#me when ttrpg Oscar Wilde voice by Alexander J Newall

[rustyelias]

Alright I've been taking note of Oscar Wilde references in rqg most are to or about rqg Wilde which make it 10x funnier to me

- I will show him the importance of being honest!!! -Bertie

- Bertie can resist everything except temptation -James

- you know what they say, Mr Wilde, the only thing worst then not being talked about is being drowned in a bucket by an angry priest of Poseiden -Hamid

- he's lying in the gutter and taking his turn to look at the stars -James

- Wilde rolled over and is now not looking at the stars -Alex

There are probably more but I'm only on 56 on my relisten so yeah :)

I may be back with more (I know Helen makes some near the end)

[kimabutch]

Rusty Quill Gaming FAQ

I get a lot of asks about Rusty Quill Gaming, and I thought I’d put all the answers in one spot!

What is Rusty Quill Gaming?

RQG is an actual-play Pathfinder podcast where comedians, improvisers, gamers, and writers play a long-running campaign in an original setting. The Dungeon Master is Alexander J Newall, and the players are Ben Meredith, Lydia Nicholas, Bryn Monroe, James Ross, and (a later addition) Helen Gould. As of April 2020, there are 150 episodes. Episodes drop at 4pm GMT every Wednesday.

The story follows a mercenary group in a steampunk-fantasy version of 19th century Europe ruled by dragons, which abounds with real-life historical figures such as Oscar Wilde, Amelia Earhart, and Albert Einstein. The eclectic mercenaries travel Europe and beyond to unravel the origins of the Simulacrum, a magical automaton that can replicate itself — and on their journey discover world-shattering conspiracies. The story touches on themes of scientific ethics, free will and difficult choices, coping with loss and failure, and the boundaries between life and death. The campaign is very roleplay-heavy, with an intricate plot and complex, interesting characters. It’s got hilarious comedic improv, but also doesn’t shy away from heavy, complicated topics. 

Although there’s only one main campaign that has been ongoing since 2015, there are also a number of specials in which the cast (and other special guests) play one-shots using other game systems, which don’t relate to the main campaign in any way. 

Where can I listen?

It’s available on all major podcatchers, or you can access episodes on rustyquill.com. 

Where do I start?

I recommend starting with episode 1 (RQG 1 - Hello!), as it’s the beginning of the campaign. If you want to learn more about the mechanics of Pathfinder and the game setting, you could start with the first episode on the feed (RQG 0 - Metacast! Character Creation), but it’s not necessary to understand the story. 

Be warned that the prologue (RQG 1-17), while good, spends a fair bit of time introducing the audience to Pathfinder and the concept of TTRPGs more generally. Battles, in particular, are a little more drawn out than you might be used to. I promise that over time, and particularly after the prologue, they stop explaining mechanics so much and get much more into roleplay. If you’re really struggling with the early episodes, you could try listening to the Season One Recap (found right before RQG 54 on the feed), listen to the recap of the prologue, and jump in at RQG 18.

What are all the different types of episodes on the feed? Which ones do I need to in order to follow the main campaign?

There are 200+ episodes on the feed that can be broken up into several different types:

Main campaign: Any episode that is titled “RQG # - Title” is an episode of the main story, and should be listened to in order, ideally from the beginning (RQG 1 - Hello!)

Sidequests: There are three sidequests, “Bertie’s Sidequest” (between RQG 39 & 40), the “Ancient Rome Sidequest” (between RQG 126 & 127), and “Roman Rogues” (between RQG 157 & 158.) Although set in the main campaign’s world and involving at least one character from the main campaign each, they’re called sidequests because they don’t actually move the main plot forward, and don’t have all the central player characters in them. However, they contain events or characters that are referenced or relevant to the main plot, and they’re all extremely good, so you’ll want to give them a listen!

Metacasts, Mailbag/Q&As, and Season Recaps: These involve the cast talking about the series out-of-character, answering questions, or giving advice to people seeking to get into TTRPGs, or who want to improve their games. Many of them are very good, funny, and interesting, but they’re not required listening by any means. 

Specials: Besides the odd announcement on the feed, pretty much everything else is a special. These don’t relate to the main campaign at all, though they’re very good!

What’s the LGBTQ+ representation like?

Good! A number of the player characters are LGBTQ+, as is at least one member of the cast. I would say that sexuality, whether queer or otherwise, isn’t a big part of the story — there’s very little romance, or even established romantic couples — and there aren’t many discussions of gender, either. However, the representation is good, and the cast is very sensitive to matters concerning LGBTQ+ people. 

When does it get sad? How much of it is sad?

If you’ve heard fans talking about RQG, you’ve probably heard that it can get very, very sad — it’s often-repeated, by the players and the fans alike, that the DM Alex is a monster “but we respect his craft.” The story does go to some extremely heavy places, particularly starting around (mild spoilers) episode 40. 

The cast handles difficult themes with sensitivity and a lot of mutual trust. There are content warnings for many episodes, although there may be triggering things not covered by the content warnings — many fans, including me, will be happy to warn you about specific topics if you ask!

Additionally, while there are sections of the story that are particularly sad, rest assured that there’s always laughter and lighter moments, too! Every single episode has made me laugh out loud, and there’s a lot of love and many soft moments between the characters. You will run the full gamut of human emotions while listening. 

Do I recognize [X voice] from The Magnus Archives?

Rusty Quill Gaming is from the same production company as The Magnus Archives, and every cast member of Rusty Quill Gaming has been on TMA in some capacity. Alex (the DM) is Martin, Ben (Zolf) is Elias, Lydia (Sasha) is Melanie, Bryn (Hamid) and James (Bertie) are statement-givers in MAG 100, and Helen appears briefly in MAG 136. 

Where can I discuss RQG with people?

While there’s a fairly active community on tumblr right now, a lot of fans (and some of the cast and crew) hang out in the official Rusty Quill discord, which you can access via the website! You can join even if you’re not caught up — if you put your episode number in your nickname, people will avoid spoiling you! I also run a fairly small server where we theorize about the plot and discuss the worldbuilding; feel free to DM me for an invite if you’re caught up on the series. 

Lastly, there’s an RQG wiki that you can find on fandom.com! While it’s very much a work in progress, it’s a great source for episode summaries, character info, setting descriptions, and much more. It’s got tons of spoilers on it, so I wouldn’t recommend visiting until you’re caught up. Please give it a look and, if you want, contribute to it!