As the launch of Exclusion Zone Botanist: Epsilon approaches, I’ll be posting regular updates with a behind-the-scenes look at the design decisions going into the game:
Epsilon Update 01: Epsilon overview
Epsilon Update 02: Plant features
Epsilon Update 03: Plant morphology
Epsilon Update 04: Exclusion Zone map
Epsilon Update 05: Character creation
Epsilon Update 06: Playtesting
Epsilon Update 07: SHX system
Epsilon Update 08: Bloom
Epsilon Update 09: Inventory
Epsilon Update 10: Timeline
Epsilon Update 11: Discovery
Note that everything here is in development and subject to change. These updates are a snapshot of how things looked when they were written.
Follow the Kickstarter pre-launch page to be notified when it goes live!
Bigger than just me
It is amazing to think that Exclusion Zone Botanist began as a one-page RPG — an A4 trifold, front and back. From there, I expanded it into the 28-page A5 zine that most people know it by today, with more plant features to discover.
I used Affinity Publisher to create Exclusion Zone Botanist, writing directly into layout, for both the original trifold and the later zine. It was just me working on it. No editor, no hired artist, or anyone else.
So when I began work on Exclusion Zone Botanist: Epsilon, my plan was to do the same: handle all the design, writing, and layout myself. The big change would be to hire an artist specifically for the project.
As Epsilon has grown over the last year, I’ve come to the conclusion that I may not be able to do everything else by myself. It’s just too big of a project to handle alone.
Building an Epsilon team
I should clarify that a little bit.
It’s not that I can’t do all those things myself. It’s that there is a significant opportunity cost to doing it myself. The time and effort required to single-handedly finish and launch Epsilon will mean I don’t work on any other projects in 2027.
That would be great for Epsilon, but wouldn’t be the best thing for Exeunt Press.
So the update this month is that I plan to pull in some additional help to get Epsilon ready for launch. I definitely plan to hire an editor. I’m also seriously considering hiring someone to handle the layout — which would be a first for me.
In a way, this is a big and exciting milestone for Exeunt Press!
When I started making games, they were smaller projects that I could complete by myself. Recently, I’ve begun working with an editor on larger projects like We Are Mushrooms and The Walden Paradox.1
Epsilon is my biggest project to date — twice the size of anything else. It makes sense that the next step for Exeunt Press is to begin working with a broader team to get this new kind of project over the finish line.
- E.P. 💀
P.S. Follow Epsilon from development to launch and beyond. No matter what, you can expect an update here on the third Friday of each month!
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Like Exclusion Zone Botanist, The Walden Paradox began as a one-page RPG but has been expanded into a larger game. Watch for an announcement about the zine version soon!
The newly hired proofreading team says, “Epsilon Update No. 12: Growth” — but perhaps that was your point.
Congratulations on the upward trajectory. Hiring someone to do layout or typography could be a smart move, so long as they don’t fall into the trap of being flashy to make you perceive added value. ;)
Does this mean it's also financially viable to contract some parts of the design?