Death in the EZ (Part 1)
An Exclusion Zone Botanist actual play
There were smaller, separate puddles scattered near the pool, as if some creature had stepped into the inky sap and left footprints behind as it walked away. At the thought, I instinctively reached toward my belt to where my HX-40 pistol hung to make sure the gun was still there.
Introduction
Welcome to Death in the EZ! This is an actual play of the solo sci-fi horror drawing game Exclusion Zone Botanist, published by Exeunt Press.
The premise of Exclusion Zone Botanist is that you are a botanist who’s been dropped into a dark, mutated forest area called the “Exclusion Zone” (or “EZ”) in order to document the strange plant life you find there. You must explore the forest, sketching these unusual and sometimes dangerous plants; but make sure to reach the extraction point before you become fully mutated yourself and are trapped in the EZ forever!
Check out my review of Exclusion Zone Botanist for my thoughts on the game.
Rules Overview
I won’t go over every rule in Exclusion Zone Botanist, but here are some useful things to know:
The game is played on a hex map divided into six numbered areas (1-6).
In this actual play, I’ll denote which hex I’m in by listing its Map Area Number and a letter (where, for example, A is the top-leftmost hex in the area, B is the hex to A’s right, and C is the leftmost hex in the next row).
Each round of the game represents one hour of in-game time. As hours pass, your likelihood of getting “corrupted” (mutated) by the forest increases, which is represented by the current Risk Value (RV).
Each round, you’ll roll dice to determine:
Whether you discover a new plant (roll 1d6 and see if the value is less than or equal to your current Map Area Number)
Whether you are corrupted (roll 2d6 and see if both values individually are less than the current Risk Value)
The game ends when either you reach the Exfil Portal on the game map and are picked up from the EZ or you are fully corrupted. Your level of corruption is tracked on the Corruption Progression List. Once you reach the sixth corruption stage, you become part of the forest and remain in the EZ forever.
Session Setup
No setup needed for this game, but I’ll put a character intro here. I hate coming up with names, so I’m calling my character “MM” (for “Making Mythology”).
Also, I have a confession to make. I mainly use solo RPGs as a vehicle for writing, so I didn’t do any drawing in this session, even though Exclusion Zone Botanist is intended to be a drawing game. I enjoy writing more than drawing, and since this is supposed to be a fun experience, I decided not to force myself to do something I didn’t want to do. Apologies for the lack of sketches, and I hope you enjoy the actual play anyway!
Player Character Introduction
04:30
These are the records of MM, senior botanist and newly initiated field agent of the Bureau, documenting my first incursion into the North East Unified Containment & Sylvan Exclusion Zone 502-H, informally known to my colleagues and me as “the EZ.”
At approximately 0500, I will be dropped off in the EZ, carrying little more than my sketchbook, some chem lights, rations, a first aid kit, and my Bureau-issued HX-40 pistol. Electronics do not work in the EZ, and there is no one there to come to my rescue. The Bureau stresses these points to would-be field agents time and time again.
My mission is to document as many novel forms of plant life as I can find and return to the exfil portal for pickup before I fall victim to what field agents refer to as “forest corruption,” a sort of sickness that mutates a person’s DNA and turns them into something no longer human.
No one knows the cause of—or cure for—forest corruption, but it’s claimed the lives of nearly a dozen agents who weren’t quite quick enough in leaving the Exclusion Zone.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid. But, more than afraid, I am excited. I’ve studied biological samples taken from the EZ throughout my entire career, and, at long last, I have the chance to examine these life forms firsthand.
The opportunity to discover remarkable new floral species is something I’m willing to risk my life for. But I am confident that this incursion into the forest won’t be my last. I just need to mind the time. And always keep moving.
—MM
Gameplay
Hour 1
Location: Area 1D
Phase I: Look for New Plants
[1]Plant discovered.
[2] ([3] + [4]) [5]Small / obovate leaf shape / whorlet leaf arrangement
[3] [6]Plant Group B, Responsive Leaves
[Advance by two hours]
Phase II: Check for Corruption
[4] [5] >>> RV 1Not corrupted.
Phase III: Keep Moving
Move to Area 1B.
05:00
Less than an hour into my expedition, I found something! It was a small floral specimen with delicate, obovate leaves arranged in a whorl.
A remarkable thing happened when I lightly touched one of the fragile-looking leaves with the tip of my finger—suddenly, all of the leaves curled inward and wrapped themselves tightly around the plant’s slender stem, as if protecting a vital organ.
