Emergence has been Bathtub Reviewed

Nova has reviewed Emergence on her blog, as part of the Bathtub Reviews series. These weekly detailed critiques cover modules across a good number of systems and I've come to trust Nova/Idle Cartulary's perspective on tabletop media.

Shortly after Emergence went live, I heard it was in her review queue. It went live today, have a read over on her blog!

First, I can't thank Nova enough for the feedback. It means a lot to me for anyone to take the time to closely read what I've made. It's even more cherished to see their thoughts about my work articulated in full detail. Additionally, I thank Nova for backing the project on Kickstarter.

Bathtub Reviews are done at arm's length from the authors. I was not involved, and read the review once it went live like everyone else. There's some fantastic critique in there. With a few months' distance from the project, I can see how some of my process and assumptions affected the final product.

I've been planning a deep dive on the creation of Emergence in order to document my working process. Within that context I'll be able to describe my design decisions, and likely will cover how effective those were. Nova's hit on a few of the trade-offs I made on purpose.

I stand behind my work, and I remain extremely proud of this module.

I can't thank Jordan Boschman enough for the diligent editing of the project; together we created a cohesive and dynamic trifecta of environmental danger, exploration, and mechanics. Chaoclypse maintained a collaborative partnership with me to hit a very specific aesthetic with his illustration work, and in doing so had an outsized impact on the look and feel of the whole zine. Jean Verne patiently taught me typographic and layout techniques that I'll carry with me into every future project.

Emergence is currently available for digital purchase on Itch, and in print at Floating Chair, Ratti Incantati, and Compose Dream Games. All copies come with PDFs and form-fillable player and Warden handouts.

Emergence

A tremor has cracked the structure of the subterranean prison, and the player characters awaken at the bottom level. These weak inmates regained consciousness after doses of a pink fluid—Stabilizer—by the single surviving guard on their detail. The inmates under a heap of nearby rubble weren’t so lucky, and it looks like the corpses are starting to convulse…