End Notes, Episode 3

ANNOUNCER (ELI)

The End of Time and Other Bothers: End Notes. Episode 3.

MIKE

This is End Notes for the patrons of End of Time and Other Bothers.

Coming at you from the table. I’m Mike, I play Eggerton…

SEAN

I’m Sean, I’m the GM.

MARISA

I’m Marisa, I’m Darcy.

CARTER

I’m Carter Siddall as The Beaver.

MAGGIE

And I’m Maggie as Ananka.

SEAN

OK, so for this week’s End Notes, we have something special, because we sort of messed up the original End Notes that we tried to record and it’s a very long story, we can get into it if we want to, but Marisa wants to go to snack time.

So we have questions that have been put forward by our awesome fans in the Discord, and we’re just going to go through those for our notes for Episode 3, and then I had one thing I wanted to talk about.

So here’s the first question — whoever wants to answer it can:

“If your characters were in another audio drama or just piece of fiction, what would it be? And it can’t be either of the other shows in the Alba world, that’s cheating.”

MIKE

Who’s that from?

SEAN

Guess.

If your characters were in another audio drama or just piece of fiction media, what would it be?

MIKE

Why are you looking at me?

MAGGIE

I’m Natasha in Rocky and Bullwinkle. Absolutely.

SEAN

Yeah!

CARTER

Oh yeah! Moose and squirrel! Please say “moose and squirrel”. Do the voice.

MAGGIE

(Slavic accent)

Moose and squirrel.

MARISA

There it is. That’s beautiful.

CARTER

Thank you very much.

ELI

We even got you to say “squirrel” in Episode 1.

MIKE

Ah, yeah.

CARTER

Uh, I was worried that Blat’s voice sounded a bit too much like Comic Book Guy. So now I’ve just — it got in my head that maybe Blat is a character created by Comic Book Guy? That he’s some failed comic book that he couldn’t get quite off the ground?

(Comic Book Guy voice)

“He’s a demon, you see, but he’s also an accountant–”

Yeah, no one wants to read that.

CARTER

“He’s a file clerk and he has adventures in bureaucracy!”

Now I’m actually doing more Professor Frink.

MAGGIE

Yes!

CARTER

Which is just Jerry Lewis. So I’m learning that Blat is a combination of Comic Book Guy and Jerry Lewis.

So, The Simpsons would be the answer.

SEAN

So I think Snegal would be in EOS 10 for sure.

MIKE

Oh yeah. I could see that. Running around the station?

SEAN

Yeah. Running around the station.

SEAN

No, maybe not.

SEAN

OK. “How much about the mysterious forces and the intro characters that we meet do you guys know about?” So by the intro characters, I assume they mean in Episode 1…

MARISA

Yes, I’m sure they mean Cyrus and the squirrel and the bird.

SEAN

Oh right. OK, yeah. “Are you all learning this as we are or is it just the players that are joining us in the plot discovery?”

CARTER

We know practically nothing.

MARISA

We know nothing.

MIKE

Well, I know a little bit, because…

SEAN

Episode 1, you guys had a couple paragraphs, and I think I sent it to you, Mags. It was a couple paragraphs about Steadfast, and…

MIKE

Yeah.

SEAN

And I had a little — I wrote a little fiction piece, right? In that first thing we sent around? Remember, it was the three-pager?

MIKE

Yeah, it was, “It’s the Year 32…”

MARISA

Yeah. Yeah.

SEAN

So that’s all that you guys had ever seen, right, was –

CARTER

Well, I mean, you may have told me the most out of everyone, which was simply, it’s going to be a roleplaying game, you can come up with your own character, uh… I did not know who Michael was going to play at all. All I knew plotwise was that we were going to start off in a fantasy world in the present, and then be brought back in time, where we would have to adventure our way out. But beyond that… nothing. Like, I don’t know any specifics. We’re about to record Episode 7. I haven’t a clue what happens in Episode 7. No idea. And we’re going to be doing that within the hour. So… improv!

