The Once And Future Nerd

Today’s bonus content is the pilot episode of a new side project from our editor, Josh. It’s a D&D podcast called  Taking Initiative . We hope you enjoy it as much as we did, but any feedback is welcome. If this just isn’t your cup of tea, don’t worry.  Taking Initiative will have its own website and feed so that this one doesn’t get bogged down with a s...

Today we wanted to let you all know about Paul Notice (Nelson, Antonin, Smith) and his project  The Notice Blog . The Notice Blog “creates work that engages, informs, and represents the world’s complexities through journalism & fictional narratives.” You can check out their website  to see all the documentary shorts, interviews, live journalism, and serial fiction they’ve...

For today’s bonus content, Christian interviewed Stephanie Cooke of Rogue’s Portal about her latest project, a live audio drama called THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HELL . The conversation touches on how Stephanie got into audio drama, the logistics of producing a live show month after month, and her collaborative process. Follow Stephanie on Twitter for updates on all her projects. PLUS...

Dear Fans, We’re sorry this didn’t come out sooner. We wanted to get as many of our voices on tape as possible.  Full text of the statement is below: The Once And Future Nerd is an organization that stands for love and acceptance, and vehemently opposes bigotry and hatred of all forms. We believe that all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. All people, rega...

For this week’s bonus content we sat down for a chat with Justin Sloan, a prodigious Fantasy writer who has worked on and published several original novels, written for video games including Telltale Game’s  Game of Thrones series, and adapted several novels for the screen. Oh and he was also a martial arts instructor in the United States Marine Corps. So yeah, it was interesting...

Remember the song that Arlene sang to Gwen back in Chapter 6 and again in Chapter 9 ? We know at least some of you do, because you wrote in to tell us how much you loved it, and to ask whether it was available as a standalone track. Well…it is now! We re-recorded it with a new arrangement and live instruments. Head over to onceandfuturenerd.bandcamp.com to purchase it for $1 (or more if you&...

We’re really excited to announce that the Special Edition of  The Once And Future Nerd   Book 1, is now available through Audiobooks on Tape . (They make these really cool USB flash drives that look like old cassette tapes!) The Special Edition includes: Full chapter files with credits only once per chapter for maximum bingeing (previously only available to Patreon subscribers) Bon...

Hey guys! A lot of you have been writing in to say how much you miss the show and wondering when it’s coming back – and it’s really great to hear from you and to know we’re missed! The short answer is: Book 2 is coming – just not yet. We took a break after Book 1, and now we’re getting back into it. That said, making The Once And Future Nerd to the level of qual...

Thanks so much to everyone who voted in Round 1 of the 2015 AudioVerse Awards. Thanks to you, we are now FINALISTS in EVERY CATEGORY for which we were eligible. Best Original Composition in an Original, Short-Form Production  – Tom Lee Best Audio Engineering for an Original, Short-Form, Serial Production  – Brian Forbes, Sam Palumbo, Christian Madera, Josh Perault, and S...

We’re so pleased to be nominated for the 2015 AudioVerse Awards amongst an extremely wide and formidable field of contenders. We’re up for: Best Original Composition in an Original, Short-Form Production Best Audio Engineering for an Original, Short-Form, Serial Production Best Writing of an Original, Short-Form, Serial Production Best Actress with an Ensemble Role in an Original...

CONTENT NOTE: The violence in this episode gets particularly graphic. Listen with care. The First Book of our Tale comes to its bloody close at the Battle of Freehold. Our deepest thanks go out to everyone who has tuned in along the way. We never would have gotten this far without you. We’ll see you again for Book 2, release date TBD. If you’re enjoying the show, please consider becomi...

In this, the penultimate episode of Book 1, Julius Mooncrest mourns his nephew Antonin. But all is not what it seems with the young lord’s apparent demise. Meanwhile, at the Horse’s Head Inn, a terrible discovery threatens to cut short Gwen and Arlene’s newfound romantic bliss. And our stalwart Narrator confesses that he has run out of events with which to delay the recounti...

For today’s bonus content, Christian (director, co-creator), Zach (co-writer, co-producer), Anya (Regan, Arlene, various female),  Ian (Narrator, various male), Dan (Ardel, Traft, various male), Paul (Nelson, Antonin) and Lily (Gwen, Ry’y, various female) sat down with Matthew of the Audio Drama Production Podcast to talk about the highlights, challenges, and strategies that went...

