Merely Roleplayers

Act Five of Five: In which we reach the end of the line, penalty fares apply, and not everyone makes the return trip.

Programme notes

This production contains persistent peril; exploitative relationships, including manipulation and coercion; sibling tragedy; mind control, loss of memory and self; and violence, including blood and gun violence.

Catch Natalie Winter, Helen Stratton, and Strat on the What Am I Rolling? Twitch channel! They joined Fiona, the channel’s regular game master, for a game of The Between, horror mystery against the backdrop of Victorian London, run by its designer, Jason Cordova.

The Feed series 2 continues on our Instagram: @merelyroleplayers

Our promo this episode is for What Am I Rolling?, a twice-monthly RPG one-shot podcast, hosted by gamemaster, Fiona. Every month, Fiona takes a brand new group of players and runs them through a one-shot adventure, testing out a different RPG game style or system.

Dramatis personae and other definitions

Jess Butterworth: A twenty-something shift worker, Sherrydown born and bred. While working the tarot tent at Amazement Park, she was approached by Kit, a being claiming to be her spirit guide.

Gwynned: A former shieldmaiden of the triple goddess Morrigan. For the crime of saving a mortal man from the Morrigan’s cruel whim, the goddess exiled Gwyn to live as a duck, overlooked by mortals. Recently freed from the curse, Gwyn is negotiating a new relationship with her mistress.

Calistarius Softbinding: A local horror writer with a cult following, who sponsored the construction of a whole new wing of Sherrydown’s library. Calistarius Softbinding is a nom de plume.

Harper: A US exchange student trying to sever her ties to the Shadow realm she sometimes enters through revolving doors.

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:

Ellen Gould as Jess Butterworth, the Spooky

Natalie Winter as Gwynned, the Divine

Chris Buxey as Calistarius Softbinding, the Expert

Marta da Silva as Harper, the Searcher

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman

SFX AND INCIDENTAL MUSIC INCLUDES: Wizardtorium by Kevin MacLeod; and may include others made available to use without attribution.

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Instagram @MerelyRoleplayers

On Tumblr @merelyroleplayers

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

Friend, guide, idol. Trickster, whisperer, manipulator. Ellen and Matt discuss Kit and how to navigate roleplaying an unhealthy relationship.

Programme notes

This production contains persistent peril; exploitative relationships, including manipulation and coercion; sibling tragedy; mind control, loss of memory and self; and violence, including blood and gun violence.

Dramatis personae and other definitions

Jess Butterworth: a twenty-something shift worker, Sherrydown born and bred. While working the tarot tent at Amazement Park, she was approached by Kit, a being claiming to be her spirit guide.

Gwynned: a former shieldmaiden of the triple goddess Morrigan. For the crime of saving a mortal man from the Morrigan’s cruel whim, the goddess exiled Gwyn to live as a duck, overlooked by mortals. Recently freed from the curse, Gwyn is negotiating a new relationship with her mistress.

Calistarius Softbinding: a local horror writer with a cult following, who sponsored the construction of a whole new wing of Sherrydown’s library. Calistarius Softbinding is a nom de plume.

Harper: a US exchange student trying to sever her ties to the Shadow realm she sometimes enters through revolving doors.

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:

Ellen Gould as Jess Butterworth, the Spooky

Natalie Winter as Gwynned, the Divine

Chris Buxey as Calistarius Softbinding, the Expert

Marta da Silva as Harper, the Searcher

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Twitter @MerelyRoleplay

On Instagram @MerelyRoleplayers

On Tumblr @merelyroleplayers

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

Act Four of Five: In which the Conductor takes the lead, and it becomes clear who laid the rails - and where they end.

Programme notes

This production contains persistent peril; exploitative relationships, including manipulation and coercion; sibling tragedy; mind control, loss of memory and self; and violence, including blood and gun violence.

The Feed 2 has begun on Instagram! It’s a game of Unreal by Josh Fox, a game about housemates in a Big Brother house where something is wrong, played by posting diary room videos. This series stars Matt and Alex from Merely Roleplayers; Fiona from What Am I Rolling?; Quinn from Monster Hour; Adam from Snyder’s Return; game designer Chloe Mashiter; and streamer The RPG Plot Doctor. To catch every update and piece together the mystery of what’s going on in the house, follow our Instagram (and turn on notifications!)

