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Content Guidelines
Threadbare contribution is a process open to all, but our learning programmes are aimed at learners aged 13 and older. We hope for it to be experienced, enjoyed, and extended at home, in the classroom, and beyond, and the content of the game reflects this goal. This page is the framework for what kinds of content, style, and themes may be included in Threadbare.
There are two kinds of quests in the game:
- LoreQuests form the main narrative of the game. They take place in the shared world of Threadbare and recover its lost history, culture, and language.
- StoryQuests are self-contained stories that exist outside the main narrative, with their own characters, enemies, settings, and themes.
Each section below covers Style (how content looks, sounds, and feels) and Themes (what content is about, and what it must never include). StoryQuests have more creative freedom than LoreQuests, but the content limits on sex, nudity, drugs, realistic violence, and strong language apply to both.
While we have tried to make these guidelines clear, with firm lines drawn where possible, some decisions about suitable content are subjective. If you're not sure whether an idea you have would be accepted, or if you see content in the game which you feel does not comply with these guidelines, please discuss it with us!
🧵 This page is a living framework. Sections marked To be developed are placeholders we will build out over time. Suggestions are welcome.
| ✅ Welcome | ❌ Not allowed | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Peril and fear | Excitement, suspense, mild scares, being chased | Sustained horror, jump scares, dark StoryQuest themes | Gore, body horror, disturbing or graphic imagery |
| Conflict | Cartoon or fantastical combat (ink blobs, water pistols, cartoon dynamite) | Weapons that look close to real ones, even when stylised | Realistic violence or harm, blood, knives, guns, torture |
| Defeat | Unravelling into thread, a shocked pose, a "try again" | Characters who are permanently lost as part of the story | Realistic injury or death animations |
| Loss | Being unwoven, unravelled, or taken by the Void; grief, missing someone, remembrance | Characters permanently lost to the Void as part of the story | Death, dying, killing, dead bodies, and euphemisms for death (including sleep) |
| Animals | Animals and creatures being cared for, rescued, protected, or simply living their lives; Null's creatures (the Fray) being repelled, outwitted or evaded | Animals or creatures lost to the Void as part of the story | Any harm to animals, in visuals, text, or sound |
| Language | Gentle, character-driven humour and wordplay | Invented in-world exclamations that sound like real swearing | Swearing, profanity, slurs, innuendo, insults aimed at groups of people |
| Mature topics | Loss, grief, fear, loneliness, courage, friendship | Illness, family conflict, difficult real-world history | Drugs, alcohol, smoking, sex, nudity, self-harm |
| Real world | Myths, folktales, and traditions from cultures around the world, told respectfully | Real religions, real public figures, real places | Real-world politics, hate, stereotypes, gambling mechanics |
These apply to every quest, LoreQuest or StoryQuest.
- Made for 13 and up, welcoming to all. Content should suit a young teen audience playing at home or in a classroom, alongside a teacher, parent, or mentor. As a benchmark, Threadbare aims to sit comfortably within the kind of content allowed by the PEGI 7 to PEGI 12 or ESRB Everyone 10+ age ratings: non-realistic violence towards fantasy characters, and scenes that may be mildly frightening.
- Imagination over imitation. Stories and characters should be original. Inspiration from myths, folklore, and public domain tales is encouraged; copying characters, music, art, or names from other games, films, or books is not. See Licensing.
- Everyone belongs here. Threadbare is made by and for a global community of learners. Content must not demean anyone because of who they are, and must respect our community code of conduct. See Community and Governance.
- Challenge without cruelty. It's OK for a quest to be difficult, surprising, or a little scary. It should never feel mean-spirited, humiliating, or hopeless.
- When in doubt, ask. Raise it in your submission or with a reviewer before you build it. See StoryQuest submission and Reviewing a StoryQuest submission.
LoreQuests are the heart of Threadbare. Because they tell the shared story of one world, they follow the house style closely, so every part of the world feels like it was woven from the same cloth.
- The tone is cute, cosy, warm, imaginative, and often whimsical, with real emotional weight. Think of a story told around a fire: mildly scary in places, never bleak, horror, or terror.