As we mentioned before , we are honored to nominees for Best Podcast in the 2015 Geekie Awards. Well, the Awards are now open to a PUBLIC VOTE to determine who gets to take home a statue. If you would like to vote, just go to http://vote2015.thegeekieawards.com/  . No sign-in required or anything. It’s designed so that each voter can vote once per day per category, from now until N...

As they wait for the rendezvous with Ry’y lo-Th’yyt (and hopefully the fulfillment of her promise of assisatnce), Nia and Regan consider the wages of their struggles so far. But far away, in the icy seas of the south, a spurned foe plots his next move. (Spoiler: It’s Renault. That dipsh*t). There are only TWO (2!) episodes left in Book One. The next episode will be released...

In this, the premiere of Book 1’s final chapter, Generals Riverfell and Traft make one last doomed attempt to reach terms before the Battle of Freehold begins in earnest. The fate of the Human Realms of Iorden hang in the balance. Fresh off their new and hard-earned revelations, the Kids take an active role in combat. But the Narrator, in a rare moment of blatant editorializing, express...

In this, the final episode of Chapter 9, Jen must confront a man from her past she was not expecting to see. Iorden’s civil war arrives on Bryce Riverfell’s doorstep whether he and his charges are prepared or not. And Arlene and Gwen change their course, now that Arlene’s singing has created some options for them. “The Singing Sister” is © 2014. Lyrics by Zach Gl...

The conflict between Antonin Mooncrest and Ardel Redmoor comes to bloodshed. Who will survive? Meanwhile, Arlene struggles to adapt to a working woman’s life; her inexperience threatens to leave her and Gwen without a roof over their heads. You won’t want to miss the conclusion of Chapter 9, which will be released on June 21. In the meantime, check out our official discussion foru...

CONTENT NOTE: This episode depicts a physically and emotionally abusive domestic situation from the beginning until the 4:15 timestamp. Please use your discretion in listening. In Billy’s vision, the young man must contend with his father’s harmful expectations. Will he escape with his mind and soul intact? Our next episode will be released on June 7. In the meantime, be sure to h...

As Bryce Riverfell’s medics tend to our children in the infirmary at Freehold, the poison they ingested produces striking visions in their minds. In this episode, Nelson struggles with doubt over whether his life so far would make his parents proud. Darkness on the Edge of Town, Pt. 3 will premiere on May 24. Be sure to subscribe, and check out our discussion forum at reddit.com/r/oncea...

In the premiere of our ninth chapter, Billy and Jen push each other to acknowledge their true feelings about being in Iorden, but they are interrupted by the Templars of Discord, and quickly succumb to the same poison which incapacitated Nelson. Will the Kids’ fate be left in the hands of their fell captors, or will anyone come to their rescue? And what of Arlene and Gwen’s urgent need...

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our first ever Fan Q&A. That’s @Anarchaelogist on Twitter, Rena and /u/screwbuharvard2 on Reddit, and Logan Waterman on Facebook. If you want to keep the conversation going, hit us up on Twitter (twitter.com/_toafn), Reddit (reddit.com/r/onceandfuturenerd), or Facebook (facebook.com/toafn). Chapter 9, “Darkness on the Edge of Town,&#...

Nia and her companions are attacked by Renault D’Esprit, the “nice” necromancer. Will any escape the Cairn of Evil Untold with their lives? Or their souls? Will Renault ever shut his stupid face? (Probably not, on that last one.)  Meanwhile, at the Horse’s Head Inn near Freehold, the Kids get near to the information they seek, but are soon reminded that safety is a rar...

Brennen, Yllowyyn, Nia, and Regan venture into the ancient burial mound known as the Cairn of Evil Untold to retrieve an artifact for the Knights of the Wood. It goes…about as well as you’d expect for a place that’s called the Cairn of Evil Untold. But the ordeal will prove particularly trying for Nia, who must contend with an unsavory slice of her past. (Spoiler – it&#8217...

Alone in the Horse’s Head Inn, the Kids try to pry some information out of some out-of-place college students. But, as always, danger is just around the corner. Meanwhile, Antonin Mooncrest issues a public and irrevocable ultimatum to Ardel Redmoor. If you haven’t been to our discussion forum, you’ve missed out on some very lively discussion about Regan’s decision at t...