SEAN

Yup. What about you, Mags? Because you started — you started as reading the only scripted bits. A lot of people actually, interestingly, think that the intro part, which was played by Eli, our audio engineer and co-creator of Alba; and Stephen Smith, our housemate, with the bird — a lot of people think that was scripted, and that was actually improvved. Now it took us doing the beat game about twelve times, over and over, but it was totally improvved, and built that way. But the one thing that was written were the intro/outros from Ananka.

MAGGIE

Yes. Correct. And that was before — I had no idea what was happening. Like, I didn’t have any literature or anything. You kind of gave me a basic rundown, and I just came in and I did the readthroughs for the first three episodes, and then you were like, “Now let’s improv with like, this other scene!” And I was like, “Whoa! OK?” Because maybe we’ll do some improv with Ananka, and we’ll throw her into the mix, and then… that was a pleasant surprise.

(laughs)

SEAN

It was so much fun.

MAGGIE

It was lovely, and it was so, so fun.

SEAN

Yeah, like the whole scene of Greg standing on the top of that building just came out of us going back and forth and I was like, I know what needs to happen. Right? And then yeah, we improvved the whole relationship scene…

MAGGIE

So it was literally just being thrown into, like, I kind of know the circumstances? But it was really just the bare bones, just barely. And I was like, literally making it all up as I went along.

SEAN

And today I just threw you even further into the deep end.

MAGGIE

Yeah.

(laughs)

SEAN

Were you going to say something, Michael?

MIKE

Yeah, I think I have a bit of an understanding of some of the structure you’re headed towards, because in very very very early conversations…

SEAN

Oh right, yeah.

MIKE

We did talk sort of giant picture structure. But even then, as Carter says, I have no concept of any details. It was just sort of some ideas you were batting back and forth.

But yeah, we walk into these not knowing anything until it’s given to us in the moment.

SEAN

Yeah. And that’s what I like about it, and that’s why I like the table, because I have people that are coming at it from, like, an actor’s point of view, like Darcy, just responding to the situation that’s building. And then I have people that are coming at it from a more improv point of view, that are like, “What’s the offer? I just need an offer!” Right?

And that’s what’s neat, is nobody really knows. We just build it together. Like today, that episode — well, I won’t say any more because this is Episode 3. Okay, uh…

MIKE

Nice try, Bridge! Trying to get the spoilers out through this. Really?

SEAN

Yeah, I started to just talk about Episode 7! What’s going on… Bridge took me over! I think she’s like, remote brain control.

MIKE

No. Yeah, she did. Maybe she’s on the camera.

SEAN

Um… what’s everyone’s alignment?

Does everyone know the D&D alignment scale? So it’s Lawful, Chaotic or Neutral, and then it’s basically…

MIKE

Good, Neutral, Evil.

SEAN

Good, Neutral, Evil. So you can be, like, Lawful Good, you can be Lawful Neutral, like — Lawful means you follow laws, Chaotic means you’re like “Every man for himself!”

MIKE

Well, Lawful can also mean you follow a very clear set of rules.

SEAN

Right. Like a paladin would be very values-driven. Yes.

MIKE

Yes.

SEAN

So. What do people think their — because we’re not really using those because I’ve never really liked them, I just roleplay. But… what do you think your, uh…

MIKE

Eggerton would probably be Good Chaotic. Chaotic Good. Sorry, yeah.

MARISA

Yeah.

CARTER

Chaotic Good. So why is he Chaotic Good?

MIKE

Because he is generally — he is good in his intent in the world.

SEAN

See, I’d think of him as more Lawful.

MIKE

I don’t think so! I don’t think he’s gonna follow rules because he’s going to be constantly challenging them and questioning them to try and just understand them, and therefore doesn’t. Like, it’s an attempt at Lawful that just devolves into Chaotic.

SEAN

I guess I think of Chaotic Good characters as more intelligent.

(laughs)

MIKE

Ohhh!

MARISA

Ohh, that’s a burn.

CARTER

So if it wasn’t for his constant babbling he’d be Lawful Good but instead, because he can’t hear anyone… he’s Chaotic Good?

