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Welcome to The End of Time and Other Bothers! It’s our brand new improvised fantasy roleplaying game set in the world of Alba Salix.
In this introductory episode, our Game Master Sean Howard sits down with Michael Howie, the voice of Eggerton, to give a bit of background on the setting, on the game system we’re using (Dungeon World), and what we’re hoping to achieve with our improv-based approach.
Blat the half-demon has a calamity in the filing room. Eggerton the fairy gives a fateful presentation. And Darcy the human realizes she is being hunted.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Carter Siddall, Michael Howie and Marisa King
Ananka: Maggie Makar
Tweeter: Stephen Smith
Augustus: Eli McIlveen
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: The world ends. Other tragic disasters are mentioned. Things explode.
End Notes is our debrief session with the cast and/or crew of The End of Time and Other Bothers, and comes out on the Wednesday following every episode of the main show.
You don’t need to listen to End Notes to make sense of Other Bothers — they’re just here to fill you in on some of the game mechanics, world-building and on-the-fly decisions that went into making the show.
The first two End Notes episodes will appear on the main podcast feed, to give you an idea of what they’re like. Future episodes will be a bonus for our supporters on Patreon.
Darcy, Blat and Eggerton find themselves thrown back through time to a strange town.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Marisa King, Carter Siddall and Michael Howie
Ananka: Maggie Makar
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: The world ends, again. Other tragic disasters are mentioned. There is a certain amount of screaming.
End Notes is our debrief session with the cast and/or crew of The End of Time and Other Bothers. It’s a bonus for our supporters on Patreon, but we’ve posted the first two here to give you an idea of what they’re like. To hear more, visit patreon.com/albasalix.
In this episode, GM Sean and producer Eli sit down to discuss how EOT fits into the canon of our scripted shows Alba Salix, Royal Physician and The Axe & Crown, and how we’re dealing with creating a biweekly show without burning out.
The new recruits undergo their pre-training assessment. Eggerton finds himself up against the wall. Darcy tries her strength. Blat goes… shopping?
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Michael Howie, Marisa King and Carter Siddall
Ananka: Maggie Makar
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: Ongoing post-apocalyptic trauma; physical ordeals and bodily harm; and as usual, more screaming.
It’s time for our adventurers to start their training. Darcy, Eggerton and Blat each go on a strange and terrifying journey.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Carter Siddall, Marisa King and Michael Howie
Ananka: Maggie Makar
Story Consultant: Laura Packer
Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
Dialogue Editing and Transcription: Michael Howie
Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Physical ordeals and bodily harm; drug references; self-harm(?); disturbingly cheerful music.
Our three adventurers try out their new skills around the Academy. Meanwhile, a new threat is rising…
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall
Ananka: Maggie Makar
Story Consultant: Laura Packer
Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
Dialogue Editing and Transcription: Michael Howie
Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Drug references; overeating; exploding plants.
Darcy, Blat and Eggerton find themselves abruptly promoted and sent into the unknown.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Michael Howie, Carter Siddall and Marisa King
Special guest: Maggie Makar
Dialogue editing and transcription: Michael Howie
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: Zombie horror; boundary issues and painfully awkward situations.
The trio make their way to a storybook castle to answer a mysterious proclamation.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Carter Siddall, Marisa King and Michael Howie
Special guest: Maggie Makar
Dialogue editing and transcription: Michael Howie
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: Brief zombie horror, body image issues, self-harm, substance dependency, extremely poor teamwork.
Darcy, Eggerton and Blat make their way across the desert to visit an ancient oracle, with questionable guidance from Ananka.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall
Special guest: Maggie Makar
Dialogue editing and transcription: Michael Howie
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: Zombie horror, violence and serious ickiness.
This episode is sponsored by Liberty: Vigilance!
Ananka’s visions are failing her as she, Blat, Darcy and Eggerton wander in search of the Oracle Idris — and find themselves at a mysterious inn.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Michael Howie, Carter Siddall and Marisa King
Special guest: Maggie Makar
Dialogue editing and transcription: Michael Howie
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: Tactlessness; lack of safety gear.
This week’s podcast recommendation: The Infinite Bad!
Alone in the forest, Blat, Darcy and Eggerton find the temple of the Oracle at last.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Carter Siddall, Marisa King and Michael Howie
Dialogue editing and transcription: Michael Howie
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: Violence, dementia, accidental arson.
This week’s podcast recommendation: Dumbgeons and Dragons!
