Around the Hearth

Open Hearth Podcast Ep 22: Basic Fantasy RPG, Fearful Symmetries, Void Technicians

In this episode of the Open Hearth Podcast, host Tea talks with a couple of community members about their gaming. This time Moria and Shane discuss things they recently played, cover three RPGs in more depth (Basic Fantasy RPG, Fearful Symmetries, and Void Technicians), and then the group finishes up with some things they've been digging recently. Links: Moria Hobby blog: https://trashpile.blog/ Carrd: https://the-trashpile.carrd.co/ Shane YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Shane-Marble/videos Games Discussed: Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game - https://www.basicfantasy.org/ Fearful Symmetries by Steve Dempsey for Trail of Cthulhu - https://pelgranepress.com/product/fearful-symmetries/ Void Technicians - https://thecastlebuilder.itch.io/void-technicians Other Games & Misc Mentioned: Basic Fantasy RPG is not to be confused with Basic Roleplaying Shadowdark Lancer Mothership Strange Towns for Cortex Prime Good Society Under Hollow Hills For The Queen Beach Blanket Body Bag (Carved from Brindlewood) Rune Seekers of Glorantha (in development) Rosewood Abbey Biophage With Fire Thy Affections Hold A Wing Harvest Ghosts of El Paso for The Between Goblin Errands Armor Astir: Advent Ocean Tides D&D Oh Captain, My Captain! Stonetop Turnip 28 Other Mentions: Fearful Symmetries session videos Rune Seekers of Glorantha session videos Shared Hearth free open gaming event is coming October 1st - October 4th, 2026 The xkcd "Average Familiarity" comic Playingcards.io Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp 00:00 Introduction 01:50 Moria & Basic Fantasy RPG 09:48 Shane & Fearful Symmetries 17:38 Tea & Void Technicians 27:58 Giving Me Life

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A Different Kind of Hex Ep. 10 - White Whales

...to the last, I prattle with thee; from a studio apartment, I yap at thee; for the game's sake I pod my last cast at thee!! In the first-ever live studio recording of the show, José & Ian spend a (very warm) summer evening bouncing off of each other about games & gaming. We discuss bringing newcomers into the hobby, embracing (and even aiming for) imperfection, and our forever-implausible "ideal" games. Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Our website - Check out the Shared Hearth event! Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp Our info: Email: adifferenthex@gmail.com Music: https://lloydeaves.bandcamp.com/album/a-different-kind-of-hex Jack de Quidt's Music - https://notquitereal.bandcamp.com/ Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla 01:05 - Intro 02:53 - José's Poison, the "Pied Piper" 14:00 - Ian's Poison, the "Need for Speed" 23:47 - White Whales; or, the "ideal" game 45:56 - Pearls of Wisdom 55:27 - Outro

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Open Hearth Podcast Ep 21: Blades '68, Firebrands System, Dungeon World 2

In this episode of the Open Hearth Podcast, host Gwen talks with a couple of community members about their gaming. This time Jex (Bump in the Dark) and Mads discuss things they recently played, cover three RPGs in more depth (Blades '68, Firebrands and Dungeon World 2), and then the group finishes up with some things they've been digging recently. Links: Jex Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lastpinepress.com Itch: https://jexjthomas.itch.io/ RPG Trader: https://rpg-trader.com/creator/197/last-pine-press Mads YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Madelancholy Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/madelancholy.bsky.social Itch: https://madelancholy.itch.io/ Gwen Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/drgwenmarshall.bsky.social Itch: https://drgwenmarshall.itch.io/ Games & Misc Discussed: Going for Broke series Blades '68 More about Good Society 2E playtesting ZealZaddy on Twitch Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands In Dreaming Avalon You Can Check Out Any Time You Like, But You Can Never Leave Hearts of Magic: Threads Entangled Once More Into the Void The King is Dead Winter's Daughter Cantrip Lichcraft Dungeon World 2 Beta Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (2026) Camp (2026) Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp 00:00 Introduction 02:06 Jex & Blades '68 09:36 Mads & The Firebrand System 24:05 Gwen & Dungeon World 2 35:47 Giving Me Life

