Myth & Moon and Momentous Milestones

Hi folks,

Wishing you the very best for the coming week from all of us at Rusty Towers.

It’s hard to believe we’re already at the end of Act 1 of Season 2 of The Magnus Protocol! Episode 40 is a big one – and an episode that we are also very proud of. Alex summed it up best on his socials last week:

(Image description: A screenshot from Twitter of a tweet from Alexander J Newall. The tweet reads: “Not to overhype the end of Season 2 Act of Protocol but seriously, y’all are in for a fuckin treat next week. And not in the “Ha! Ha! You’ll be sad” way, but in the “goddam the production team nailed it” way. #prouddad.” Attached to the post is a gif from The Emperor’s New Groove with the caption “perfection”.)

Episode 40 will release in early access at 4pm BST tomorrow, Tuesday 29th April, and publicly at the same time on Thursday 1st May. As a reminder, we’re also hosting a listen-along Drop here on Patreon on Tuesday at 6pm BST, so make sure to join members of the cast and the community as we listen to and discuss the episode as it plays.

With the end of Act 1 comes a short hiatus. As with season one, we’ve pre-planned breaks in the release schedule to ensure that our production team has plenty of time to work on the show without experiencing crunch. For season 2, these breaks between Acts may be a little longer and more irregular as we balance staff workloads and prep for our full stage performance of Magnus Live: The Hilltop.

Now for some exciting news from some of our shows on the RQ Network!

Firstly, Not Quite Dead has returned for its fourth season after an incredibly successful crowdfund campaign – a massive thank you to everyone who donated! Not Quite Dead is a gory horror romance audio drama exploring themes of identity, sexuality and death. It follows Alfie, an A&E nurse who becomes entangled in a complicated relationship with a vampire, Casper. Season four, which launched last week, picks up from the dramatic end of the previous season, with Alfie struggling to acclimatise to the new situation he finds himself in. You can listen to every episode of Not Quite Dead wherever you find podcasts, on Hanging Sloth Studios website or on the Rusty Quill website.

Next up, this week sees the release of WOE.BEGONE’s 200th episode – an incredible achievement. In the show, what begins as an investigation into the game and who might be running it quickly spirals into a pursuit of the technology that makes the game possible. WOE.BEGONE is an exploration of the nature of power, the limitations of linear time, and what it means to be an individual person. WOE.BEGONE’s 200 episodes have covered time travel, ARGs, bear attacks, death, cowboys, love, friendship, paradoxical situations, crustpunk gigs and much more. There’s a lot more planned for this amazing show, so if you haven’t listened, make sure to check it out. You can listen to WOE.BEGONE wherever you find podcasts, on the WOE.BEGONE website or on the Rusty Quill website.

Finally, we are delighted to announce that a brand-new show is joining the network. Please welcome Myth & Moon, a high-fantasy D&D podcast which weaves two storytellers into a single world of conflict, crafting duelling narratives of heroism and villainy. Every decision echoes, every dice roll matters, and character choices shape whose destiny prevails. For fans of tabletop roleplaying games, immersive audio dramas, and classic adventures set in worlds like The Forgotten Realms—fates collide & dice decide in this thrilling exploration of good versus evil.

The show's hosts, Cooper and James, work in tandem to unveil mystery, intrigue, and conflict as two separate solo-campaigns each share one world in conflict. James' episodes portray the story from the Hero's perspective-- a struggle of courage, redemption, and hope. Meanwhile, Cooper stirs the pot from the shadows as the Villain, embroiled in devious schemes, treachery, and a lust for power.

Intrigued? Take a listen to this teaser for the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN4a9hyLnq8

We spoke to both James and Cooper in an interview exclusive to Patreon, to find out a bit more about the show.

Tell us a bit more about Myth & Moon

James: My name is James, and I’m one of two hosts for the upcoming D&D solo-play podcast, Myth & Moon. We delve into ancient mystery and magic in a dueling narrative— where two storytellers battle it out as forces of good and evil. I portray Team Good in this show— backed by the Goddess Selunê, the goddess of the Moon.

For the last twenty years (that makes me feel ancient), I’ve fallen in love with Dungeons & Dragons. For me, it all began with an old Bioware Game called Neverwinter Nights on PC, and I became super involved with its online roleplaying community. Collaborative storytelling was unlike anything I’d experienced before. Some ten years later, I had spent… well, thousands of hours fully immersed in writing, imagination, roleplay, and Dungeons and Dragons.

