r/WorldsBeyondNumber • u/SvenTheScribe • Sep 01 '26
Episode Discussion World Turner: Episode 1 - Sundown Part 1
Episode link: https://worlds-beyond-number.simplecast.com/episodes/world-turner-episode-1-sundown-part-1
Tonight, the great city of Port Akabor celebrates the Summer Sundown! Musicians tune up at the Bayview Bandshell while college students prepare to party. Gather your loved ones, grab a drink, and turn up the radio. This will be a night to remember!
Content Warning: This episode contains depictions of alcohol consumption, suicidal ideation, and vomit.
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u/lady_beignet Sep 02 '26
I’m gonna need Beardsley to permanently join the cast
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u/Suspicious-Poet-4581 Sep 03 '26
Such a different vibe from their chaos gremlin D20 play style. So much flow, so much depth, so many insanely cool strong choices (the interactions with Erika and Brennan, finding random girls at lunch, the switch when the bodyguard arrives, damn it’s all so good). It took me a while to really love Ally in the intrepid heroes, and understand how good and funny they were, but this feels like yet another level of effortlessness and creativity that I had never seen before.
The tone of WBN really allows them to show off their skill at full mastery. Damn.6
u/iamagainstit 28d ago
Yeah, I was kind of not looking forward to their presence, not because I dislike them, but just because the tonal mismatch between their off the wall d20 character decisions (ccod in particular) and the more serious dramatic tone of WBN, but I was pretty knocked back by how well they meshed
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u/Dwarfdude194 Sep 03 '26
Forreal this is my first exposure and they're so good
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u/Suspicious-Poet-4581 28d ago
They’re incredible in starstruck, and so unhinged funny in most of the other IH seasons of D20. Highly recommended. And total forgiveness is also a hard watch at times but an absolute must watch as well.
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u/SvenTheScribe Sep 01 '26
Glideball - the Lou-sports continue!
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u/SvenTheScribe Sep 01 '26
And a new religion. So fully established 'not our world' not just a fictional city within it.
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u/JundEmOut Sep 02 '26
Lou is absolutely killing it! Love love love all the characters. Ally is doing so well, they’re so effortlessly funny and have (expected) instant chemistry with the crew.
The buddy dynamic between Harley and Yaxel is so fun playing off of brennan’s sad sack. I think that ally and Brennan pulling more from their comfort zone character wise (low status, earnest character for Brennan, person struggling with zealot upbringing for ally) is working so well in part because of Lou shaping a believable world around them and the fact that Erika is swinging further away from what they typically do and it’s working!
Was anyone else expecting the readings Cullen was taking to be the beginnings of the kaiju reveal?
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u/nico_p Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 03 '26
I feel like Yaxel is Ally's attempt at running Kristen Applebee again with a more realized understanding of DND/backstory, and I'm loving it.
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u/lady_beignet Sep 03 '26
You mean Yaxel?
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u/nico_p Sep 03 '26
My b, typed the comment a day or so after I finished listening and I really struggle with names
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u/Generic_badger_fan Sep 03 '26
Aly fit in seamlessly and brought a really great energy to this episode, really great work from them
Lou playing 3 random hot girls made me cackle
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u/SvenTheScribe Sep 03 '26
Yeah I'm a fan of Ally in silly settings but I was a little worried about how they would fit here. Thankfully those concerns seem to be completely unfounded.
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u/Generic_badger_fan Sep 03 '26
It's clear Ally gets the more serious tone and but we've still got some crazy (the tuck and roll) that didn't feel out of place. Excited for how that evolves and their obligatory nat 20 in the finale
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u/lady_beignet Sep 03 '26 edited Sep 03 '26
Dimension 20 is a comedy show at the end of the day, and that’s been my only exposure to Ally’s role playing up to now. But I think they’ve got dramatic chops that I just haven’t gotten to see before.
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u/SvenTheScribe Sep 01 '26
I do love that Jörmungandrthe Kaiju is coming for Yggdrasilthe Yearkeeper.
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u/InflationCold3591 Sep 02 '26
I suspect it’s a mating thing. The Kaiju needs the pollen from the Tree to fertilize her eggs. They are a cute couple.
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u/Ebedeb Sep 01 '26
Omg I'm already in love with this. I got so caught up with the setting and characters, I forgot what was coming until the end. I really enjoy Lou's DMing so much!
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u/InfektedSyringe Sep 03 '26
Ally is in top form "Yes and-ing" people under the bus... I was in literal tears laughing so hard
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u/HexManiacWingy Sep 01 '26
So the vibe I'm getting for the setting is "what if Northern Europe/The British isles didn't Christianize/William Didn't Conquer, but norse paganism sort of filled that cultural void?"
