Could've Been Heroes
86 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 months ago - ★★★★★ - 103 ratingsCould’ve Been Heroes is an actual play podcast where six old friends adventure as six total strangers who, after missing their shots at destiny, now get a second chance to make a mess of everything.Set in the land of Faritall, a world cast in the spirit of Wonderland and Oz, but with more murder, blood and swears. This strange, wondrous place of living fairytales and walking nightmares is recovering from a very near apocalypse after a flood of darkness fell upon it from The World Above. Told in a new and developing game system of our own design focused on exciting characters based on classic fairytale tropes, twisted, subverted and modernized. Would you suffer the Sacred Curses for spectacular power and near immortality? Yeah, so would we.
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Episodes
WGA Strike and Working Class Solidarity
May 09, 2023 07:54 - 3 minutes - 3.7 MBhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA2AMxRz0iA&t=280s As Jane Mcleavy says in this interview, we are not the 99% v the 1%, because the working class is divided. Our challenge is to turn fractured groups of working class americans into a united front against the structures of power https://www.amazon.com/Books-Jane-McAlevey/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AJane+McAlevey https://www.themarysue.com/wga-strike-2023-how-to-support-the-writers-strike-online-and-in-person/#:~:text=If%20you%20want%20to%20su...
Ghost Wax Trailer
December 01, 2022 06:10 - 1 minute - 1.44 MBHello! If you haven't heard we are currently making a new anthology horror podcast and we've finally produced a trailer for it! Check out Ghost Wax anywhere podcasts are found! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Far and Tall Tales Launch and Patreon Update
November 02, 2022 06:40 - 1 minute - 1.72 MBA brief message outlining our new production company launch and some current and upcoming changes to our Patreon page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep69 - Heroes
August 05, 2022 12:11 - 1 hour - 132 MBThe Nearlies set out charged with a question "Could you be Heroes?" Today they answer. Thank you for hearing our story...the end Creative Commons Music Credits: Scott Buckley: Resolutions - https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/resolutions/ Felicity - https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/felicity/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep68 - The Offer
July 26, 2022 07:39 - 1 hour - 89.1 MBWould you take a second chance at your second chance? One more episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep67 - Mothers and Daughters
July 19, 2022 07:26 - 1 hour - 78.1 MBLove to Love, Life to Life. Mother’s and Daughters. No more complicated relationship exists and none of us exist without it. Futures are written and erased. Three more episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep66 - Poison Love
July 12, 2022 06:55 - 1 hour - 93.6 MBAmong the most potent poisons of all, is real love gone sour. The battle for the tower rages and whatever the outcome, many stories are coming to an end. Creative Commons Music Credits: Scott Buckley - She Moved Mountains https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/she-moved-mountains/ Scott Buckley - Felicity https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/felicity/ Scott Buckley - The Encounter https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/the-encounter/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for ...
Ep65 - Tangle. Slither. Scorn.
July 05, 2022 06:43 - 1 hour - 127 MBThe Heart of Scorn, a massive mystical emerald and the lynchpin of The Briar Tower’s impregnable magical defenses lies just ahead. New allies and bitter foes. Trigger Warning: Ophidiophobia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep64 - Momma's Boys
June 14, 2022 06:32 - 1 hour - 104 MBClementine the shapeshifter, obsessed with Martin enough to follow him all the way into the darkest heart of the Grimmwood, has warned them of Mr. Sticks inevitable betrayal. Noddigaster, desperately wanting finally get a win over his brother puts his magic at the groups disposal. So with Noddigaster’s tremendous powers to craft illusion and trickery, what masterful and tactful deception will the party deploy to get past the ambush of wicked fey and loyal ogres? Hosted on Acast. See acast...
