Too Many Tabs with Pearlmania500

Episode: PEARLMANIA CASE FILES: 3rd ANNUAL HALLOWEEN TTRPG (featuring Hisnamewasdusk) | TMT 151
Date: October 26, 2025
Featuring: Pearlmania500 (A), Mrs. Pearl Mania (B), Hisnamewasdusk/Dusk (C)

Episode Overview

This special Halloween episode marks the third annual TTRPG (tabletop role-playing game) event on the show, featuring guest Hisnamewasdusk as game master. The husband-and-wife duo (Pearlmania500 and Mrs. Pearl Mania) and Dusk play an original adventure using "Monster of the Week," taking on roles reminiscent of X-Files and Philadelphia folklore—complete with costumes, homemade lasagna, and a murder investigation involving Ben Franklin impersonators, organ theft, and a grotesque Franklinstein-monster.

The tone is deeply tongue-in-cheek, full of local Philadelphia flavor, playful banter, Halloween hijinks, and loving parodies of genre fiction. Listeners are treated to a blend of TTRPG actual play, improv comedy, and affectionate city roast.

Key Episode Segments, Highlights, and Quotes

1. Halloween Introductions & Costumes (01:32–06:02)

• The group introduces their Halloween costumes—Luigi, Garfield, and Laa-Laa the Teletubby (or "Pizza the Hut"), leading to much debate about costume authenticity and budget priorities.
• Memorable bit: Mrs. Pearl Mania spends her costume budget making a real, gluten-free lasagna to honor Garfield.
• Quote (05:49):
  "Grocery prices are so spooky right now."
  – Pearlmania500 (A)

2. A Return to Monster of the Week (06:02–09:20)

• Dusk sets the stage: this campaign is a "sequel" to a previous Halloween episode, carrying forward characters Steve Stevenson and Agent Jane Doe ("like Scully and Mulder, but if Mulder was basically Kevin James").
• The pair reminisce about the previous adventure and clarify the difference between their costumes and their game characters.

Game Begins: The Mystery Unfolds

3. The Cold Open: Murder Most Historical (09:20–11:20)

• Dusk describes a cinematic, found-footage-style scene: a colonial-era town crier is murdered on a Philly street, with the camera panning ominously and ending on a dropped handbell.
• Atmospheric beat: The gameplay's tone is playful, yet Dusk leans into horror tropes for comedic effect.

4. The Case Assignment & Background (11:20–18:00)

• Jane Doe gets a 5am call from Gray Ellis, leader of the Philadelphia Society for Cryptids, who needs help breaking into a morgue to check a suspicious corpse.
• The victim looks like Ben Franklin. Gray suspects a repeat of prior "Ben Franklin impersonator" killings.
• Introducing both the absurd premise and stakes: Ben Franklin lookalikes are being murdered for organs.
• Quote (15:35): "Why would you steal the organs of Ben Franklin impersonators?"
  – Mrs. Pearl Mania (B)

5. The Ben Franklin Files & Visiting the Boss (19:47–23:59)

• The agents convince their Tom Waits-esque boss (played by "Tom Waits") to look into the old Franklin murder files.
• It's revealed the previous killer was a cannibalistic Franklin lookalike—currently locked up in the Franklin Institute for the Criminally Insane.
• Quote (22:45):
  "We just didn't expect the cannibalism."
  – Dusk (C) as Tom Waits

Diving Deeper: Interrogations and South Philly Adventure

6. Interview with the Cannibal Ben Franklin (23:59–41:08)

• The duo visits the incarcerated Franklin, who offers negotiations in exchange for a cheesesteak (with whiz, 'like a monster').
• His chilling, matter-of-fact admissions: he murdered and consumed organs from impersonators to prolong his immortality.
• He suggests someone is copying his crimes, but claims a cruder method ("the bruising is clumsy—a real amateur").
• Quote (25:49):
  "Us Franklins, we're allergic to TastyKakes."
  – Dusk (C) as the Incarcerated Ben Franklin

7. Fieldwork: Death on the Sidewalk (41:08–56:58)

• At the South Philly crime scene, Jane Doe spots two different shoe prints and finds a strange orange-red hair/string—clues indicating the killer may have been in disguise.
• The neighbors are both suspicious and disinterested, offering up (after some humorous negotiation) that a man in a "grody" Gritty costume was seen on the block. The killer appeared to be dropped off in a champagne-colored 2005 Buick LeSabre.
• Quote (54:00):
  "He looked like Gritty—like, the hockey guy. But not Gritty. Like, grody."
  – Dusk (C), channeling the Philly neighbor

Splitting the Party

8. Undercover Franklin & Costume Store Clues (65:48–74:03)

• Steve decides to go undercover as a Ben Franklin impersonator, guilt-tripping his Ben lookalike genes for the cause.
• At Party City, they learn someone named "J.J. Josiah" recently bought an orange hockey "Muppet" costume.
• The group splits up: Steve (as Franklin) goes to meet the other Ben Franklin impersonators; Jane Doe pursues Josiah.