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Known Territory: Ep 1 Band of Blades

Welcome to the first episode of a new series on the Around the Hearth podcast feed: Known Territory: GMs Talk Games. Each episode we sit down with an experienced game facilitator who has played a specific TTRPG extensively. They will discuss how they pitch the game, best practices for running, useful tools, potential pitfalls, and more. We hope this will be a useful primer for both GMs and players interested in this game. For this first episode we have on Jim Crocker to discuss Band of Blades, Evil Hat's military fantasy Forged in the Dark TTRPG. Jim's run complete campaigns of this striking and complex story game of military survival and horror. Jim on itch.io Games Mentioned Band of Blades Band of Blades on Roll20 Blades in the Dark The Watch Night Witches If you dig this series, please rate, review, and subscribe. This episode's host is Lowell Francis, designer and co-author of Hearts of Wulin. He's the ENnie-winning creator of the Age of Ravens blog and community manager for the Open Hearth Gaming Community. He's the co-author of the Transverse Noir series of Shadowrun novellas. You can find Lowell's work on YouTube, on Itch.io, and on DriveThruRPG. Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla Music: ‘Mission Control’ by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp

Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History: Ep. 10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness

Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History looks at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness, one of the earliest and most successful licensed supers games, kicking around for many more years than any competitors. We talk about the game's mechanics, how it conveys the pitch, and the unique approach to splitting combat and skills. We then cover the publication history of the line and how it helped cement Palladium's role in the TTRPG industry. We talk a little about the Turtles themselves and how important this game is to the history of the TMNT licensing behemoth. We finish up by giving our general thoughts about TMNT and the recent Kickstarter reprint. If you dig this series, please rate, review, and subscribe. Jay's the author of By Aecer’s Light, The Clockwinders for Fate, Cortex Prime's Supers, and a contributing author on Pathfinder’s Mwangi Expanse, Trophy Gold, Hit the Streets: Defend the Block, and the upcoming Lifted: Indomitable RPG, a supers game about everyday folks with extraordinary powers in a tech-aggressive world. Check out Mad Jay's work at Play.Fearless and at the Diceology Podcast. Lowell is the designer and co-author of Hearts of Wulin. He's the ENnie-winning creator of the Age of Ravens blog and community manager for the Open Hearth Gaming Community. He's the co-author of the Transverse Noir series of Shadowrun novellas. You can find Lowell's work on YouTube, on Itch.io, and on DriveThruRPG. Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp 00:00 Intro 01:36 Pitch and Mechanics 07:22 Publication History 17:33 Media History 21:39 Thoughts

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Talking Romance

Love, lust, friendship, strong attachment-- the emotional beats which support drama and play. In this community talk, we consider romance in TTRPGs: running it, playing it, planning it. Drawing on experiences we explore break ups, cool mechanics, the line between system and play, objects of affection, good romance GM moves, and more. This is part of our Open Hearth series of community RPG talks. Selected Links Eyes on the Prize Girl by Moonlight Thirsty Sword Lesbians Apocalypse Keys Star Crossed Good Society Masks Urban Shadows Pasión de las Pasiones Escape from Dino Island Apocalypse World 3e Hearts of Wulin DIE Rpg Image mentioned during talk Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp

A Different Kind of Hex Ep. 9 - Character Interiority

Ian, José, and special guest Elle discuss the inner worlds of our characters and of ourselves! How do we as players express interiority and why would we want to, anyways. Along the way, there are guilty confessions, moments of uncertainty, and unexpected plot twists. Elle’s work: https://bloodygorgeous.carrd.co/ Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Our website Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp Our info: Email: adifferenthex@gmail.com Music: https://lloydeaves.bandcamp.com/album/a-different-kind-of-hex Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla 0:02:16 - Pick Your Poison 0:16:05 - What is Interiority? 0:25:50 - Why do it? 0:28:01 - Plot twists & interiority 0:33:20 - José’s guilty confession 0:38:05 - Can opaqueness be good? 0:54:52 - How to show interiority 1:07:21 - Encouraging it in other players 1:18:00 - Pearl of Wisdom 1:21:01 - Outro

