This blog is written by Dr. Iris van Zelst, a geophysicist working at the German Aerospace Center in Berlin, Germany. Iris studies the geodynamics and seismology of Venus and is part of the team who made the card game QUARTETnary, which has given her the perfect way of engaging with the Earth once again!
Do you know when and how events on Earth happened?
The history of the Earth spans a huge 4.5 billion years! To make sense of this vast amount of time, and to make it easier to understand how different periods of Earth’s history relate to different rocks around the world, geologists made the “geological time scale”: a timeline of the Earth’s history. The geological time scale helps Earth scientists communicate when things happened in the history of the Earth and put them into perspective. It’s very important!
The time scale is divided into different units of time, with different names. Earth’s history is divided into four ‘Eons’ (the Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic), and each Eon is divided into ‘Eras’, which are in turn divided into ‘Periods’. The definition and exact timings included in the time scale are monitored by a group of scientists known as the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS).
However, remembering all the different names, timings, and events in the time scale is tricky – even the most experienced geologists can forget what exactly happened when! So, to teach people about the geological time scale in a fun way, we made a card game: QUARTETnary.
The Silly Scientist – making science fun!
Although I now study the geodynamics and seismology of Venus (so, not quite the Earth…), I started out by studying Earth sciences and geophysics at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, because I have always found the Earth fascinating! And I love dinosaurs of course. I mean, who doesn’t?! I came up with the idea for QUARTETnary at a conference in 2018 and realised I had to find a great illustrator to make the most beautiful cards possible!
During the pandemic, I met Dr. Lucia Perez-Diaz via zoom, who turned out to be a fellow Earth scientist with an incredible talent for illustrating! After convincing Lucia that she should definitely illustrate QUARTETnary and saying “no, I’m sure it won’t take much time at all” at the end of 2020, the game slowly started to take shape and we won a Public Engagement Grant from the European Geosciences Union in 2021 to further develop QUARTETnary.
With some of preliminary card designs finished in December 2022, I was enthusiastically showing off QUARTETnary to a couple of old university friends from the Netherlands when one of them, Ronnie Peskens (a chemist), mentioned that he had always wanted to set up his own company. Perhaps QUARTETnary could use his business expertise? This seemed like a great idea, since I knew nothing of running a business and was quite keen to keep it that way (although unfortunately I can’t completely escape it anymore).
So, Ronnie and I officially founded The Silly Scientist in October 2023 with the initial aim of publishing and distributing QUARTETnary (our very first project!) and dreams of making many more games with a sciency twist and other fun, creative forays into science communication for the future.
Of course, QUARTETnary contains dinosaurs!
What is QUARTETnary and how do you play?
QUARTETnary is a card game all about the geological time scale, made for players aged 8 or over. It can be played solo or by groups of 2-5 players, and the gameplay follows that of the classic game Quartets (similar to Go Fish and Happy Families). Players aim to collect sets of cards to discover the formation of mountain ranges, the evolution of animals and plants, and more!
In QUARTETnary the sets represent different geological time units in the history of the Earth. Each card shows an important event in that time unit, such as the formation of a mountain range or a new evolutionary milestone. The game spans the entire history of the Earth: from the formation of the Earth over 4.5 billion years ago to the appearance of modern humans. The aim of the game is to collect as many sets as possible – make the most complete timeline of the history of the Earth and win!
Quartet! The full set of Hadean cards, the first eon of the geological time scale of the Earth.
Where can I get my hands on QUARTETnary?
We are currently running a Kickstarter where you can pre-order the game! If you back during the Kickstarter, you will be among the first people ever to receive the game and there are some fun extras you can get, such as:
- a digital colouring book (free when you buy a copy of QUARTETnary!)
- the chance to become part of the game forever by adding your name in the physical game booklet!
If you back the Kickstarter now, you will get your copy send to you in November, making it the perfect Christmas gift for (an aspiring) geologist!
After the Kickstarter ends on March 24, 2024 you can pre-order the game through www.thesillyscientist.com
For more information about QUARTETnary and more sneak peeks into its art, check out the Kickstarter!