United Front: Welcome Back

There's something missing in your life. A deep hunger or yearning for something. You found ways to fill that gnawing need, for better or worse, cramming square pegs into the emptiness. But now there’s strings attached; the square pegs demand more & more, draining your will & energy. You are exhausted. Release these square pegs, discover lost part(s) of yourself & welcome them back. You can heal. You sit at the table and start journaling…

United Front: Welcome Back is a 1-page (both sides) solo TTRPG where, writing as your character, you explore avoidance, resistance, identify & release trauma attachments (“square pegs”) and find & embrace your lost bits (essence). 

Note: A journaling RPG cannot replace therapy. The game is just a game. If you choose to use it on real life issues, you are in control of the situation and please use your own inner wisdom rather than dice and charts to (re)write your own story. Consult mental health professionals as needed in accordance with your own inner wisdom and your own situation. A couple pieces of paper and the people who wrote & sell them cannot be responsible for what you do with them.

Concept

At the heart of trauma is loss — a bit of your character’s essence has broke away & was left behind. These fragments of psyche keep them tethered to the past, things or people, making it hard to move on. These voids or wounds are filled by something else; it is inside your character’s boundaries, tapped into their energy.

From the character’s point of view, explore the problem, the bits of themself they’ve left behind, what’s taken their place, & emotionally release ill-fitting square pegs making room to welcome back lost bits.

Character Development

You may make someone up, choose a character from a story, movie, TV, fandom, or a piece you are writing. 

Start with character details, a back story, & a problem your character hasn’t been able to solve. What am I blocked from doing?

Welcome Back

(After the rolling dice and journaling and developing the character…)

Given the story of all the clues that were found, the square pegs cleared, attachments, and what lost bits that were discovered, complete the story. Make a visceral, sensory, emotional scene of finding, negotiating and reconnecting with their lost bits.  How am I gathering up these lost bits, meeting their needs & welcoming them back?

What You Get

This game provides 2 printable formats: one is formatted as a trifold (letter fold), the other to use on a device or flat paper so the content panels make sense without printing or folding. Currently version 0.5.