The first session in a gargantuan player character creation session for our first story, The Wizard The Witch and the Wild One.
Under Grandma Wren's loving care, Ame and Suvi bond, enjoying their simple summer days as only children can. A world away, Eursulon learns no treasure comes without its price.
The three children finally meet, clashing in their first encounter. Fear quickly turns into curiosity and the girls agree to help Eursulon in his pursuit of honor. Meanwhile night, and all its dangerous mysteries, encroaches.
The children grapple with hard-learned lessons of consequence. In leaning on each other for support, a mythical friendship is formed.
Grandma Wren fights to pay the cost of Eursulon's newfound dream. The three children do their part to pay her back.
Suvi and Ame help Eursulon feel at home. Before long, their home becomes each other.
As summer advances, so do Ame, Suvi and Eursulon. Together and in their own incredible ways.
Every summer ends.
Early in January 2023, the cast and crew of Worlds Beyond Number gathered to record what was to be a public "Welcome" message for the main podcast feed, to explain Worlds Beyond Number for newcomers and fans alike. Instead: the cast dropped all artifice and immediately transformed into disgusting gremlins who did not produce one SINGLE MINUTE of audio that we could ever...ever...show to the public. But comrades. This is not the public. THIS is the Fireside. Hail, and well met.
A fun little change to our usual schedule, since some key cast is out of town and far away from microphones at the moment: This week the Fireside Chat is all about the Children's Adventure! (We'll do a double Fireside Chat for eps 3 & 4 after ep4 comes out!). Join the gang as they dig deep, some say too deep, into all things Children's Adventure. The square footage of Grandma Ren's Cottage, the intricate and well defined rules for running a lvl0 character creation campaign, and the secret history of the mushroom spirit. Listen quickly before the balrogs carry our precious cast away. Fly*, you fools! *Enjoy podcast
Welcome! Come on in! This is a handshake, a how-do-you-do, a kiss on the cheek in the French way. Bienvenue, my friend. Consider yourself GREETED. This episode is like an instruction manual for the show, so If you've got no idea what's going on, or if you just wanna hang out with the cast for a few minutes, this is for you. We try to keep it short and to the point. We do...okay!
After a lifetime apart, three childhood friends are drawn back together by circumstance, by command, and by a danger that no one can yet begin to comprehend. Welcome, to the world of Umora. Welcome, to The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One.
Our FIRST Fireside Chat about our first episode! Producer Taylor joins us from his milk tub, Lou is dragged to Hell by ghosts, Brennan and Erika absolutely DISH about the Witch Class (!!!), and Aabria threatens Taylor with mail apples and REVEALS her true thoughts about the existence of the supernatural world.
The world of Spirit shows its teeth. Not all the chickens make it. Pack your bags and travel light. There's ogres on the road.
TOMAHAWK! The gang dishes on all things firbolg, fox, stranger, and wizard names, in THIS, your show of shows, your chat of chats! [cue ironic circus music]
Masks off. The world blooms anew with purpose, as our trio take the first few proper steps of their quest. The band is back together, the open road of blue water calls, but what else lies in wait between here and there? Only everything.
Blood, steel, and fire. Who needs a captain anyway? We do not have to be in community here. Another door opens. Blood, rain and glass. Are we there yet?
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Turns out a fox is good for some things after all. A volunteer steps forward with a break in the case. A friendship is bent. Another door of vines opens. Another volunteer steps forward. Further down and deeper still, our work is not yet done.
CRACKLE CRACKLE fam, the gang is back together and PIERCING your Q's with their A's. From Finley to Fountains, why this Fireside Chat simply has it all! There's a fun horn honk in this one! Lou tells a story! Aabria defends Feign Death! Erika makes more coughing noises! Brennan actually does reveal somethin neat about the Fountain scene! This is better than a dang movie!
The new kids learn the ropes around Port Talon. Press the flesh, as it were. First impressions are so important. Making new friends is easy. Unless... you don't think someone might try to take advantage of the– no don't even say it. Who would do such a thing. Nobody in Port Talon, that's for sure. Great town. Good schools.
Ahoohoo and crackle crackle to you good fellows. Anon! Another Fireside Chat has laid itself bare, like a patient on a table, or perhaps like a cocksure rookie across the table from veteran ne'er-do-well Billy Gallows. Regardless, it is yours to do with as ye wish. Ahoohoo con dios.
The gang is undercover and overwhelmed. Office politics, a catering budget, special projects. Morrow is a business, man. Field trips. Democracy. Bath time. Research and/or development. And finally. As if it wasn't bad enough: consequences.
