open-hearth-rpg

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big fan of urban fantasy and similar genres because theres nothing funnier to me than a setting where youve got people fighting with enchanted blades and bows and hopping around doing magic tricks but you can also just hit a demon with your car if you feel like it

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Open Hearth Video Roundup - June 3, 2025 (continued)

First part here

Silent Falls

Two Summers (Session 1 of 9) Donogh runs for Kae, Madelancholy, Mark, and Mendel Schmiedekamp We create our four teenagers, Jeremiah Briarwood-Barnes the community athlete, Remy Pasquelle the earnest but oblivious one, Terry Delling the older brother type and Kira Holwell the bad seed. Their intricate connections between each other and the town are mapped out.

Two Summers (Session 2 of 9) Donogh runs for Kae, Madelancholy, Mark, and Mendel Schmiedekamp Time to meet the grown-ups, find out how their lives have become complicated in the last 20 years and what they got up to back then (and what’s reared its ugly head to bring them back together!

Two Summers (Session 3 of 9) Donogh runs for Kae, Madelancholy, Mark, and Mendel Schmiedekamp See what the grown-ups are doing, how their humdrum lives have led them to (or kept them in) Silent Falls. Then we return to that first Summer, where we find Jeremiah visit his great aunt Lorraine; Terry badger his aunt Monica about her health, and Remy & Kira mix research with meddling in the library...

Two Summers (Session 4 of 9) Donogh runs for Kae, Madelancholy, and Mark See two sides of the same ship/wreck as Jeremiah and Terry date as teens but bump into each other as awkward exes in the present day. But of course Kira invites them both to dinner at her place! She has her own marriage to save... Find out what goes on in the Monteiro house, as Jeremiah goes down to the wine cellar!

Off-Calendar Highlights

The Between: Secrets in Lavender (Episode 5) Madelancholy runs for Jazy, Kathleen Fuller, Mike, and Sabine V. "Taking Tea and the Fall" - Questions Answered about Little Blackbirds, and then Felix and Ellie are invited to tea with a special guest, and Jiayi and Mordecai deal with someone who got in over their head.

The Between: Secrets in Lavender (Episode 6) Madelancholy runs for Jazy, Kathleen Fuller, Mike, and Sabine V. "Discoveries around Limehouse and Miswell Hill" - The episode opens with the Mask of the Sharpened Glade. Then Ellie mellows out while talking with Mordecai, Felix annoys another constable, and Jiayi gives a tour around Hargrave. Day commences with Felix offering opportunities, Ellie asking a widower what he knows, Mordecai getting a whiff of something toxic, and Jiayi exploring in the muck.

The Between: Secrets in Lavender (Episode 7) Madelancholy runs for Kathleen Fuller, Mike, and Sabine V. "Enough for Curiosity’s Sake" - The Coven arrives in London. Felix tempts a dock worker for a secret. Ellie shadows a constable. Mordecai captures a sample. The hunters Answer some Questions. At Night, Felix and Mordecai venture out and meet with Danger. Ellie tries to share info and a pint.

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Open Hearth Video Roundup - June 3, 2025

These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the games we play every month, and anyone is welcome to join the fun! This month’s collection also includes videos from our recent “May the Fourth: Star Wars Minicon” event. If you'd like to play in games like these, join our Playabl community and click on the "Calendar" tab to sign up for upcoming games. To browse our entire library of session videos, please visit our YouTube Playlists page. To hear our recorded sessions in audio-only form, please check out our Playing at the Hearth podcast. Enjoy!

May the Fourth: Star Wars Minicon 2025

Clone Troopers Rich Rogers runs for Jeremiah Frye, Marc Majcher, Steven Watkins, and Will H For May the 4th Be With You Mini-con, we play some Clone Troopers!

Ultraviolet Squadron Lowell Francis runs for Anders, Erik Sofge, Guy Milner, and Tiest A special session for Open Hearth's Star Wars minicon using Clark Valentine's Tachyon Squadron. We meet our squadron of Rebel pilots, pulled in different directions. After an initial skirmish, we see their day-to-day lives briefly before an Imperial attack forces them into a dogfight where they're outnumbered and faced with ghosts of their past.

Jedi Hearts Rich Rogers runs for Jeremiah Frye, Marc Majcher, and Yellow Three young padawans hang out with Kyle Katarn and fight a sith.

Microscope: Star Wars Next Trilogy Writers' Room Lowell Francis runs for Anders, Greg G., Steven Watkins, and Teal It's December of 2012 and The Mouse now has the rights to Star Wars. All over the world, groups are rushing to create pitches for what the next trilogy will look like. We use Microscope to create a "What If?" history, going from the end of Return of the Jedi to the first of a new set of films. Not a definite history, but one of many possibilities. See the end result document here.

