Habitats in Time and Zines

Overview

1-5 players, 1-2 hours. Print and play game.

Habitats in Time and Zines is a worldbuilding game where you take on the role of ecologists researching a natural habitat changing over time. The goal of the game is to build an ecosystem, complete a Habitat Zine, and have great conversations about nature!

This game involves drawing, but you do not need to consider yourself ‘good at drawing’ to take part. Sketches and squiggles are great options!

This game also involves talking about animals and ecology, but you do not need to consider yourself ‘knowledgeable’ to take part. Ask friends or the Internet if you want help with ideas!

Links mentioned in the rulebook

• The TTRPG Safety Toolkit, co-curated by Kienna Shaw and Lauren Bryant-Monk, is a compilation of safety tools that have been designed by members of the tabletop roleplaying games community for use by players and GMs at the table. You can find it at ttrpgsafetytoolkit.com.
• How to fold an 8-page zine (for the Zine-Master's Habitat Zine in the game): www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Zine
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat
• www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/woodland_manage/woodbio3.htm
• www.zianet.com/donaghe/Bio-U2-Ch04-1-Ecosystems.html

Printing Instructions

You will need to download and print one 'HabitatZine.pdf' for each game you play. I have provided the rulebook in a number of printable formats, depending on what kind of printer you have, and whether you want to print it into  a booklet or just print all the pages individually!

Printing instructions for individual pages

Download and print the file 'HabitatsInTimeAndZines-SinglePagePortrait.pdf', or 'HabitatsInTimeAndZines-PlainText.pdf'

Printing instructions for a booklet on a one-sided printer

I'm new to printing and folding zines. Here's how I ended up figuring this out.

If, like me, you have a printer which cannot do double-sided printing or booklet format printing, you can take these steps to make your own double-sided printed zine that folds along the centre line correctly.

I tested by printing the 'HabitatsInTimeAndZines-OneSidedPrinter.pdf' file from Firefox with these settings:

1. Pages: 'Odd'

2. Scale: 'Fit to page width'

3. Margins: 'Minimum'

4. Print pages, then flip the stack along the long edge.

5. Insert them back into the printer and repeat for even pages. 

6. Cut away the margins before folding.

7. Sort into the correct order, then fold down the middle to form a booklet.

8. Staple or bind in any way you like.

Printing instructions for a double-sided printer

I have not tested this, because I do not own a double-sided printer, but I believe if you print the 'HabitatsInTimeAndZines-DoubleSidedPrinter.pdf' pdf with 'Flip on short edge' selected, you should be ok! Please let me know in the comments if you try this and it doesn't work!

Additionally, you can format the zine in any other way you choose by downloading the 'HabitatsInTimeAndZines-SinglePagePortrait.pdf' file and importing it into this great tool! https://nashhigh.itch.io/zinearranger

Credits

Habitats and Time and Zines was designed by Claire Morwood, with funding from Dundee Changemakers. Thank you to the Dundee Tabletop Playtesting Meetup for providing the opportunity for testing and feedback. Thank you to everyone who helped to playtest the game during those sessions!

The fonts in this rulebook are from w.itch.io/world-of-fonts