And you can watch all of the original series of The Feed on our Youtube channel.

Dramatis personae and other definitions

Jess Butterworth: A twenty-something shift worker, Sherrydown born and bred. While working the tarot tent at Amazement Park, she was approached by Kit, a being claiming to be her spirit guide.

Gwynned: A former shieldmaiden of the triple goddess Morrigan. For the crime of saving a mortal man from the Morrigan’s cruel whim, the goddess exiled Gwyn to live as a duck, overlooked by mortals. Recently freed from the curse, Gwyn is negotiating a new relationship with her mistress.

Calistarius Softbinding: A local horror writer with a cult following, who sponsored the construction of a whole new wing of Sherrydown’s library. Calistarius Softbinding is a nom de plume.

Harper: A US exchange student trying to sever her ties to the Shadow realm she sometimes enters through revolving doors.

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:

Ellen Gould as Jess Butterworth, the Spooky

Natalie Winter as Gwynned, the Divine

Chris Buxey as Calistarius Softbinding, the Expert

Marta da Silva as Harper, the Searcher

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman

SFX AND INCIDENTAL MUSIC INCLUDES: Wizardtorium and Virtutes Instrumenti by Kevin MacLeod; and may include others made available to use without attribution.

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Instagram @MerelyRoleplayers

On Tumblr @merelyroleplayers

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

Meet Harper: student, realmwalker, Searcher. Harper’s not about that supernatural life, but weirdness just seems to stalk her like a shadow.

Programme notes

This production contains persistent peril; exploitative relationships, including manipulation and coercion; sibling tragedy; mind control, loss of memory and self; and violence, including blood and gun violence.

Our promo this episode is for Deck of Many Aces, a Dungeons & Dragons actual play podcast made by actual asexuals and aromantics! Follow four heroes as they adventure through a fantasy world on the cusp of a technological revolution, augmented by magic. Each character's fate is tied to one of the 22 cards in the “Deck of Many Things”, a D&D magical object based on a tarot deck.

Dramatis personae and other definitions

Jess Butterworth: a twenty-something shift worker, Sherrydown born and bred. While working the tarot tent at Amazement Park, she was approached by Kit, a being claiming to be her spirit guide.

Gwynned: a former shieldmaiden of the triple goddess Morrigan. For the crime of saving a mortal man from the Morrigan’s cruel whim, the goddess exiled Gwyn to live as a duck, overlooked by mortals. Recently freed from the curse, Gwyn is negotiating a new relationship with her mistress.

Calistarius Softbinding: a local horror writer with a cult following, who sponsored the construction of a whole new wing of Sherrydown’s library. Calistarius Softbinding is a nom de plume.

Harper: a US exchange student trying to sever her ties to the Shadow realm she sometimes enters through revolving doors.

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:

Ellen Gould as Jess Butterworth, the Spooky

Natalie Winter as Gwynned, the Divine

Chris Buxey as Calistarius Softbinding, the Expert

Marta da Silva as Harper, the Searcher

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Twitter @MerelyRoleplay

On Instagram @MerelyRoleplayers

On Tumblr @merelyroleplayers

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

Act Three of Five: In which the journey proves more pleasant than the destination, and a passenger tries their luck behind the wheel.

Programme notes

This production contains persistent peril; exploitative relationships, including manipulation and coercion; sibling tragedy; mind control, loss of memory and self; and violence, including blood and gun violence.

Our promo this episode is for Deck of Many Aces, a Dungeons & Dragons actual play podcast made by actual asexuals and aromantics! Follow four heroes as they adventure through a fantasy world on the cusp of a technological revolution, augmented by magic. Each character's fate is tied to one of the 22 cards in the “Deck of Many Things”, a D&D magical object based on a tarot deck.

Dramatis personae and other definitions

Jess Butterworth: A twenty-something shift worker, Sherrydown born and bred. While working the tarot tent at Amazement Park, she was approached by Kit, a being claiming to be her spirit guide.

Gwynned: A former shieldmaiden of the triple goddess Morrigan. For the crime of saving a mortal man from the Morrigan’s cruel whim, the goddess exiled Gwyn to live as a duck, overlooked by mortals. Recently freed from the curse, Gwyn is negotiating a new relationship with her mistress.