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Open Hearth Podcast Ep 20: Planet Raygun, Embers of the Void, A Land Once Magic

In this episode of the Open Hearth Podcast, host Tea talks with a couple of community members about their gaming. This time Amanda (Sprigs and Kindling) and Cale discuss things they recently played, cover three RPGs in more depth (Planet Raygun, Embers of the Void, and A Land Once Magic), and then the group finishes up with some things they've been digging recently. Links: Amanda Cale: https://vengefulpickle.com/ https://warboard.vengefulpickle.com/ Games discussed: Planet Raygun (in development) Embers Of the Void (in development) A Land Once Magic Games mentioned: Pirate Borg by Limithon MÖRK BORG Starhold: a Space-Themed Survival Horror TTRPG A Fool’s Errand by j strautman and b marsolier Trophy: Ruin Once More into the Void Band-Aids & Bullet Holes Thirsty Sword Lesbians The King is Dead Uneasy Lies the Head The Last Caravan The Emperor is Undead Fomoria Fearful Symmetries Cairn Armor Astir Advent MF0: Firebrands D&D The Between Stonetop Quiet Year/The Deep Forest Exquisite Biome Microscope: Chronicle Pull Over, I Need to Pee For the Queen Agon Blades in the Dark Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp 00:00 Introduction 06:27 Amanda & Planet Raygun (in development) 12:29 Cale & Embers Of the Void (in development) 18:43 Tea & A Land Once Magic 26:31 Giving Me Life

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Roll for Mutation: Post-Apocalyptic TTRPG History: Ep. 7 The End of the World

In our seventh episode of Roll for Mutation, we look at a game series originally from a Spanish publisher, translated and released in English by Fantasy Flight. We talk about mechanics, how each book is structured, and the presentation of "mid-" and "post-" apocalypse. We then talk about cross-company publication history and Fantasy Flight's swingy history with TTRPGs. Lastly we talk about some media touchstones, the five scenarios in each book, and our thoughts and impressions of this line-- including our favorite concepts. References Edge Entertainment Edge Studio (where the FF RPGs went) The End of the World: Alien Invasion The End of the World: Revolt of the Machines The End of the World: Wrath of the Gods The End of the World: Zombie Apocalypse Our Last Best Hope Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla For other shows like this, check out Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History. Marc Majcher is an award-winning game designer, performer, educator, director, woodworker, writer, and all-around goblin-man recently relocated from Austin, Texas to East Lansing, Michigan. You can find their RPGs and LARPs inspired by the works of Philip K. Dick, a bird apocalypse, eldritch startup cults, viral videos, and much, much more at https://majcher.itch.io/ and everything else at https://majcher.com/. Lowell Francis is the designer and co-author of Hearts of Wulin. He's the ENnie-winning creator of the Age of Ravens blog and community manager for the Open Hearth Gaming Community. You can find Lowell's work on YouTube, on Itch.io, and on DriveThruRPG. Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp Music: Here Comes the Night Karl Casey @White Bat Audio Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:09 Premise and Mechanics 07:55 Publication History 13:19 Media Sources 17:20 Apocalyptic Scenarios 24:19 Thoughts and Impressions

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Open Hearth Podcast Ep 19: Raccoon Sky Pirates, Capers, Traveller