Ahoohoo and crackle crackle to you, honored friends! Brennan, Lou* and Erika are "in da house" this week and DISHING on the behind the scenes of ep7 "Kahuna." The physics of magic, inspiration for world building and so much U-more-a. I'm not sorry!
Welcome to the apparatus. Have a cigar. Or maybe a matchstick. Want a drink of water? Some new clothes? No? What's the matter, don't you like it down here? Don't be silly. Lie down. Stay awhile. We've got a lot of catching up to do. There ya go. That's the spirit.
Ahoohoo, Yonders! We got the whole gang on DECK and HAULIN' IN a net full of CHAT ABOUT THE EPISODE. We're talking shopping. We're talking Skittles. We're talking Shit Brickhouses. We're talking foxes with VISIBLE OBLIQUES. And you KNOW we're talking about everyone's FAVE nautimantic apparatus. Crackle crackle.
What can't you get used to? What can't you learn to ignore? What, you think you can save every starfish? Not my circus, not my monkey, pal. It is what it is. Gotta take care of yourself first. Take a look in the mirror, love what you see. Speaking of monkeys, you seen my fox anywhere? He was right here a second ago. Hey where are you going? Wait. Come back.
Ahoohoo, Yonders! It's all hands on (tarot) deck for chattin bout ep9, Da King a Da Cups! The Fox, the "feels", and wheels within wheels. How to play, what to say, when the vibe is "dismay." Can you be true to your heart while your squad falls apart? All this and more on the chat-back show some are calling "out today!"
Into the woods, to find the fox, to save the friend, to break the rules.
The gang is all together IRL and the studio is crackle-crackling with JUICE LIGHTNING as we discuss the latest episode: Taming of the Shrub Part 1: Pumpable Scents
Here we are, at the altar, and who could object to these sacred vows? Promises promises. Easy to break'em easy to make'em. What's your worth, anyway? Do you mean what you say? Can we forgive those who trespass against us, or do they, like us, deserve what they get? And who's gonna give it to em, you? It's bad over here, sure, but the only way out is through. Any volunteers?
Dios mio, It's .5's all the way down baby! I "promise" you'll enjoy this Fireside Chat, with a new guest, Brennan freak out, revelations about which of Lou's characters eat *ss, and a deep dive into how Aabria manages to maintain such consistency while Suvi, who is already "a lot" has a nervous breakdown on mic. Great stuff about character work in here! AND a reveal on the metaphysics of "guesting" on Fireside Chats. Chat lore, yonders! CHAT. LORE. Crackle crackle!
The sword comes down.
The sword comes down but the Fireside Chat comes...OUT!? Thats right, here it is, the Fireside Feed's most famous chat show: Fireside Chat. This week on the show the gang (minus Lou, plus shy guest Thelonious Rigel) digs into the chaos and consequences of the interrogation, how many eps left in the arc, how fun it is to CUSS, and certain...decisions...of key party members, including "What would have happened if Lou had rolled worse." CRACKLE CRACKLE, Yonders!
Balance in all things. The great Machine above you. A leaf in the water. After years of being asleep, you are awake again. We need each other now: The fish has a wife.
The seaweed is always greener, in somebody else's lake. You dream about going up there, but that is a big mistake! Just look at the world around you, right here on the ocean floor. Such wonderful things surround you! What more is you lookin' for?
Nothing ends. Everything begins.
Talk is cheap and life in the barnyard is nasty, brutish, and short. You either eat or get ate, and if you ain't the cock of the walk, you're in the next pot of coq au vin. So you tell me, are you satisfied with the quiet life of pastoral servitude, or do you have the rocky mountain oysters to grab the tractor by the wheel and, just maybe, reap what you sow? I just so happen to know where we can get enough corn to put us on easy street till the cows come home. What do you say old timer, how about... one... last... job?
I love it when a plan comes together. Or when a ferris wheel falls apart. GUNS. MAGIC. PINK MIST. CONSPIRACIES WITHIN CONSPIRACIES. MAYHEM. MURDER. And of course: LAST MINUTE BETRAYALS that will make you LAY A DAMN EGG. Welcome to the rapturous, apocalyptic, felonious conclusion to Erika Ishii's A COUNTY AFFAIR. No. Loose. Ends.
Not in this world, or in another, but in the world between worlds, live three humble heroes, empowered by a mysterious eternal benefactor. Their mission: to leap from one time to another, trying to put right what once went wrong, to stop the ascent of the greatest evil ever known, and to absolutely ROCK the paint with unparalleled DUNKATUDE. To SLAM-JAM those BUCKETS with a LEVEL 9 SWISH SPELL. THIS is Space Cram. THESE are Reasonable Hoop Dreams. THAT is our promise to you, fulfilled.