Darcy finds danger in the passages beneath the chapel, while Blat faces a terrible choice.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall
Dialogue editing and transcription: Michael Howie
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: Violence; death and brief gruesome descriptions; dementia; highly unreliable narration.
This week’s podcast recommendation: 20 Sided Stories!
Blat’s powers are seriously out of control as the ancient god Morrigu tries to tempt him — and another traveller stumbles into the temple.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Carter Siddall, Marisa King and Michael Howie, plus special guest!
Dialogue editing and transcription: Michael Howie
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
This week’s shout out goes to Join the Party – one of the most inclusive and fun shared storytelling live plays going. As they would say, “What are you waiting for? Let’s get this party started!”
Content Warning: Violence, death and brief gruesome descriptions, vomiting, lightning and endless shouting.
Transported to a mysterious land by an angry goddess, our adventurers become separated from one another — and their sanity.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall, plus special guest Julian Sark.
Dialogue editing and transcription: Michael Howie
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: Panic! Jump scares! Bodily harm! Freaking out!
This week’s shout out goes to Spout Lore – a superb and hilarious actual-play using Dungeon World and improv.
Darcy, Eggerton, Blat and Magnus flee the fearsome Celene into perilous territory.
After this episode, we’ll be taking a short break while we roll out Season Two of Alba Salix, Royal Physician. Our adventurers will return in December!
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Michael Howie, Carter Siddall and Marisa King, plus special guest Julian Sark.
Dialogue editing and transcription: Michael Howie
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: Asphyxiation, falling from heights, doom, destruction, despair and nudity.
This week’s podcast recommendation: Tails from the Dark Dragons Inn!
It’s a gloomy Winter Festival as Darcy and Eggerton return to the Academy. Blat looks for an escape from Celene’s advances. Ananka confronts Greg about his betrayal.
We’re back from our hiatus, and we’ll resume our regular schedule in the new year — every two weeks starting January 13!
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall, plus special guests Maggie Makar and Julian Sark.
Dialogue editing and transcription: Michael Howie
Additional material and sound design: Eli McIlveen
Story consultant: Laura Packer
Game consultant: Stephen Smith
Content Warning: Gloom, doom, drunkenness and depression, war, separation, vomiting and whole ton of sexual harassment.
Blat reluctantly embarks on his mission to convert the people of the world to the worship of Celene, goddess of the moon.
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Carter Siddall, Marisa King and Michael Howie
Dialogue Editing: Michael Howie
Transcription: Marisa King
Story Consultant: Laura Packer
Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Colonialism, religious conversion, panic and screaming, nudity, drunkenness, war, urban sprawl and sad animals.
While Darcy and Eggerton struggle to make sense of their new mission, Blat makes his way back to the Temple of the Oracle for a visit.
Plus: while we were in Seattle for PodCon, Sean sat down to play some D&D with the Dumbgeons and Dragons crew and Travis from Dark Dice. Check out the video!
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall
Dialogue Editing and Transcription: Michael Howie
Story Consultant: Laura Packer
Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: War and mentions of death, and as always, a whole lot of panic and screaming.
Darcy and Eggerton wander the rebooted storyverse in search of an artifact, while Blat encounters a mysterious stranger who aims to change his destiny.
Check out the Reckless Play Guild on Facebook: a group built by Dumbgeons and Dragons, Dark Dice, The Lucky Die and The End of Time and Other Bothers!
Speaking of Dumbgeons, their new bonus episode featuring Sean as Snegal and Travis Vengroff of Dark Dice is now up!
And Sean will be at Podfest Multimedia Expo in Orlando in March!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Eggerton: Michael Howie
- Blat: Carter Siddall
- Darcy: Marisa King
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: War and mentions of death, vomiting and other bodily functions, possession, separation, cannibalism? and blows to the head.
Eggerton and Darcy make their way back to the Nexus seeking answers — but instead, everything goes terribly wrong.
Our recommended actual-play podcast this week: Fate and the Fablemaidens!
And a reminder that Sean will be at Podfest Multimedia Expo in Orlando in March!
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall
Dialogue Editing and Transcription: Michael Howie
Story Consultant: Laura Packer
Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Battle, death, mass destruction, bodily harm, panic, drug use and self-medication, pronoun confusion, bummers.
At the urging of Mother Speckley, Eggerton and Darcy set out to help Blat — and find him a changed half-demon.
In case you missed it, check out “Taytha’s Arrival”, the first chapter of a new story, set in Steadfast before the events of The End of Time Episode 1! It’s a bonus available to all our Patreon supporters.
