itch.io

I first found Emergent while in college with the brilliant creators Austin and Daniel. I had just been bit by the D&D bug and was a fairly fresh ttrpg player but had a little experience under my belt and was beginning to be disenchanted with the Wizards of the Coast for reasons that need not be mentioned here. Over lunch one day, I was introduced to the game and sent a copy, which I promptly devoured and found an immediate love for. I knew immediately that this game tapped into something special and powerful: teenage power-fantasy. Everyone has held up an empty hand imagining a gout of fire or bolt of electricity flying forth to kill some hated foe (whether they'll admit it or not). Throughout the campaign, I was able to relate to my fellow players and peers not just as a powerful person but as a teenager and human being who was just as brave in the face of danger as the rest of them. I then bounced immediately out of that game into one of my own, loosely based on the Beta 1. Writing and running this game helped me fight some of my demons and grow as a human being. Some could argue that any ttrpg could do that, but Emergent let me do it with a character I'd designed to mimic myself in ways that other fantasy couldn't. Emergent got me through some of the toughest years of my life by channeling deep pain into a creative and integrated experience. The friends and progress I've made as a direct result of this game have made me into who I am, and I'd be worse of had I not found Emergent when I had. Emergent may not change your life the way it has mine, but it just might change the way you see ttrpgs and maybe even yourself.