Hearthfold

A Whimsical Solo RPG of Realised Wishes

Hearthfold is a minimalist solo tabletop role-playing game set in a vast dreamlike land where everything makes sense — but nothing seems sensible.

Built on the Loner (CC BY-SA 4.0) engine by Roberto Bisceglie, Hearthfold invites you into a cozy yet unstable world shaped not by spells, but by realised wishes. In this land, desires strong enough are heard by reality itself — and granted… though not always as intended.

You play a single Protagonist defined by thematic tags rather than numbers. An Exiled Knight. A Kettle Whisperer. A Moss-Cloaked Wanderer. Through simple dice resolution and an evolving oracle system, you will:

• Explore wandering villages and surreal landscapes
• Encounter domestic dragons, bureaucratic conclaves, and guild mice
• Navigate conflicts through Harm & Luck
• Make wishes that permanently alter the setting
• Experience the growing instability of the REMwars — where past and present desires collide

This is a game of gentle tension, quiet absurdity, and meaningful choice.

What Makes Hearthfold Different?

• Tag-Based Play – No stats, no bookkeeping. Characters and places are defined by descriptive traits.
• Minimalist Oracle System – Fast Yes/No resolution using paired dice.
• Scene Twist & Wish Twist Counters – Escalating narrative tension through structured surprise.
• Realised Wish System – Wishes permanently reshape the world. Conflicts between wishes create emergent drama.
• Cozy, Responsive Setting – Geography shifts. Traditions linger. Stories listen.

Hearthfold is ideal for reflective solo players who enjoy:

• Emergent storytelling
• Light mechanical frameworks
• Whimsical but coherent worldbuilding
• Low-prep play sessions
• Portable RPG design

Included Files

Full Edition
Full layout with artwork and decorative presentation - in both Pages and Spreads format.

Image Booklet
A collection of the illustrated elements for reference or inspiration.

Character Sheets
Two different character sheets to help play.

Requirements

• 4 six-sided dice (two pairs of different colours)
• Paper and pencil
• Approximately 5 minutes to begin play

No prior experience with Loner required.

Content Overview

• Character creation tables (Concepts, Skills, Frailties, Gear, Names)
• d66 Locations, Factions, Creatures, Adventure Seeds
• Structured Conflict system (Harm & Luck)
• Scene framing tools
• Wish mechanics and Wish Conflict rules
• Setting timeline including the REMwars
• 40+ pages of solo-ready material

Tone & Themes

Hearthfold is whimsical but not trivial.
Cozy but not complacent.
Gentle — until wishes collide.

Conflict arises from incompatible hopes rather than cruelty. Villains may be bureaucratic, emotional, nostalgic, or quietly authoritarian. The world responds to intention.

AI Disclosure

All illustrations were generated using ChatGPT 5.2 and curated as part of the design process.

License

This work is based on Loner by Roberto Bisceglie (CC BY-SA 4.0) and is released under the same Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.