I watched the plant with rapt attention until a few minutes later, when its leaves slowly began to uncurl. I was able to provoke the same reaction out of the leaves time and time again, with even the lightest touch triggering a similar defensive response. I think I’ll call this species “Mutantem delicatus.”
I must admit, I found M. delicatus so fascinating that I lost track of time and lingered far longer than I intended. I must continue on. But I won’t let this minor logistical setback dampen the thrill of my first discovery!
Hour 3
Location: Area 1B
Phase I: Look for New Plants
[5]No plant discovered.
Phase II: Check for Corruption
[6] [6] >>> RV 1Not corrupted.
Phase III: Keep Moving
Move to Area 2C.
07:00
I found no new plants this hour, which is just as well since I need to make up for the time I lost after entering the EZ.
It feels so strange being in this forest. I know that outside, the sun is rising, but in here, it might as well be the middle of the night. I’m very glad to have my chem lights.
Hour 4
Location: Area 2C
Phase I: Look for New Plants
[3]No plant discovered.
Phase II: Check for Corruption
[1] [4] >>> RV 2Not corrupted.
Phase III: Keep Moving
Move to Area 3C.
08:00
Nothing found this hour, though I’m starting to enter a denser part of the forest and so hold out hope of discovering something soon.
It’s very quiet here. Before I left for this mission, my colleagues warned me that either one of two things would drive me mad first: the darkness or the silence.
I dismissed their cautions as collegial ribbing—spooky stories told to an inexperienced field agent. But now, I’m starting to see what they meant.
Hour 5
Location: Area 3C
Phase I: Look for New Plants
[1]Plant discovered.
[6] ([4] + [5]) [1]Large / oblanceolate leaf shape / alternate leaf arrangement
[6] [4]Plant Group D, Dyschronometria
[Each turn spent in this hex, advance by two hours]
Phase II: Check for Corruption
[5] [2] >>> RV 2Not corrupted.
Phase III: Keep Moving
Move to Area 3D.
09:00
Another new species discovered! This time, the specimen was a large, bushy shrub with long, blade-like leaves growing out of its center.
As I got closer, I saw that sprouting out from the main leaves was a secondary layer of smaller leaves, oblanceolate in shape and arranged in an alternating pattern. I also noticed that the edges of the larger leaves were serrated and looked quite sharp.
I should’ve taken the threatening leaves as a warning sign and tread more carefully, because as I stepped within arm’s length of the bush, my vision suddenly blurred, and I lost my balance.
I fell to my knees, and it was only after I had scrambled some distance away from the plant that my vision normalized. It felt like minutes had passed, but when I glanced at my chronometer, I was shocked to learn that it had actually been almost two hours.
As my head clears, I think I recall my colleagues having a name for this phenomenon, which some of them also experienced on their incursions into the EZ: “dyschronometria.” I think a fitting name for the plant that inflicted it on me would be “Mutantem perdotempus.”
Hour 7
Location: Area 3D
Phase I: Look for New Plants
[2]Plant discovered.
[1] ([3] + [1]) [3]Small / oblong leaf shape / opposite leaf arrangement
[2] [6]Plant Group B, Responsive Leaves
[Advance by two hours]
Phase II: Check for Corruption
[2] [4] >>> RV 3Not corrupted.
Phase III: Keep Moving
Move to Area 3E.
11:00
After stopping briefly for a bland lunch of Bureau rations, I discovered another new plant: a small specimen with oblong leaves arranged opposite each other on a thick, green stem.
Interestingly, its leaves exhibited the same behavior I witnessed in M. delicatus: a defensive reflex that triggers at the slightest touch.
I have no excuse for what happened next (other than my mind still being a bit fuzzy from my earlier bout of dyschronometria), but I found myself mesmerized by the rhythmic curling and uncurling of the leaves. Their motion was hypnotic.
When I was finally able to pull myself away from observing the specimen, I found that I had passed two hours in a place where I had only intended to remain for one.
The Bureau has a saying about the Exclusion Zone: “Time is your enemy, and the forest is its weapon.” I fear that the weapon has been wielded against me very effectively so far. As for the species I discovered, I’ve decided to name it “Mutantem rhythmus.”
Hour 9
Location: Area 3E
Phase I: Look for New Plants
[3]Plant discovered.
[6] ([1] + [2]) [5]Large / linear leaf shape / whorlet leaf arrangement
[2] [3]Plant Group B, Black Ooze
Phase II: Check for Corruption
[3] [4] >>> RV 3Not corrupted.