In this episode of the Open Hearth Podcast, Lowell (edige23) talks with a pair of community members about their gaming. This time Chrys Sellers (Defy the Gods) and Jolene discuss things they recently played, cover three RPGs in more depth (Raccoon Sky Pirates, the Masks hack Capers, Star Wars Citizen for Mongoose Traveller 2e), Lowell worries about complexity, and then the group finishes up with some things they've been digging recently. Links: RSP Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hecticelectron/raccoon-sky-pirates-total-chaos-edition Chrys Central: https://hecticelectron.com Itch: https://hecticelectron.itch.io/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hecticelectron.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hecticelectron/ Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/hecticelectron Stag Dance: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/708446/stag-dance-by-torrey-peters/ Capers (Masks Hack): https://www.reddit.com/r/PBtA/comments/due766/masksvillainous_hack_capers_improved_pdf_files/?rdt=45538 War Rocket Ajax: https://zencastr.com/War-Rocket-Ajax Star Wars Citizen (Traveller hack): https://www.reddit.com/r/traveller/comments/1ezh01l/beta_release_full_conversion_guide_for_star_wars/ Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp 00:00 Introduction 01:50 Chrys & Raccoon Sky Pirates 11:05 Jolene & Capers (Masks) 24:52 Lowell & Star Wars Citizen (Traveller) 36:30 Giving Me Life

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Talking PbtA

Powered by the Apocalypse games still remain a strong force in the indie TTRPG space and heavily represented here on the Open Hearth. For this talk we're going to consider where PbtA has been, where it is now, and where it could go. We'll talk broadly about PbtA as a system and specifically about folks' experience with different PbtA iterations. Lowell has ideas, and he'll be leading this discussion group– relying mostly on the participation of folks who join us and desperately filling dead air in between points. This is part of our Open Hearth series of community RPG talks. Selected Links Ryne Stonetop Rapscallion Masks Urban Shadows Pasión de las Pasiones Vale of the Failed and the Fallen Escape from Dino Island Apocalypse World 3e Under Hollow Hills Armour Astir: Advent Hearts of Wulin The Cluster Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp

Open Hearth Podcast Ep 18: Paint the Town Red, The Last Caravan, & Midnight of the Century

In this episode of the Open Hearth Podcast, Lowell (edige23) talks with a couple of community members about their gaming. This time Dominik and Donogh discuss things they recently played, cover three RPGs in more depth (Paint the Town Red, The Last Caravan, & Midnight of the Century), Lowell waxes rhapsodic about a recent TPK, and then the group finishes up with some things they've been digging recently. Links: https://dice.camp/@donogh https://rpggeek.com/geeklist/370389/2026-rpgg-challenge-play-five-rpgs-you-have-never https://www.reddit.com/user/DonoghMC/comments/ https://donogh.itch.io/ Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp 00:00 Introduction 01:13 Dominik & Paint the Town Red 12:29 Donogh & The Last Caravan 26:02 Lowell & Midnight of the Century 38:42 Giving Me Life

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Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History: Ep. 9 Aberrant

Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History looks at Aberrant, part of a trilogy of games which defined a major pivot point in the history of White Wolf Publishing. We talk about the game's pitch, how it's predecessor Trinity "isn't" a supers game, and the general system mechanics for Aberrant. We then cover the publication history of the line-- a brief heyday followed by a rapid burnout-- followed by what we see as the important media influences for the vibe and themes of the setting. We finish up by giving our general thoughts about Aberrant, metaplot, and "wide-screen" supers action. If you dig this series, please rate, review, and subscribe. Jay's the author of By Aecer’s Light, The Clockwinders for Fate, Cortex Prime's Supers, and a contributing author on Pathfinder’s Mwangi Expanse, Trophy Gold, Hit the Streets: Defend the Block, and the upcoming Lifted: Indomitable RPG, a supers game about everyday folks with extraordinary powers in a tech-aggressive world. Check out Mad Jay's work at Play.Fearless and at the Diceology Podcast. Lowell is the designer and co-author of Hearts of Wulin. He's the ENnie-winning creator of the Age of Ravens blog and community manager for the Open Hearth Gaming Community. You can find Lowell's work on YouTube, on Itch.io, and on DriveThruRPG. Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp 00:00 Intro 01:30 Pitch and Mechanics 10:40 Publication History 15:27 Media Influences 24:28 Thoughts

