Merely Roleplayers Foggy Outline
-
- Fiction
-
Where theatrical people play roleplaying games. Each season our players part-improvise a story in a new genre, with roleplaying game rules providing surprising twists and turns. Jump in at the start of any season! The story continues every other Tuesday; on the Tuesdays in between, Backstage episodes shed light on the game and storytelling mechanics behind the scenes.
-
Mick, the Mundane Chosen (Vigil Backstage)
Meet Mick: bricklayer, neighbour, Mundane … and now Chosen. Mick started life as an everybloke; can he stay down-to-earth as the champion of giant-kind?
Coming next on 4 June – Vigil: Dream Big, Act 3
PROGRAMME NOTES
This production includes a natural disaster, fantasy violence, blood, and dismemberment (the dismemberment is not bloody).
Luvvie alert! We simply must introduce you to Snyder’s Return, a UK based tabletop roleplaying game podcast featuring actual play, content creator interviews and game master/player guides. https://snydersreturn.squarespace.com/
DRAMATIS PERSONAE AND OTHER DEFINITIONS
MICK MASON: Sherrydown’s favourite builder and bricklayer. His life has been getting weirder since he dug too deep and hit a leyline.
MELODY BANTHAM: The owner of Melodies, the cosy cafe and vinyl shop on Market Street. Melody is an ageless patchwork person animated by music, who fled her creator ages ago and has owned a music shop on this spot ever since.
BRIER: A mischievous shapeshifting púca, the fae guardian of Sherrydown’s Rosebrier Forest.
DEPARTMENT OF OMISSIONS (DO, DoOm): The UK government department tasked with preventing harm to citizens from supernatural phenomena. Severely defunded under Tory austerity policies and currently prioritising major urban population centres.
SHERRYDOWN, BRACKSHIRE: A historic English market town. One of the first towns to lose its DoOm office.
OMISSION EFFECT: The rejection of certain beings and phenomena by long-term memory. Can be suppressed by concentration, mnemonic techniques, hypnosis, trauma, or the light of the full moon.
CREDITS
COMPERE: Matt Boothman
STARRING:
- Dave as Mick Mason, the Mundane
- Helen Stratton as Melody Bantham, the Constructed
- Strat as Brier, the Monstrous
ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands https://genericgames.co.nz/motw/
MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst
SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman
EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman
FIND US
On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/
On Tumblr https://merelyroleplayers.tumblr.com/
www.MerelyRoleplayers.com -
Vigil: Dream Big, Act 2
Act Two of Four: The owner of the severed arm is in town hoping to witness something earth-shattering.
Coming next on 28 May – Mick, the Mundane Chosen (Vigil Backstage)
PROGRAMME NOTES
This production includes a natural disaster, fantasy violence, blood, and dismemberment (the dismemberment is not bloody).
Nominations are open for the CRIT Awards 2024! https://www.critawards.org/
In case you’d like to nominate us but you’re not sure what we’ve done that’s eligible, here’s a post that lists it all, along with any links you’ll need for your nominations. https://merelyroleplayers.tumblr.com/post/749748210528124928/nominate-merely-roleplayers-in-the-crit-awards
Luvvie alert! We simply must introduce you to Snyder’s Return, a UK based tabletop roleplaying game podcast featuring actual play, content creator interviews and game master/player guides. https://snydersreturn.squarespace.com/
DRAMATIS PERSONAE AND OTHER DEFINITIONS
MICK MASON: Sherrydown’s favourite builder and bricklayer. His life has been getting weirder since he dug too deep and hit a leyline.
MELODY BANTHAM: The owner of Melodies, the cosy cafe and vinyl shop on Market Street. Melody is an ageless patchwork person animated by music, who fled her creator ages ago and has owned a music shop on this spot ever since.
BRIER: A mischievous shapeshifting púca, the fae guardian of Sherrydown’s Rosebrier Forest.