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Blat: Carter Siddall
- Darcy: Marisa King
- Eggerton: Michael Howie
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Mentions of death and destruction, drug use, minor misgendering, plus the usual shouting and carrying on.
Episode transcript coming soon!
Blat meets some obstacles on the trail of Celene, while Eggerton and Darcy meet some obstacles on the trail of Blat.
If you haven’t already, check out the Reckless Play Guild on Facebook: a group built by Dumbgeons and Dragons, Dark Dice, The Lucky Die and The End of Time and Other Bothers!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Eggerton: Michael Howie
- Blat: Carter Siddall
- Darcy: Marisa King
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: One jump scare early on; dubious accents. No babies are harmed, but a ton of references (not graphic) to child abandonment and infanticide.
Blat, Darcy and Eggerton track the goddess Celene to her new hideout and ready themselves for battle and/or hugs.
We’re going on a short hiatus, but we’ll be back soon with our next episode. Follow us on social media for updates!
This week’s recommended actual play podcast is The Lucky Die!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Darcy: Marisa King
- Eggerton: Michael Howie
- Blat: Carter Siddall
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: This one’s a big ol’ downer. Bodily harm, death and terrible decisions.
Darcy desperately seeks a way to help Blat, while Blat desperately seeks a way to save Eggerton.
YES! Other Bothers has returned! We’re thrilled to be back in your headphones every two weeks with more ridiculous adventures.
Also: if you aren’t caught up on Dumbgeons & Dragons, now’s the time to do it — Sean got to be a special guest for Episode 83, their massive arc finale!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Carter Siddall, Marisa King and Michael Howie
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: References to death and drugs; shouting, screaming, brawling and unsolicited touching.
Time is flowing strangely as Darcy and Eggerton make their way to Celene’s palace – and Blat prepares for a fateful confrontation.
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Michael Howie, Carter Siddall and Marisa King
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Painful deaths; shouting and screaming and asthma; sexual harassment and general confusion.
Episode transcript coming soon!
Darcy sneaks through Celene’s castle to reach Blat, but Eggerton gets caught in traffic.
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Carter Siddall, Marisa King and Michael Howie
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Drug use, bereavement, gunshots and police violence – and need we mention panic and screaming?
Darcy and Eggerton have found their way to Blat at last – just in time for Celene’s final move. It’s time for a divine showdown.
We’re going to be in Boston at PodTales, a great new festival of audio drama and fiction podcasting, this October 20th!
Sean will also be at Podcast Movement in Orlando! He’ll be speaking about growing your Patreon on Wednesday, August 14th.
And check out our recommended podcast, Arca 45672!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Panic, childhood sadness, drug use, alcoholism, totalitarian dystopia, harm and near-death experiences, big mouths and poor singing.
Episode transcript coming soon!
Our reunited adventurers make their way back toward the Academy, but stop off at the Temple Idris, where they find some familiar faces – and a few surprises.
Don’t forget to check out this week’s recommended podcast: Dark Dice!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Michael Howie, Carter Siddall and Marisa King
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Panic, shouting, confusion, yada yada; separation, fire and overeating.
Episode transcript coming soon!
The party meet some frightening and familiar adversaries on their journey back to Paradox. Where will their quest lead them next? And what has become of the Academy?
And check out DM To GM, a brand new podcast where GM Sean and DM Russ More (Dumbgeons and Dragons) answer your questions and get you on the way to running your favourite RPG!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Carter Siddall, Marisa King and Michael Howie
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Screaming, gunfire, bodily harm, unwanted intimacy, violent mobs and hyperventilating.
Episode transcript coming soon!
We leave our three adventurers for a moment and journey to a far-off island. Long ago, Ananka and Moira’s youngest sister Tekmar ran from the Nexus and went into hiding. But now, it seems someone has found her at last.
This week’s recommended podcast is Merely Roleplayers!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Guests: Kristi Boulton and Maggie Makar
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Screaming, panic, claustrophobia, bugs and possible minotaur cooties.
Episode transcript coming soon!
Darcy, Blat, Eggerton and Snegal prepare to rescue Jacklyn and Jill from the Shattering – but quickly run into trouble.
This week’s podcast recommendation is the sci-fi drama Girl In Space!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Screaming, panic, kidnapping, violence, angry mobs, malpractice, giant animals, cannibalism?
Episode transcript coming soon!
On the trail of the Shattering, the party drive towards the mysterious Mount Zirma, but meet resistance along the way – and discover that they aren’t the only passengers on board the Blatavan.
