A Fool’s Errand dives deep into the virtual subconscious

The internet is a wonderful, horrifying, beautiful, awful place. A collection of everything humanity has to offer, aggregated into a semi-physical, semi-virtual network that straddles the line of our reality. In recent years, it’s become more evident than ever that the internet is held together by duct tape, glue, and a shockingly small number of sleep deprived coders. A Fool’s Errand: The Network Defenders makes this surreal subconscious manifest.

Planet Arcana’s latest actual play miniseries uses its flagship campaign to explore The Networks—a Matrix-like virtual subconscious that defies the logic of the physical world—and what happens when those tasked with defending the realm begin to disappear. Co-GMed by J Strautman and B Marsollier, the series unites three anti-hero protagonists, played by Noordin Ali Kadir (GUDIYA), Samm Starr (Transplanar), and Drakoniques (Beyond the Brook). Among the few remaining Defenders, these three must investigate the surreal, dreamlike disturbances in The Networks while pursuing their own reasons for finding answers, all while avoiding the worst parts of their subconscious in the process.

The three-episode series offers an introduction to the retro-futuristic tarot-inspired setting of Planet Arcana, an ongoing long-form D&D AP on the Rusty Quill Network. Though confined to only one area of the expansive universe, A Fool’s Errand: The Network Defenders highlights the best elements of the main series.

The performance between the two co-GMs is seamless as they navigate the demands of the improvised narrative with a single unified vision while encouraging the artistic agency of their three powerful player-performers. Other main cast from Planet Arcana operate behind-the-scenes, with Shaun Oldfield as tech producer, and Peter Marsollier and Skye Wallace providing additional production assistance. Strautman also acts as the show’s editor, sound designer, and composer, with additional music and lyrics from Marsollier. Original diegetic musical interludes elevate what are already tightly edited and sound designer hour-long episodes. The crackle of the static filter over Marsollier’s vocals and Strautman’s music evokes the aural equivalent of sitting beside a fireplace, listening to a radio drama recorded in the smoke-filled back room of a 1920’s jazz lounge.

A Fool’s Errand uses the upcoming system of the same name, designed by Strautman and Marsollier. Played with a tarot card-based resolution system, the game leans further into Planet Arcana’s setting. Rascal sat down with the show’s cast to talk about balancing artistic intention with promotional objectives, the difference in approaching a long term campaign and a limited series, and what insight The Networks might have to offer about our own semi-virtual reality.