@thehearthmag
A new bi-monthly TTRPG Magazine from Prairie Dragon Press! Issue #4 is coming! Subscribe: https://ko-fi.com/prairiedragonpress/shop E-in-C: Brent Jans (@dorklordcanada.bsky.social) Business Contact: thehearthmagazine@gmail.com
To be clear, since I think a few people thought I was saying not to criticize Hasbro/WotC when I said I'm not anti-D&D, there is plenty to criticize at the companies behind the game. And I do! bsky.app/profile/then...
...for March 17. My apologies to everyone who has been patiently/impatiently waiting so far. I want this issue out as much as you do, not just so the contributors for Issue #4 get their due, but because there's cool stuff coming for Issues #5 onward. Just a bit longer...
EinC Brent here. Issue #4 isn't out yet. I promise I am trying, but it's been a perfect storm of SAD, family emergencies and loss, and personal health problems. With a dash of issues on the business side, though those have been resolved for now.
Right now I am confident I'll have Issue #4 ready...
Who's Coming to the Table?
This month on Talk of the Table we're joined by:
3/9 - @olddog.games to discuss Blades '68 and wearing many hats
3/23 - @stellaluna.tv to premiere our new VIDEO format and discuss video AP, overlay design, and streaming TTRPGs
I have an essay in this book on creating living, breathing lairs! (Not like the kind that actually -are- monsters, but the kinds in which monsters can actually live).
There are a ton of other great essays (I got to read them all!) so go check it out!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/587...
The boycott of OpenAI(ChatGPT) has now surpassed 4 million. We’re also seeing many small businesses (and even some mid-sized companies) cancel their subscriptions. One of the most amazing things over the past year has been watching consumers remind big corporations just how much power they have.
...bunch to critique about and around D&D, and I think those things need to happen. But they need to happen in *D&D spaces*, among that player base, to effect any real change.
Anyway, my two pennies. Tell me about what you love without framing it against a game you hate.
Why the hell would they want to play with us, if all we've been doing out here is shit-talking them at every opportunity? I know I wouldn't be keen to try a new game if the proponents of that game were running me down for playing something else before.
And don't get me wrong, I think there is a...
...Indie TTRPGs. Let's just get straight to the uplifting! And critiquing and discussion, because all of that can make games better. Let D&D and its players be. Most of them will keep playing D&D, happily unaware of your disdain. And for the few that do look beyond that game at other options?
Tell me about the cool stuff you and your fellow gamers are getting up to! Talk to me about something you find fascinating, or troublesome, something you think needs to be talked about.
But leave D&D out of it.
We don't need to attack the game of D&D on the way to uplifting small press and...
...in one way or another. And they were rejected because that's not what I'm trying to do here.
I want folks to talk about the games they love and admire, wherever they are in the world. Tell me about a game that maybe no one outside your country has even heard of, that you think is amazing!
A big misconception that came about in article pitches to The Hearth Magazine was that, because I said the magazine was focused on non-D&D games, that I as the editor and the magazine as a whole was anti-D&D. So I received a not insignificant number of article pitches basically slagging on D&D...
It's my birthday. On this, the day the Earth was destined to be destroyed, i command you to buy the book and request that you share with your friends so they too might become entranced, enraged, and engorged by the sexy action drama of #Boombride
I have mutuals with this guy heads up
@/colbosch.bsky.social
Stay safe, folks. Block and move on.
TTRPG SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT:
CW: CSA materials
I've just heard from a trusted source (with evidence linked below)
that @ colbosch. bsky. social was arrested in June last year for possession of CSAM.
Sharing this info so that others can look into it for themselves and keep themselves safe.
This is one of my bestest friends who has been there for me so much, even when they were also going through it.
Please don’t let such a wonderful, creative, passionate soul who cares about this space more than most fall victim to the housing crisis.
Give money. Money helps.
Please see below, Issue #4 will still come this week.
Suffered a family loss this past weekend so if I owe you a reply or some work, please be patient; I'm getting to it as quickly as grief will allow. I appreciate your patience and grace.💜💜
Crockett: "The US is falling apart, partially bc he's allowing for killings in the street, but also bc we have a 34 count convicted felon being shielded from any type of accountability as it relates to a child sex trafficking ring. I don't understand why we're pretending any of this is normal."
Proud to include The Hearth Magazine in this bundle. Fuck ICE.
Reluctantly, I'm pushing the release one more week, to February 17. Between day job and family issues my time has not been my own; better to wait and do this properly. But the contributor spotlights will continue on Monday!
Non-Black folks are far too comfortable taking space and centering themselves in Black spaces.
I really need folks to interrogate their feelings of entitlement and refusal to respect and protect Black life, space, and epistemes.
Reluctantly, I'm pushing the release one more week, to February 17. Between day job and family issues my time has not been my own; better to wait and do this properly. But the contributor spotlights will continue on Monday!
Our next contributor presents a game of EPIC proportions! Julia Rosen (@jr-rosen.bsky.social) is a multi-disciplinary writer, artist, and storyteller in Philadelphia, PA. Explore the beta version of Mytheos, inspired by Homer and designed to support epic stories of clashes between gods and heroes!
If you want to pre-purchase the issue, head over to our Itch page and you'll get the files when I upload them next Tuesday. prairie-dragon-press.itch.io/the-hearth-m...
..."Skyfall RPG and the Melancholy of Magic" explores how this Brazilian game reshapes how players can feel at the table.
First up, Aashima Rawal (@rawalaashima.bsky.social)! Aashima (she/her) is a freelance writer whose work blends cultural storytelling with commentary on media, identity, and creativity. Based in India, she enjoys exploring how TTRPGs and indie games reflect deeper social narratives. Her article...
Cover for The Hearth Magazine, Issue 4, February 2026. Art: Watercolour-style digital image depicting a curious, grey sky whale shark flies through the clouds with her young, towards an explorer in a hot air balloon.
Okay! Leading up to Issue #4 finally dropping on February 10, every day this week I'm going to highlight the contributors and other things you'll find in this issue.
So let's start with the cover, featuring licensed art by @montfordtales.com. It's a beautiful piece, filled with calmness and joy.
We're turning two years old later this month! Come celebrate with some birthday programming, including a crossword, special podcast episode, and a 20% membership discount during February only.
