The Good Ancestor Game

What do you get when you cross Indigenous Futurism, DnD Style Roleplay Games, SolarPunk, Matariki and Decolonisation?

YOU GET THE GOOD ANCESTOR GAME!!

The Good Ancestor Game is set in the year 2200, in Tiriti-centric Aotearoa. Everyone is well cared for including Papatūānuku and Ranginui.

Every year, we hold the Matariki Hunga Nui (Festival of Ancestors), where we remember and talk story about the amazing feats of our ancestors of 2040 - that year when our ancestors finally achieved constitutional transformation, Te Tiriti o Waitangi became the heart of Aotearoa's constitution.

It wasn't easy! There were challenges, and curveballs, and the ancestors had to find ways to work together and combine their skills and tools - but with their determination, and the protection of Te Tiriti o Waitangi over all of the work carried out, they were able to finally, permanently decolonise to create a safe, just and abundant Aotearoa!

This game is derived from SolarPunk Futures and created with the consent and support of SolarPunk Surf Club (creators of SolarPunk Futures).

Teams randomly select a role, values, and tools to use in addressing the challenge. The challenges faced in this playing were Mass Incarceration and a Police State. Players then negotiate with each other how using their values and tools they can work become collaborators for a better future.

The game aims to remind us that another future is possible, free from seemingly overwhelming challenges and unjust structures. The teams explored the roles their ancestors had in systems of power and considered how they can actively work toward dismantling oppressive structures.