Introduction

"'TerraGenesis is, first and foremost, a game. It's meant to be played and enjoyed. But that didn't stop us from basing it, as much as we could, on the real science behind space exploration and terraforming. We firmly believe that, when handled well and presented artfully, science can be much more than a dry set of charts and graphs. We believe that it can add fun and flavor and intricacy to any narrative or game, deepening the experience for all involved. At every turn we tried to squeeze as much real science as possible into TerraGenesis, to enrich the gameplay as well as to introduce more people to the fascinating worlds of astronomy, astrophysics, cosmochemistry, and planetary engineering.""And so, to further serve that goal of education and inspiration, we created the Archives.""Here, interested players will be able to learn more about the real ideas that underpin the world of TerraGenesis. You'll be able to see how gameplay matches up to the challenges of true space hominization, get insights into the debates and opportunities involved with terraforming, and explore rich and varied resources where you can continue to learn more about the exploration and hominization of other worlds.""We are living in an age of miracles. Every day, ideas that were once science fiction are becoming science fact. Today you're playing a game about landing on Mars, but soon, much sooner than you think, these things will be reality.'"