Playing at the Hearth

During a roadtrip up north, Owen gives an impromptu poetry reading while Jack meets and old friend and consults an atlas. George hears from her father and receives a tempting offer from some new acquaintances. I want to acknowledge that I stole big chunks of today's session from Nathan Ballingrud's excellent short story 'The Atlas of Hell'. Fearful Symmetries by Steve Dempsey is a campaign for Tra...

After the fiery events in Lincolnshire, the magicians make their way back to Oxford, blow off some steam, discover a new way to (literally) perform magic, and begin to plan their next steps. Fearful Symmetries by Steve Dempsey is a campaign for Trail of Cthulhu. We're playing a pretty heavily house-ruled version. This game was organised through the Open Hearth Gaming Calendar. You can find out mor...

"Anomalies PT 2" While the Captain Escarra deals with the missing prisoner and the start of an illness, Commander Moreno continues work on dealing with the orbital debris. On the ground, Lieutenant Commander T'Ven looks to see how the efforts of the landing party is going, while Commander Ch'Villiq tries a gambit with the Andorian refugees. T'Ven and Ch'Villiq meet with the Shaddai, one of the pre...

With a daring plan to restore the alien mothership for use against the Anthemic Throne, the Elder Onagen leads the caravan inside the 100-mile long Nayana. Though the growing rift between Mercedes and Walker threatens to derail the effort as Ree looks on... The Last Caravan is a cars and aliens tabletop role-playing game about a midwinter road trip in the wake of an alien invasion. Starting from t...

Alun R facilitates the first of a short series of Traveller set in the Star Wars universe using a free conversion called CITIZEN. This series marks Star Wars Day 2026. This session was organsied as part of The Open Hearth Gaming Community's Star Wars MiniCon (https://openhearthgaming.com). In this session zero we use the CITIZEN's conversion of Mongoose Traveller 2E to create: - Keel, the Operator...

Mutant Year Zero Session 4: the water plant gets a lot more complicated. The crew makes contact with a second Ark hiding beneath the plant, learns their boss was carried off by a giant bird, climbs the smokestack to raid its nest, and uncovers food, weapons, a strange diary about “Eden,” and more questions than answers. Meanwhile, the so-called zone ghouls stop looking like simple monsters and sta...

The crew finally arrive closer to their destination and travel through the jungle for a time before being confronted by a changed landscape. They press on, battle a giant bottom-feeding fish, lose a cloak, and meet a bat. They learn something of the environs, including the presence of a rival expedition and a strange cult. This is part of Open Hearth Gaming Community, you can find out more at open...

A special session for Open Hearth's Star Wars minicon using Clark Valentine's Tachyon Squadron. We meet our squadron of Rebel pilots, ready to defend against imperial aggression. After an initial skirmish, we see their day-to-day lives briefly before they intercept Imperial attack forces in a vicious dogfight where they're outnumbered and but undeterred. This is part of Open Hearth Gaming Communit...

The crew decides who will travel with them upriver into the deep heart of the jungles north of Tangcho. The trip is full of complications from monsters to visitations to the call of another kind of ocean. This is part of Open Hearth Gaming Community, you can find out more at openhearthgaming.com Our audio version of these episodes can be found here: https://playingatthehearth.openhearthgaming.com/...

The crew deal with the fallout from events at Horizon. They journey to Tangcho and seek out information about the treasure they seek and find a strangely convenient guide. This is part of Open Hearth Gaming Community, you can find out more at openhearthgaming.com Our audio version of these episodes can be found here: https://playingatthehearth.openhearthgaming.com/ Follow us on https://www.tumblr....

Italy, 1943. As a train transporting a mass control weapon inteded to be used to break a strike heads to Turin, two communist saboteurs sneak on board. The mission: Derail the train. Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6alX8HNgbAg ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

With trepidation, the chambermaids realise that Sister Hedwig is indeed the beast stalking this town, whom the rest of the populace are terrified into compliance. Some creep into the basement to discover how to defeat her, while others seek to recruits allies who may be able to help... The Girls of the Genziana Hotel are the chambermaids who serve what few guests sleep in the hotel's rooms. During...

