The Archivist is just trying to record a You will need:
statement in peace. This would be easier if -2-6 people: 1 Archivist and some players
hello john everyone else would stop barging in with -The Magnus Archives episode transcripts
a The Magnus Archives rpg constant interruptions. If it's not cups of -at least 1 six-sided dice (d6)
tea, it's interventions. Or worms. Or being -a 5x5 bingo grid (p.3)
kidnapped, or clowns, or... et cetera. -a pencil (or a pen, or a rusty quill)
-at least some idea of what the show/episode is about
(As the podcast progresses, it becomes difficult for the Archivist to stop mid-statement or be This ruleset contains spoilers for TMA s1-4.
interrupted. This game ignores that, for the sake of convenience.)
Setup: Gameplay: End of game:
-Collectively pick a season of TMA. -Archivist: begin reading! Only read the -If any player gets bingo (crossing off
Archivist: suggest a statement from statement portion of the episode, no pre- or five in a row), the statement is
that season. You'll be reading the post-statement dialogue, and skip any canon completely derailed. The Archivist stops
statement aloud, so before starting, interruptions. reading. The player who got bingo rolls
read the content warnings and intro -Players: listen to the statement (providing 1d6 and consults the What now?! table
('Statement of...'); if anyone is improvised soundscape/foley as desired). When (p.2) to determine what's going on.
uncomfortable or would prefer a the Archivist says a word that's on your grid, -Starting with the player who got bingo
different statement, they can veto it. cross it off, knock on the table and interrupt. and going clockwise, players each choose
-All: Discuss how serious/silly of a -To interrupt: roll 1d6 on the Who? table, then a character from the Who? table to
tone you're aiming for, and any group the Why? table (p.2). Roleplay a scene with the roleplay as for the final scene.
safety measures, e.g. an X card. Archivist, as that character interrupting for -Roleplay the scene as a group. When the
-Players: secretly fill out a 5x5 that reason. Once you've made your exit again, person who got bingo feels the time is
bingo grid with thematically-relevant the Archivist resumes reading the statement. right, they may ‘turn off the tape
words that you think will be used in -If multiple players interrupt on the same word, recorder’, ending the scene and the
the statement. Do this without looking everyone involved rolls Who?, rerolling any game. (This can be a cliffhanger.)
at the text of the statement! Use overlaps. Then roll one collective Why?, and -If nobody gets bingo, the Archivist
nouns, verbs, adjectives (e.g. worm, play out the scene. rolls What Now?! after the statement has
dark). Avoid connectives, pronouns, or -Scenes have no obligation to be canon-compliant concluded, and decides when to turn off
filler words (e.g. I, and). in plot events, characterisation, or tone. the tape recorder.
Rules quibbles: Free choice:
Plurals count: spider may be crossed off for spiders, etc. Rolling a 6 on the Who? table lets you choose any character you
Different tenses and conjugations of verbs count: ran for runs, want for your scene. This includes any of the characters listed
running, etc. on the Who? table, or any other character you can think of.
Different names for the same Fear count: Eye for Beholding, etc. Your choice is not limited to characters that canonically
Proper nouns count as one word even if they’re made up of appear in the season you’re playing, but if it’s someone the
multiple words. The Magnus Institute is one square, not three. Archivist hasn’t met before, make sure to introduce yourself,
Your group can decide its own stance on what ‘counts’ as a word. and if it’s someone who ought to be dead/absent/on a kayaking
Change any of these suggestions if you feel like it. trip, have them explain how it is that they’re here.
1
Who? Why? What now?!
S1
Who? Why? What now?!
S2
Who? Why? What now?!
S3
Who? Why? What now?!
S4
2
free
space
Credits:
Written/formatted November 2020 by Mo Farr.
Find me on Twitter @motagonist—please get in
touch with any questions/feedback!
The Magnus Archives is a podcast distributed
by Rusty Quill Ltd. and licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial
Sharealike 4.0 International Licence. This
game is fan-made and not for profit. Find
more information about The Magnus Archives
and listen to all the episodes at
[Link]/the-magnus-archives.
