figures from the 19th century (George Matthew, William Dawson, Charles Lyell, Mary Anning, Charles Darwin) provide special powers.
Present lectures, publish papers, and donate your collections to local museums. Compete to become the most renowned geoscientist of your era!
Project Timeline
Fall 2024: Resolve started discussions and research on developing a game about the history of geology and palaeontology in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Winter 2025: Dr. Preston conducted initial research and created the first prototype that explored core ideas of the game: historical and scientific accuracy combined with light- strategy and learning.
Summer 2025: Dr. Preston, Katie R. and Katie M. explored new game mechanics, developed the theme and expanded the setting from Saint John to all of Atlantic Canada.
Fall 2025: We solidified the game's core, playtested often at the Fredericton Tabletop Game Designers monthly meetings, and refined the mechanics as our research continued.
February 2026: Dr. Preston and Katie M. attended the Atlantic Geoscience Colloquium in Truro, NS to give a talk on the project and present the prototype.
March 2026: We began regular public playtesting. Dr. Preston brought the prototype to playtest with employees at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History.
May 2026: The team started working full-time on the final illustrations and graphic design for the board and cards.