Hallowe'en haunts and horrors (Patreon)

Hi folks,

Wishing you the very best for the coming week from everyone at Rusty Towers!

Once again, a massive thank you to everyone who donated during our charity stream last month! As part of the stream, viewers were able to donate towards having a line of their choice read by a voice actor of their choice. These reads are now available to watch on YouTube. Check it out now for some Project Hail Mary quotes, RQG deep cuts and a very controversial opinion about cows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJlg1sftNWI

Next up, this week in The Magnus Protocol, Alice didn’t get the memo. As always, the episode will be available in early access on Tuesday at 4pm BST, and on the public feed on Thursday at 4pm BST.

In news from the RQ Network, October is going to be a very exciting month! In addition to VARÚÐ RPG launching (more on that below!), you can also get your daily frights from Tiny Terrors, which has officially returned. There will be brand-new episodes released every day, and the team are reworking and restructuring the show to be better than ever. From November, fans can enjoy new episodes every week. If you haven’t previously listened to Tiny Terrors, it’s a found footage horror anthology created by Cole Weavers, perfect for fans of Magnus. Taking inspiration from the mainstays of children’s horror media in the 1990s, such as Goosebumps, Tales from the Crypt, and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Tiny Terrors taps into what frightens us as children… and adults. You can listen to Tiny Terrors wherever you find podcasts, or on the Rusty Quill website.

Finally, last week we were delighted to introduce you to VARÚÐ RPG, a brand-new actual play horror podcast set in an alternative version of Iceland. The first series of VARÚÐ follows a family of survivors as they attempt to find safety, in a zombie apocalypse set on the south coast of Iceland. The trio of cousins must cross the country, on foot in the dead of winter in order to complete their dying Aunt’s mission. With them in a case they carry hope itself. The case contains important samples and data they must get it to a plan if someone is going to develop a cure: a slim chance, but a chance the family decides is worth taking.

To find out more about the show, we spoke to lead producer, Hem Brewster, in an exclusive interview for our paid members.

Tell us who you are and a bit about VARÚÐ RPG

I am Hem Brewster, lead producer at Blighthouse Studio. I am also the Game Master for all 3 of our actual play podcasts, including VARÚÐ RPG.

VARÚÐ RPG is an anthology actual play podcast, where our stories are always horror, always set in Iceland. Our first story, Dead Ísland, follows a family of survivors as they cross Iceland, on foot, in winter, during a zombie apocalypse. They’re trying to do more than survive by chasing a slither of hope from one side of the country to the other. It uses the Basic Roleplaying system, with homebrew zombie infection mechanics. Played in English, with smatterings of native Icelandic, the show is heart breaking and face hurtingly funny. 

What got you into podcasting?

Half our team found the need to tell stories and create things, which saw us on Reddit responding to an ad looking for roleplayers and editors. In time we met indie voice actors and ended up persuading friends to record with us. Everyone in different countries and varying levels of audio quality.

A decade ago, we recorded on a Snowball or Yeti Blue within a blanket fort in the middle of the night, and now we find ourselves sitting in a purpose built home studio, with someone we flew across the globe, for 9 whole days, pretending to fight off zombies.

What are you most proud about VARÚÐ RPG?

Without a doubt the players, who stayed in it for 9 days of recording. They were dedicated to their characters, and they took the moments seriously in the scene, even when we had been crying with laughter a moment before. They were so funny it broke me as the GM, and also so into the moment it felt like I was just watching theatre as they roleplayed a scene without me needing to prompt or interfere. It was incredible. 

As a GM though, it was tormenting my players to the point where holding a clothes peg made them nervous.

You can listen to VARÚÐ RPG wherever you find podcasts, or on the Rusty Quill website. If you enjoy the show, please consider leaving a rating or a review, as this is the best way to support a new show.

Have a good week all!

The Rusty Quill team