Beyond the Brook is your inner child’s new favorite Actual Play
If you want a cozy AP that captures the magic of Over The Garden Wall, all you have to do is go Beyond the Brook.
Beyond the Brook is a 10 episode limited actual play series that tells the story of five children, lost in a magical, mysterious forest known only as The Backwoods. The show utilizes the collaborative storytelling mechanics of Adam Vass’s Babes in the Wood, a Powered by the Apocalypse game about “children and critters getting lost in an endless wood on Halloween night.” While exploring the wonder, fear, and discovery of finding your way through the forest, the series never strays too far from the folkloric Americana nostalgia (and cozy horror) of its animated inspiration. Using an array of audio-visual techniques to support the player’s improvised performances, Beyond the Brook invites audiences of all ages to sit around their proverbial campfire, centering the childlike magic of play.
This article contains mild spoilers for Beyond the Brook.