Ep63 - Reunion
June 08, 2022 03:50 - 1 hour - 96.3 MBThe Nearlies have done everything they can to ensure victory in the Briar Tower, but time has run out and a desperate Lavaleen has agreed to the bargain with Mr. Sticks. They are now reunited within the Briar Tower and the climb to stop the mad ritual begins. Looks like a long way up. Creative Commons Music Credits: Scott Buckley - She Moved Mountains https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/she-moved-mountains/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep62 - Apocalypse Sound
May 31, 2022 08:03 - 1 hour - 82.7 MBAt the end of a path blazed by dragon fire the Nearlies have turned the Crownlanders ire toward the Briar Tower, but their meeting has drawn unwanted attention. Now, amid a battle upon a field of ashes the end begins... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep61 - Burn Your Darlings
May 25, 2022 06:17 - 1 hour - 122 MBThe Nearlies and their allies approach the Sacred Grove, a designated meeting ground to treat with The Crownlanders. The mission is simple, draw the eye of the human armies, King Demm in particular away form the Queen of Spite and Castle Ire, to The Briar Tower where their foul plot will come to its conclusion. Baiting a mad king into attacking one of the most notoriously impregnable locations in Faritall won’t be easy, or safe, but would prove an invaluable distraction and depletion of the...
Ep60 - Blood Thicker Than Water
May 17, 2022 07:16 - 1 hour - 80.4 MBThe princess Bitterbell is in their grasp, literally. Kel Under the Waters is across the field of battle, all that stands between the Nearlies and leverage against the Queen of Spite. Blood is thicker than water. Love is thicker than blood. Battle and betrayal in the swamp of sorrows. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep59 - Stories from the Sorrows
May 11, 2022 06:24 - 1 hour - 111 MBThe Nearlies trudge through the legendary swamp of sorrows, trying to find Kel, her quarry and the Princess they seek to capture. They do their best not to catch the nightmarish, uniform depression that seeps into the world around them. In the bookends, we hear a tale of sorrow from one of Faritall’s mirrored worlds, Iscra in the Light. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep58 - Swampy Sad Sad
May 03, 2022 07:15 - 1 hour - 113 MBThe party has been split, Valeriana and Lavaleen travel with a group of veteran heroes out of retirement, including Hurdy Spweedow, The Barricade and the thick headed but woke Crammuel Bonks. The mission? To track down Kel, Under the Waters and end her fiendish life, but more importantly, to take the second daughter of the Queen of Spite, who hides in the guise of one of Kel’s hunting hounds, hostage. Just a light trip to the saddest place in Faritall to kidnap some royalty. Hosted on A...
Ep57 - Party's Over
April 27, 2022 05:48 - 1 hour - 96.7 MBA very close shave for the Nearlies, and literally for Xenator, the Nearlies have the backing of the witches… and an unexpected ally in the form of King Allfeel, master of the Endless Bacchanalia of the Revelwood. But how to strike at the Briar Tower and foil the Queen of Spites plans? There will not be a second chance. Either way, the party is over, maybe in more ways than one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep56 - Nemesis
April 19, 2022 09:28 - 1 hour - 100 MBThe Nearlies have been pursued by huntsman of a scorned king, survivors or disaster seeking vengeance, scorned family and even blood-bound demons since the first days of the strange journey. In order to save a “mostly dead” ally they hope to enlist the powers of the very same necromancer that raised Xenator from the grave. To do so they will have to face their pursuers at long last. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep55 - Nascence
April 12, 2022 08:45 - 1 hour - 105 MBThe Witch Moon Rises, the Festival of New Life commences! Trials, choices and bloodshed! Just like a proper ritual of the old ways ought to be! By dawn not much will be the same. Content Warning: self harm, suicide, body horror, gore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep54 - First Coven Thirst
April 06, 2022 08:46 - 1 hour - 116 MBThe Nearlies arrive at the intoxicating and mystically charged Festival of New Life timed by the stars to align with their arrival. The First Coven needs three new members to balance their powers and as always, the universe has provided plenty of excellent candidates… Have the women among the Nearlies found a new kind of home, and can they ally with these dangerous practitioners of magic? Or are some places simply too fearful to tread. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...
Ep53 - Last Lost Day
March 30, 2022 06:11 - 1 hour - 116 MBAll ways within the Grimmwood are perilous. No path is clear. The Nearlies are becoming as tangled inside as the forest around them. If they cannot gain the favor of the Witches of Candlewood they have little chance of completing their mission. A way forward must be charted cautiously. Good thing they have absolutely no time to do so. Meanwhile the Sidekick Brigade goes into action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep52 - Waxing Gibbous
March 22, 2022 08:24 - 1 hour - 129 MBSomething wicked this way comes. The turning of the sphere’s wait for no one and time is running out. The Nearlies now have the location of their enemies next move: the Legendary Briar tower where Rapunzel was held so long ago has once again become her prison. With a legend like her, the realms could be rallied to a common cause, but her mother has never been one to give her up easily and the Nearlies are about to find out few enemies are worse to have than a mother scorned and there will ...