Duels Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mq_HeP5fSk ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

More revelations and a fiery confrontation as Sybil rejoins the group in search of the place of power by Gunby Hall. Fearful Symmetries by Steve Dempsey is a campaign for Trail of Cthulhu. We're playing a pretty heavily house-ruled version. This game was organised through the Open Hearth Gaming Calendar. You can find out more at https://openhearthgaming.com/. Original video: https://www.youtube.co...

"Anomalies PT 1" The Tempest has arrives at Polos-5 where several starships from multiple species have been freed from the clutches of a mysterious alien entity after decades of imprisonment. Survivors from those vessels made their way to the planet's surface, setting up a makeshift colony. However the situation has become unstable: tensions between the peoples and an number of medical issues. At...

Session 3 of our Mutant Year Zero campaign takes the crew deeper into the Zone as they fight rot, scarce supplies, acid-drifting sky-jellies, and a minefield of ancient unexploded shells on the way to the water plant. By the time they arrive, they’re battered, low on resources, and expecting monsters. Instead, a brutal ambush at the pipes leads to a shocking discovery: the so-called “zone ghouls”...

Calling their Oroboro handler to make sure the local sheriff's department will be available for back-up, the investigators head to the lakeside cabin to find out if the killer is there. They see signs of the killer's mission and discover bloody handprints pointing at destruction and death... Dive into the shadows of the '90s in this occult serial killer investigation TTRPG - Midnight of the Centur...

Hargrave House faces Sally No-Face at her public clinic. Dr. Swindrake's child sees the light of the world. Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XibQf_6n-rk ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

"Impact Preservation PT 2" Captain Escarra deals with threats from the Preservation battleship, gaining a measure of time to get his people off the surface. At the same time, the away team learns about the insurgents who have occupied the base and the presence of their enemies in orbit. Lt Johnson breaks them out and they formulate a plan that includes high stakes maneuvers by the Tempest, pinpoin...

All the Bells on Earth, Part 1. As Rhydian reels from the recent revelation, a reality shift takes part in Las Vegas. A new Omen Class Monster is being introduced. Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udJ4b5Cuedg ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

With Sybil missing, Ms Wyberg sends Owen, George and Jack to Lincolnshire in search of a ley line nexus. They begin to uncover the secrets of the Massingberd family, and some disturbing local legends. Fearful Symmetries by Steve Dempsey is a campaign for Trail of Cthulhu. We're playing a pretty heavily house-ruled version. This game was organised through the Open Hearth Gaming Calendar. You can fi...

In the middle of the night, our chambermaids uncover a strange skeleton in the woods, visit a nun with supper (and a deal), and rifle the library in the bar for clues...all bring with them disquiet and unexpected revelations - all pointing towards the reason Marga's disappearance has been covered up! The Girls of the Genziana Hotel are the chambermaids who serve what few guests sleep in the hotel'...

Session 2 of our Mutant Year Zero campaign starts with Assembly at the Highland Mall Ark: the group adds Defenses, launches another zone expedition for food and water, and scrambles to deal with Johnammed’s control of the water supply. Before leaving, Wilo learns a huge secret from Eriel—the elder believes she’s pregnant, apparently by someone from outside the Ark. Rasper talks Marlotte into letti...

From the Locan basement, the investigators have insights that lead them to seek out the next victim on the campus of the University of Washington. They lean on the Oroboro Group's resources to try to get ahead of the killer... Dive into the shadows of the '90s in this occult serial killer investigation TTRPG - Midnight of the Century is a mid-'90s pre-apocalyptic serial killer investigation TTRPG...

Alun R facilitates the first session in a series of Eotenweard (his own PbtA game in development of Dark Age heroes protecting the innocent from a Darkness growing across the Old North). This session was organised as part of The Open Hearth Gaming Community (https://openhearthgaming.com) using our Gaming Calendar (https://app.playabl.io/communities/the_open_hearth/overview) With Octavia off-screen...