Roots & Roasts is officially finished! I wrapped up the last bit of art today and even added a few new sidebars I think you’ll enjoy. It’s now going in for one final review, and then I’ll package it up as a PDF and send it your way. You can expect it most likely on Monday—today’s a big day here with my daughter graduating and it being my wife’s birthday, so I’ll be spending the weekend with family before hitting send.
Also, we’re in the final 20 hours of the Folklore Americana campaign. If you’ve been meaning to jump in, now’s the time before it closes.
Hey everyone, I wanted to jump in with a clear update — because I’ve seen at least one person questioning whether we’ve “abandoned” Sleepy Hollow. That’s simply not true.
We’ve already released 12 books for this project. The remainder of the books are fully written and finished. Right now, they’re in layout — and yes, that includes the recipe book, which is actively in progress. I’ve literally been working on it this week. Formatting cookbook content is time-consuming, especially when you’re doing it right, but it’s happening.
So what’s the delay been?
My family was in a serious car accident 3 months back that involved 1-2 weeks in ICU following multiple doctor appointments with specialists, physical therapy, and planning surgeries. All four of my children were involved. That setback rippled across everything — client work, layout schedules, production timelines. It was months of lost time that I have been clawing my way back from for my family's survival.
But make no mistake: Sleepy Hollow is not abandoned. It’s actively being finished. I plan to complete at least one more book this weekend.
Frankly, it’s a little ridiculous to suggest that this project has been neglected after 12 books delivered. If you feel we haven’t more than fulfilled our promises, I’m not sure what else to say. I don't feel we have done anything to cost trust in us. This project is made largely by just me —writing, art, layout —with editing help from Lucus and Geoff. That’s it. It’s a labor of love, not a giant studio machine.
To those who’ve shown patience and support: thank you. Your encouragement and enthusiasm for Sleepy Hollow is what gave us the confidence to launch Folklore Americana, our next big folk horror RPG. And rest assured—all of Sleepy Hollow will be finished before Folklore Americana starts.
We got a great question from a backer, and we wanted to answer it here for everyone.
“The Depression era is untapped gold in my opinion. But it does come with potential pitfalls. It is pre-civil rights era. Jim Crow laws throughout the South. […] If anything can be shared about the approach taken here, the way you sourced your content derived from Black/Indigenous/minority cultures is of particular interest.”
Folklore Americana is a game rooted in American history, and that means facing some ugly truths. Racism, sexism, religious extremism, and violence were woven into the fabric of everyday life, especially for those pushed to the margins.
We don’t sanitize that.
But we also don’t exploit it.
In Come All Ye Sinners — the Session 0 sourcebook included for all backers — we take time to talk about how to approach these sensitive topics with care. We include sections on:
Racism and America’s violent past
Indigenous erasure and folk traditions
Religious trauma and gender roles
Queer identity in eras where it had no name
Addiction, mental illness, sex work, and violence towards children
How to explore horror without harming players
We also provide guidance for GMs and players on how to use these themes in a way that empowers marginalized characters, not just re-traumatizes real-world players.
Folklore Americana isn’t an alternate history where everything is fine. But it’s also not a game where BIPOC pain is background flavor.
We’re committed to honoring the stories of forgotten people. That means research, respect, and representation — without appropriation.
This game is a love letter to the real, broken, haunted America. We hope you’ll join us in telling those stories right.
First, the big news: Folklore Americana is now live on Backerkit!
If you’ve been enjoying the haunted history and eerie storytelling of Sleepy Hollow, I’d love for you to check out what I’ve been building next. It’s a folk horror TTRPG set during the Great Depression, where myths walk the backroads and even the Devil minds his step. We have been planning this one for years, and I am happy to step off the back porch and show you what's in the darkness.
But I also want to be clear: Sleepy Hollow is still front and center in my work right now.
Here’s where things stand:
Roots & Roasts is in layout and we're pushing to have it finalized this weekend.
Writs & Ephemeria is mostly laid out already, but I want to reorganize a few things to make it tighter and better. I’m still aiming to have it out next week.
Return of the Headless Horseman is deep in editing, and will follow shortly after.
I want to thank you again for your patience. The car accident with my kids earlier this year really derailed me in ways I didn’t expect. But after a few difficult months, I’m finally back in the saddle —and these books are moving again.
Folklore Americana launching doesn’t mean Sleepy Hollow gets pushed aside. Quite the opposite. My goal is to have everything wrapped up before Folklore needs anything from me full-time.
If you’d like to take a look at the new project (and maybe ride along), you can find it here:
First, a heartfelt thank-you to all of you for your patience and understanding. As many of you know, my kids were recently involved in a serious car accident, and we’ve been focused on recovery and healing for all four of them. Your grace and support during this time has meant more than I can say.
Now, on to the good news for Sleepy Hollow.
All of the remaining books are finished in terms of writing.
Return of the Headless Horseman is currently in editing.
Roots and Roasts will likely be laid out and released first, as it’s the simplest of the three.
That will be followed by Writs and Ephemera, and then finally Return of the Headless Horseman, the climactic conclusion to the saga.
We expect all of these to roll out over the next month or so as we push to bring this journey to its proper close.
Thank you again for sticking with us. This project has been a labor of love, and we are incredibly excited to share the final chapters with you soon.