Against the Sith Conspiracy Alun R. runs for Jason Zanes, Tiest, and Travis Allison More than 30 years after the Battle of Yavin a cold war between the ruling New Republic and the First Order intensifies. Fearing the Order's intentions Leia Organa has founded the Resistance to act outside Republic restrictions. It is she who has tasked a team comprising the Wookie Special Forces veteran, Kitporin, the Zabrak Counter-Intelligence officer, Kooth Aan, and Lad Reman, the Rodian Tech, to thwart a First Order plot to find her brother, Luke. Their initial lead takes them to a Hutt wedding party on Coruscant's level 1313. When it devolves into chaos they identify several potential Sith or their sympathisers. Only when they bait a hook do they discover the net of lies set to catch them...

Protect the Child Donogh runs for Marc Majcher and Steven Watkins After rescuing Grogu from the clutches of the Pyke, two ne'er-do-wells on Tatooine attempt to safeguard the child by smuggling him off-world. Zara Vex, the smooth-talking Crimson Dawn criminal and Saper, the Lepi Rogue-for-hire sneak past an Imperial check-point, undertake a heist to steal a survey droid (along with two bored scout troopers) and deal with the Jawas who want some sweet salvage to boot...

Open Hearth Gaming Calendar

Sunken Hearts: The Deepening Gulf (Session 14) Lowell Francis runs for Ethan Harvey, Patrick Knowles, Sherri, and Tyler Lominack Mr. Suit reunites with the group and we learn more about the nature of the goblins. Together again, the foursome makes their way through the house, discovering two very different spaces carved out by the sinister missing Sunken, as well as a door which refuses to yield to them...

Sunken Hearts: The Deepening Gulf (Session 15) Lowell Francis runs for Ethan Harvey, Patrick Knowles, Sherri, and Tyler Lominack Having left the island, the group reconvenes to talk about next steps. As they recover and consider the costs for what they have gained, we see flashbacks into the lives of several of them. Marrow searches for information and confronts his own ongoing Sinking. Meanwhile, Superbowl Sunday looms...

Sunken Hearts: The Deepening Gulf (Session 16) Lowell Francis runs for Ethan Harvey, Patrick Knowles, Sherri, and Tyler Lominack Heartfelt talks between the protagonists as they try to decide next steps. That leads them back to the Island and the House in the Undertow. There they confront what seems to be the Blood Creature which hunted Mr. Suit, but there's more to its identity than what they expected. That dealt with they return to the last locked room in the house and prepare to brute force open it...

Sunken Hearts: The Deepening Gulf (Session 17) Lowell Francis runs for Ethan Harvey, Patrick Knowles, Sherri, and Tyler Lominack Preparation for Mr Suit's party continues, even as the group investigates who among the Hands of the Courts is suborned and which among the Dukes is a fake. Aldo and Lily discovered the awful truth about Count Zero and then recruit a goblin to aid them in hunting down doppelgangers. Mr Suit speaks with two of the immortals. Marrow deals with his sinking and tries to get an audience with his Duke, leading to a tense standoff with the Hand of Lanterns, Bayman.

Writers' Room: X-Men - After Xavier Anders runs for Marc Majcher and Rod Santos We create an outline for a hypothetical live action X-Men show set after the death of Charles Xavier, where Scott, Logan, and Ororo have to deal with the threat of the Hellfire Club...and whoever is pulling their strings.

Writers' Room: Shadowrun Anders runs for Alun R. and Sabine V. We create a Shadowrun TV series.

Writers' Room: The Flight of the Kosmo Anders runs for Rod Santos and Tiest In this playtest session of Writers' Room, we create a teen military sci-fi show inspired by Battlestar Galactica, RoboTech, and StarBlazers.

Writers' Room: Star Trek Anders runs for Gabe, Gerwyn Walters, and Jim Likes Games A playtest of Writers' Room where we create a new live action Star Trek show.

Our Haunt (Session 3 of 4) David S. facilitates for Sabine V. and Steven S. Autumn experiences a vivid realization of how she died, losing her doll eyes and restoring her old eyes in the process. Mirage uncovers the truth of their birth and how they came to the Snow Queen, and The Witch disrupts a centuries-old ritual in defiance of an old Hag's Eye.

Our Haunt (Session 4 of 4) David S. facilitates for Sabine V. and Steven S. A bittersweet finale. With the assistance of The Witch, both Autumn and Mirage discover their own ways of moving on.

