The First Shift at the Arcana Factory
If you’re a denizen of the internet, and especially D&D Instagram, you might already have heard of the Arcana Factory. Their imaginative approach to storytelling has drawn in hundreds of fans even before their first live-play episode has dropped.
And if you’re as excited about the launch of The Crystal Coalition as we are at the CTGA, then I have the inside scoop for you! I got to sit down with Azile and Nikada to talk about their upcoming campaign and what we can expect from the Arcana Factory when it debuts tomorrow.
The Arcana Factory
Created by: Azile Gloria and NikadaNK
Instagram: @arcanafactorystudios
Blue Sky: @arcanafactory
First Campaign: The Crystal Coalition
Game System: D&D 5E 2014
Launch Date: Friday, August 14th, 2026
Episode Schedule: Every Other Friday
Watch On: YouTube
The story of Arcana Factory begins at a game theory panel at VidCon2024, when the two founders were both already producing gaming content on their own, and discovered that their separate skillsets worked really well together. They share a love for creating fantasy worlds, but where Nikada loves the behind the scenes process — Azile thieves in the social media environment. Together they’ve become an unstoppable force, a factory if you will, for producing creative TTRPG content at the speed of light.
They describe themselves as a very yin-and-yang team; Nikada says, “I love the editing process, but Azile unlocks that potential and spreads it out to everyone.” You can see this dualistic thread of collaboration running through every part of the brand they’re building. The eye-catching orange and purple of their logo are their favorite colors, and the name Arcana Factory itself was likewise chosen to represent a blending of the mystical and mundane.
AF has big plans already for their channel with Nikada DMing for the first season, and Azile already working on her own campaign for the next one. They anticipate that seasons will last about a year, but want to leave wiggle room for the story to go where it needs to and reach a satisfying ending or tantalizing cliff-hanger.
Finding the Party
Nikada and Azile were blown away by how excited the community quickly became about their passion project. Their initial call for cast members was open to everyone, and everyone came out for it. As the audition tapes poured in, they quickly realized that they had something bigger than a D&D campaign on their hands.
Azile: “Initially, it was a portfolio piece between Nik and me. Then it became an opportunity, and we wanted to highlight other people’s work too. We want to create a platform where smaller artists can be seen and heard.”
Going viral was an unexpected blessing that came with some responsibilities as well.
The number of auditions you got sounds overwhelming. What was your selection process like?
Azile: “We expected 20 people, but then had over 700 applications; it was a process, spending 2 weeks straight listening to the auditions. We got it narrowed down to 40. Then had chemistry testing, we wanted to see them interact before we made a decision.”
They both laughed through the description of the endless hours. Azile admitted that it was a long and sometimes stressful process that often led to “13 hour planning sessions on top of our regular lives”, but they made it through together. And now they have an incredible cast they can’t wait for you to meet — as well as an invested community backing them up!
Nikada: “It was a lot of growth, both public and private. WE ARE TWO PEOPLE. Trying to make it the best it can be. It requires a large adjustment to not only see the project but also not shy away from the challenge of dealing with 700 auditions. We had to meet every day; we really stepped up. We wanted to build something worthy of being seen by so many people.”
Azile: “Right now, we’re just a team of two. I was surprised by how many people wanted to help, even if they weren’t going to be on camera. That’s when it really hit. We had a moment together of just being like, ‘Oh my god, this is happening’. Tears were shed. It’s been an amazing journey.”
And true to her word, Azile let me know that their team grew to 24 people in between our interview and this article’s publication.
Is there anything you’d like to say to the folks who didn’t get cast?
Azile: “Keep auditioning! Even if this wasn’t your table, who’s to say there won’t be others in the future? And stick around for AF; we may need a recorded NPC message; so there will be more voice acting opportunities in the future.”
In addition to the bi-weekly episodes on Fridays, AF will be running lots of community events on their Discord. Right now they have an Artist Competition planned, Creative’s Hour, Game Nights, and a lot more! The community that’s already growing around the Crystal Coalition is full other amazing artists. Nikada said they’re already seeing fanart, “We’ve never experienced something like this. Receiving fanart? That’s us now? It’s a blessing we never imagined.”