If you haven’t yet, check out our newest show, an all-improvised dark comedy sci-fi serial called Civilized!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Michael Howie, Carter Siddall and Marisa King
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Kidnapping, confinement, violence, drug references, unwanted advances, and do I need to mention screaming?
Episode transcript coming soon!
The Blatavan makes its way to Fort Clattering, where the children of the nearby village plead for the party’s help.
This week’s recommended listening is the sci-fi audio fiction podcast Project Nova!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Forcible confinement, kidnapping, and dangerous driving.
Episode transcript coming soon!
Darcy, Eggerton and Jacklyn follow Blat into Fort Clattering, where sinister forces are gathering.
This week’s recommended podcast: Queer Dungeoneers!
And a big shout out to Waning Gibbous Games (check out our playthrough of their game Larceny), Under Pressure, The Beacon and Boring Books for Bedtime!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Michael Howie, Carter Siddall and Marisa King
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Violence, death, bereavement, bodily harm, child abandonment, kidnapping and hugs.
Episode transcript coming soon!
The Other Bothers crew are back with a new Solstice episode!
As the Blatavan’s weary crew travel further into the endless night brought on by the Shattering, they struggle to cope with their gaggle of new passengers.
This episode is brought to you by Respawn, Book One of the Killstreak series, an epic fantasy by Stuart Thaman!
And a reminder that until January 2, 2020, we’re running a special tiered offer on Patreon: the more patrons sign up at the $5 level or higher, the more goodies all $5+ patrons will receive!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Carter Siddall, Marisa King and Michael Howie
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Drug use, child abandonment and endangerment, brief gruesome descriptions, utter nonsense.
Episode transcript coming soon!
The crew cross the River Twist on their way to a fateful confrontation with the Shattering – and encounter some familiar faces along the way.
This episode is brought to you by A Dark Path, Book One of the Forsaken Talents series, an epic fantasy by Stuart Thaman!
This week’s podcast recommendation is The Ordinary Epic!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Implied death and the usual poor decisions; only one quick baby-eating joke.
Episode transcript coming soon!
The adventurers fight their way to the summit of Mount Zirma, where their final battle awaits.
This episode is brought to you by The Minotaur King, Book One of The Goblin Wars series, an epic fantasy by Stuart Thaman!
This week’s podcast recommendation is Unwell!
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Michael Howie, Carter Siddall and Marisa King
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Violence, bodily harm, eye injury, drug use, forcible confinement, burial and HR meetings.
Episode transcript coming soon!
With defeat looming, the Nexus has hidden itself away from the Shattering. Moira, Ananka and Tekmar begin the desperate search, and Tekmar faces her destiny.
This week’s podcast recommendation is North By North Quest. Check out their latest episode, with Sean as guest DM!
Download MP3 (77 MB)
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Maggie Makar and Kristi Boulton
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: Emotionally heavy. War, death, violence, gunfire, unwanted advances and moonshine.
Episode transcript coming soon!
Episode 38 of The End of Time and Other Bothers will mark the beginning of a whole new story arc starring Darcy, Blat and Eggerton! And this time, we’re all joining in designing the world. Plus: everyone moves up to Level 5.
Warning: may contain spoilers for future episodes! (And past episodes!)
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Marisa King, Michael Howie and Carter Siddall
- Running the sound gear: Eli McIlveen
Episode transcript coming soon!
In Episode 38, Blat, Darcy and Eggerton are about to be thrown headlong into their second major arc, and we thought it was time to share some favourite and pivotal moments from the first arc!
New to the podcast? There are plenty of spoilers here, but this should give you the general flavour of the show – even if summing up the actual plot seems to be beyond us.
Download MP3 (72 MB)
Game Master: Sean Howard
Players: Carter Siddall, Marisa King and Michael Howie
Engineer and Sound Designer: Eli McIlveen
Episode transcript coming soon!
Darcy, Blat and Eggerton escape from the Shattering and into an almost forgotten era, hoping for a second chance to head off a future catastrophe.
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Marisa King, Carter Siddall and Michael Howie
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: fantasy racism/speciesism and ableism, slavery, brief gruesome descriptions, imprisonment and bad math.
Episode transcript coming soon!
Blat resigns himself to his fate, while Darcy plots and Eggerton makes an alarming discovery.
The Peeps This Week:
- GM: Sean Howard
- Players: Carter Siddall, Michael Howie and Marisa King
- Story Consultant: Laura Packer
- Game Consultant: Stephen Smith
- Sound Design and Music: Eli McIlveen
Content Warning: fantasy racism/speciesism, imprisonment, panic, mentions of death and destruction, culinary failure.
Episode transcript coming soon!