I got the report back from Sarah, the sensitivity reader I hired for Burning Frontier.

I’ve already made the changes she suggested, clarifying positions and sharpening the text

Hi Matt,

I really loved reading the text for Burning Frontier. You’re nearly pitch perfect in balancing the ugliness of empire with the excitement of frontier storytelling, and you’ve done so well in cautioning players to be appropriate in their games, while still having a great time with a great narrative.

Attached, please find my completed sensitivity reading report. If you have any questions, or if there’s anything that I can clarify or expand on, please don’t hesitate to ask.

As far as the cover art goes, I think this is a great option, as is all of the art that you’ve included so far in the rulebook.

With warmth and gratitude,

Sarah

Including a sensitivity reading in Burning Frontier was a deliberate part of the work and not just a box-ticking exercise. This setting draws from a period shaped by conflict, displacement, and competing claims to land and identity. It carries with it the weight of real histories and real people, not just the romance of frontier adventure. If the game is to invite players into that space, then it must do so with care.

I did want this book to walk a difficult line. It should allow for tension, danger, and the drama that makes roleplaying compelling, while refusing to flatten cultures into caricature or reduce history to spectacle. That balance is not something one person should judge alone. It demands another set of eyes, informed by experience and perspective that I do not fully share.

Bringing in a sensitivity reader was a way of testing whether the book lived up to my intentions. Particularly in the quieter assumptions that can slip into language, structure, and framing. The goal was not to remove difficulty from the setting, but to ensure that difficulty is presented with awareness rather than carelessness.

The feedback I received affirmed that the work is on the right path, while also sharpening it further. It highlighted where clarity, consistency, or additional context could strengthen what is already here. More importantly, it reinforced the idea that respectful portrayal is not a limitation on storytelling. It is what allows the story to stand.

Burning Frontier remains a game. It is meant to be played, explored, and enjoyed. But it is also a conversation with the past, and with the people who are still shaped by it. Taking the time to listen, even in this small way, felt necessary.

You can find Sarah Clark at https://sarah-clark.carrd.co/ – I found working with her to be easy and responsive.