THE HEAT IS ON for the Space Cram team. Have they met their match, or can they straight up hoopin their way out of this one?? Take a deep breath and remember, there's no actual rule that says you have to breathe, like at all. THIS is Space Cram. THESE are Reasonable Hoop Dreams. THAT is our promise to you, fulfilled.
Can you believe we managed to get Lou Wilson for this fireside? We're coming for your ass, Ira Glass. The gang has a lot of fun with this one, we were in person recording the first leg of Arc 3 (GASP!) and you know the energy is f'in WILD for in person recordings. Wilder than a hen with a gun.
NO. LOOSE. ENDS.
The cast gathers to answer questions and look back at Chapter One of The Wizard, The Witch and the Wild One. If you want to taste this chatty magic for every single episode, and even more "bone cone," subscribe to the Fireside Feed by joining us on Patreon!
Everything that rises must converge, and baby, we are FLYING. It's good to be back.
Erika joins us from the road (fun new timbre!), while Brennan is LOST in the equatorial marsh of deepest Panama. We are back and the chat is STACKED with loving and constructive dialogue from ITS PARTICIPANTS. Lou got two JET SKIS. Hold on tight, friends and lovers.
Reunited, the gang must now face, waste, and taste de avalanche of revelation and experience that the Citadel provides. This is why we run.
A special guest joins Aabria and Erika to cover for Brennan (who is sill lost in Panama's infamous Darién Gap) as they discuss the world building festival fever dream of episode 16, food glorious food, and invent a new segment called Bag It or Tag It, where the players must choose to BAG IT...or TAG IT! What would YOU choose, listener?
Names are great. They let people know what to call things. You can read them, write them, put them on a list. If you know someone's name you can send them things, invite them places, say it quietly, in wonder or fear. A name can stick in your mouth like butter or blood. You can make one up, get a new name, do whatever you want. No downsides. None.
The PC's come together from the Holiday Road (and a wild variety of sound environments) to talk about Name Days and bathroom bangin. Meanwhile our guest stars begin to form some sort of...initiative...a team if you will, of...remarkable individuals.
Wars and rumors of wars. Thrilling new weapons to titillate the thanatos urge of even the most inured imperial citizen. Heroes-to-be assemble and depart. While the Citadel mobilizes for battle, the gang hits the books. Names ancient and new swim to the sun dappled surface of understanding, the grand picture ever clearer. Careful though: the books do, occasionally, hit back.
The Worlds Beyond Number Fireside Chat REMAINS the ONLY Private Narrative/Actual Play Patreon talkback podcast that will have you screaming "Cis WHAT!?" out loud in front of your colleagues, copains, and caretakers this week. Enjoy!
History, almost everybody's got some. Very hard to get rid of. Keeps repeating itself. If you're lucky, and work hard, you can just maybe learn from it, but you're gonna need a team. A family. You're gonna need allies. And if you have any extra of those, lemme know...it's for a friend.
PERMISSION TO BE WEIRD: GRANTED. Except for you Devonte, put down the trains! The triumvirate returns to "discuss" kith, kin, pvp, and oh let's see what else, oh right, PLAY BAG IT OR TAG IT. Airhorn sound.
Tick tock. Tick tock. What time is it? How much is left? Can we have five more minutes? The gang's investigation has pierced the veil of the Citadel, and peering back at them through the penumbra is the great iron face of a clock, hands moving up and down, rotating and returning like the silent islands in the sky. Hands that hold you back, spin you round, or throw you, gasping.
One (1) normal episode of podcast.
Mom's home.
Happy New Year! The "hole" gang is BACK to talk all things justification of self implication in unpleasant systems of power and violence. AND when it is okay to stop saying: Happy New Year! (Spoiler alert: Never stop saying it!)
When there is no path, you make a path by walking. The rest of us are just following orders. Slow down, you're moving too fast, you got to make the moment last. Is a trap a trap if you like it? Bad news kiddo, wherever you go, there you are.
The whole cast fights about whose fault the episode was. The guilty party is determined, but will they show remorse? Will they receive mercy? Only YOU THE LISTENER can decide! JK, all crime is legal now, we Purgin' baby!
The gang is scattered. Bridges are burned. Where friends falter, new allies grow like mighty oaks. There are wars and rumors of wars, but be not afraid, sisters. We are all on our way to somewhere. Whether we like it or not.
Since Brennan was away becoming a baby daddy during much of Chapter 2 and the citadel arc was chock full of extremely fun building-of-da-world, we thought it would be fun to have a whole SPECIAL EPISODE dedicated to the world building of The Wizard the Witch and the Wild One. I am already so sick of typing "world building." From now on I will call it... Debbie. So here the gang has gathered to answer all your Debbie questions! But BE NOT AFRAID, it's not JUST a behind the scenes Debbie talk. We go SO FAR past Debbie. We drop some MAJOR lore. Major. Lore. Debbie. Turns out it's fun to type Debbie. Debbie. Debbie. Debbie. Let's get some Debbies going in the chat, fam!
