Geralt and Grannies

Hi folks,

Wishing you the very best for the coming week from everyone at Rusty Towers!

Firstly, we've heard from many of you that your Patreon experience would be improved by separate RSS feeds for each of our shows, to enable simpler ad-free listening to multiple episodes of our shows in a row. This has been a priority for us, and we've been working with Patreon and our podcast host, Acast, for some time to try and get this set up. Unfortunately, the way that Patreon and Acast are currently integrated means this is impossible as a Patreon account can only have one podcast RSS feed at a time and that doesn't work for a network like us. We are actively working with Patreon and Acast to change this system, but it relies on them making significant changes at their end before we can make improvements at our end. We will update you as soon as anything changes, and we thank you again for your patience with this as we try to improve the platform. We just thought it was worth letting you all know that we are working on this as a project.

Next up, we just wanted to remind you about our upcoming Patreon exclusive show for Rusty Knights and Nobles: Problemagicians! We’re still accepting submissions for in-universe problems and prompts for Azu and Cel to solve – just fill in this form. Submissions close on 10th April, so make sure you submit your problem before then to avoid disappointment.

Speaking of Rusty Quill Gaming we are now in the final few weeks of content on the RQG feed before Chapter and Multiverse launches on 27th April. This week, we have the first part in a crossover series featuring some of the behind-the-scenes folks whose work you will hear on Chapter. Maddy Searle is GMing a game of Raging Grannies, an RPG by Alicia Furness. Maddy is also the GM and showrunner for Chapter so this is the perfect introduction to the strange town of Chapter and to her amazing GMing style – in this first episode, there are some particularly great NPC names. Joining Maddy is Alexander J Newall, founder and CEO of Rusty Quill, Cathy Rinella, our audio masterer, Nico Vettese, who will be composing the music for Chapter and Tessa Vroom, who will be doing the sound design. In today’s episode, our troop of Grannies find themselves in the Chapter town square, at the event of the year: The Chapter Bake Off. As age-old baking tensions rise, it’s time for our Grannies to prove their baking credentials. Who will be the Crème de la Crème? And who will be left with a soggy bottom? Find out on Tuesday.

This week on Enthusigasm we’re talking about a different kind of fantasy epic: The Witcher. Joining Helen this week are Maddy Searle and Sarah Shachat. They’ll be discussing the books, the games and, of course, the Netflix series.

Finally, in RQ Network news, we’re really excited that We’re Alive: Descendants is launching this week. The original series, We’re Alive: A Story of Survival, premiered in 2009 and follows a small group of survivors during a zombie apocalypse. The series focuses on the ways survivors must adapt: fortifying a tower block to create a safe home, and finding food and water. Descendants takes place eighteen years after this, where a new generation has grown up in the post-apocalyptic world. The infected are getting more dangerous and attempts to reclaim the civilisation lost to the zombies show only that perhaps humanity is its own worst enemy. While Descendants is a direct follow up to A Story of Survival, it’s also a great introduction to the world for first-time listeners. It launches on 5th April, wherever you find podcasts or on the Rusty Quill website. We were lucky enough to interview creator Kc Wayland about the upcoming series

Tell us who you are and a bit about We’re Alive

My name is Kc Wayland, and I’m the creator/writer/director of We’re Alive. We’re Alive follows a group of survival in Los Angeles, in what some would describe as the “zombie apocalypse”, but really, it’s so much more. Those who were infected have evolved into something entirely different, presenting new challenges and discoveries for those who are forced to live in the concrete jungle, filled with death and betrayal.

On the other hand, there’s also strength in unity for those who have bonded together, helping each other overcome one of the most impossible survival scenarios presented. The main story starts with reservist soldiers being called into active duty, but over time, those who are forced to live during these times, become warriors unto themselves.

And that’s just where the story begins. We’re Alive Descendants is the continuation of that original series, presenting new enemies and challenges to overcome. The main characters are the next generation of survivors, and having had to grow up in a world of death has become second nature. But, things are about to change. Something from the past has been awoken, all while our young heroes are cast out into the “red zone” for the first time to fend for themselves.

What got you into podcasting?

We’re Alive is a survival horror that started back in 2009 when podcasts were just starting to become more mainstream. It helped pave the way for other fictional stories to follow, but still remains one of the best examples of audio production in the genre.

I have a background in writing and directing, having received my BFA from Chapman University, and also as a certified broadcast engineer in the Army. This mixture of being a soldier, and also a creative has given me a certain perspective that I brought to the survival horror genre. It allowed me to see how people get in some of these worst high-tension situations, while also understanding what it is like to be a soldier, and all that entails. Many feel that this aspect has heightened the believability in the realism of what it really might be like in this sort of scenario.

When I first started this series, it was my intention to produce it for television, but the scope and budget would become very limiting, so I found that audio was one of the best mediums for the story. It has allowed us to take advantage of the horror of the listener’s imagination as they build the world in their own mind.

What are you most proud of about We’re Alive Descendants? What should we look forward to in this new season?

This new series will take us to areas of the world we haven’t seen before and explore the further evolution of the infected. There also are stories behind the scenes of the original story that will coming to the surface. So much has changed over 18 years, yet so much remains the same.

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Here is our full schedule for this week:

Mon 4th April

Pets of Rusty Towers 7 – Nap Time! (Patreon Exclusive) (5pm BST)

Tue 5thApril

RQG – Raging Grannies Part 1 (Patreon) (4pm BST)

Wed 6th April

RQG – Raging Grannies Part 1 (Public) (4pm BST)

NPC 9 – Escape Simulator Part 4 (Patreon) (7pm BST)

Thu 7th April

EGSM 29 – The Witcher (Extended Cut) (Patreon) (4pm BST)

NPC 9 – Escape Simulator Part 4 (Public) (7pm BST)

Fri 8th April

NOBLES Bonus – Deluxe Transcript #26 (4pm BST)

EGSM 29 – The Witcher (Public) (4pm BST)

Saturday 9th April

Weekend Puzzle 14 (Patreon Exclusive) (9am BST)

Have a good week all!

The Rusty Quill team