Star Trek Adventures 2E: Kintsugi (Session 6) Lowell Francis runs for Dan Brown, Donogh, Jo Lene, and Will H "Right Hand of Darkness" - Acting-Captain Ward is taunted by Reagani Vost as sabotage on the Kintsugi prevents the ship from contacting the away team or beaming them up. Meanwhile on planet, the team evades the Lattice Empress's forces and tries to reach the House of Candles and the Farseers. But the situation becomes more dire with the arrival of a pair of Dominion vessels and a betrayal on the ground.

Star Trek Adventures 2E: Kintsugi (Lower Decks) (Session 7) Lowell Francis runs for Donogh, Jo Lene, and Will H "The Galadriel Incident: Lower Decks" - With much of the command staff off answering questions about the events at Epsilon Umbra III, our chief medical officer takes the captain's seat...a little unwillingly. We get a chance to meet some of our ship's ensigns as they participate in the rescue of a Klingon ship. Then they're drafted into a search mission with a strange non-Federation envoy with a hidden agenda.

Star Trek Adventures 2E: Kintsugi (Session 8) Lowell Francis runs for Dan Brown, Donogh, Jo Lene, and Will H "Search & Rescue" - In the face of ongoing Dominion gains, the Kintsugi is tasked with a series of readiness drills. Captain Vate finally makes a decision about his first officer, and not a moment too soon. When the ship picks up a distress call, they rush to a scene of devastation and a battle against a pair of enemy ships.

The Ultraviolet Grasslands (Session 15) Marc Majcher runs for Heath, Mike Ferdinando, and Teal This week in the Ultraviolet Grasslands, our caravan briefly rested at the Behemoth Shell before mounting an expedition up another ossified giant into a floating park full of poison gas and tasty fruit.

The Ultraviolet Grasslands (Session 16) Marc Majcher runs for Agatha, Heath, and Teal This week in the Ultraviolet Grasslands, Epate brings news (and a sack of cash for Modon) from the Last Serai of a polybody-cat wedding, dreams of Long, Long ago Behemoths, Adoron opens their third eye, and Ottokar shamefully transforms into a shudder human due to lunar proximity.

The Ultraviolet Grasslands (Session 17) Marc Majcher runs for Agatha, Heath, and Teal This week in the Ultraviolet Grasslands, our caravan takes a little break at the Behemoth shell to recover a bit, negotiate with some sentient fungus carpets after a wolf attack, and have a lovely tea party with an eloquent naked mole rat hive mind in a ruined biomancer's lab.

Star Wars Saturday

HyperspaceD6: Tapani (Session 3) Rich Rogers runs for Anders, Greg G., Steven Watkins, and Will H The Argovian mission!

HyperspaceD6: Tapani (Session 4) Rich Rogers runs for Greg G., Kae, and Steven Watkins The team starts their mission to save the Obas base!

HyperspaceD6: Tapani (Session 5) Rich Rogers runs for Anders, Greg G., and Kae The crew completes Mission Meltdown!

HyperspaceD6: Tapani (Session 6) Rich Rogers runs for Anders, Greg G., Kae, and Steven Watkins On New Shella, the crew takes a job to get someone off planet and it goes all kinds of wrong.

(more in second post continued here)

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Defy the Gods Kickstarter is LIVE now!

Chris (HecticElectron), creator of Raccoon Sky Pirates, just launched the kickstarter for their newest game, Defy the Gods!

"Defy the Gods is a tabletop role-playing game of daring adventure, passionate romance and cursed power, set in fantasy ancient Mesopotamia. Inspired by Conan, Clash of the Titans and Princess Mononoke, it brings queer love and resistance to sword & sorcery role-play."

If you enjoyed our actual play of Raccoon Sky Pirates or this concept of game interests you, please consider backing the Kickstarter! Supporting independent game designers is more important now than ever.

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When Rae says it’s queer, you know it’s for real you all. This isn’t weak-sauce salsa … it’s San Francisco-level spicy.

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Open Hearth Podcast Ep 9: Sprigs and Kindling, Defy the Gods, Star Wars Microscope

In this episode we talk recent gaming and look at two really interesting projects. Host Lowell Francis (edige23) is joined community members Amanda Mullins and Chrys Sellers @hecticelectron. We talk Sprigs and Kindling, Defy the Gods, and a hack of Microscope for a Star Wars writers' room. NGL this is a dynamite episode-- the things Amanda and Chrys have been developing are amazing. A really, really cool talk and a reasonable editing job (by me).

