Growing Up in the Gilded Age: Inside Castles in the Air, the New Coming-of-Age TTRPG

The landscape of tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) has long been dominated by dungeon-crawling epics and high-stakes combat simulations. However, a quiet revolution in the hobby has seen a surge in "story-first" systems—games that prioritize emotional arcs, interpersonal relationships, and the nuanced development of character over the acquisition of loot or experience points. Leading this charge is Storybrewers Roleplaying, the creative team behind the acclaimed Jane Austen-inspired RPG Good Society. Now, the studio is turning its gaze to the turn of the 20th century with its latest project, Castles in the Air.

Castles in the Air is a collaborative storytelling RPG designed to capture the nostalgic, bittersweet essence of coming-of-age literature. It invites players to inhabit the lives of children as they mature into adults against the backdrop of the American Gilded Age, a period defined by rapid industrialization, social upheaval, and the creeping transition from the pastoral innocence of the 19th century to the complexities of the modern world.

The Core Concept: A Canvas of Childhood Dreams

At its heart, Castles in the Air is a game about the passage of time. Inspired by the narrative DNA of literary classics such as Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, the game functions as a structured chronicle of a group of friends.

The gameplay is divided into distinct "chapters" or life stages. Players begin as children, spending their days in a semi-rural setting that feels detached from the rapid pace of the industrializing cities. During this phase, the game mechanics encourage players to explore the "wonders and fears" of youth. Whether it is a secret club formed in a barn, a summer spent swimming in local lakes, or the simple, profound joy of stargazing, the game forces players to define their world through small, intimate moments.

As the narrative progresses, the characters age. The game’s design forces a shift in focus: the whimsical preoccupations of childhood gradually give way to the "joys and hardships of adulthood." This is where the game truly shines, challenging players to navigate the complexities of identity, romantic tension, and the inevitable divergence of paths as childhood friends face the reality of their differing adult aspirations.

Chronology of Development and Design

The design philosophy behind Castles in the Air is rooted in the "emotive" TTRPG movement, a niche that Storybrewers Roleplaying has pioneered. The game is the brainchild of designer Melia Carraway, with significant developmental input from Storybrewers co-founders Vee Hendro and Hayley Gordon.

The Developmental Timeline:

• Conceptualization: Following the success of Good Society, the team looked for a new era that offered high emotional stakes without requiring the "battle-heavy" tropes of traditional systems. The Gilded Age (1870s–1890s) was chosen for its stark contrasts—the beauty of the natural world versus the encroaching industrial soot, and the rigid social expectations of the era versus the burgeoning desire for personal independence.
• Prototyping: The team spent the better part of two years refining the "Age-Based Progression" system, ensuring that as characters grow, their mechanical options shift to reflect their changing perspectives.
• The "A Golden Dawn" Actual Play: To demonstrate the game’s potential for storytelling, the team released a three-part actual play series, A Golden Dawn. This series served as a proof-of-concept, showcasing how the game handles emotional conflict without needing a dice-heavy combat resolution system.
• Kickstarter Launch: The project officially entered the public crowdfunding phase in mid-2024, aiming to bring the title to physical shelves by March 2025.

Supporting Data: Character Archetypes and Mechanics

The character creation process in Castles in the Air is designed to facilitate instant narrative hooks. By blending character archetypes with specific social constraints, players can build complex relationships before the first dice are even rolled.

Key Archetypes and Traits:

• The Troublesome Scamp: A character defined by their rebellion against local norms, often acting as the catalyst for the group’s adventures.
• The Studious Bookworm: A character who seeks refuge in knowledge, often navigating the divide between their humble roots and their intellectual ambitions.
• The Spoiled Princess: A character struggling with the social weight of expectations, wealth, and the desire for genuine human connection.

To deepen these archetypes, players must assign a set of foundational elements:

1. A Dream: What does the character want from life?
2. Childhood Relationships: The foundational bonds that define their early years.
3. Family Background: The social and economic status that dictates their starting point.
4. A Bosom Enemy: A crucial mechanic that forces characters to contend with rivalry—a staple of the coming-of-age genre.

This structure allows players to create characters that feel authentic to the period while retaining enough flexibility to pay homage to the literary tropes of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Official Responses and Creative Vision

In discussing the design, the Storybrewers team has emphasized that the game is not merely about "playing out" a book, but about "co-authoring" a new story that feels as if it could have sat on a bookshelf in 1895.

"We wanted to capture the feeling of nostalgia for a time that might never have existed," says Melia Carraway. "The Gilded Age is a fascinating lens because it’s a moment of transition. It is the end of the Victorian era, the rise of the machine, and a time when young people were starting to dream of lives that were not necessarily the ones their parents had carved out for them."

Vee Hendro and Hayley Gordon, whose work on Good Society set the standard for regency-era roleplaying, have noted that Castles in the Air represents a more intimate evolution of their design style. While Good Society focused on the grand social dances and reputation management of the Austen era, Castles in the Air focuses on the internal life of the individual and the durability of long-term friendship.

Implications for the TTRPG Industry

The emergence of Castles in the Air signifies a maturing market. The TTRPG industry is currently witnessing a "democratization of genre," where players are increasingly willing to step outside the comfort zone of high fantasy to explore historical fiction, domestic drama, and character-focused narratives.

Impact on Future Design:

• Shift from Combat to Conversation: Games like Castles in the Air prove that players are just as excited to resolve a "heated rivalry" through dialogue and shared experience as they are to resolve a monster encounter through combat.
• The Rise of "Niche Historicals": By choosing a specific window of time—the 1870s to the 1890s—Storybrewers is demonstrating that historical research, when integrated with game design, can create a more immersive experience than generic settings.
• Accessibility through Kickstarter: The crowdfunding model has allowed Storybrewers to maintain creative control, ensuring that the physical production—often a hallmark of their games—remains high-quality and thematic.

Conclusion: A New Chapter for Tabletop Narratives

As the Kickstarter campaign for Castles in the Air progresses toward its June 9th deadline, it serves as a reminder of the power of tabletop games to serve as conduits for empathy. By forcing players to move from the innocence of childhood to the complexities of adulthood, the game asks hard questions: Do we stay the same? Does our love for our friends withstand the pressure of our individual ambitions? What happens when our childhood dreams hit the reality of the Gilded Age?

For fans of narrative-heavy systems, the game offers an invitation to participate in a story that is as much about the silence between the lines as it is about the action on the page. Whether you are a fan of classic literature or simply a fan of deeply emotional, character-driven gameplay, Castles in the Air stands as a testament to the fact that the most epic battles in roleplaying are often the ones we fight within ourselves and with the people we hold most dear.

The game is currently available for backing on Kickstarter, with digital editions starting at approximately AU$ 34, and premium physical copies slated for distribution in early 2025. It is a bold, beautiful, and necessary addition to the ever-expanding library of modern tabletop roleplaying.