Calistarius Softbinding: A local horror writer with a cult following, who sponsored the construction of a whole new wing of Sherrydown’s library. Calistarius Softbinding is a nom de plume.

Harper: A US exchange student trying to sever her ties to the Shadow realm she sometimes enters through revolving doors.

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:

Ellen Gould as Jess Butterworth, the Spooky

Natalie Winter as Gwynned, the Divine

Chris Buxey as Calistarius Softbinding, the Expert

Marta da Silva as Harper, the Searcher

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman

SFX AND INCIDENTAL MUSIC INCLUDES: soaring clouds by bruce965; Virtutes Instrumenti by Kevin MacLeod; Train Wheels Ride Outside Thailand by YOH on freesound.org; and may include others made available to use without attribution.

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Instagram @MerelyRoleplayers

On Tumblr @merelyroleplayers

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

Meet Cal: horror writer, library sponsor, Expert. Sherrydown’s supernatural goings-on are fodder for Cal’s novels - if he can avoid becoming a cautionary tale himself.

Programme notes

This production contains persistent peril; exploitative relationships, including manipulation and coercion; sibling tragedy; mind control, loss of memory and self; and violence, including blood and gun violence.

Dramatis personae and other definitions

Jess Butterworth: a twenty-something shift worker, Sherrydown born and bred. While working the tarot tent at Amazement Park, she was approached by Kit, a being claiming to be her spirit guide.

Gwynned: a former shieldmaiden of the triple goddess Morrigan. For the crime of saving a mortal man from the Morrigan’s cruel whim, the goddess exiled Gwyn to live as a duck, overlooked by mortals. Recently freed from the curse, Gwyn is negotiating a new relationship with her mistress.

Calistarius Softbinding: a local horror writer with a cult following, who sponsored the construction of a whole new wing of Sherrydown’s library. Calistarius Softbinding is a nom de plume.

Harper: a US exchange student trying to sever her ties to the Shadow realm she sometimes enters through revolving doors.

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:

Ellen Gould as Jess Butterworth, the Spooky

Natalie Winter as Gwynned, the Divine

Chris Buxey as Calistarius Softbinding, the Expert

Marta da Silva as Harper, the Searcher

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Twitter @MerelyRoleplay

On Instagram @MerelyRoleplayers

On Tumblr @merelyroleplayers

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

Act Two of Five: In which Sherrydown’s train station sees more arrivals, departures, and missed connections than it has in years.

Programme notes

This production contains persistent peril; exploitative relationships, including manipulation and coercion; sibling tragedy; mind control, loss of memory and self; and violence, including blood and gun violence.

Our promo this episode is for Firebreathing Kittens, an actual play Dungeons and Dragons oneshot podcast with a season-long plot. Each episode’s adventure has a standalone microplot like CSI or Doctor Who, so you can jump in at any point. Listen to these episodes in any order, and skip any you don’t enjoy. The cast rotates. Join them as they solve detective mysteries, attempt comedic banter, explore, and enjoy friendship.

Dramatis personae and other definitions

Jess Butterworth: A twenty-something shift worker, Sherrydown born and bred. While working the tarot tent at Amazement Park, she was approached by Kit, a being claiming to be her spirit guide.

Gwynned: A former shieldmaiden of the triple goddess Morrigan. For the crime of saving a mortal man from the Morrigan’s cruel whim, the goddess exiled Gwyn to live as a duck, overlooked by mortals. Recently freed from the curse, Gwyn is negotiating a new relationship with her mistress.

Calistarius Softbinding: A local horror writer with a cult following, who sponsored the construction of a whole new wing of Sherrydown’s library. Calistarius Softbinding is a nom de plume.

Harper: A US exchange student trying to sever her ties to the Shadow realm she sometimes enters through revolving doors.

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:

Ellen Gould as Jess Butterworth, the Spooky

Natalie Winter as Gwynned, the Divine

Chris Buxey as Calistarius Softbinding, the Expert

Marta da Silva as Harper, the Searcher

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman

SFX AND INCIDENTAL MUSIC INCLUDES: soaring clouds by bruce965; Virtutes Instrumenti by Kevin MacLeod; Train Wheels Ride Outside Thailand by YOH on freesound.org; and may include others made available to use without attribution.