Cooper: I’m Cooper, a seasoned podcaster, husband and father. I’m the other half of Myth & Moon, a solo play fantasy podcast where I’ll finally get to be a villain instead of a hero! The goddess of night, Shar, will guide my dark path. Myth & Moon came from my desire to combine podcasting, writing, and sound design in a dynamic way.

James was actually my first Dungeon Master when we worked together in Indianapolis and the story he wove over an epic 15 month campaign was one I’ll never forget as a (then) novice player. I wanted to capture a little bit of that same magic telling great stories to listeners with a fervent love of fantasy.

James: Here’s a little bit of fun Myth & Moon trivia: before we began collaborating on the project, Cooper and I first worked together as Axe Throwing coaches in Indianapolis. I remember when he had walked in to apply and asked if a beard was required for the job— when we brought him in for the interview a week later he had the most magnificent, bushy red beard. It was instant friendship. It’s still a mystery to me how he grew it so quickly.

Cooper: James flipped an axe off his toe when I walked in and I knew I had to up my game immediately. The beard was all I had in the beginning but after his tutelage and some tree sap to infuse my beard with power, we were the kings!

What got you into podcasting?

James: The most difficult beast to contend with in D&D isn’t actually a dragon— it’s scheduling. Just getting a group of adults with busy personal lives to all sit around a table for 3-4 hours once or twice is a feat. A great campaign, on the other hand, usually requires doing this once or twice a month. For our group of friends— each of whom are starting families and raising kiddos, this was becoming more and more difficult.

Cooper introduced me to solo-play D&D as an answer to that dilemma.

Cooper: The first time I heard Orson Welles’s “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast in history class, I was hooked on narrative storytelling. I started with a podcast about famous movie quotes in 2016 and have been making them ever since. I love the medium because at the end of production you get to hear a story you can enjoy again and again. Podcasting requires so many skills as a solo producer that, even though rewarding, can be a tall order to produce consistently. This creative collaboration with James has been monumentally more efficient, in addition to working with a friend who shares your passion.

James: Ultimately, we just enjoy building the show. We think that it’s likely other passionate players and dungeon masters find themselves in similar struggles, so we want to make a show with something that could be enjoyed for a half-hour here and there. Something that could scratch that D&D itch on a lunch break or commute.

What are you most proud of about Myth & Moon?

Cooper: I’m excited to hopefully inspire other writers with our narrative arc and new players to build your own dnd solo adventures. I really enjoy making and mixing sound effects, there is so much depth in a sound that can transport you to other worlds and make you feel grounded there. Let your imagination run wild, and if you feel inspired, share something with us! Okay, regarding the actual story: I’m excited about the big bad’s family relationships and how he draws strength from that. It’s layered but accessible and I hope everyone enjoys it.

James: For me, I’ve been really excited about the depth of the story design, as well as the overall mystery and intrigue at work in the story’s central conflict. Our characters— whether they like it or not, are taking part in a massive Celestial War– don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler– that stretches across the entirety of multiple planes of existence in our setting. The story starts with characters having humble beginnings, but it won’t take long for them to be thrust into reality-bending magical conflict. So we had to understand exactly what was happening. What the plans were, what resources are available to each faction or Goddess. We had to build this massive, intricate web of plotting, intrigue, and power struggle— then, we had to break it.

Central to our ethos in the writing of Myth & Moon is that any side, Good or Evil can prevail in this campaign. We had to build a conflict that was reactionary rather than rigid. Our characters’ choices needed to be center stage and have deep, meaningful impacts in the story at large.

Cooper and I use an online program to ‘Mind Map’ this Celestial War, and it’s really taken on a life of its own. If we used traditional sticky notes I’d have at least four walls covered in my home. It’s years of potential content— and the beauty of D&D is that somehow, even as creators, we’ll still be taken by surprise.

Myth & Moon launches today, wherever you find podcasts. You can listen to the first two episodes today, followed by another episode releasing tomorrow. As always with a new show, the best way to support it is to listen, share with your friends and leave a review – all things that help a brand-new show reach the right people. You can listen to Myth & Moon on your podcast player of choice, or on the Rusty Quill website.

Have a good week all!

The Rusty Quill team