Why this D&D actual play series featuring the voices of Geralt and FF16's Clive is going to be the next big thing

Starting as an idea for a private Dungeons & Dragons campaign between friends, the origin story for Natural Six begins in the same place as many D&D adventures: the pub. In a sort of Session -1, the six UK games industry personalities helming this new actual play series – from Geralt of Rivia and Clive Rosfield voice actors, Doug Cockle and Ben Starr; to games journalist, presenter, and D&D aficionado Aoife Wilson – discussed their plans for their campaign.

However, the evening's wine-assisted chatter eventually led to the grander idea of sharing this nascent adventure with the world. After plenty of planning and pulling favors to get the idea at least a little off the ground, the current Kickstarter campaign is now the final hurdle to making this new D&D actual play series a reality.

I caught up with the cast of Natural Six at EGX to learn all about their D&D endeavor, from how it started to why it's worth backing. And seeing them in action in their first live show offered an intriguing taste of what's to come, if the project gets funded.

Party up

With a £50,000 (roughly $61,000) Kickstarter goal, Natural Six is looking to hit the ground running in an already busy actual play space. With a cast mostly consisting of professional actors, it's got to face the challenge of standing out and meeting the likes of Critical Role and Dimension 20 to name a few.

So, what is it that sets Natural Six apart? The cast of Natural Six is totally aware that its star power is an obvious draw. Cockle told me he even pitched the same question to the group at one point. "I don't remember who said it, but somebody said 'well, it's us, Doug'. And I was like, 'well, that's an obvious answer… but what makes us different?'" he says.

The simple answer to that is, like any other Dungeons & Dragons group, it's the ideas that people bring to the table that makes Natural Six unique. There are of course weird and wonderful player characters, from an Elle Woods-inspired Tiefling Bard to a Kobold Rogue from a culture that doesn't use names. But the homebrew world of Reliquiae – the brainchild of Dungeon Master Harry McEntire (The Last Kingdom, Xenoblade Chronicles 3) – is a big part of Natural Six's appeal for me.

In short, Reliquiae is a crater world forged by gods and filled with fallible mortal beings. The conflict that sets the stage for Natural Six's mystery-focused campaign comes from the player characters' involvement with an enigmatic organization known as the Web, which lures in desperate people with dubious deals and servitude.

It's a fascinating premise and, during the EGX live show, it was interesting to see small teases of how the Web and its servants operate. McEntire tells me that when the Natural Six gang met on that fateful evening at the pub (which also happened to be the first time he had even met most of the other cast members), he turned up with a master document for Reliquiae, containing a map, excerpts from esoteric religious texts, and all sorts of other lore.

Alex Jordan (Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Warhammer 40K: Darktide) explains that this moment was one of the things that inspired the group to even pursue the actual play idea: "We were like 'Harry, you're incredible. We need to maybe make this a thing because people need to see this! People need to know this world … It would almost be a crime not to share it with other people and let them enjoy it'."

In fact, the five players of Natural Six all speak incredibly highly of McEntire and his capabilities – Wilson thinks he's "the next superstar Dungeon Master" – and, even from a short preview, I can understand why. It's clear that McEntire has spent a lot of time and effort not only creating but also learning his world. His fluency coupled with an excellent understanding of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition rules, and his acting and improvisation skills to boot, mean he's an engaging and enthusiastic storyteller. 

However, with excellent acting talent in the mix for Natural Six, it was hard for me to not immediately draw comparisons to Critical Role and the so-called "Matt Mercer effect" – the idea that professionals bring an elevated level of worldbuilding and roleplay that sets an unrealistic expectation of the tabletop role-playing game experience for players.

McEntire is fully aware of this idea and says that he doesn't want anyone to feel like they need to run their D&D games like he does, or any other well-known Dungeon Master for that matter. "Comparison is the thief of joy, isn't it. D&D isn't the realm of an actual play live show. D&D is for people eating Doritos around a dining room table, starting at 2 'o'clock in the morning when they said they were going to start at 7pm and everyone just chatted and played Smash Bros.

"That's D&D, and that will always be D&D. Yes, we can have flourishes and miniatures and battle maps and character art and composers, but at the core of it, it's just a group of friends telling stories," he says.

Natural fit

But on the player side, all six members of the actual play group also believe that their varying familiarity with Dungeons & Dragons will also be a big part of what makes Natural Six feel different. McEntire and Wilson are both very familiar with the roleplaying game as seasoned Dungeon Masters, while Starr describes himself as an "enthusiastic novice", and Bennett (Frontier, PlayStation Access) had apparently never picked up a d20 before getting involved with Natural Six.

Bennett even describes initially collaborating with the other five cast members and playing D&D as "terrifying", largely due to fears over being ridiculed for her imagination. But the group chemistry and friendly atmosphere allowed her to get into roleplaying and helped her let go of her fears. "Now I'm in a really happy place and I'm embracing the fact that I'm very new – one time I did have to ask which one the d8 was," she says.

There's definitely a hope that these differing levels of experience within Natural Six will encourage viewers that find the idea of D&D daunting to give it a shot. Starr says: "Dungeons & Dragons can seem to people to be something that has existed for a long time, and therefore is populated by incredibly experienced, talented, entertaining individuals who know how those systems work. And for some people that can be very intimidating, and I've met so many people who are excited by this new, surging popularity in D&D who want to get involved and they don't know how. And I think Natural Six is that way forward."

This consideration for its community and audience was a big part of the Natural Six crew's philosophy too, and it's why there's even a Kickstarter campaign in the first place. Bennett explains that everyone agreed that a sense of community was important and says that a Kickstarter campaign allows a community to be involved from the very start. Wilson adds that while pursuing sponsorships was considered, crowdfunding allows the group to maintain creative control over Natural Six.

However, looking ahead, the future of Natural Six is uncertain with no solid episode plans or structures in place yet. So far, Natural Six has got to this early phase through favors and even some of the cast's own money. While it has been enough to get character art drawn, a session zero filmed, and even a theme song from composer Alex Moukala, the cast recognizes that the £50,000 Kickstarter is still a big ask. "It is a leap of faith, and we want to make good on that. But the reality is we just can't do it without [the Kickstarter]," Wilson says.

However, the cast recognizes that their £50K Kickstarter is a big ask. Yes, they've paid for art, filming, and a theme song out of their own pockets. But Wilson understands that the crowdfunding campaign is still a leap of faith. She says: "We want to make good on that... we want to be doing this for as long as we possibly can. We know that we get that one shot to let the community know that we are there to hopefully make it grow and flourish and make it sustainable for the long run."

Although funding will help make the show a reality, it'll also offer the perfect excuse to battle what Jordan calls 'the hardest enemy in Dungeons & Dragons', and that is: scheduling. 

Even from just a short preview, Natural Six already seems like it's got serious potential. Getting to dive deep by chatting to the cast revealed their boundless passion and a genuine love and excitement for the roleplaying game and their project.

Ultimately, Natural Six clearly isn't just an attempt to ride the success of well-established D&D actual play series and compete with them. As McEntire says: "There is room in my feed for Dungeons & Daddies, for Not Another D&D Podcast, for World's Beyond Number, for Critical Role, for Dimension 20. There's room for all of these things – everything can co-exist."

"There is no empirical pinnacle. There is no right way of doing it. And so, what I hope Natural Six is, is just a cool and fun reflection of the six of our interests as storytellers."

You can learn all about the cast, the player characters, the world of Reliquiae, and backer rewards at the Natural Six Kickstarter campaign page, which runs until November 15, 2023.