- Characters speak in a slightly heightened, literary register: thoughtful and considered, but not archaic.
- Humour is gentle and character-driven, not sarcastic.
- The weaving metaphor shapes the world: breaking is "unravelling", building is "weaving", the world is the Fabric, and destruction is the Void. Use it naturally; don't force it.
- Leave room for imagination. Hint and suggest rather than over-explain.
- Connect lore to the Core Threads of Memory, Imagination, and Spirit wherever possible. See Core Threads.
- Names draw on textile vocabulary (bobbin, needle, loom, thread, fray, seam, hem). Avoid modern references and anachronisms.
- Full detail: Narrative Style Guide.
- Cartoony, not realistic, with depth and dimension.
- High-resolution pixel art in the spirit of the Tiny Swords asset pack, viewed from a top-down, diagonal perspective.
- Cel shading: a main fill, a light variant, and a dark variant. No soft shading, no dithering.
- Characters are built from simple, readable shapes with a larger head and a 2-pixel outline, animated frame by frame.
- Full detail: Visual Style Guide.
- To be developed: musical palette, instrumentation, and mood for each region.
- Suggested starting point: acoustic, handmade, and folk-inflected sounds (strings, woodwinds, plucked and hummed melodies) that match the handcrafted, textile world. Sound effects should be soft and tactile, like thread, fabric, wood, and paper, rather than harsh or metallic.
- Scary moments can use tension and silence rather than loud, sudden stings.
- Technical specs: Audio Style Guide.
- Each region of the world should have its own mood, while still feeling part of one Fabric. See The World of Threadbare.
- The world has been damaged by the Fraying and the Void, so faded, frayed, or ruined places are part of the story. Even so, there should always be signs of hope: something to mend, someone to help, a light to follow.
- To be developed: ambience notes per region (time of day, weather, lighting, ambient sound). See Time and Weather.
- LoreQuests must fit existing lore: characters, factions, places, and history. Check Threadbare Lore and the relevant character and region pages before writing.
- New named characters, factions, or places should follow existing naming conventions and be agreed with the narrative team.
The main narrative tells the story of a fantasy world that has fallen into ruin due to various malignant forces, seen and unseen. The plot is generally lighthearted, though the protagonist and other characters encounter enemies and perilous situations. Themes that sit at the heart of LoreQuests include:
- Memory, remembering, and recovering what was lost
- Imagination, creativity, and making things
- Spirit, courage, hope, and resilience
- Community, friendship, and stitching things back together
- Stewardship of stories, language, and culture
It's OK for the game to be exciting or mildly scary in places. For instance, in one scene, StoryWeaver must outrun an all-consuming void or be unravelled by it; this is an intentionally challenging sequence and the appearance of the void may startle the player. LoreQuests should not go further than this: no sustained horror, and nothing designed mainly to shock.
Threadbare does not contain realistic violence or harm.
The combat that is present in Threadbare is fantastical or cartoon in nature. For example, the InkDrinkers throw blobs of ink at the protagonist. A scene involving water pistols would be acceptable; a scene involving knives would not be.
When characters are defeated (such as when StoryWeaver is caught in a stealth challenge or by the Void), the animations are cartoonish and appropriate to the theme: StoryWeaver unravels into a pile of thread. Characters may not come to realistic harm.
Threadbare does not talk about death. No character dies, is killed, or is described as dead, and death is never used as a threat, a punishment, or a plot device. This includes familiar euphemisms that clearly mean death, such as "passed away", "gone to a better place", or "fell asleep and never woke up".
But loss sits at the very heart of Threadbare. The Void is the existential threat to the world, and it can and does take people, places, creatures and stories. The Elder Frith FrayWalker walked into the Void and did not return, and her letter is the first thing many players learn about it. This is the model: a real and felt loss, told in the language of the world.
