Terms of Play

An original browser role-playing game by Gina Makes, a brand of Gina Makes LLC (Altoona, Iowa).

License

© 2026 Gina Makes LLC. All rights reserved. You are granted a personal, non-commercial license to play the game in your browser or as an installed web app. You may not copy, resell, re-host or modify the game, its code, art, music or text without written permission.

Your account is yours alone

Your game account (your Google sign-in, saves, Remove ads, packs and gems) is for you only. You may not sell, buy, trade, rent, give away or share a game account, or sell or trade anything in it, including gems, packs or saves, for real money or anything else, on any website or app. We never ask for your Google password, and you should never give it to anyone. If we find an account that was sold, bought or traded, we may close it, and what was paid for on it ends with it (see What you get when you pay).

Provided as-is

The game is provided as-is, without warranties of any kind. We work hard to keep it running and to protect your progress, but we cannot promise it will always be available or free of bugs, or that saves will never be lost. To the extent the law allows, Gina Makes LLC is not liable for any loss arising from playing the game. Nothing on this page takes away rights you have by law that cannot be waived.

Players under 18

The game is for ages 13 and up. The first time something costs real money or leaves the game, it asks one question: are you 18 or older? We keep only that answer, and only on your device (never a birthdate). You can change it any time in the Pause menu.

• Buying (Remove ads, packs, gems): players under 18 are asked to have a parent or guardian with them, and to let the grown-up finish the payment.
• The tip jar and anonymous sponsoring are for grown-ups (18 and older) only. Sponsor applications are 18+ too.
• Sponsor links say clearly that they leave the game.
• Breaks: after each hour of play, a gentle reminder to stretch and drink some water.

Parents and guardians: questions are welcome at hello@ginamakesbread.dev.

Ads and Sponsored links

The game may show a Sponsored card at natural breaks, such as after sleeping. Each card is marked "Sponsored ad · affiliate link" and says that we may earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. The product picks are things Gina uses in her own kitchen. The deals list updates automatically each day with King Arthur Baking's current sales.

Not affiliated: King Arthur Baking Company and Awin are not affiliated with The Hero of Hearthvale or Gina Makes LLC, and they do not make, sponsor, endorse or review the game. Gina Makes LLC simply takes part in King Arthur Baking's affiliate program, which runs through Awin, and may earn a commission on sales from these links. Product names and trademarks belong to their owners.

Sponsors: anyone 18 or older (a person, family, club or family-friendly business) can support the game with a $10 support package. In thanks, their name, picture and website hang in a gold frame in the Hearthvale Chamber of Commerce, a hall hidden in the game's forest, for two weeks. You only see sponsor frames if you choose to visit the hall or ask the town crier for Chamber news, and Remove ads does not hide them. Every sponsor is checked by hand, is always labelled as a paid sponsor, and says they are not part of the game. Sponsors never receive players' personal information. When you tap Visit, the link tells the sponsor's website that the visit came from Hearthvale (a utm_source=hearthvale tag), so they can count visits in their own stats; the game itself does not track you, and the sponsor's own privacy policy applies on their website. Sponsors can read the rules on Sponsor Hearthvale. Each sponsor is responsible for its own picture, words and website and agrees to cover Gina Makes LLC's reasonable costs if they lead to a legal claim (indemnity), and the most Gina Makes LLC owes a sponsor is what they paid (limit of liability). Sponsors can also choose a package: Friend ($5, name and line only, two weeks), Bronze ($10, the support package), Silver ($25, adds a Main Street banner, two weeks) or Gold ($50, adds a bench plaque in the square and festival credits, four weeks). Every package is labelled as a paid sponsor and follows the same rules. See the package list.

Herald notices (birthdays and shout-outs)

Anyone 18 or older can place a notice in The Hearthvale Herald for $3, using the form Town Crier Barnaby offers in the game: a birthday, an anniversary, a new baby, congratulations, a thank-you, a pet’s birthday, or a notice in loving memory. On the chosen day (in each player's own time zone) the notice is pinned to the notice board in the Town Hall, Barnaby calls it out in the square, and players see it once when they start playing that day. Every notice is labelled as a paid notice.

• Names: first name and last initial only (like "Sam R."; an anniversary may name two people, like "Jo & Max T."). No full names, ages of children, addresses, links, emails or phone numbers.
• Permission: by ordering, you confirm that the person named (or their parent or guardian, if they are under 18; or their close family, for a notice in memory) is happy for the notice to appear.
• Review: a person reads every notice after payment. We may edit it lightly to fit these rules, or decline it. If we decline it, you get a full refund. Family-friendly words only, and nothing political, religious-debate, commercial or hurtful.
• Refunds: email us at least 2 days before the notice's day for a full refund. Once a notice has shown, it can't be refunded. If you ask us to take a notice down, we will, as soon as we can.
• Privacy: we keep your name and email only to review the notice, take payment and contact you about it. The notice itself is public to everyone who plays that day. See the Privacy Policy.

These terms are a draft and may change after legal review.

Contact

Questions, refunds or data requests: hello@ginamakesbread.dev.

Last updated October 10, 2026.