MIKE

Yeah. Yeah.

ELI

So you’re talking about it from the point of view of more the results…

MIKE

Yeah.

CARTER

Than intent.

ELI

Than your attitude going in.

MIKE

Yeah. The intent would be Lawful Good. But it devolves into Chaotic Good.

SEAN

That was Eli, by the way.

ELI

Hello!

MIKE

Yes. Eli’s stealing my microphone.

ELI

Yes.

SEAN

I’m very interested to see what you feel about Ananka…

MAGGIE

I’m sorry, what are the three options again?

(laughs)

SEAN

So, the first thing is, are you Good, Evil or Neutral? And then the other part is, are you Lawful or Chaotic? Are you more about following the rules — I think I know the answer to this one — or more whims and…

MIKE

Or in the middle.

MAGGIE

I think in the middle, Chaotic, depending on her mood, really. I don’t think she’s very predictable.

SEAN

No. She is not predictable. And I guess she’d be Neutral. Or… does she lean towards Good?

MAGGIE

Who knows? Both the light and the dark.

SEAN

OK, do you think — here’s a spoiler for you, Bridge — do you think Ananka has the hut with the feet?

MAGGIE

I absolutely think she has that hut.

(laughs)

SEAN

Yes!

ELI

Tell them what that is.

MAGGIE

The hut with the chicken feet. So, it is a Baba Yaga-type character in a lot of Slavic folklore that was like our bogeyman. And so she has this hut with chicken feet that moves.

SEAN

So creepy.

MAGGIE

So I’m sure she has that hut.

(laughs)

SEAN

All right. Awesome.

CARTER

What a terrifying civilization. “Be careful or the hut with chicken feet will get you!” What? That doesn’t even make sense!

MARISA

You know, they had the character in the most recent Tomb Raider video game.

MIKE

Did they really?

SEAN

Did they?

MARISA

Yeah.

CARTER

The hut with the chicken feet?

MARISA

It was a side quest you could do, the Baba Yaga side quest.

SEAN

Yeah!

MIKE

We need to take a break and play Tomb Raider.

SEAN

All right, what about you, Blat? Then we gotta do Darcy.

CARTER

Uh… well, I think Darcy’s Lawful.

MARISA

Why’s he telling me what I am?

SEAN

Yeah!

MARISA

Mansplaining!

SEAN

WOO! There’s the Darcy I love!

CARTER

I… you can tell me if I’m incorrect! I just –

MARISA

What are you?

CARTER

Well, I… I’m also avoiding the question, because I’m not entirely sure.

CARTER

Um… like, I guess he’s… Neutral… uh, neither good nor bad, but then I don’t know the other half of it.

MARISA

I think he’s Neutral Bureaucratic.

ELI

Well, I would say that’s Lawful Neutral.

CARTER

Lawful Neutral?

ELI

Because you’re very much about rules and filing and doing things the right way…

CARTER

Right, yeah, yeah.

ELI

That’s my guess.

SEAN

I think you’re OK with a giant explosion as long as it’s filed correctly.

CARTER

If it’s filed correctly, that’s fine. All right, I’m going to write this down on my character sheet right now, even though we don’t need it for Dungeon World. Lawful Neutral.

MIKE

Darcy?

SEAN

And Darcy?

MARISA

Yeah, I dunno. I’m like you, I just like to play the character, I don’t think about it. But I think there’s definitely some neutrality in there, it’s what comes to her. But she must lean towards Good because she’s becoming a cleric.

SEAN

Well, clerics can go evil…

MARISA

Well, that’s true, that’s true… So I just think of her as — I liked your original one, what was it? Neutral Chaotic or something?

MIKE

What? No, mine was Chaotic Good.

MARISA

I might be Chaotic? I don’t know.

SEAN

You might be Chaotic Good. I’d buy that.

CARTER

You’re Lawful. You’re so Lawful.

MARISA

No, I don’t know if I’m Lawful!

MIKE

I think she’s Chaotic.

MARISA

Because you don’t follow — it doesn’t mean — to be good and Lawful are not the same thing. I don’t think Darcy follows rules.

