Next up on Neon

Hi folks,

It has been a busy week here at Rusty Towers as we work on our next Neon Inkwell series, the final act of season 1 of The Magnus Protocol as well as a number of other exciting projects we can’t share with you (yet!). As a quick reminder, The Magnus Protocol will return 11th July 2024.

Speaking of Neon Inkwell now is a great time to exclusively share with you a little more about our next two series!

First, introducing Welcome to Fosters, a magical mystery set in an alternate universe. In Sydney, Australia, a small-time private consulting wizard and her new apprentice attempt to keep the business afloat by removing magical pests, dispersing restless spirits and tracking down a group of necromancers out to take over the world. Today, we’re delighted to introduce you to the creative team behind the show, as well as our amazing cast.

Welcome to Fosters is written by Imogen Cassidy. Imogen usually writes short fiction, and their work can be found in the Australian speculative fiction magazines Aurealis and Andromeda Spaceways. However, a little closer to home, they wrote one of our infamous The Magnus Archives fluff episodes (which Knights and Nobles can listen to at this link!).

Welcome to Fosters is directed by Christ Magilton. Chris is a writer and voice actor, perhaps best known for his podcast, Among the Stars and Bones.

The show stars Nina Nikolic as Jill Foster, Tim Sefo as Oliver Long, Harrison Keen as Mark Wilson, Sebrina Thornton-Walker as Gloria Foster, Michael Bache as Brian Hewlitt-Smith and Hannah Aroni as Sylvia Price.

(Image description: At the top is the Neon Inkwell logo and the name of the show: Welcome to Fosters. Under this are two headshots: Imogen Cassidy (they/them) writer/creator. Chris Magilton (he/him) director.)

(Image description: At the top is the Neon Inkwell logo and the name of the show: Welcome to Fosters. Under this are six headshots. From top left: Nina Nikolic (she/her) as Jill Foster, Tim Sefo (he/him) as Oliver Long), Harrison Keen (he/him) as Mark Wilson, Sebrina Thornton-Walker (she/her) as Gloria Foster, Michael Bache (he/him) as Brian Hewlitt-Smith, Hannah Aroni (she/her) as Sylvia Price.)

Next, we have a bit more information to share with you about Broken Hearted Monsters, a quirky roadtrip featuring some familiar names! When Dr. Frankenstein suddenly passes away, his creature must make the cross-country road trip for his funeral, accompanied by his ex-boyfriend, Dracula. Broken Hearted Monsters is written by Morgan Ormond and SC Ormond and directed by Amani Zardoe – who you may recognise from her work on Cry Havoc! Ask Questions Later.

The shows stars Kai Partenie as Dracula, Marqus Bobesich as Frank, Evelyn McCauley as Esme, Alister Cado as “Perfy” and Beth Eyre as Camilla.

(Image description: At the top is the Neon Inkwell logo and the name of the show: Broken Hearted Monsters. Under this are three headshots: Morgan Ormond (they/them) creator, SC Ormond (they/them) creator, Amani Zardoe (she/her) director.)

(Image description: At the top is the Neon Inkwell logo and the name of the show: Broken Hearted Monsters. Under this are five headshots. From top left: Kai Partenie (he/him) as Dracula, Marqus Bobesich (he/him) as Frank, Evelyn McCauley (she/her) as Esme, Alister Cado (he/him) as The Perfect Man – “Perfy”, Beth Eyre (she/her) as Camilla.)

We will of course keep you up to date as we work on these series and cannot wait to share them with you!

Thank you so much for all of your kind words and excitement around the launch to the RQ Network of The Grotto! If you’ve been listening to and enjoying this show, we’re very pleased to say that season 2 launches on 28th June 6am BST!

Finally, we have more exciting new from the RQ Network! You may already be familiar with Planet Arcana, a TTRPG actual play. We are very excited to say that the team at Planet Arcana will shortly be launching both a new mini-series, perfect for new listeners, and a crowdfunding campaign to fund an official roleplaying game! We interviewed creators, J Strautman and B Marsollier, to find out a bit more.

Tell us who you are about your show!

Planet Arcana is a long running actual play set in a retrofuturistic world of Humans and Androids. In this world, the Major Arcana are gods, and the main characters are Fools on a simple quest to find a key and open a box. We use D&D 5e as the story engine for the main campaign, with occasional detours to feature indie games.

As a group of five longtime friends, our backgrounds range from music, to performance, to illustration. Trans and female-led, Planet Arcana is for anyone who likes a healthy blend of humour and drama, rich worldbuilding, great player chemistry, immersive sound design, and a gorgeous in-house soundtrack that feels like its own character.

You've got some really exciting things in the works - tell us a bit about them!

We’re excited to announce A Fool’s Errand: The Network Defenders, a 3-episode self-contained story set in the world of Planet Arcana.

The Network Defenders is the first instalment of our new side series, entitled A Fool’s Errand. These self contained stories are intended both for new listeners, and for those who are caught up with the main long-running campaign.

The Network Defenders instalment features Drakoniques (Beyond the Brook), Samm Star (Transplanar), Noordin Ali Kadir (GUDIYA), and J Strautman and B Marsollier as the game runners. Main cast members from the long running campaign add their fingerprints to the final product with Shaun Oldfield as tech producer, and Peter Marsollier and Skye Wallace providing additional production assistance. J Strautman remains as editor, composer, and sound designer for the instalment, with B Marsollier providing additional music, lyrics, vocals and accompanying artwork.

Each instalment of A Fool’s Errand will feature our upcoming tabletop roleplaying game A Fool’s Errand, developed by Planet Arcana’s double GM unit (and game designers in their own right), J Strautman and B Marsollier.

Tell us more about A Fool’s Errand!

A Fool’s Errand is the official Planet Arcana tabletop roleplaying game set to crowdfund in late 2024. In A Fool’s Errand, players draw from a deck of tarot cards to resolve challenges and use specialized abilities. All the while, their characters perform that most delicate of tasks: fulfilling or denying the destiny foisted upon them by the Major Arcana— deities of this world who intertwine themselves with the characters’ adventures.

A Fool’s Errand is a game for 4-6 players and is suitable for campaigns or one-shot sessions. We aim for the final product to be a 80-100 page hardcover volume, with additional goals including a custom playmat, a custom set of Tarot cards, and additional audio drama instalments using A Fool’s Errand as the game engine.

You’ll be able to watch the mini-series as it premieres on both the Rusty Quill YouTube and the Planet Arcana YouTube channel. It launches on 25th June at 20:30 EDT (or 26th June at 01:30 BST). Head to either channel now and click “Notify Me” so you don’t miss getting to experience the premiere with the community!

If you’re interested in supporting their crowdfund, make sure to head to the pre-save link on Kickstarter and signing up for updates!

Have a good week all!

The Rusty Quill team