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Natural Six is a UK based web series in which a group of professional voice actors and other video related personalities play Dungeons & Dragons.
| Natural Six | |
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| Genre | |
| Based on | Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition |
| Starring |
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| Theme music composer |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes |
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| Production | |
| Production locations | London, England |
| Running time | Approximately 150–240 minutes per episode |
| Production company |
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| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | April 2, 2024 – present |
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The series is broadcast on alternating Tuesdays at 20:00 British Summer Time on the Natural Six Twitch, with the video on demand (VOD) being available on their YouTube channel at the same time and immediately after the broadcast on Twitch itself.
Although the show is pre-recorded the cast go live on Twitch for the 30 minutes leading in to each episode.
Formation and Kickstarter
editIn June 2023 six UK-based performers and personalities from the video games industry came together and had the idea of starting their own Dungeons & Dragons Actual Play video series. [1]
The group, which was named Natural Six, decided to run a crowdfunding campaign. They announced this with a trailer on 9 October 2023.
The Kickstarter itself ran from 16 October 2023 to 15 November 2023 and was a success, with 907 Backers they raised £67,932 of a £50,000 goal. The series is currently available on both YouTube and Podcast platforms.
On the same day that the Kickstarter went live, Natural Six posted a video to their YouTube in which they rolled their characters. They followed this with a pre-recorded Session Zero on 27 October 2023, also posted to YouTube.
A Live Show at EGX (expo) on Friday 13 October 2024 served as a Session 0.5. The recording of this session was posted to YouTube on 3 November 2023.
Action Surge
editOn the weeks that a new episode is not on, Natural Six post an after show of sorts called Action Surge. This is the period directly after an episode ends in which the cast discuss what has happened and the choices that were made.
Patreon
editIn order to keep the series running past what the initial Kickstarter funds covered a Patreon was launched.
Depending on the tier that you subscribe you gain access to ad-free episodes, immediate access to Action Surge following an episode, Bloopers, Behind The Scenes, Monthly AMAs plus further additional content in Endellion's Diary and The Adventures of Klaaks The Broken Pebble.
Natural Six company
editThe Natural Six company, Natural Six Ltd, was incorporated in 2023, with Ben Starr serving as the company director. All six members have equal shares in the company. [2]
World and characters
editWorld
editHarry McEntire not only serves as the show's Dungeon Master for the five other cast members but also the initial creator of the world in which they play in. The setting is described below.
' 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.
Reliquiae is a great fertile crater surrounded on all sides by a ring of impassable mountains called The Allanites. From the walking forests of Lathi, to Seren the Inland Sea, the verdant northern marshes and the grassy lowlands of The Tumbles, life flourishes here in all its forms. Each God also brought forth a mortal race to populate this new world, imbuing them with an essence of their own divinity. Mortality has flourished; cities, towns, trade routes, and centres of magic and learning sprung up as the land fed its people and The Gods offered counsel.
At the centre of Reliquiae's crater is Mount Atria, a towering peak that, some say, offers a sight of the very top of the Allanites themselves. At the foot of this mountain, the Gods made their home in the city of Alveleon, where they would receive deserving travellers, political leaders and heads of the faiths, gifting to them divine knowledge and magic. But in the last one hundred years, the Gods quite unexpectedly abandoned Alveleon and took up residence at the top of Mount Atria itself.
Now only the greatest cleric of each God may commune with them on a yearly pilgrimage known as The Deference, in which these select few ascend the mountain peak and return with lessons and instructions from the Gods. It is in this age of peace that our story begins. 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.
Our heroes are members of The Web, an organisation 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. The Web 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 – for their eyes are as to the stars in the sky, and The Web is wide.' [3]
Cast and characters
editNatural Six consists of six main cast members.
Main
editThe cast and their characters' names, races, and classes are listed below. For multiclassed characters, the classes are listed in chronological order.
- Harry McEntire
- Ben Starr
- Doug Cockle
- Kelnys (Dragonborn Druid (Circle of Wildfire))
- Aoife Wilson
- Hollie Bennett
- Alex Jordan
Production
editFilming
editEpisodes are filmed on-set live, because the cast believe this creates the best quality content. This means getting the cast (who live all over and outside of London) regularly in one place at one time. To take full advantage of this they often film episodes in batches.
It is a full-service production worked on by video agency DoubleJump:
– Produced and directed by Sebastian (Seb) Ford
– Editing and graphics by Sam Ransome-Williams, Hayley Rumbold, Barney Austin and Seb
– Tom Robertson, Cam Robinson and Seb work the cameras, made the show intro and capture footage of the minis
– Photography is done by both Tom and Seb
Character and Set Design
editThe Natural Six character art is made by Matt Owen, whilst the compass like logo was designed by We Are Reach.
3D printed miniatures and terrain set pieces are made by Crafted Campaigns. Harry's custom DM screen was hand crafted by Sam Flynn, a furniture designer and maker based in South East London.
The main theme and soundscape of Natural Six is created by orchestral composer and music producer Alex Moukala, known for his video game music content. [5]
References
edit- ^ Sawyer, Will (27 October 2023). "Why this D&D actual play series featuring the voices of Geralt and FF16's Clive is going to be the next big thing". gamesradar.
- ^ "NATURAL SIX LTD". gov.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ www.kickstarter.com/projects/naturalsix/natural-six/description
- ^ "Natural Six Review: Voices of Geralt, Clive Rosfield, and More Shine in D&D 5e Series". 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Alex Moukala on Composing the Natural Six Main Theme - The Music of Natural Six @AlexMoukalaMusic". 2 October 2023 – via YouTube.