Taking Turns

  • On each turn, roll both dice and move your mover the corresponding number of spaces. The space you land on determines the type of card you draw:

    • Beverage, Food, or Product: Draw the corresponding card and read what is written.

    • Chance: Draw a Chance card (this also applies to the green space next to the starting block).

      • Use the chance card immediately, or

      • Keep the card an use it on your next turn

Card Actions

  • Beneficial Card: Collect beneficial tokens and place them in your tray. Reflect the same number on the Eco-meter. Then, immediately sort the card into the Sorting Center.

  • Harmful Card: Collect harmful tokens and place them in your tray. Reflect the same number on the Eco-meter. Add the card to your district's item center.

Sorting Negative Items

  • Each time you pass or land on the starting block, you may discard two harmful product cards into the Sorting Center and remove the corresponding number of harmful tokens from your district.

Elimination

  • If a player fills their district's item center with harmful tokens, they are eliminated from the game.

Place the sorting center on the board: Align and fit its key into the cross-shaped inset.

Press-fit the 4 board sectors together to form a complete board, slide the 4 individual trays into their tracks (handles facing outward):

Correlates with the bin that it belongs to from the Sorting Center: Hazardous, Compost, Recycling, and Landfill.

ITEM CARDS

Compete, collaborate, & save the planet!

Planet Protectors

Planet Protectors: The Story

For 2~4 Players / AGES 8+

Fit the ecometer into its rectangular inset at the center of the sorting center.

CAD VISUALIZATION

SORTING CENTER: An interactive hub for recycling management

LASER CUTTING

To create the decals, I designed the necessary images in Illustrator and added crosses, grids, and dots for precise alignment.

Using the Universal Laser software, I manually aligned the laser to these reference marks to ensure the decals and cards were perfectly cut.

3D PRINTING

For 3D-printed press fits, I used a 0.127mm offset tolerance to achieve precise and reliable connections.

In a future where Earth’s ecosystems are on the brink of collapse, the planet is divided into four sectors, each governed by a Planet Protector. Your mission is simple: manage your sector’s resources and waste to achieve the highest possible environmental score. As pollution and waste threaten the planet, you must act to balance the needs of your sector. Compete with others while working together to avoid a global crisis — if any sector’s pollution becomes too high, everyone loses. Can you protect your sector and save Earth from environmental ruin?

SETTING UP THE BOARD

OBJECT

  • The game is won by either:

  1. Having the fewest harmful tokens at the end of the game, or

  2. Achieving the highest environmental value.

  • Remember if the Planet’s Eco-meter tilts too far into the harmful zone EVERYONE LOSES!

CONTENTS

  • Planet Protector Board

  • Eco-meter: A scale that tracks the planet’s environmental health

  • 2 six-sided dice

  • Sorting Center: Rotating bin for compost, hazardous, landfill, and recyclable items.

  • Cards: 75 Food, 75 Product, 75 Beverage, 75 Chance

  • 4 Movers

  • 4 Token & Card Trays

  • Tokens: 200 Harmful, 200 Beneficial

LETS PLAY

Setup

  • Each player receives a district, a mover, and a tray to hold their cards and environmental tokens.

  • To determine the play order, each player rolls a die. The highest roll goes first, with the order descending by the following rolls.

  • Players place their movers on the starting block.

  • Take turns rolling the set of 2 dices

Planet Protectors

is a tool to…

Build recycling habits from an early age, where children can develop responsible behaviors and cognitive skills like decision-making and categorization. Early exposure to recycling engages the brain’s adaptable learning systems, strengthening habits that promote environmental awareness, empathy, and sustainability. These early lessons shape responsible behavior and long-term environmental consciousness.

Process of how Planet Protectors was created

ECO-METER: A collaborative environmental health tracker

CONCEPT SKETCH AND IDEATION

Green are beneficial Red are harmful.

Take the corresponding number of token and place them in your district tray, while also reflecting them on the Eco-meter.

For Example, since there are 2 Red tokens at the top right, you bring 2 Red tokens to your district tray and also reflect them on the Eco-meter. This action results in a total of 6 red tokens

Reason for the token value in relation to other item cards in the game.

A board Game for a Cleaner Future

Planet Protectors was created to teach children about recycling and environmental responsibility in a fun and engaging way. With climate change and sustainability becoming increasingly important topics, it’s essential that young people understand their role in preserving the planet.

Growing up, I learned the basics of why we need to recycle and keep the planet healthy during elementary and middle school, but the education system never really dived deep enough to embed those habits and practices in me. There were so many different things to know about recycling properly, and I found it overwhelming, which led me to neglect it over time. Creating Planet Protectors not only provides an opportunity to educate young players but also serves as a way for me to revisit and solidify my own understanding of recycling.

“The Ultimate Eco-Conscious Board Game”

Main Board