The Meatgrinder is an anthology role playing game actual play series where no one survives for long. As characters die, new players cycle into the table, and the cycle continues until the story reaches its end. Every season promises new settings, new characters, and new horrors. But, like, in a fun way? In a fun way. It’s a funny show to listen to — trust us.
In Season 5 we find ourselves at the grand opening of the Great Eastern Mall — the largest mall in the world. The Great Eastern (located in scenic Jacksonville, FL) is so large it dwarfs even the massive Mall of Aremesia. But four hours in, something has gone horrifically wrong. Monsters emerge throughout the mall, and the doors to the outside world have sealed closed. The remaining survivors are just trying to find their way out, and some of them will do whatever it takes.
The Meatgrinder uses the “Super Awesome Action Heroes” role playing system. Episodes release every Tuesday from June 20th 2025 until it’s done?
Hosts: Trae Dorn, Gen Prock, Celeste Startwin, Ethan Flanagan, Scott Logan, and Amy Quinlan
The Meatgrinder is an anthology actual play podcast where everyone dies… a lot. Three players at a time enter fantastical worlds, and every time a character dies they cycle out and a new player joins the party. Each season runs approximately nine episodes, and is a self contained story.
The Meatgrinder uses the same RPG system as Stormwood & Associates (Super Awesome Action Heroes 2nd Ed. Revised) and shares its continuity.
S5E11. Showdown at Camp Spooky (Finale)
byThe Nerd & Tie Podcast Network
It’s finally here, the thrilling conclusion to our longest Meatgrinder yet! It’s time for our heroes to take on the mall itself. The real question is, will the monkey survive?
Content Warning: This series contains scenes of violence and horror. Listener discretion is advised.
The Meatgrinder takes place in a world that’s not unlike our own. About 60% of what you know about world history is exactly the same, and the other 40% is similar enough where you probably already know the broad strokes. The main difference? Probably all the magic, though the practice of it (at least in the United States of Aremesia) is highly regulated through the issuing of Federal Magic Licenses. Beyond that, the world is also inhabited by not just humans, but also elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins and halflings. Halcyon, Williams is a town in the Rocky Mountains, with a population just under 2,500 people. Isolated in a Box Canyon, getting in and out of Halcyon is difficult — and things have only gotten worse.
The United States of Aremesia
Season 1
Five days ago the town of Halcyon went dark. A small town in Williams, in the Western United States of Aremesia, the radiating magic levels are off the chart. With the only roads into this isolated mountain town closed, accessible only by small helicopters, an elite government team of operatives has been dispatched to control and contain the situation. And then, after those guys all got killed, they sent in these people.
Welcome to The Meatgrinder.
The Meatgrinder is a nine episode Actual Play limited series set in the same world as Stormwood & Associates — one that’s largely like our own, except humans are joined by elves, dwarves, goblins, orcs, and halflings — and magic is very real.
Hosts: Trae Dorn, Celeste Startwin*, Gen Prock, Becca Johnson*, Crysta C, and Scott Logan
Setting
The Meatgrinder takes place in a world that’s not unlike our own. About 60% of what you know about world history is exactly the same, and the other 40% is similar enough where you probably already know the broad strokes. The main difference? Probably all the magic, though the practice of it (at least in the United States of Aremesia) is highly regulated through the issuing of Federal Magic Licenses. Beyond that, the world is also inhabited by not just humans, but also elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins and halflings. Halcyon, Williams is a town in the Rocky Mountains, with a population just under 2,500 people. Isolated in a Box Canyon, getting in and out of Halcyon is difficult — and things have only gotten worse.
The United States of Aremesia
Season 2
A hundred years ago the Wizard Gallfus failed in overthrowing the rule of the evil Necromancer Kallofrax. As he lost his powers, he prophesied that a chosen one would rise up on the eighth day of Balmond to defeat him. Gallfus was, frankly, lying. Still retaining his immortality, the wizard traveled the world, eventually telling dozens and dozens of kids that they were secretly the chosen one.
Because again, he was lying… but if you toss enough “chosen ones” at a problem, maybe it will fix itself?
Welcome to The Meatgrinder season two.
The Meatgrinder uses the “Super Awesome Action Heroes” role playing system. Episodes release on the 15th of each month.
Hosts: Trae Dorn, Celeste Startwin*, Gen Prock, Becca Johnson*, Crysta C, Scott Logan, and Sean Corse
Season 3
The Meatgrinder is an anthology role playing game actual play series where no one survives for long. As characters die, new players cycle into the table, and the cycle continues until the story reaches its end. Every season promises new settings, new characters, and new horrors. But, like, in a fun way? In a fun way. It’s a funny show to listen to — trust us.
Season 3 of The Meatgrinder brings us to the future year of 2249, as the sentient races of earth have reached for the stars. The ISF Bellerophon with its count of 10,000 passengers is headed to the colony world of Praxion 7. Even at faster than light speed, the journey will take ten years, and with the exception of three crew at a time taking month long shifts to run the ship, the colonists all sleep in their stasis pods.
Unaware that five years into this journey something has gone very, very wrong.
The Meatgrinder uses the “Super Awesome Action Heroes” role playing system. Episodes release on the 15th of each month.
Hosts: Trae Dorn, Celeste Startwin*, Gen Prock, Becca Johnson*, Crysta C, and Scott Logan
Season 4
The Meatgrinder is an anthology role playing game actual play series where no one survives for long. As characters die, new players cycle into the table, and the cycle continues until the story reaches its end. Every season promises new settings, new characters, and new horrors. But, like, in a fun way? In a fun way. It’s a funny show to listen to — trust us.
In Season 4 of The Meatgrinder strangers awaken in a jungle complex with no memory of how they arrived, or what horrors lie in front of them. Someone has laid a series of deadly challenges in front of them, and there is no hope for escape. Will anyone survive this truly nightmarish meatgrinder?
The Meatgrinder uses the “Super Awesome Action Heroes” role playing system. Episodes release every Tuesday from June 4th 2024 to July 30th 2024
Hosts: Trae Dorn, Gen Prock, Becca Johnson, Crysta C, and Amy Quinlan
* – Season 1 of The Meatgrinder was recorded in September of 2020, and Season 2 in September of 2021. Celeste Startwin is referred to as “Nick Izumi” and Becca Johnson as “Kyle Johnson” in the show audio for those seasons as those are the names they were using at the time of recording. In season 3, recorded in September of 2022, Becca Johnson is still referred to as “Kyle” in the show audio for the same reason.