Lou invented a game called Bag It or Tag it where he generates random characters and the other cast members decide to bag them or tag them. We play it on the Patreon feed from time to time. People like it very much. Here, in its public debut, is the narrative RPG storytelling masterpiece Bag It or Tag It. If you enjoy this (good! smart!) you'd be a fool to not join us by the fireside on our Patreon.
or....Good Will Humping (Aabria made me type that.) Behold! Our first "Interlude," an in-world canon one-shot where the cast gathers to create, expand, and play hitherto unseen people and places within the world of Umora. It is a profound pleasure to welcome you to the modest, but beloved, amphibious hamlet of Twelve Brooks, on the very cusp of its (regionally) famous midsummer revel. You are not going to BELIEVE who they named Great Bullfrog this year.
We didn't start the fire. It was always burnin since Umora's turnin. The gang is back in the studio, all together. Hold on tight.
We're starting at 5pm PT! HAPPY BIRTHDAY WBN!!!!!
The cast discusses which Pokemon they would sleep with. They also answer questions and spill behind the scenes tea on Chapter 2 of The Wizard the Witch and the Wild One, but mostly the Pokemon thing. This is a Fireside Chat BUT its on the public feed. Will wonders never cease!?
ACHTUNG, BABIES! You might not know this, but the game engine we use to run parts of the show (Dungeons and Dragons X-TREME Edition for Podcasts) has a feature, or "mechanic," called "leveling up." It is now time to do that. Welcome to LEVEL 3. Hold on to your butts.
Phone rings, door chimes, in comes company. The Italians call it "hospitaliano," that open armed attitude that makes guesting and having guests *molto* fun. Whether you're hosting, being hosted, or hosting again because you forgot the first time, always remember, it’s dangerous to refuse a guest, and sometimes worse to be one.
Knock knock. Who's There? Why, the Fireside Chat for ep24, the start of Chapter 3, ya ding dong! Ya dang ding dong! The gang assembles via zoom from all over da world to talk about how reasonable and safe Steel is being right now. SUPER low key and chill, Steel. SUUUPER low key and chill.
The stars at the top of the world begin to align, and the meeting of the coven draws ever nearer. Old debts are paid and new collateral is put on the line. Ame plays politics, Eursulon plays cowboy, and Suvi's not playing around, not even a little. Remember, the number one rule of hospitality and protocol is never ever tell your host that all your rowdy friends are coming over tonight. They hate that.
Mo podcast, mo souplems.
The surviving members of the Coven of Elders gather in the Palace of the Wind and Stars for their conclave. Meanwhile, the gang says goodbye to a horse.
MY SISTERS ARE HERE. Goodbye horse, hello Mr. Richard Oklahoma. Oh wait a minute. Oh no. Oh gosh. Goodbye Mr. Richard Oklahoma. We didn't even get to look at his teeth :(
Our deliberations begin. You're probably wondering why I've called you all here today. Or maybe you're not. Maybe you already know. How could anyone tell with that mask on your face? Let's do it again, but this time: with stakes, a bird on my shoulder, my breath on your neck. Take a break, sure, but then, (if it is the right thing to do, and only then): have at me.
If sweet liquid is what you seek, look about you, for in this episode of hit, private, podcast Fireside Chats, the cast of Worlds Beyond Number gather to discuss the episode (as they literally always do without exception) and something called the Omegaverse, which I think means "last verse." My favorite last verse is from Will.i.am in "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas: And mix your milk with my Coco Puffs Milky, milky coco Mix your milk with my coco puffs Milky, milky right Anyway, enjoy the show!
The gang splits up. The stars align and cast no shadow. In separation: terror and revelation. But it's pressure that makes the coal into diamond isn't it? And oh what stories that diamond could tell, of the phantom thread that unspools from cradle to the gory floor. [If you listen to the show with young children, you might wanna give this ep a listen first.]
To the moon baby! These AbbaZabbas are getting SLIPPY and this week we are UNLOADING INTO YOU $tock Tip$, R1ng Lor3, and the DM himself makes the canon ruling on who got the most rizz in the arc. Number 1 (one) will SHOCK you!
Everybody's gotta serve somebody. But who? Who exactly is calling the shots? And how can you tell who anyone else is working for? Finding out can be expensive. It takes sacrifice, subterfuge, diplomacy, a poker face, a long look in the mirror, and worst of all: networking. All this and more, we give gladly, for the sustaining and preservation of great magic.