Ep 52 - Waxing Gibbous
March 22, 2022 08:24 - 1 hour - 136 MBSomething wicked this way comes. The turning of the sphere’s wait for no one and time is running out. The Nearlies now have the location of their enemies next move: the Legendary Briar tower where Rapunzel was held so long ago has once again become her prison. With a legend like her, the realms could be rallied to a common cause, but her mother has never been one to give her up easily and the Nearlies are about to find out few enemies are worse to have than a mother scorned and there will ...
Ep51 - The Sticking Place
March 15, 2022 07:26 - 1 hour - 97.7 MBCaught between the dark and the deadly and the treacherous The Nearlies try desperately to hold on to what they have as the road to the end of the road opens up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep50 - All Ways Strange and Dangerous
March 08, 2022 08:16 - 1 hour - 106 MBThe Nearlies travel back to The Glen, hoping against hope that the trip will be safe, uneventful and quick. It is not. Curious talking owls, wayward legendary servants and Animal Headed Giants ahead.Content Warning: Self Harm/Suicidal Ideation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep49 - A Devil's in the Details
March 01, 2022 07:57 - 1 hour - 112 MBThe Nearlies have Noddigaster in hand and a destination: The Briar Tower deep in the deadliest part of the forest, of course. The wicked fairies are gathering up young women of royal blood for an unknown, but undoubtedly nefarious purpose and they have reason to believe at least one member of the mighty Damsels is held within as well as Lavaleen's own lost daughter… but how to get inside? And how to last long enough to even try what with curses, and devils and dragons about? Hosted on Ac...
Ep48 - Impossible Sleigh
February 08, 2022 09:33 - 1 hour - 116 MBNoddigaster traded Lavaleen’s daughter for a Fool’s Coin and The Impossible Sleigh, powerful artifacts of mystical significance. However he also established himself as a loose end in the plot of the Queen of Spite, the Briar Witch and their Glorious allies. Now three deadly Lightning Nixies have destroyed his home in a earthshaking blast of lightning and give chase… luckily Val has a way with little woodland animals, the very thing Noddigaster has hitched to the impossible sleigh, but can s...
Ep47 - Empty Crown
February 01, 2022 07:45 - 1 hour - 95 MBAn impromptu and oddly charming wedding wielded as a weapon. Jane wrests control of the powerful Servants from the Prince and pitched combat ensues. Royal wedding’s are notoriously dangerous. However if you seeks to spill the blood of Eld, you should remember that the reach of Kings and Queens is long and their grasp strong. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep 46 - What's Yours is Mine
January 25, 2022 08:36 - 1 hour - 124 MBThe Nearlies have captured Noddigaster and freed the Lady Jane Lamb from the fairy tricksters inept clutches. However just as they free the kind woman from one captor, Prince Eoric Callasterhoff appears without, demanding Jane be handed over to him. The prince has recovered three of his six legendary servants Fat Man, Tall Man and Little Lungman who are bound to his orders by ancient magical law as well as his enchanted arms and armor and now poses a grave threat. The only thing the Nearli...
Ep45 - House of Lies
January 18, 2022 08:03 - 1 hour - 103 MBThe Nearlies have reached their destination, the home of the fairy trickster Noddigasterabroboligalante (spelled exactly as it sounds). Within they find a lovely young woman named Jane who has long toiled at the spinning wheel turning straw into gold… Can they unweave the lies and tricks of Noddigaster and force from him to reveal the location of the captured princesses, including Lavaleen’s own daughter? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep44 - Watch Your Step
January 11, 2022 23:25 - 1 hour - 117 MBThe Nearlies press on through Noddigaster’s trapped fairy-grounds, past bridge troll and fairy maze and dangers seen and unseen. Life, and therefore stories, are full of unintended consequences. Everything you do, does something. Everything you take, costs something. Everyone you meet, you change. Some steps we take are momentous and can change our whole lives. The trick is knowing which are which. Be careful where you put your foot down. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...