DEPARTMENT OF OMISSIONS (DO, DoOm): The UK government department tasked with preventing harm to citizens from supernatural phenomena. Severely defunded under Tory austerity policies and currently prioritising major urban population centres.
SHERRYDOWN, BRACKSHIRE: A historic English market town. One of the first towns to lose its DoOm office.
OMISSION EFFECT: The rejection of certain beings and phenomena by long-term memory. Can be suppressed by concentration, mnemonic techniques, hypnosis, trauma, or the light of the full moon.
CREDITS
COMPERE: Matt Boothman
STARRING:
- Dave as Mick Mason, the Mundane
- Helen Stratton as Melody Bantham, the Constructed
- Strat as Brier, the Monstrous
ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands https://genericgames.co.nz/motw/
MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst
SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman
SFX AND INCIDENTAL MUSIC INCLUDES: Ritual by Kevin MacLeod; and may include others made available to use without attribution.
EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman
FIND US
On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/
On Tumblr https://merelyroleplayers.tumblr.com/
www.MerelyRoleplayers.com -
Dream team (Vigil Backstage)
Brier’s new crew gatecrashes the usual chat about how the main characters know each other.
Coming next on 21 May – Vigil: Dream Big, Act 2
PROGRAMME NOTES
This production includes a natural disaster, fantasy violence, blood, and dismemberment (the dismemberment is not bloody).
Luvvie alert! We simply must introduce you to The Thorne Files, a fellow Monster of the Week actual play podcast detailing the exploits and mysteries explored by agents of Thorne Investigations, a paranormal investigations agency, in 1952. https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/the-thorne-files-podcast
DRAMATIS PERSONAE AND OTHER DEFINITIONS
MICK MASON: Sherrydown’s favourite builder and bricklayer. His life has been getting weirder since he dug too deep and hit a leyline.
MELODY BANTHAM: The owner of Melodies, the cosy cafe and vinyl shop on Market Street. Melody is an ageless patchwork person animated by music, who fled her creator ages ago and has owned a music shop on this spot ever since.
BRIER: A mischievous shapeshifting púca, the fae guardian of Sherrydown’s Rosebrier Forest.
DEPARTMENT OF OMISSIONS (DO, DoOm): The UK government department tasked with preventing harm to citizens from supernatural phenomena. Severely defunded under Tory austerity policies and currently prioritising major urban population centres.
SHERRYDOWN, BRACKSHIRE: A historic English market town. One of the first towns to lose its DoOm office.
OMISSION EFFECT: The rejection of certain beings and phenomena by long-term memory. Can be suppressed by concentration, mnemonic techniques, hypnosis, trauma, or the light of the full moon.
CREDITS
COMPERE: Matt Boothman
STARRING:
- Dave as Mick Mason, the Mundane
- Helen Stratton as Melody Bantham, the Constructed
- Strat as Brier, the Monstrous
ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands https://genericgames.co.nz/motw/
MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst
SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman
EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman
FIND US
On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/
On Tumblr https://merelyroleplayers.tumblr.com/
www.MerelyRoleplayers.com -
Vigil: Dream Big, Act 1
Act One of Four: Mick struggles to wake from a nightmare, and the earth under Sherrydown shakes.
Coming next on 14 May – Dream team (Vigil Backstage)
PROGRAMME NOTES
This production includes a natural disaster, fantasy violence, blood, and dismemberment (the dismemberment is not bloody).
Nominations are open for the CRIT Awards 2024! https://www.critawards.org/
Merely Roleplayers is eligible for Best Podcast, Matt Boothman for Best Podcast Host and Best Game Master – Indie, and the following series are eligible for Best Series (which also means the characters in these series are eligible for Best NPC or Best Villain, and the players are all eligible for Best Player – Indie):
- Main House: Vigil: The Great Fire, Vigil: Chief/Exec, Vigil: Fear Itself
- Studio: Falling Cadence, The Queen’s Dead, The Office Party
Luvvie alert! We simply must introduce you to The Thorne Files, a fellow Monster of the Week actual play podcast detailing the exploits and mysteries explored by agents of Thorne Investigations, a paranormal investigations agency, in 1952. https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/the-thorne-files-podcast
DRAMATIS PERSONAE AND OTHER DEFINITIONS
MICK MASON: Sherrydown’s favourite builder and bricklayer. His life has been getting weirder since he dug too deep and hit a leyline.