9. Ben Franklin Union Meeting & House of Horrors (74:03–86:48)

• Steve gathers Philly's remaining Franklin impersonators; awkward alpha-male standoffs ensue over Franklin trivia.
• Jane confronts "J.J. Josiah": after a brief chase, she discovers he's a monstrous, stitched-together "Franklinstein"—childlike, confused, and living in squalor.
• The house reeks of cleaning products; the basement is a graveyard of Franklin parts, deeply unsettling both players.
• Quote (77:22):
  "He's a Franklinstein's monster."
  – Dusk (C)

10. The True Villain is Revealed—Josiah Franklin Jr. (96:58–100:01)

• The real killer is Josiah Franklin Jr., Ben's jealous older brother, embittered by living in his famous sibling’s shadow.
• He's assembled a Mega-Franklinstein from body parts to surpass Ben—a manic, stitched horror with multiple heads.
• Quote (97:22):
  "Ben Franklin wasn't even the oldest sibling, okay? ...So not anymore. I have been feeding on all of the Ben Franklin imposters and making myself more Franklin than Ben Franklin could ever be."
  – Dusk (C) as Josiah Franklin Jr.

11. Showdown and Resolution (100:01–118:04)

• Jane deduces Franklinstein’s weakness: TastyKakes. Steve feeds it a butterscotch crimpet, weakening the monster.
• A gory fight ensues—Ben Franklin lookalikes rush to the rescue (bearing brooms, nunchucks, and a gun). The heroes, barely surviving, defeat the Mega-Franklinstein with teamwork and swordplay.
• Franklinstein is subdued (after an almost childlike standoff over a gun), and the agents return him for rehabilitation—a sweet, strange fate as he gets a job as tour guide in costume at Independence Hall.
• Steve reveals his true identity as Winchester heir, promoting Jane to regional assistant manager.
• Tom Waits, dismissed as boss, threatens a protest song (wrapping with classic office sitcom energy).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On real Philadelphia:
  "Just one time, could the monsters go after the PPA? Because then we would just let them go. The Philadelphia Parking Authority gets eaten by monsters. Oh, no, whatever shall we do?"
  – Pearlmania500 (A) [50:44]

• Neighborhood watch:
  "Why would you approach a man dressed as Gritty? No, you wouldn't. You go, you know what that feels like? Not my problem."
  – Mrs. Pearl Mania (B) [55:01]

• The monster’s weakness revealed:
  "Steve, do you still have that TastyKake in your pocket?... Feed the face the TastyKake. Feed it the butterscotch."
  – Mrs. Pearl Mania (B) [103:26]

• Meta moment on Franklinstein creation:
  "I'm going to be honest, I did come up with Franklinstein and then was like, well, I think that's just what I'm doing."
  – Dusk (C) [119:42]

Structure & Flow Notes

• 01:32–06:02: Costume chaos and lasagna.
• 06:02–09:20: Recap, TTRPG setup.
• 09:20–18:00: Inciting murder, first clues.
• 18:00–41:08: Morgue, calamity, Franklin canon.
• 41:08–56:58: Crime scene investigation, Gritty lead.
• 65:48–74:03: Split party—costume store and Franklin gathering.
• 74:03–91:32: Ben Franklin union, Jane’s house of horrors.
• 91:32–101:10: Underground lair, mega monster, gory fight, TastyKake gambit.
• 101:10–118:04: Finale, job promotions, wrap-up.

Tone and Style

• Nonstop banter, inside jokes, and Philly-accented humor.
• The hosts maintain a “we are barely keeping it together” energy—deliberately poking fun at the tropes of detective fiction, RPGs, and Philadelphia urban legends.
• The game master (Dusk) delivers genre tropes with comedic exaggeration.
• Even the horror is affectionate, carnival-like in tone.

For First-Time Listeners

• You do NOT need prior TTRPG or show knowledge to enjoy—it's formatted like a comedic radio play.
• Expect a whirlwind of silly investigative steps, city-specific color, and loving ridicule of both Philly and nerd culture.
• The episode is ideal for lovers of improv, Halloween specials, TTRPGs, or anyone who’s ever gotten lost in South Philly.

Calls to Action & Credits

• Dusk promotes his “Secret Garden Adventure Club” Kickstarter ([120:00]).
• Main plug: hisnamewasdusk.com for music and podcast projects.
• Running gags about lasagna, ads, costumes, local politics, and the dangers of too many tabs (and Franklins) close out the show with the podcast theme.

Timestamps Reference Table

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------|-------------------| | Halloween costumes, lasagna bit | 01:32–06:02 | | TTRPG setup and intro | 06:02–09:20 | | The "found footage" murder cold open | 09:20–11:20 | | Jane Doe gets her 5am call from Gray Ellis | 11:20–12:53 | | Morgue scene, body revealed as Franklinite | 14:18–16:13 | | Cannibal Franklin in Franklin Institute | 23:59–41:08 | | Crime scene in South Philly, clues & Gritty | 41:08–56:58 | | Undercover Ben Franklin & party split | 65:48–74:03 | | Jane finds Franklinstein at Josiah's home | 74:03–86:48 | | Mega-Monster reveal and battle | 96:58–111:04 | | Finale, denouement, job reveal | 113:01–118:19 | | Outro, Kickstarter promo, closing jokes | 119:42–end |

Final Words

"Remember to smile."
The episode’s sweetly anarchic, hyper-local, and full of loving jibes at TTRPGs, Halloween, and the oddities of living (and dying) in Philadelphia. It’s the Too Many Tabs crew at their collaborative, imaginative best.