Interview – Kat & Kathryn (Hatched Games)
It's the new year and we've got loads more interviews with amazing women heading your way, so hold on to your hats!
We're kicking off our 1st interview of 2025 (and our 98th interview), with not one, but two amazing women from the TTRPG industry. Kat and Kathryn are part of the team behind Hatched Games.
Hatched Games are publishers of horror zine collections, to be released in "seasons", whilst showcasing a range of tabletop RPG systems. Their first project, GAST is coming to BackerKit on March 13th 2025!
1. What was the inspiration behind GAST?
Kathryn: I think the main idea initially came from Rich and I wanting to delve into folk horror as it’s something we’re both very interested in. The idea of a ‘horror universe’ was partially inspired by a lot of Stephen King’s work and also by the fantastic film series Fear Street, which features various serial killers appearing across different decades in the same town. Josh was one of our first thoughts in terms of artists as we knew his particular style was perfect for the vibe we had in mind and Rich was also talking to Kat who was keen on exploring folk horror too and whose work speaks for itself. England is one of many countries which is so rich in terms of urban legends and mythical terrifying creatures, so that also provided a lot of inspiration.
Kat: Hatched Games and its interest in folk horror was already in the works when I jumped on board, but GAST in particular was borne from a conversation between Rich (of Hatchling Games) and I, in which I was seeking some advice for potentially producing my first contribution to ZineMonth by turning Tand Fé into a solo horror journaling game. We chatted extensively about our love of the horror genre, his game Preservation Tapes, and the idea of creating a ‘universe’ of sorts (akin to The Silt Verses, The Magnus Archives, or the SCP Foundation) in which our games could co-exist but create entirely different stories and experiences for players. The word ‘Gast’ is an Old English word for ‘ghost’ with German origins, but has ties with words like ‘frighten’, ’guest’, ‘visitor’ and ‘stranger’, and it, along with the gorgeous symbol that Josh (our wonderful in-house artist) has come up with, is very much the focal point of how we aim to tie it all together. A generic term referenced throughout our projects to label the unexplainable.
2. With some truly excellent TTRPG talent on board, what can backers expect from GAST?
Kat: We are really excited to be able to welcome a wealth of rich, diverse talent on board on this project. Our core team comprises of many years of expertise in crowdfunding, product design, and business, as well as writers, game designers, and artists, which will be reflected in the quality of the products we aim to produce and the experience provided by the games themselves. Outside of that, we have some wonderful talent lined up for editing, consulting, on layout, and working on all sorts of fun additions that will hopefully get potential backers as excited as we are!
It’s incredibly humbling, honestly. It doesn’t often feel real that we’ve gotten to do the things we’ve done, or have the support that we have. I think we had the right level of a great opportunity meeting hard work, talent and good timing, which really gave us a boost. Since then we’ve tried to just stay true to who we are, why we do this, and provide a welcoming space that feels more like your typical home-game. Something everyone can relate to and see themselves in.
Kathryn: Throughout our years in the TTRPG space, Hatchlings has formed connections with so many wonderful creators and folk who are as passionate as we are about the same things. Right from the beginning we’ve been committed to diversity and quality and I feel like, with GAST, we’ve assembled a fantastic core team but also so many exciting possibilities for future collaborations. Backers can expect a high-quality game with all the same attention to detail and diverse talent found in other products we’ve made, hopefully with the addition of being terrifying!
3. Your first season of GAST contains some gorgeous folk horror themes. Why do you believe this genre is having such a resurgence right now?
Kathryn: I hope it doesn’t sound too pessimistic, but the world is a scary place right now. There are many very real worrying things happening. Everyone needs somewhere to escape to and for a lot of people, horror can (strangely) be exactly what’s needed. It’s holding a mirror up to life and situations or things we find scary but it’s safe. We know that it can’t actually hurt us and there’s something oddly comforting in that. Folk horror has been around for a very long time and I think that’s because it hits a certain spot in terms of its themes that a lot of people can relate to or identify with. A lot of the time folk horror has deep roots in the past and perhaps that’s why it’s enticing to many nowadays, with a future that is uncertain.
Kat: Echoing some of Kathryn's sentiments, the world is dominated so heavily by technological advancement, and currently overwhelmed by truly horrifying conflicts and climate change, so I think it makes sense that people are reaching for stories that speak to a simpler time, are rooted in the relationship between people and nature, and really explore the darkest edges of the human psyche. These are the things that feel ‘scary’ to us right now, explored in a setting that feels a million miles away to our world and 'reality'. There is also huge generational divide, and folk horror often ponders the relationship between old and new ways of thinking. In a strange way, I think it provides a level of comfort to people that things can still shock and terrify us.
4. We love the idea of seasonally changing systems. What systems would you be keen to feature in future?
Kat: Thank you, this is a hugely exciting idea for us too, and the Carta system was an incredible choice to kick off with! I’ve a fondness for solo experiences, and the Wretched & Alone system (Chris Bisette) really lends itself to horror mechanically, while Anamnesis (Blinking Birch Games) uses Tarot cards and prompts in an incredibly intuitive way, which really helps to inspire me as a player! I also would love to deep dive into the Breathless system (Fari RPGs) as a multiplayer option, thanks to reading through The Breathing (Fistful Of Crits).
Kathryn: I’m afraid a lot of my answer here is going to be very similar to Kat’s! We’ve aligned a lot with what we’d like to work with in the future, especially in terms of further exploring solo gaming and journalling—the Wretched & Alone system is one I’m also very excited to explore. The Carta system is the one we have the most experience with as both Dragon Dowser and Bow from Hatchlings use it but there are so many talented creators out there and the possibilities are endless! From a personal standpoint, I’d love to get more into actually designing the games more (as I usually do the majority of the writing and Rich the design) and so this is something I’m really looking forward to exploring in 2025.
5. How can publishers make sure their games are welcoming to women?
Kathryn: Goodness, where to start? I feel like for a long time TTRPGS, and gaming in general, was very much a male-dominated field. You’re always going to find those folk who love to gatekeep and some attitudes can be pretty discriminatory in terms of trying to keep other, more marginalised groups, out. This is changing slowly but surely and I would say publishers and other creators of games need to continue the good work so many others have already started, by putting strong female/femme characters and creators into their work to let their voices be heard. This goes for all other representation of marginalised communities too. The more this attitude becomes normal, the better games will be—with a wide, varied and richly diverse cast of characters and creators allowing anybody, no matter how they identify, to find something they can relate to and enjoy.
Kat: I could write a whole essay on this! For me, it’s so important to make sure you have women on your team. Half of the Hatched Games core team are women, and I have already felt the value of not being the ‘token female’, especially as our focus is horror, which is a space saturated with male writers and creators. Beyond that, I think its important to be even broader and highlight the intersection of minority groups - queer women, women of colour, trans women, femme presenting non-binary folks - all of these and more have stories and experiences that are often overlooked and deserve to be highlighted. GAST is our launching project, but its also about establishing Hatched Games as a publishing initiative, and one of the first things I said to Rich was that making sure that talent brought on board and collaborators represented a broad array of perspectives like this.
Thank you so much to Kathryn and Kat for joining us to give us an inside scoop on the upcoming GAST. Give them and Hatched Games a follow to make sure you don't miss a moment of this epic folk horror zine!