Kids in the Attic
CREATOR
3 days ago
Project Update: The Past Isn’t Clean. And We Don’t Pretend It Is.
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.
— Kids in the Attic
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