All Episodes
Displaying 1 - 20 of 50 in total
Open Hearth Podcast Ep 14: Going for Broke, Grimwild, Band of Blades
In this episode host Lowell Francis is joined by Michael D. and Alun R. to talk about the ups and downs of "funny" game mechanics, a modern approach to traditional fan...
Roll for Mutation: Post-Apocalyptic TTRPG History: Ep. 3 Paranoia
Note: we had some audio issues with this recording (apologies)! In our third episode of Roll for Mutation, a look at the history of Post-Apocalyptic TTRPGs, we bow in ...
A Different Kind of Hex Ep. 5 - Playing to Fail
Content Advisory: character death, ritual sacrificeIan & José are joined by Wyllora to explore what it means to fail in an RPG, and why we might want to do it on purpo...
Talking Space Opera
Lets talk widescreen, big idea sci-fi. Games of space fleets, interstellar empires, sometimes aliens-- big ideas and lasers. Games like Star Trek Adventures, Traveller...
Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History: Ep. 5 Base Raiders
Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History jumps forward significantly in time to just after the d20 boom/bust cycle. Today's focus is Ross Payton's independently produced ...
Roll for Mutation: Post-Apocalyptic TTRPG History: Ep. 2 Twilight 2000
In our second episode of Roll for Mutation, a look at the history of Post-Apocalyptic TTRPGs, we tackle Twilight 2000 from GDW, focusing on those original editions but...
Talking White Whales and Inadvisable Ideas
What's the game you've wanted to get to the table but haven't been able to? What's the campaign premise you've considered but don't know how to make it work? What's th...
Design Chat: Pedro Barrenechea & Rotted Capes 2e
This week we present a bonus episode for both Roll for Origin & Roll for Mutation. Lowell chats with Pedro Barrenechea, lead designer for Rotted Capes 2nd Edition, a p...
Talking One-Shots
For this episode we've cleaned up the audio from an older community seminar on running one-shots. Like several of our other "Talking" episodes, this has Lowell Francis...
Open Hearth Podcast Ep 13: Ex Tenebris, Wise Women, Star Trek Adventures
In this episode Host Lowell Francis talks with Becky Annison and Josh Fox of Black Armada games about what they've been playing, herbal witches, the final frontier, th...
A Different Kind of Hex Ep. 4 - Bleed
Content Advisory: colonialism & imperialism; sexual violence in a horror/vampire context; death of loved ones, including miscarriage; excessive immersion; grief & blea...
Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History: Ep. 4 Champions (1st-3rd Editions)
Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History returns to one of the earliest and most important superhero ttrpgs: Champions. Hosts Jay Brown and Lowell Francis talk about a ga...
Open Hearth Podcast Ep 12: Rangers of a Broken World, Aberrant, Masks
In this episode Host Rae Nedjadi (Apocalypse Keys, Once More into the Void) talks with Sebastian Yūe and Matthew Arcilla about games, superheroes, villainy, gender, an...
Tribes in the Dark Kickstarter: Roll for Mutation Bonus Ep
In this "bonusode*" for Roll for Mutation: Post-Apocalyptic TTRPG History, we talk with Wil Hutton aka Rivetgeek, lead developer for Tribes in the Dark. TitD reworks a...
Roll for Mutation: Post-Apocalyptic TTRPG History: Ep. 1 Gamma World
First episode of Roll for Mutation, a new series looking at the history of Post-Apocalyptic TTRPGs. In this one hosts Lowell Francis and Marc Majcher cover the extende...
Open Hearth: What Is It?
Lowell Francis provides a short introduction to the Open Hearth Gaming Community: what we are, what we do, how you can join, and how you can support what we do. Websit...
Talking Mysteries: Running Mystery TTRPGs
This is the edited version of an older seminar by Lowell Francis talking about planning and running TTRPG mysteries. It's about 50 minutes of talk followed by a Q&A. L...
Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History: Ep. 3 Underground
This time Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History jumps forward in time to the mid-1990s. Hosts Jay Brown and Lowell Francis look at Underground (1993), Mayfair's attemp...
Fireside Chat with Agatha: Ep 1 Lowell Francis
In the inaugural episode of Fireside Chat with Agatha, Agatha is joined by Lowell Francis, Community Manager for the Open Hearth and designer of Hearts of Wulin, to ta...
Open Hearth Podcast Ep 11: Smallville, Flying Circus, Mythomorphosis
In this episode we cover a wide range of games old and new. Host Lowell Francis is joined by Rich Rogers (+1 Forward, Hit the Streets) and Jay Brown (Diceology, Life: ...