Use the world's own language. Threadbare is made of thread, and so is its vocabulary of loss:
| Instead of... | Use... |
|---|---|
| died, was killed | was unwoven, was unravelled, was taken by the Void, was lost to the Void |
| the dead | the unwoven, the lost, those the Void has taken |
| death, dying | unweaving, unravelling, being taken |
| a town was destroyed, its people died | its threads were pulled; it was lost to the Void |
| an elderly character died of old age | was fully woven in (use sparingly; see Threadlings) |
| a grave, a funeral | a remembrance: a name stitched into a lantern, a story retold, a patch sewn into a quilt |
Suggested themes. Loss in Threadbare works best when it is about what remains:
- Missing someone, and the longing that proves they mattered (see Yearn)
- Remembrance: keeping a person, place or story alive by telling it again (see Echo)
- Courage and sacrifice: choosing to face the Void for the sake of others (see Frith FrayWalker)
- Absence in a community: the empty chair, the song no one else knows the words to
- Hope of restoration: what the Void takes is not always gone for good. Threads can be woven back, and stories recovered
Guidance for contributors:
- Being taken by the Void should feel like a loss, not a horror. Show fading, unravelling, and absence, never pain or suffering.
- Keep the moment of loss gentle, fantastical, or off-screen. Let the story dwell on what is left behind.
- Leave room for hope wherever you can.
- The StoryWeaver's own defeat is always a "try again": unravelling into a pile of thread, never a loss.
- Never use sleep as a euphemism for death. The Void can still take sleepers, as it takes anyone, but sleep itself always means rest and renewal (see The Drowsy Downs).
We do not accept, and will not publish, any depiction of harm to animals, whether in visuals, text, or sound. This covers the real animals of our world and the creatures of Threadbare, from the BobbleBleats and SpindleHops to the Wisps and the Noddlings. Animals are not to be hurt, hunted, trapped, mistreated, or used as targets, and they are never the object of a joke at their own expense.
This sits alongside our stance on death and loss. Like people, animals and creatures may be taken by the Void, or lost to it, as part of a story, told gently and in the world's own language (see Death, loss, and the Void). But direct harm is never acceptable.
The Fray, such as InkDrinkers and Storyvores, are a different matter: they are Null's creations, woven to hasten the Void, not animals, and may be repelled, evaded, or cartoonishly defeated under the rules for violence. Like everything in Threadbare, they can also be unravelled or taken by the Void, told gently and in the world's own language. Even then, keep it fantastical and never cruel. Where the world's ordinary animals are in danger, the story should be about helping them: protecting, rescuing, and bringing them home.
Threadbare does not contain strong language, swearing, profanity, or innuendo. Jokes and humour are encouraged, but should not be insulting to particular groups of people. All dialogue in the game should respect our community code of conduct.
The game does not depict or make references to:
- Drugs, alcohol, or smoking
- Sex, sexual content, or nudity
- Realistic violence, blood, or gore
- Harm to animals, in visuals, text, or sound
- Self-harm
- Hate, discrimination, or stereotyping
- Gambling or gambling-like mechanics
- Real-world politics
All content submissions containing any of the above will be denied.
StoryQuests are where learners and contributors tell their own stories. They can have their own worlds, characters, enemies, rules, and moods, and they don't have to be set in the Threadbare world at all. Although StoryQuests are conceptually separate, the same content guidelines apply to StoryQuests as to the game as a whole.
StoryQuests have much more room to experiment. What matters most is that the story is yours, and that it still feels at home inside the game.
- Setting and genre. Mystery, adventure, comedy, fairy tale, science fiction, a dream, or a story from your own community.
- Tone. Anything from silly to spooky, within the Themes limits below.
- Characters and enemies. Your own inventions, with their own names. They don't need to follow Threadbare's textile naming conventions.
- Music and sound. Your own compositions and recordings are very welcome.
- Art. Your own artwork is welcome, including styles different from the core game.
- The technical requirements for art and audio (file formats, sizes, perspective), so that your StoryQuest runs well and reads clearly in the game. See Visual Style Guide and Audio Style Guide.
- Clear, readable dialogue using the formatting rules in the Narrative Style Guide.
- A clear beginning, middle, and end, and a way for StoryWeaver to collect the quest's threads. See Creating a StoryQuest.
To be developed. Suggested prompts for creators:
- What should the player feel at the start, middle, and end?
- What do the music and sound effects add to that feeling?
- Is there a moment of surprise, and does it feel fair?