Ep43 - A Classic Done Poorly
January 04, 2022 09:53 - 1 hour - 112 MBNoddigaster, brother of famed Mr. Stiks, granted Queen Lavaleen’s request to go free, for the price of the Swan Maiden’s unhatched egg. Apparently a dark force in the Grimmwood is purchasing princesses. Not only does “missing princesses” match exactly the vitally important members of The Damsels that the Nearlies have been tasked to find, but things have become very personal for Lavaleen and her friends having learned this egg has indeed hatched a daughter. To find out exactly who, where a...
Ep42 - Pulp and Doubt
December 21, 2021 07:02 - 1 hour - 88.9 MBHaving tracked down Martin and Lavaleen, the Nearlies are accosted by the Snatcher-Grabber. A hideous spider-like creature of pulp and doubt, with an inside more horrible than its outside. Should they survive there are many fences to be mended, and secrets to divulge, if our heroes are to move forward as a united front. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep41 - Never Go Alone
December 14, 2021 08:39 - 1 hour - 107 MBThe Glen, the camp of refugees clinging to survival are overjoyed and filled with relief to see The Nearlies, the Saviors of Thistleberry return. However if they knew how close to fraying the group actually is, they might not be so pleased. Lavaleen Crest has learned the egg she traded away to the magical trickster Noddigaster has indeed hatched and produced a daughter who is being held by unknown parties somewhere in the Grimmwood. Martin has bound “the other guy” that lives in his head, ...
Ep40 - The Night on All Sides
December 08, 2021 07:57 - 1 hour - 122 MBThe Nearlies have escaped the dark recesses of Martin’s mind and the evil entity that dwells there. A powerful rune now binds the evil within and gives Martin a very unique forehead accessory to boot. The Nearlies find that several days have passed and the survivors of Thistleberry have fortified the glen their makeshift airship crashed in against the terrors of the Grimmwood, but that they are just barely holding on… Unfortunately the Nearlies alliance with one another has become similarly...
Ep39 - Face to Faces
November 30, 2021 07:56 - 1 hour - 94 MBThe Nearlies have become trapped within the darkest parts of Martin’s mind. Someone or something has built a whole dark carnival within, and invited other dark forces inside. The Nearlies search for a way out of this scary surreal dream space, but the Impresario of the Evil Circus of the Mind wants to finally meet them face to face to face to face…Creative Commons Music Credits:John Vallis - Time Againhttps://soundcloud.com/john-vallis/time-again-john-vallis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...
Ep38 - Welcome to the Sirqus
November 23, 2021 08:51 - 1 hour - 121 MBSeason 2 Premier:The last thing they remember, they saved the day… and then something went terribly wrong. Martin Sirque did something bad, though he doesn’t remember doing it. It was starting to seem like he had someone living inside his head, turns out it wasn't just a scary malevolent entity in there, it was a whole nightmare carnival. How quickly rescuing the villagers of Thistleberry Hollow from vengeful fey aboard a make-shift pixie dust powered airship turns into a spiraling crash i...
Season 2 Teaser: A Storm in the Castle
November 09, 2021 06:14 - 22 minutes - 26 MBTeaser for Season 2 of Could've Been Heroes! Arc 1: A Thorn in the Heart premiering soon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Battle For The Sacred Tavern Part 4
November 02, 2021 07:00 - 1 hour - 96.6 MBThe Truberoughs plans are laid and the final battle is underway! Can our heroes repel the vicious onslaught and prove to the aspirants assembled that victory in the face of impending doom is possible?Thank you for coming along with us on this interlude story arc! Could've Been Heroes Season 2 premiers November 16th! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Battle For The Sacred Tavern Part 3
October 26, 2021 05:51 - 1 hour - 103 MBThe Truberoughs must traverse the plains of Gehenna and reach the Sacred Tavern in time to mount a defense against the pending attack. With the crimson cavaliers on the horizon can they rally the Heroes Guild and the aspirant heroes in line to stand and fight for the future of Faritall? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Battle For The Sacred Tavern Part 2
October 19, 2021 05:58 - 1 hour - 98.4 MBThe Truberoughs go toe to toe with the Crimson Cavaliers and the blood stone sorcerer Cazan Kazuul. Can they free the prisoners and defeat Kazuul in time to warn the Sacred Tavern of the impending attack?! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Battle For The Sacred Tavern Part 1
October 12, 2021 05:56 - 1 hour - 118 MBWhile the Nearlies fought to save the people of Thistleberry Hollow, another group of heroes were just setting out to join the effort to recover from the Glorious attack. Retired heroes from Faritall's past are summoned to the Sacred Temple of Inns and Taverns just in time to uncover a plot by the Crimson Cavaliers to attack the Sacred Tavern, and the would-be heroes gathered there! Thankfully Hurdy Spweedow, Billins Knothole, H.A.L., and The Barricade are no strangers to battle!Creative Comm...