Sprigs and Kindling

Defy the Gods

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Its weird to me how massive and nerdy the Furry Fandom is but how few anthro focused ttrpgs are out there that have been released in the last like, decade. Its all from the 2000's and early 2010's boom and splatbook era. I think I might take a crack at it in the future, but that's after Shattered Neon is in a state I'm okay with and the other next project is done. Or at least significantly worked on.

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Excerpts from Fukugyou Mahou Shoujo (aka Side Business Magical Girl), a 25-page one-shot manga by Hattori Shouta. It’s the story of “the world’s first magical girl who fights for both justice and worker’s rights.” 

@stick-arms @basilouija @titleknown @lunaticobscurity @theamazingsallyhogan

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Please do not let debt collectors play in your face.

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Hi, this is a big post about my new TTRPG, Defy the Gods, which I’m Kickstarting soon. It’s a queer sword & sorcery adventure-romance set in fantasy ancient Mesopotamia. I was inspired by Conan, Clash of the Titans (1981!) and Princess Mononoke. (I've also got a BlueSky megathread going about it.)

Sign up for the Kickstarter here!

Art by Thalie Shelen! @thalieshelen

(Btw hi I'm Chrys, a queer, trans game designer in Columbus, Ohio. This will be my second published game. The first was a furry pack of nonsense called Raccoon Sky Pirates.)

Defy the Gods is sword & sorcery as a story game. My favorite PbtA games emulate specific stories and lead you to resonant emotional moments like you find in those stories. Here, I used PbtA to emulate sword & sorcery, with an emphasis on the romantic moments—but also plenty of metal 🤘. You use the flirtation mechanics (taken from Thirsty Sword Lesbians) to tempt, support, or thwart others. But then, you can roll too high (taken from Apocalypse Keys), where you get more than you bargained for. Like Conan running out of the Tower of the Elephant while it crumbles around him.

Also like Conan, you have a glorious destiny, but in this case it ain’t good. Rising to your most powerful self makes you monstrous, heralding your character’s end as a hero and their beginning as an NPC antagonist.

It’s a queer game. You can fall in love with anyone, or make them fall in love with you. But because the game is also about power, the gods and tyrants wait to stomp on you if your enticement falls flat. Like if you flirt with someone in the wrong neighborhood. Every character has their own arc, and one of the things I had the most fun with was making those feel like queer problems as well as ancient-world sword & sorcery problems.

Play a fierce Sword, chaos-loving Sorcerer, fugitive Revenant, mischievous Sailor, immortal-sworn Vessel, or wild-raised Wolfling. (All character portraits by Thalie Shelen @thalieshelen)

The Sword is big-hearted and violent. You have a move that lets you kill any human-sized mortal NPC within arm’s reach, without rolling, if you’re not already in combat. This always causes more problems than it solves.

While most players roll just 2d6 & add their stat, the Sorcerer casts spells by rolling a lot of dice & looking for patterns in them. If you can’t find any patterns, your sorcery runs amok. This chaos is kind of lovely. For instance, you're always changing your body—sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. But always gorgeous.

The Revenant is like Inanna, or if Eurydice made it out. They escaped the land of the dead. They aren’t who they were in their past life, nor who they were as a shade. They're still figuring out who they are now. Demons pursue them to claw them back to the Underworld.

The Sailor can call on a cast of past friends and lovers for help. They always have a plan, and an eye for the exit. One of their moves lets you fill in the map of the otherwise unknown world.

The Vessel is in love with a minor god. They channel their patron’s power by wounding themself, but their patron can also soothe their pain.

The Wolfling was raised by animals in the Wilds and is curious about the humans, but they belong in neither world. They're definitely the part most directly inspired by Princess Mononoke.

The World Forces are the antagonist. You build them at the table, in quick rounds of pick lists. They are:

The Pantheon: gods, goddesses, and demons. They make the rules, but maybe you can break them.

The City: tyrants, the wealthy, and others with the gods' blessing. They push you to the margins, but you can fight to be seen.

The Wilds: gigantic creatures and their trackless wilderness home. It's place of danger and new rules, but you'll probably break them.

The Shadow of Atlantis: long-gone elders. They dared to scorn the gods, and the Pantheon destroyed them for it, but through you they may live again.

Death: a hungry, totalitarian force. Its underground domain is the end for all mortals and the mockery of hope. But maybe you can return.