- Does the ending leave the player with hope, curiosity, or a smile?
A StoryQuest may explore darker themes than the main narrative. For example, a StoryQuest may tell the story of a nightmare that its protagonist had one night, searching for their brother in a dark forest while evading ghosts and monsters. Not all players may enjoy playing this story: that's OK, they can choose not to do so.
Darker StoryQuests should still:
- Keep scares atmospheric and fantastical (ghosts, monsters, shadows, the unknown) rather than graphic or realistic.
- Avoid gore, body horror, and cruelty.
- Offer the player some sense of resolution, relief, or hope by the end.
- To be developed: a short content note in the StoryQuest description (for example, "Contains spooky scenes"), so players and educators can choose.
StoryQuests may be inspired by real experiences, family stories, folklore, myths, and traditions from around the world. When drawing on a culture:
- Tell the story with respect, and ideally from within, or with help from, that community.
- Avoid stereotypes and caricature.
- Don't mock real beliefs or religious practices.
- To be developed: guidance on real people, real places, and difficult real-world history.
The same rules apply as in LoreQuests. Combat must be fantastical or cartoon in nature. For example, the "El Juguete Perdido" StoryQuest features cartoon goblins throwing cartoon sticks of dynamite at the player. When characters are defeated, the result should be cartoonish: when Stella is spotted by a guard, she looks around her, shocked. Characters may not come to realistic harm.
The same rules apply as in LoreQuests (see 1.2). StoryQuests may draw on real experiences of loss, such as a grandparent, a home, or a way of life that has gone. When they do, tell the story as a remembrance: what the person or place gave, the stories they left, and how they are kept alive. Use the world's own language of loss, and don't depict death itself.
The same rules apply as in LoreQuests (see 1.2). StoryQuests must not depict harm to animals in visuals, text, or sound, including in stories drawn from real life or real traditions.
The same rules apply as in LoreQuests. No strong language, swearing, profanity, or innuendo. Humour is encouraged, but must not insult particular groups of people. Invented exclamations are fine as long as they don't read as stand-ins for real swear words.
As with the whole game, StoryQuests do not depict or make references to drugs, alcohol or smoking, sex or nudity, realistic violence or gore, harm to animals, self-harm, hate or discrimination, gambling mechanics, or real-world politics.
- Characters, music, art, and stories must be your own, public domain, or used under a compatible open license. See Licensing.
- Don't include characters, logos, or music from other games, films, TV, or books.
- To be developed: guidance on the use of AI-generated content.
When you're not sure, ask yourself:
- Would I be comfortable showing this in a classroom?
- Is it fantastical, or does it feel real? Fantasy peril is usually fine; realistic harm is not.
- Is it there to serve the story, or just to shock?
- Could it hurt or exclude someone playing it?
If any answer gives you pause, mention it in your submission or ask a reviewer. We'd much rather talk early than ask you to rework finished content.
These guidelines draw on the practice of other games and creative communities made for young audiences, adapted for Threadbare:
- PEGI and ESRB age ratings. PEGI 7 allows non-realistic violence towards fantasy characters and mildly frightening scenes; ESRB Everyone 10+ allows cartoon, fantasy, or mild violence and mild language. Threadbare deliberately stays at the gentler end of this range, and draws a firmer line on language than the ratings do.
- Minecraft Community Standards. Minecraft is "for everyone", with zero tolerance for hate and for player creations that portray hate or extreme bias. We adopt the same principle for contributed content.
- Scratch Community Guidelines. Scratch asks creators to keep the community friendly for all ages and to respect and credit others' work. Threadbare's emphasis on original work and credit follows the same spirit.
- Threadbare's own style guides. Narrative Style Guide, Visual Style Guide, and Audio Style Guide.
- Region-by-region ambience, colour, and music notes for LoreQuests
- Sound and music style guidance (mood, instrumentation, references)
- Content note labels for StoryQuests
- Guidance on real people, places, religions, and history
- Guidance on AI-generated content
- Worked examples: accepted and rejected ideas, with reasons
- Accessibility guidance (flashing effects, text readability, colour contrast, audio cues)