🌿 Follow Exclusion Zone Botanist: Epsilon on Kickstarter

The stand-alone sequel to the ENNIE-nominated Exclusion Zone Botanist is launching on Kickstarter this year. Get in. Discover and document. Get out.

When the seed broke containment, the forest came with it. Everything — buildings, agents, the land itself — was tainted. The Epsilon Protocol was activated to halt the spread.

Exclusion Zone Botanist: Epsilon

Exclusion Zone Botanist: Epsilon is a solo drawing and exploration game by Exeunt Press. It is a stand-alone sequel to the ENNIE-nominated Exclusion Zone Botanist with a new setting and story:

• Explore a new, different, and larger Exclusion Zone.

• Discover and document strange plants.

• Get out before you are corrupted by the forest.

Exclusion Zone Botanist: Epsilon is being built using a new game system that retains the tension of the original, but allows for expanded character creation and customization. It will continue to be dice-based, with all the rules you need to play in a single book.

The Kickstarter project has been approved and the pre-launch page is live.

I want the game written and art lined up before the project launches, ensuring a smooth fulfillment process. So I’m not ready to announce an exact launch date yet, but watch for it in Spring 2025.¹

Follow Exclusion Zone Botanist: Epsilon on Kickstarter to be notified on launch!

Return to EZ 502-H

The original Exclusion Zone Botanist (zine edition)

Thank you to the thousands of agents who have entered the North East Unified Containment & Sylvan Exclusion Zone 502-H since 2022. Armed with only your notebooks, you launched your incursions into the dark forest of the EZ, documented the flora, and got back out. All of humanity is in your debt for the scientific advances enabled by your dedication to the Bureau.

At the same time, we remember those who were corrupted by the forest. Time is the enemy in the EZ, and some never made it back out. With each new incursion, we honor their memory.

The pre-launch of Exclusion Zone Botanist: Epsilon is a good time to finally update the Exclusion Zone Botanist itch.io page.

Some important changes:

• The PDF for the Exclusion Zone Botanist zine edition is now available! It’s a combined edition (available in print) that includes the original game plus the expanded plant identification guide. This all-in-one version is the recommended way to experience the game, and eliminates the need for multiple files. If you have purchased the print version of Exclusion Zone Botanist, this is the same thing.

• Exclusion Zone Botanist is no longer PWYW. Although the cost is low for what you are getting, I want to ensure the game is available to everyone. Community copies are available for free.

• The original trifold edition is still available. Exclusion Zone Botanist began as a one-page RPG, and I want to continue to use it to encourage others to try their hand at game design. It is one of the examples I’ll be using when I teach a public library class on How to Make You Own One-Page RPG this year.

Grab some sketching tools, find a quiet place, and give Exclusion Zone Botanist a try.

Follow the project on Kickstarter

While I’ve run multiple pre-orders such as Blackflower and Caveat Emptor via the Exeunt Press Shop, this will be my first crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.²

I’m extremely excited and can’t wait for it to be a success, but I need your help.

Please take a moment and follow Exclusion Zone Botanist: Epsilon on Kickstarter. This will ensure that you get notified when the project launches this year.

Thank you, and stay safe in the EZ.

— E.P. 💀

1. I’ve received a few questions about if I plan to include Exclusion Zone Botanist: Epsilon in Kickstarter’s Zine Quest event this February. No, it won’t be launching then due to timing and my ability (or lack thereof) to get it written before February.

2. I’m keeping the reward tiers simple, but will have some exciting extras. Can’t wait to announce those!