| Natural Six | |
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| Genre | |
| Based on | Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 31 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | London, England |
| Running time | Approximately 150–240 minutes per episode |
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| Original release | |
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| Release | 2 April 2024 – present |
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Natural Six is an actual play series set in the fictional world of Reliquiae where six video game industry professionals play Dungeons & Dragons . New episodes premiere weekly on YouTube, with story episodes alternating with Action Surge post-show episodes. Serving Cantrip, a Twitch hangout, is also held fortnightly.
The series has also been performed live at PAX East [2] and MCM Comic Con London [3] after debuting at EGX 2023. [4]
In June 2023, the cast came together to discuss playing Dungeons & Dragons in a London pub and "five bottles of rosé later..." [5] [6] [7] decided they wanted to do so in front of a camera. Some of the group had met before, with the genesis of the idea to play having come when Alex Jordan and Ben Starr got to talking in the Side recording studio reception in London. Both were waiting to go into a booth and record for different video games. Alex recruited colleague Doug Cockle and Ben brought in Hollie Bennett, having met her a mutual friend's house-warming party, as well as Harry McEntire who had been recommended to him as a potential Dungeon Master by fellow actual play group Oxventure. [1]
In order to fund initial production the group announced a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter with a trailer on 9 October 2023. [8] The campaign officially ran from 16 October to 15 November 2023. It received 907 backers, who contributed £67,932, surpassing the initial goal of £50,000 funding the first 10 episodes, plus the addition of miniatures and the podcast version. [9] [10]
The campaign's launch day also featured a YouTube video where the cast rolled their characters. [11] On 27 October 2023, they followed up with a pre-recorded Session Zero. [12] As part of the pre-launch, the group hosted a live show at EGX on 13 October 2023, which served as a Session 0.5. [4]
Following the successful funding for the first 10 episodes a Natural Six Patreon has been introduced, with additional content available by subscription tier, as well as merchandise sales which debuted at MCM Comic Con x EGX 2024. [13] The first online merchanise drop sold out in half an hour. [14]
Episodes are recorded in-studio, with filming taking place one weekend a month, recording two story episodes and two Action Surge episodes per weekend. Natural Six typically stays one to two episodes ahead of the published story episodes. Filming, editing, and production are managed by the video production agency DoubleJump. [15]
In addition to story episodes, Natural Six also releases Action Surge, [16] available one week after the release of story episodes or immediately for Patreon members. Originally designed to help maintain a weekly content schedule—since the team could only film and fund two full story episodes per month—Action Surge was designed to be a companion to the main adventure. Action Surge episodes alternate weekly with story episodes and are available as both video and podcast versions.[ citation needed ]
Natural Six follows a story designed and written by the Dungeon Master Harry McEntire. [17] Initially conceived for a series of offline D&D sessions, the group turned it into an actual play series once McEntire shared his initial plans for the story.
Thousands of years ago, the Gods were locked in a divine war as the embodiments of good (The Virtuous), evil (The Vile), and order and chaos (The Wild) did battle. After millennia, The Virtuous were victorious and ushered in the Immortal Peace, consigning the memory of evil to history. Driven by a desire to use their divine power to create, rather than destroy, they called into existence Reliquiae, a great fertile crater surrounded on all sides by a ring of impassable mountains called The Allanites.
Once peace settled, each God also brought forth a mortal race to populate this new world, imbuing them with an essence of their own divinity. Mortality flourished; cities, towns, trade routes, and centres of magic and learning sprung up as the land fed its people and the Gods offered counsel.
Yet, even during peace, the mortal realm often falls short of perfection; feuds, thefts, murders, extortions, and all manner of other ills can be found throughout the land, despite its political and religious stability. From this, The Web was born.
The Web is an organization that offers protection and procurement, at a price. Originally founded in the city of Eskalond, The Web has grown in influence and scope, expanding rapidly to spread itself across the continent. It is known by many as the last refuge of the desperate. If a farmer owes a debt they cannot pay, if a family wishes to settle an age-old score, or a scholar longs to recover something lost long ago, they seek the silken embrace of The Web.
Those who wish to avail themselves of The Web's services can pay in gold or time. Many of the debts of those paying "the time price" pledge years of their life or even subsequent generations of their family.
The story starts by following the stories of five heroes as they begin their mission.
Natural Six is formed of six principal cast members—one Dungeon Master and five player characters [18]
- Previously known as Endellion Rinnan
| Episode | Title | Original Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Session Zero | 27 October 2023 |
| 0.5 | Session 0.5 Live from EGX | 3 November 2023 |
| 1 | The Gods Are Real | 2 April 2024 |
| 2 | The Shadow Will Flood | 16 April 2024 |
| 3 | Oathbreaker | 30 April 2024 |
| 4 | The Newly Dead | 14 May 2024 |
| 5 | The Girl in the Cell | 28 May 2024 |
| 6 | Hot Heads and Fast Words | 11 June 2024 |
| 7 | The Spider and The Flies | 25 June 2024 |
| 8 | The Bodies and the Book | 9 July 2024 |
| 9 | The Prisoner in the Attic | 23 July 2024 |
| 10 | The Kindness of Strangers | 6 August 2024 |
| 11 | Trials of the Brothers | 20 August 2024 |
| 12 | Flies in the Ointment | 3 September 2024 |
| 13 | The God Killers | 17 September 2024 |
| 14 | Secrets for Sale | 1 October 2024 |
| 15 | Blood, Wine, and Moonlight | 15 October 2024 |
| 16 | Politics and Poker Faces | 29 October 2024 |
| 17 | A Date with Death | 12 November 2024 |
| 18 | A Toast to Trouble | 26 November 2024 |
| 19 | Scales of Justice | 10 December 2024 |
| Christmas Special | Critical Failures, Chaos, and Cocktails | 24 December 2024 |
| 20 | The Sting of Suspicion | 7 January 2025 |
| 21 | The Sanctum | 21 January 2025 |
| 22 | Son of the Treespeaker | 4 February 2025 |
| 23 | A Leap into the Unknown | 18 February 2025 |
| 24 | City of Shadows | 4 March 2025 |
| 25 | Blood of the Kobold | 18 March 2025 |
| 26 | The Rift Below | 1 April 2025 |
| 27 | Croak and Dagger | 15 April 2025 |
| 28 | Burning Shadows | 29 April 2025 |
| 29 | The Midnight Moon | 13 May 2025 |
| 30 | The Bard and the Bowed | 27 May 2025 |
| 31 | The Hand You're Dealt | 10 June 2025 |