Season 1 Q&A
October 05, 2021 07:55 - 1 hour - 135 MBHaving finished our first season we look back on the triumphs and failures of the Nearlies inaugural outings. We also answer some questions from our fans on discord! We hope you enjoy this talkback and we can't wait to see you in Season 2! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep37 - We Can Be Heroes
September 21, 2021 08:33 - 2 hours - 157 MBThe Nearlies missed their first shot at being heroes. Destiny has come around again and here’s another chance. Unfortunately this second chance comes with a suicide mission attached. A swarm of fey knights, Carver the Cruel, General Hacket Bloody Branches, a cabal of blood drinking fairies casting a wicked curse and the terrifying black Iron Fomorian, stand between them and rescue of the survivors of Thistleberry and the thwarting of whatever evil spell the fairies seek to cast. The rescue m...
Ep36 - Deadly and Wild
September 14, 2021 09:48 - 2 hours - 164 MBThings in nature that are dangerous: poison thorns, spreading flames, carnivorous plants. Things with natures that are dangerous: pirates, skin-stealers, mighty trolls. They are all here and more, deadly and wild is the name of the game as The Nearlies desperately seek to enact their plan to save the surviving villagers in Thistleberry Hollow from a terrible curse. Standing in their way is a swath of the Lionflower Alraune, miles and miles of deadly flesh eating roses controlled by devious b...
Ep35 - A Brief Clash of Legends
September 07, 2021 08:20 - 1 hour - 103 MBKel Under the Waters has found the Nearlies and against such a foe they may have no hope. A desperate scramble to escape and survive, using shared pasts, wild lies and painful truths are all deployed. An evil legend rises. An old legend ends. When caught in the crosswinds of great myths, just hold on and try to survive the storm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep34 - Evil Blooms
August 31, 2021 06:53 - 1 hour - 114 MBIn an ironic twist, The Nearlies rush to the rescue of their would-be rescuers: Grandma Ninnian and the other Chimerites from Brill Thistle. All manner of deadly Fey swarm the village, killing any who resist and rounding up those who surrender. The Black Iron Fomorian stomps about in the dark and a gigantic Alraune encircles the town, invading and infesting the dead… soon to bloom into mindless killers as the evil seeds take root. Time is of the essence and time is running out. The sky f...
Ep33 - Flames and Roses
August 25, 2021 07:42 - 1 hour - 120 MBThe Fey break the long standing armistice with mankind and settle old scores in night attacks all across the Grimmwood Outskirts. One such unlucky community is that of Thistleberry Hollow. The forces of the Queen of Spite, La Vee’el La Fey unleash the queen’s favored war-beast, the Lionflower Alraune on the village turning its walls and barricades into a cage of biting carnivorous roses and fey knights swarm in on dragonfly wing and unleash The Fomorian on the hapless citizens. A long and ...
Ep32 - Unjust Desserts
August 17, 2021 10:06 - 2 hours - 140 MBThe last course is served at Applejack Manor. Elidda makes her move, breaks the Covenant of the Hearth and blood will spill. The wake may yet turn back into a funeral and something new and terrible arises out of a horrid act of wickedness. Family is forever… and sometimes a long while after that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep31 - Repast
August 10, 2021 08:47 - 1 hour - 128 MBThe Nearlies sit at dinner with some of Faritall’s most dangerous people. Every which way the conversation turns dangerous secrets are revealed, old grudges are uncovered, and brewing danger presents itself. Deadly consequences await behind every wrong answer and lurk at the bottom of every glass. Toast to the dead, try to stay alive. Creative Commons Music Citations: Scott Buckley - Affirmations https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/affirmations/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...
The Story So Far - Part 3
August 10, 2021 06:55 - 12 minutes - 14.8 MBA brief recap of the events of episodes 21 through 30. For new listeners who would like to jump into the story. To all our listeners, old and new, thank you ever so much for your continued support. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.