Art by Shan Bennion! @anonbeadraws

This was an intensely personal project, but it was too big for me to do by myself. Here are all the people who helped make it a reality:

Avery Alder: Design advisor

Basheer Ghouse: @basheerghouse Cultural consultant

Cat Tobin: Horizons Mentor https://www.pelgranepress.com

Cris Viana: Graphic designer & layout artist

Ezra Rose: Interior art

Kanesha Bryant: Interior art

Katrin Dirim: Interior art

Jaqueline Florencio: Cover art

Lyla Fujiwara: Developmental editor https://www.jarofeyes.com

Mary Verhoeven: Interior art

Omar Ramadan-Santiago: Cultural consultant

Rae Nedjadi: Developmental editor https://temporalhiccup.itch.io

Rue Dickey: @ilananight Copy editor

Sean D’souza: World-builder & writer https://linktr.ee/seandsouzax

Shan Bennion: Interior art

Thalie Shelen: Interior art

(art by Shan again! @anonbeadraws)

Thanks for reading! See the Kickstarter here!

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Talking Supers: Running, Playing, Hacking Superhero TTRPGs

Up today in our Around the Hearth podcast feed! As part of our series of talks, seminars, and workshops we looked at superhero rpgs on Friday. Rich Rogers (Hit the Streets, +1 Forward podcast) and I led the discussion, but we had great input and questions from a half dozen community members. We cover a lot of topics: existing vs homemade settings, combats, supers in the age of ACAB, solo gaming, and more. In the show notes we have a link to our planning document, which has outlines for several topics we didn't manage to get to in our two hours. I edited the session down to a tight 90 minutes for our podcast. Check it out-- we hope to do some more of these genre explorations.

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You are superpowered enemies. You also have a lot of romantic tension between you. Neither of you knows what to do about it.

Hearts Unrivaled is a 2-player romance TTRPG centered on an enemies-to-lovers relationship between hero and villain.

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Now at IPR: Tether

Tether is a role-playing game for two players that is played through the process of writing journal entries. Each player will take on the role of a character living in the same rural town, during different time periods. The two characters are connected by a journal known as The Tether which allows them to write notes to each other through time. The two players (and characters) will work together to discover the secrets of an ancient being that haunts the town. Players will take turns drawing a card from a deck which is associated with a prompt, then using that prompt to write a journal entry. Over the course of 16 entries, the two will play out a story of suspense, horror, and possibly triumph.

https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Tether-Print-PDF.html

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@theresattrpgforthat is on the excellent Dice Exploder podcast discussing Changeling: The Lost. If you’re interested in indie tabletop games or LARP, it’s worth checking out!

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Open Hearth Podcast Ep 8: Take the Universe, Triangle Agency, Apocalypse Keys

In our new episode host Andrea (@plotbunnygames) talks with Open Hearth community members Agatha (Asians Represent!) and Wyllora their recent gaming and one ttrpg they want to explore in depth. A dynamite bunch of games-- including one I hadn't heard of.

We keep going and have hit episode eight! As you can see/hear we're working with an amazing group of co-hosts for the show. You can check out all of our episodes and more at our Around the Hearth podcast feed.

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Protect the Child Playset: Dungeoneers

For Maple Jam I've been working on a playset for @theresattrpgforthat's beautiful rpg, Protect the Child. This playset, Dungeoneers, is about monsters looking after teenage sorcerer Lyria after her adventuring party leaves her behind on her first quest.

With Gay Ghost Galleon (for Kiwi Jam) now published, I think it's time you met the monsters! The little blurbs in the green boxes are still Mint's original text, but you can get some idea of what we're playing with here.

Dorzan the Bruiser-Brute is a large red dragon. He is bound to a ruby called the Blood Moon, which can be used to summon him to fight for the wielder. Fortunately for Dorzan, the Blood Moon has been broken and Dorzan himself possesses half of it.

Valdemar the Business-Beast is a powerful undead sorcerer (a lich.) He loves the idea of having a powerful apprentice to help him rule the dungeon- and as a former human himself, surely he's the best equipped to help Lyria understand and harness her innate magic?

I went back and forth on the Hearth-Heart, but eventually settled on the Spider Queen. What is a Spider Queen without their chittering legions??? This Spider Queen is going through some things, and latches on to Lyria as a substitute.

The Hag is an ancient and powerful witch who learned everything they know from a more ancient, even more powerful witch. She has some beef with adventuring parties after said mentor was killed by one 30 years ago.

A lonely aboleth who struggles to understand how this unfamiliar world works and why the people within it behave so strangely.

Tisiphónē hunted Lyria for her twin's death at the hands of Lyria's father. Actually meeting Lyria spoke to some long-buried part of the erinyes' heart, and she couldn't bring herself to kill her. But that doesn't mean her sisters have given up the hunt...

A goblin who noticed Lyria left behind after Mettle and friends chased off an adventuring party. Mettle is a thief and a prankster who at times struggles to take things seriously.

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