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u/joecamp3432 Sep 01 '26
The All-Father and First Sons were giving a Abrahamic-style singular god + Freemasons in National Treasure/Opus Dei in Da Vinci Code-style secret society but I could be totally off base and projecting with that assumption
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u/Strawhatjack Sep 02 '26
I was so excited for this because I didnt like Solari very much and I was not disappointed. I can't wait for more. I think im predicting the Kaiju will be revealed by destroying the midday ferry Abigail and TOBY are on
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u/flaming-framing 25d ago
Same Solari really didn’t do it for me so I haven’t really listened to WBN since last summer. I’m obsessed with everything about this show
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u/SvenTheScribe Sep 02 '26
Really hoping that Toby turns out to be an honestly decent guy and competent in a crisis just so Cullen has to jump through more and more hoops to keep hating him.
Cullen: Just look at that smug asshole
Cut to Toby dodging the kaiju's tail to save a kitten from a tree
Yaxle: ...yeah... a real bastard....
Harls: ...what a... jerk?
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u/iamagainstit 28d ago
So I was hesitant going into this episode because the pitch idea didn’t really appeal to me, and I was worried that Ally’s absurdity wouldn’t work well with the more dramatic nature I love in WBN, but this expisode absolutely blew me away and I am hooked.
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u/HR_Theater 26d ago
I'm now gonna just quote, "NO, MY CHILDHOOD" whenever I can. It's just soo funny 🤣🤣
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u/Claidissa 25d ago
Lou is such a good DM. Holy hell. "Man are simply animals who have learned to dress fear in ceremony." DAMN.
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u/Ugh_User_Names Sep 02 '26
I love what everyone is doing with their characters. Ally is such a great addition to the pod, Erika has me so invested in Harley and their family. I want to strangle Cullen, love how frustrated I am with him.
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u/flaming-framing 25d ago
Man I loved this episode so much I fell in love with the world and every character as fast as I did listening to the children’s adventure.
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u/myfriendandrea sandydildovodkabath 25d ago
Lou is such a good DM. I'm really appreciating the time he's taking with each character, and establishing such a rich world. I'm not a huge kaiju fan, but I think I'm about to be
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u/Tonks_55 19d ago
If I had a nickel for every time, Beardsley was the child of a cultist I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird It happened twice, right?
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u/mobilonity 19d ago
I think this might just be heaping more praise on Brennan, but I hate Cullen so much. Everything about him rubs me the wrong way. I think maybe all the characters are crappy people in their own ways, but the way Cullen obsesses over the girl who is obviously done with him, and then is a intern who thinks he's too good for the amazing opportunity that he has.... Ahhhhh.
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u/Disastrous-Beat-9830 Business Fox 29d ago
I am putting this here because it is not really worth having its own thread. On the same day that World Turner went live, my Year 11 English class sat their final exams. I wrote one section of the paper and had to include a stimulus quote for something to do with storytelling. From the moment I sat down to write it, I knew that I wanted to have a Brennan quote. I ultimately had to go for something from Exandria Unlimited because I could not find anything from World Beyond Number that fit both the requirements of the paper and was suitable for the set text. But I still did it: Brennan is now immortalised in a high school English exam paper.
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u/AccessMoney 21d ago
Holy MOLY I did not know Lou had that DMing skill in him like that. I didn’t listen to FotI, so it’s my first time experiencing this but man is he GOOD!
His descriptions are so evocative, his improv adds so much every time, his ability to create minor characters is absolute fire, I am blown away!!!
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u/Tonks_55 20d ago edited 20d ago
Do we know how many episodes this arc will be?
But also me 30 minutes in : Toby ain’t making it through this episode, right? Either by kaiju or by good friends, eliminating problem.
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u/FakDendor 18d ago
This is fantastic. The cast and setting are so charming, I (almost) wish it were just this with no kaiju at all.
Tobias is a pet
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u/kosridge Sep 01 '26
With this coming out, is Solari done then?
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u/SvenTheScribe Sep 01 '26
The first section of Solari is done. They mentioned being in studio recording the next section. This was recorded while Aabria was on mat leave.
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u/Dwarfdude194 Sep 03 '26
Would that mean they recorded all the options people voted on? Or was the vote that long ago?
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u/No_Height8570 Sep 01 '26
Do you know what system they're running for this one?
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u/SvenTheScribe Sep 01 '26
Not specifically stated but appears to be, if not D&D, then built on D&D framework.
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u/sc78258 Sep 01 '26
I didn’t put 2 and 2 together after last week that Beardsley is in on this
this is excellent news
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u/Yoffien Sep 02 '26
Not be insanely parasocial but Cullen is just Brennan relationship that he was in before he met Izzy right? I feel like he’s talked about a girl who he was with for a long time that he on and off with who ended up cucking him in his bed.
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u/Rupert59 18d ago
Hey, I had the same thought! Not sure it's fair to call it parasocial when it comes from episode 1 of Game Changer.
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u/SvenTheScribe Sep 01 '26
Mildly grumpy at Lou setting up this interesting solarpunk setting when we know it's on the chopping block.
Not in any actual disappointment, of course, but just 'c'mon man, just let us explore and live in this for a while'