This is Harlem Unbound (2017), by Chris Spivey, for both the Call of Cthulhu and Gumshoe systems. I don’t know if you know this, but H.P. Lovecraft was pretty racist, hysterically so during his time living in Brooklyn (see: “The Horror at Red Hook”). As his literary legacy has grown, his racism has often been downplayed. This is true of the Call of Cthulhu RPG, too. While many scenarios acknowledge and confront Lovecraft’s racism, many more simply ignore it. Even when racism is part of the story, thanks to its 1920s setting PCs are primarily white people of privilege (cops, professors and dilettantes abound). Racism isn’t something  they experience, its something they have the opportunity to confront (and feel good about for doing so).

Harlem Unbound flips the script. In Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance, a hotbed of creativity and racial tension, all the characters are assumed to be black. Thanks to the booming art and jazz scenes, PCs can still be of means and conduct investigations, but no matter how well off, they will have to contend with the human evil of racism while struggling against the alien horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos. The two strains of horror compliment each other, and Spivey introduces a racial tension system to ground both the game’s storytelling and mechanics. (Along these lines, Victor LaValle’s Ballad of Black Tom, a retelling of “The Horror at Red Hook” from a black perspective, is an excellent companion to the game).

Race aside, Harlem Unbound is one of the best setting books I’ve read in recent years, rich in historical detail, extremely readable, popping with ideas. But its handling of race feels Important, especially as more players of diverse backgrounds find their way into the hobby. The chapter on storytelling, which handles matters of race both in game and around the table, should be required reading for everyone running an RPG.