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Roll for Mutation: Post-Apocalyptic TTRPG History: Ep. 6 Mutant Year Zero

In our sixth episode of Roll for Mutation, we talk about one of the greatest modern post-apocalyptic games: Mutant: Year Zero (and the rest of the Mutant line). We talk about mechanics, important since this engine ends up powered a ton of Free League games in various versions. We talk about the publication history, drawing heavily on Magnus Seter's masterful book Outside the Box, and the media spin offs and properties associated with the franchise. Finally we talk about our thoughts and impressions of this game and the line as whole. References Outside the Box: How Sweden Conquered the World of Role-Playing Games Marc's MYZ AP Playlist Lowell MYZ AP Playlist Mutant: Year Zero: 36 Mood Elements for the Zone Mutant: Year Zero: 36 Plots for Roles Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla For other shows like this, check out Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History. Marc Majcher is an award-winning game designer, performer, educator, director, woodworker, writer, and all-around goblin-man recently relocated from Austin, Texas to East Lansing, Michigan. You can find their RPGs and LARPs inspired by the works of Philip K. Dick, a bird apocalypse, eldritch startup cults, viral videos, and much, much more at https://majcher.itch.io/ and everything else at https://majcher.com/. Lowell Francis is the designer and co-author of Hearts of Wulin. He's the ENnie-winning creator of the Age of Ravens blog and community manager for the Open Hearth Gaming Community. You can find Lowell's work on YouTube, on Itch.io, and on DriveThruRPG. Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp Music: Here Comes the Night Karl Casey @White Bat Audio Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:01 Premise and Mechanics 10:46 Publication History 17:52 Media Context 23:57 Thoughts and Impressions

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Open Hearth Podcast Ep 17: Under Hollow Hills, Raccoon Sky Pirates, CAIN

In this episode of the Open Hearth Podcast, host Tea talks with a couple of community members about their gaming. This time maiya and Sina discuss things they recently played, cover three RPGs in more depth (Under Hollow Hills, Raccoon Sky Pirates, and CAIN), and then the group finishes up with some things they've been digging recently. Links: maiya on the OH Discord Sina is Beatingaroundthebooks on Discord You can also check out their work at https://adhdandme.kit.com/ Tea is Tea_amat on Discord and @tea-amat.bsky.social Help Rae Recover Links Support or donate at https://patreon.com/swordqueengames or https://ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp 00:00 Introduction 02:07 maiya & Under Hollow Hills 09:54 Sina & Raccoon Sky Pirates 17:57 Tea & Cain 32:24 Giving Me Life

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A Different Kind of Hex Ep. 8 - Your Home Table

Ian, José, and special correspondent Danny put the knowledge we've gained from past episodes into practice. We talk about figuring out what you actually like in a game and advocating for it, playing to lift our fellow players, and Danny's 4-step method for iterative improvement through play. Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Our website - May the 4th is coming soon! Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp Our info: Email: adifferenthex@gmail.com Music: https://lloydeaves.bandcamp.com/album/a-different-kind-of-hex 0:03:38 - Pick Your Poison 0:17:10 - What does it mean to develop as a player? 0:38:14 - Reflection & Table Feedback 0:45:05 - Danny's 4-Step Method 0:52:14 - How we handle "bad scenes" 0:58:46 - Outro

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Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History: Ep. 8 Smallville & Marvel Heroic

Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History looks at two closely linked licensed supers games: Smallville and Marvel Heroic. To dig into this pair, Lowell and Jay bring on Rich Rogers (Hit the Streets: Defend the Block; +1 Forward) to give his perspectives as a GM and player. We talk about the system mechanics of the two games, including the big differences, the publication history of MWP, the media touchstones for these properties, and then give our general thoughts-- including wondering where our Smallville retroclones are... If you dig this series, please rate, review, and subscribe. Jay's the author of By Aecer’s Light, The Clockwinders for Fate, Cortex Prime's Supers, and a contributing author on Pathfinder’s Mwangi Expanse, Trophy Gold, Hit the Streets: Defend the Block, and the upcoming Lifted: Indomitable RPG, a supers game about everyday folks with extraordinary powers in a tech-aggressive world. Check out Mad Jay's work at Play.Fearless and at the Diceology Podcast. You can find Rich's game, Hit the Streets here. Lowell is the designer and co-author of Hearts of Wulin. He's the ENnie-winning creator of the Age of Ravens blog and community manager for the Open Hearth Gaming Community. You can find Lowell's work on YouTube, on Itch.io, and on DriveThruRPG. Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp 00:00 Intro 01:48 Pitch and Mechanics 12:11 Publication History 17:46 Where these Licenses Were 23:28 Thoughts

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Open Hearth Podcast Ep 16: Ars Magica, Long Campaigns & Modern Supers

In this episode of the Open Hearth Podcast, host Lowell Francis (edige23) once again talks with a couple of community members about their recent gaming. This time we have veteran community couple Tyler and Patrick. We talk preparations for an upcoming Ars Magica campaign and how it fits with past campaigns, the challenges and joys of long-running story campaigns, and the intersection of current events and modern superhero gaming. We finish up with some of the things we've been digging recently. May the Fourth: Star Wars Minicon 2026 Ars Magica Manager Tyler's YouTube Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp 00:00 Introduction 01:40 Patrick & Ars Magica 16:22 Tyler & long-running story campaigns 29:33 Lowell & the challenges of modern supers games 40:52 Giving Me Life

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Talking Playtesting

This episode presents a community talk from back in 2022. It features Rae Nedjadi, David MK, and myself talking about managing and working with playtests. It seemed like a useful thing to get back into the feed, so I've cleaned up the audio for posting. We talk about planning playtests, setting expectations, dealing with feedback, and filtering input. Rae Nedjadi on itch.io Rae Nedjadi on Patreon David MK on itch.io David MK on Patreon Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp

Roll for Mutation: Post-Apocalyptic TTRPG History: Ep. 5 Tank Girl & Wizards

In our fifth episode of Roll for Mutation, we look at two different licensed post-apocalyptic TTRPGs from the 1990s. First, World of Tank Girl, part of West End Games Masterbook series which apparently launched even before the film it was based on hit the theaters. Then we cover Ralph Bakshi's Wizards, based on the eponymous wild animated movie from the 1970s. We talk about what both games do, the source materials, their specific apocalypses, and how both games showcase 1990's game design tendencies: for better or worse (Lowell says worse). References Designers and Dragons: The 1980s Designers and Dragons: The 1990s Tank Girl on Wikipedia Wizards on Wikipedia For other shows like this, check out Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History. Marc Majcher is an award-winning game designer, performer, educator, director, woodworker, writer, and all-around goblin-man recently relocated from Austin, Texas to East Lansing, Michigan. You can find their RPGs and LARPs inspired by the works of Philip K. Dick, a bird apocalypse, eldritch startup cults, viral videos, and much, much more at https://majcher.itch.io/ and everything else at https://majcher.com/. Lowell Francis is the designer and co-author of Hearts of Wulin. He's the ENnie-winning creator of the Age of Ravens blog and community manager for the Open Hearth Gaming Community. You can find Lowell's work on YouTube, on Itch.io, and on DriveThruRPG. Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community Support us on Patreon! Our actual play podcast can be found here Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp Music: Here Comes the Night Karl Casey @White Bat Audio 00:00 Introduction: Licensed Apocalypses 02:02 Tank Girl 24:41 Ralph Bakshi's Wizards