MELODY BANTHAM: The owner of Melodies, the cosy cafe and vinyl shop on Market Street. Melody is an ageless patchwork person animated by music, who fled her creator ages ago and has owned a music shop on this spot ever since.
BRIER: A mischievous shapeshifting púca, the fae guardian of Sherrydown’s Rosebrier Forest.
DEPARTMENT OF OMISSIONS (DO, DoOm): The UK government department tasked with preventing harm to citizens from supernatural phenomena. Severely defunded under Tory austerity policies and currently prioritising major urban population centres.
SHERRYDOWN, BRACKSHIRE: A historic English market town. One of the first towns to lose its DoOm office.
OMISSION EFFECT: The rejection of certain beings and phenomena by long-term memory. Can be suppressed by concentration, mnemonic techniques, hypnosis, trauma, or the light of the full moon.
CREDITS
COMPERE: Matt Boothman
STARRING:
- Dave as Mick Mason, the Mundane
- Helen Stratton as Melody Bantham, the Constructed
- Strat as Brier, the Monstrous
ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands https://genericgames.co.nz/motw/
MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst
SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman
EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman
FIND US
On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/
On Tumblr https://merelyroleplayers.tumblr.com/
www.MerelyRoleplayers.com -
Wonders, a microgame
It’s only going to take one song to get everyone to stand up and take notice, and then your career will open wide in front of you. You all work so perfectly together. How hard can it be?
Coming next on 7 May – Vigil: Dream Big, Act 1
PROGRAMME NOTES
This episode contains strong language, underage drinking, references to drugs, and friend group infighting.
Throw us a rose emoji on Instagram or Tumblr if you enjoyed this production! Or leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
For behind the scenes updates (including what’s coming up after Vigil: Dream Big), subscribe to the Foggy Outline newsletter. https://buttondown.email/FoggyOutline
CREDITS
FACILITATOR: Matt Boothman
STARRING:
- On vocals, Matt Boothman as Skinny Steve
- On lead guitar, Strat as Jimmy Danger
- On the keys, Ellie Pitkin as Pixie Dust
- On rhythm guitar, Josh Yard as Sludge
- On the bass, Natalie Winter as Spacy Stacy
ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Wonders by Alex Flanigan, published in The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D’Amato https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/James-D-Amato/144640563
MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst, inspired by Horse Elevator
SEASON PLANNED BY: Strat
EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman
FIND US
On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/
On Tumblr https://merelyroleplayers.tumblr.com
www.MerelyRoleplayers.com -
Summer Break!, a microgame
Before getting thrown face-first into school, cling to your final summer break with family and defend your childhood fort from dangers that are definitely not allegories for adulthood!
Coming next on 23 April – Wonders, a microgame
PROGRAMME NOTES
This episode contains child endangerment and harm to children (not described in detail), themes of growing up, and divorce.
CREDITS
FACILITATOR: Natalie Winter
STARRING:
- Natalie Winter as Max, aged 10 ¾
- Strat as Billy, aged 10 ½
- Ellie Pitkin as Cara, aged 12
- Josh Yard as Sam, aged 14
- Matt Boothman as Ani, aged 8
ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Summer Break by Joey Barranco, published in The Ultimate Micro-RPG Book, edited by James D’Amato https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/James-D-Amato/144640563
MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst, inspired by Horse Elevator
SEASON PLANNED BY: Strat
EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman
FIND US
On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/merelyroleplayers/
On Tumblr https://merelyroleplayers.tumblr.com
www.MerelyRoleplayers.com