Godkiller: Balance features a pantheon of Actual Play diets
The gods die. More specifically, they are being murdered. The world finds itself on the other side of the cataclysmic Great Divine War, losing its magic as it waits for a prophesied savior. But that’s not this story. This is the story for that. The story of Ever and Rake, two Godkillers lost in their own grief as they try to find answers in a world that offers none – until they find each other.
This is the story of Godkiller: Balance. First premiere in August 2024, Godkiller: Balance is a prestige drama podcast that explores how we deal with grief, often to our own detriment. The limited series features a pantheon of guest artists playing the gods themselves, including Brennan Lee Mulligan, Matt Mercer, Arabia Iyengar, Anjali Bhimani, Luis Carazo and Christian Navarro. While these big names bring to the table some of the most emotionally resonant performances of their actual stage careers, the heart of the series lies with the three core cast members: Gina Susanna as Ever, Jannes Wessels as Rake and Em Carlson as everyone else. .
Over the course of twenty episodes, audiences listen to the parallel journeys of the meek, obsessively driven Ever and the cynically callous Rake. Ever, searching for a cure for the disease that took her father figure, and Rake, obediently following the violent whims of his divine mother, find mirror images of themselves in each other as they discover that the pursuit of redemption can save us or destroy us. .
A member of BlackwaterDND’s main campaign, Wessels’ portrayal of Rake’s tortured submission is reminiscent of Theon Greyjoy’s Reek from Game of Thrones. An emerging performer in the real performance space, Susanna offers a nuanced range of hope and despair in her performance as Ever, ranging from tender, gentle love to bottomless despair with a level of craftsmanship that allows her to hold her own alongside titans of the actual playing medium.
The series is helmed by BlackwaterDND cast member Carlson, who directs more honest experience as a mental health professional as both a shield and a sword, creating space for some of the most emotionally powerful role-playing I’ve encountered as a true theater critic. Carlson’s editing and sound design, while subtle, support the cast by balancing gameplay and performance and leaving room for the heartbreaking silences in between.
However, this series is not for everyone. Godkillera dark fantasy game with holy punk, designed by Connie Chang of Transplaner fame, is not a fast-paced, action-packed comedy vehicle. The series takes its time developing these arcs and revels in the weight of the world it’s built – though you’ll be rewarded if you slow down enough to carry that weight. It doesn’t shy away from navigating the realities of its chosen theme, weaving emotional abuse, substance use and derealization into its narrative web (with associated content warnings before each episode).
Although Balance is technically a prequel to BlackwaterDND’s previous series Godkiller: Oblivionthe series requires no prior knowledge of the world – although viewers of BlackwaterDND’s main campaign will find Easter eggs from the shared universe. At the time of writing, 10 of the 20 limited series have premiered, meaning there’s plenty of time to catch up as the series heads into its second act.
Episodes of Godkiller: Balance premieres biweekly on BlackwaterDNDor wherever podcasts are found.