Can you tell us anything about the cast?
Nikada: “The cast is all incredible actors and storytellers in their own right. To be able to collaborate with players that aren’t afraid to immerse themself and be vulnerable with the character creation process is a real blessing to a DM. Session 0 alone was 8 full hours. It’s a reminder of how impactful D&D is as a whole. I know a lot of people who use D&D as an escape. As a way to process what they’re going through in their day-to-day lives. They put a lot of themselves into the characters, just like I put a lot of myself and what I’ve experienced into the world.”
| Role | Character | Name | Socials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Theion Coivien | Jaxon Write | |
| Player | Tacitus "Taz" Fulcrum | Inertia | |
| Player | Lycos Agrios | Jackson Kane | |
| Player | Jeremy Squimp | Aiden Robert | |
| Player | Aesca Vimuer | Reagan | |
| Player | Iris Opalite | Azile Gloria | |
| Dungeon Master | — | Nikada | |
| Artist | — | Kacie Clark |
Azile: “There’s always truth in fiction. I live by that as a creator. You’ll see a lot of that reflected in the cast and the campaign. I’m going in blind as a player, but once we turned in our characters, Nik joined the chat and started giggling like a child because they fit together so well.”
The Crystal Coalition. Art by Kacie Clark.
Welcome to Azuria
The Crystal Coalition takes place in a homebrew world designed by Nikada: Cherisant. In this land, everyone is born with a crystal in their chest that gives them access to a wellspring of magic. Which is good, because the land is also plagued with mutated crystal monstrosities that threaten any community that forms. It’s a land in need of adventurers.
The campaign will start in Azuria, a bright and jewel-toned city home to rich and powerful mages. The city is protected by the Striker Gems, a guildhouse of adventurers vowing to protect the vulnerable from monsters and ne'er-do-wells. There was more laughter when I asked if any of the characters would be involved in this influential guild, so I can only assume that means the party will be full of upstanding citizens.
But all is not sparkling and beautiful in this world of the arcane; shadows and ancient curses lurk beneath the city and in the far reaches of the realm. Only time will tell how deeply the players may become entangled in them. There’s also the neighboring city-state of Panthora, a region ravaged by war and controlled by the rival Snatchers Guild.
Watch their introduction to Azuria on their Instagram.
Azuria is a really striking setting; what was the inspiration behind it?
Nikada: “It’s a mix of my mind and anime. I’m inspired by shows like My Hero Academia and Solo Leveling. How those shows embed a supernatural element into those themselves is fascinating. In Azuria, it’s crystals that fuel their magic. There’s also an academy people can go to increase their strength or magical abilities.
But D&D is a separate niche, and I didn’t want people to watch and be like “Oh, I know what anime this is from”. You have to translate those themes. It’s its own independent thing, but its roots are in anime.”
They have a balanced tone in mind for The Crystal Coalition. Viewers can expect whimsical moments, but also elements of horror and drama. At the end of the day, this is a world of people getting to wield really cool crystal magic, and they want it to feel empowering.
If you only had one day to visit Azuria, what could you absolutely not miss?
Nikada: “Definitely, definitely see the graduation parade. In Azuria, there’s an academy for magically higher education, for adventurers and researchers. Twice a year, they release their graduating classes and celebrate them with a huge parade. There’s fireworks, parties; it’s a whole thing. So make sure to time your trip for one of those.”
Don’t miss the first episode of The Crystal Coalition!
Talking to Azile and Nik, I couldn’t help but notice how passionate they are about the show and the community they’re building. It’s clearly a world built with intention and designed to be fun to spend time in. I can't wait for the first episode, and I hope you join me! The AF team recommends tuning into the video version of the episodes, but they’ll also work in podcast form.
Nikada: “It will be audio, with graphics, created by the community, so do go to YouTube and watch. Great as a podcast too, but we would love for you to watch. The artists have worked really hard, and we want you to see how incredible it all looks."
The first episode drops on Friday August 14th, 2026, so don’t miss out! Check them out on their YouTube channel, and don’t forget to subscribe.
This blog is written by Rayne B. Whitington, based on an interview with Azile Gloria and NikadaNK of Arcana Factory.
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