Phase III: Keep Moving
Move to Area 6A.
13:00
My latest find: a large tree with linear leaves arranged in whorled clumps along its branches.
The trunk had thick cracks all along its length, and out of each and every crack oozed a viscous, black sap that dripped sluggishly down to the soil.
A pool of sap had collected around the base of the tree, and I deliberately avoided touching the stuff while I stood a fair distance away to sketch the tree’s likeness.
There were smaller, separate puddles scattered near the pool, as if some creature had stepped into the inky sap and left footprints behind as it walked away. At the thought, I instinctively reached toward my belt to where my HX-40 pistol hung to make sure the gun was still there.
“Mutantem atramentum.” Certainly not the most pleasant-looking specimen I’ve discovered today, but I must remember that not everything that is fascinating is also beautiful.
Hour 10
Location: Area 6A
Phase I: Look for New Plants
[2]Plant discovered.
[6] ([1] + [3]) [3]Large / oblong leaf shape / opposite leaf arrangement
[3] [5]Plant Group B, Giant Spadix
Phase II: Check for Corruption
[4] [4] >>> RV 4Not corrupted.
Phase III: Keep Moving
Move to Area 6B.
14:00
This hour, I reached the densest part of the EZ—the region in which Bureau botanists have made the most exciting (and sometimes disturbing) discoveries.
Early on, I found a large specimen with oblong leaves arranged in an opposing pattern on its stem. Its most salient feature was a giant spadix, but what hit me first was its smell—a nauseating stench of rot and decay that stopped me dead in my tracks.
Covering my nose in vain, I looked over at the plant and saw inside its thick, curved spathe a jumble of small bones and the half-digested remains of some unidentifiable creature.
Suddenly, I felt a sensation of disgust roil inside my stomach, and I regretted the rations I had eaten a few hours earlier. I hurriedly sketched the plant so I could leave the place.
“Mutantem devoratoris.” The devourer.
Hour 11
Location: Area 6B
Phase I: Look for New Plants
[4]Plant discovered.
[5] ([4] + [6]) [1]Large / spatulate leaf shape / alternate leaf arrangement
[6] [1]Plant Group D, Toxic Fog
[Roll 1d6 and immediately move one hex in that direction]
[4]Southwest (move to Area 6C)
Phase II: Check for Corruption
[2] [2] >>> RV 4Corrupted: You begin to itch.
Phase III: Keep Moving
Move to Area 6A.
15:00
I’m writing this entry in quite a terrible state.
Earlier this hour, I found another novel specimen: a large tree with spatulate leaves in an alternating arrangement.
As I drew closer, I saw what appeared to be bright orange seed pods dangling from its branches. Some of the pods were striped with black, giving them the appearance of small tigers hanging by their tails from a tree. I stood for a few moments, staring at the strange pods, when I noticed that they were beginning to open.
Before I could fully react, a thick, gray fog had released from the opened pods, and I was immediately engulfed. Eyes watering and throat burning, I ran blindly in an attempt to get anywhere far away from the suffocating fog.
I finally escaped the fog’s influence about a hundred meters away from the tree. I still have a vague recollection of what the specimen looked like so I can document it in my sketchbook (“Mutantem nebularis”), but I have only just recently been able to stop coughing and retching.
Even worse, I have begun to feel a persistent itch across my arms, torso, and neck. At first, the sensation was slight enough that I could ignore it, but it has intensified over time and become undeniable.
Itchiness is an early symptom of corruption. I fear that my time in the EZ is starting to run out.
I remind myself that there is still time, though. I am early in my symptoms, and occasions for field botanists to explore the Exclusion Zone are few and far between. I must make the most of this opportunity and press onward. Nothing worthwhile—in science or in life—comes without some form of risk.
To Be Continued…
This post has gotten pretty long, so I’ll save the rest of the adventure for part 2.
To anyone reading this who knows proper Latin, I am so sorry. Feel free to correct the grammar of my made-up plant species names. I tried my best!
Also, it goes without saying, but the photos I chose to accompany each journal entry don’t match the exact plant descriptions in the game. So if you want to know what an “oblanceolate” leaf looks like, you’re going to have to find that elsewhere, I’m afraid.
We’re almost halfway through the session, and next time, we’ll find out whether we can reach our extraction point in time to avoid an untimely Death in the EZ!
I'm thoroughly enjoying this. Keep it up!
I like your style. I want to try this game now hehe
I also want to write an actual play, but for my solo campaign of Vampire The Masquerade. I hope I have the motivation of making it.
Good job !