SEAN

I don’t see you as Lawful.

MARISA

Yeah.

MIKE

I think she follows, like, where the centaur of her dreams is going. That’s the impression I get.

MARISA

(laughs)

Yeah.

CARTER

I don’t think we can answer any more Patreon questions because we’ve just descended into chaos.

SEAN

“So how exactly did the group suddenly know –”

MARISA

Wait, what is Snegal?

SEAN

(Snegal voice)

Oh! Snegal! Snegal is whatever Blat is, ha ha! Ha ha!

SEAN

(softly)

His Evilship.

(back to his own voice)

Um… Snegal is probably… well, I think Snegal is actually technically more towards evil, but basically he worships Blat too.

MARISA

Yeah, Blat.

SEAN

“So how exactly did the group suddenly know how to read/communicate in Farlorian/ancient Balgomarian? Is that just because magic?”

Because magic.

CARTER

Boom. Done.

MIKE

That was the reading thing.

SEAN

Uhh… it had to do with the beetles.

“The other thing I’m wondering about is what the anti-version of the characters are like. Not evil, just the opposite.”

What would your opposite… so we’re going to comics! Here we go! I saw Carter light up. We’re going comics, we’re doing the anti-world.

CARTER

The best villains are the opposite of the heroes, so uh… basically, an enemy for Blat would be someone anti-bureaucratic, so…

SEAN

Yeah, total chaos.

CARTER

Someone who wants to burn the system down. So someone…

SEAN

V for Vendetta.

CARTER

Yeah, V for Vendetta. Very about anarchy and whatnot. So uh… a dirty hippie.

SEAN

Love it.

MIKE

Roll for dirty hippie.

CARTER

Roll for dirty hippie and… do we have a dirty hippie in a future episode?

MIKE

Oooo.

CARTER

No! It does not look good.

SEAN

Not good.

Anybody else have an anti- they want to talk about?

MIKE

It would be his nemesis. Eggerton’s nemesis from Episode 1 who is really –

SEAN

Who was not Karen.

MIKE

Not Karen.

SEAN

We called her Karen, it was not Karen.

MIKE

Yeah, Karen was the boss… uh and this character is all, uh…

SEAN

The one who didn’t tell him about the change in the presentation.

MIKE

Very, like, backstabby, pushing themselves ahead…

SEAN

Doesn’t talk a lot.

MIKE

No. No. Does not provide context for the scene, or anything like that.

CARTER

Dang.

SEAN

Darcy? Have you got an anti you want to talk about?

MARISA

I don’t know! It’s tough — I think a real goody-two-shoes would almost be opposite Darcy. But I mean not — that wouldn’t be the opposite, to be fair.

SEAN

Yeah, I feel like Darcy has a bit of conniving, like…

MARISA

Yeah. Darcy can be cunning when she wants to. And I don’t think Darcy minds lying or doing things like that to get what she needs.

MIKE

Like a teetotaler.

MARISA

I see her as a mixture of Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted. That’s what I feel like –

MIKE

Physically or emotionally?

MARISA

No no, emotionally, she’s a girl interrupted.

SEAN

OK. So this is from our engineer and co-creator Eli. “Explain the montage mechanic. Why was there no die-rolling? Why did Eggerton get shot multiple times by arrows?”

MIKE

Well, because I thought… so Sean created that scene and I could tell, this was sort of a Dungeons & Dragons — “Arrows are coming at you! What do you do?” “I duck and I roll and I do this and I do that.”

And to me, Eggerton sees danger and goes “Why?”

SEAN

(laughing)

I love that you were just shouting “Why is this a thing?!”

MIKE

Yeah, that’s how — and I think that’s kind of like — that’s a part of me in the character. When confronted with some kind of conflict, it’s: “Why is this happening?” It’s not “This is how I’m going to deflect and dodge and roll,” no — it’s “This hurts my feelings.”

CARTER

So you don’t have to roll if your character doesn’t do anything.

(laughs)

MIKE

That’s the tl;dr.

SEAN

Correct.