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Twitter @MerelyRoleplay

On Instagram @MerelyRoleplayers

On Tumblr @merelyroleplayers

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

We meet our fellow travellers and discover their shared origins.

Programme notes

This production contains persistent peril; exploitative relationships, including manipulation and coercion; sibling tragedy; mind control, loss of memory and self; and violence, including blood and gun violence.

Dramatis personae and other definitions

Jess Butterworth: a twenty-something shift worker, Sherrydown born and bred. While working the tarot tent at Amazement Park, she was approached by Kit, a being claiming to be her spirit guide.

Gwynned: a former shieldmaiden of the triple goddess Morrigan. For the crime of saving a mortal man from the Morrigan’s cruel whim, the goddess exiled Gwyn to live as a duck, overlooked by mortals. Recently freed from the curse, Gwyn is negotiating a new relationship with her mistress.

Calistarius Softbinding: a local horror writer with a cult following, who sponsored the construction of a whole new wing of Sherrydown’s library. Calistarius Softbinding is a nom de plume.

Harper: a US exchange student trying to sever her ties to the Shadow realm she sometimes enters through revolving doors.

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:

Ellen Gould as Jess Butterworth, the Spooky

Natalie Winter as Gwynned, the Divine

Chris Buxey as Calistarius Softbinding, the Expert

Marta da Silva as Harper, the Searcher

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Twitter @MerelyRoleplay

On Instagram @MerelyRoleplayers

On Tumblr @merelyroleplayers

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

Act One of Five: In which Sherrydown wakes at the witching hour; an old way opens for a sisterly reunion; and Harper opens a new case.

Programme notes

This production contains persistent peril; exploitative relationships, including manipulation and coercion; sibling tragedy; mind control, loss of memory and self; and violence, including blood and gun violence.

Matt’s playing Jason Statham’s Big Vacation in front of a live studio audience in London on Saturday 3 December. It’s been organised by The D20 Future Show as part of the Podcast Zone at Dragonmeet, which is at the Novotel in Hammersmith. Come watch Matt and the rest of Jason’s entourage run about making sure Jason has a nice holiday, in Beaujolais on the Mezzanine floor at 10am.

The second Interactive Soup is on Tuesday 6 December at Theatre Deli Leadenhall. Tickets cost £5, which goes in the pot, and get you a bowl of soup and a vote on how to spend the pot. Come along and help fund something that’ll help out the interactive performance community.

Dramatis personae and other definitions

Jess Butterworth: A twenty-something shift worker, Sherrydown born and bred. While working the tarot tent at Amazement Park, she was approached by Kit, a being claiming to be her spirit guide.

Gwynned: A former shieldmaiden of the triple goddess Morrigan. For the crime of saving a mortal man from the Morrigan’s cruel whim, the goddess exiled Gwyn to live as a duck, overlooked by mortals. Recently freed from the curse, Gwyn is negotiating a new relationship with her mistress.

Calistarius Softbinding: A local horror writer with a cult following, who sponsored the construction of a whole new wing of Sherrydown’s library. Calistarius Softbinding is a nom de plume.

Harper: A US exchange student trying to sever her ties to the Shadow realm she sometimes enters through revolving doors.

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:

Ellen Gould as Jess Butterworth, the Spooky

Natalie Winter as Gwynned, the Divine

Chris Buxey as Calistarius Softbinding, the Expert

Marta da Silva as Harper, the Searcher

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

Find us

On Twitter @MerelyRoleplay

On Instagram @MerelyRoleplayers

On Tumblr @merelyroleplayers

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com

New theatre, new mystery, new players. Let’s head back to the seaside where Five Stage a Rescue.

Programme notes

Replay is a Backstage strand where Josh takes an in-depth look back at all our past productions, revisiting the memorable moments and asking the unanswered questions.

Got a question about any past production from Parallax onwards? Email it to [email protected] (either as text or as an attached audio file) and it could be featured in a future Replay episode.

Credits

COMPERE: Josh Yard

WITH: Matt Boothman

MUSIC BY: Matt Boothman

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Josh Yard and Matt Boothman

Find us

On Twitter @MerelyRoleplay

On Instagram @MerelyRoleplayers

On Tumblr @merelyroleplayers

www.MerelyRoleplayers.com