So there’s probably two answers to this: one is a Dungeon World mechanic. Dungeon World is built — why we picked it for the storytelling that we’re doing is that Dungeon World does not require a roll for everything. If a guy comes running at you with a sword and you say, “I dunno, I just want to talk to him,” he’s clearly coming to attack you, then you’re going to get cut in half, as happened to Blat later.

So the same thing… I think with Eggerton, he was just shouting instead of ducking or whatever. But I think you could also argue that over time, I probably — there should have been a roll to say, hey, at some point you were trying to not get killed.

MIKE

Yeah.

SEAN

So that was the basic mechanism of that scene. So there’s — I’ll try and do Sean’s rant very quickly, so Marisa can have snacks.

There — in D&D, suddenly you go up a level, and you just have these amazing new abilities, and it’s like, where did those come from? I dunno. And in a storytelling thing, it would be nice if we could justify a little of that.

So part of the whole mechanism that you’re going to experience soon is how people go up levels. And part of what I was also trying to get across is how you guys determine those books that you opened, right?

So basically, that montage scene was built around your stats. So you guys all had stats on your sheet. And depending on how good or bad those stats were, would determine how well or badly you did in certain scenes.

And in my head it was going to be very straightforward. High score — you’ll do really well, and you’ll set canon, so if you answered whatever, it would now become canon. And if you had a low score you’ll do badly.

MIKE

Yeah, so did I set canon with the whole gryphon thing? Because that made zero sense.

MARISA

– zero sense.

(laughs)

SEAN

Which gryphon thing?

MIKE

Uh, “what is a lion…”

MARISA

A gryphon is to a something-or-other…

MIKE

Yeah, as a… komondor is to something else.

MARISA

Oh–and you just said “gryphon”, right?

MIKE

Uhhh…

CARTER

Raptor.

SEAN

You said “raptor”.

MARISA

(laughing)

Oh, raptor, that’s right.

SEAN

Yes, that set canon.

MIKE

Because it sounds like one of those weird bird things, so I was like, oh well, maybe half of it’s maybe a bird…

SEAN

So it turns out gold is most accepting of transmutation. It’s really hard to make shit into gold, but if you have gold you can make whatever you want.

MARISA

Yeah. Yeah. It should be that.

(laughs)

MIKE

Well, of those materials, gold is the most malleable, right? It’s got a low melting point and you can –

SEAN

I love the confidence in Marisa on “What is the boiling point of an egg in pyrometres?”

MIKE

Ten.

CARTER

Ten. Boom.

MARISA

Everybody knows that. If you went to school in Balgomar.

SEAN

Yeah. I thought that was really cool.

It pretty much went as expected. Um, unlike the last one, so… that was nice.

SEAN

However… Darcy and Blat both broke my thing by just having these amazing moments, like the hitting… Strength was not your core thing. But you rolled unbelievably. So I let you roll and you just rolled unbelievably as you were building up this whole moment…

(laughing)

And then Blat, with the whole thing with the racing and the carts and grabbing…

MIKE

(laughs)

SEAN

You basically just tricked the system. And so that’s why the two of you had a choice of which book. So that’s basically it.

And the idea was to create a testing system that you’d be taken through.

So on that, we’re going to let these poor people who have been having to answer a lot of these End Notes suggestions, we’re going to let them go to snack. So I want to thank you, this is Sean the GM.

Moving forward, these End Notes are going to be only for you, our bestest, bestest supporters, we thank you so much, and we’ll talk to you all soon.

MARISA

Go for snack.

SEAN

Go for snack!

MIKE

Roll for snack.

SEAN

No, start at the beginning.

MIKE

Start… start at the beginning?

SEAN

It’s like having Eggerton at the table!

MARISA

I thought we were going to “pound through” this!

CARTER

If you deny her food much longer, Marisa’s going to pound through something!

MARISA

We’re chiseling through it.

SEAN

(the sound of scraping with a file)

Eek! Eek!

MIKE

Are we going to have outtakes for End Notes?

SEAN

Yep.

MIKE

All right.