Josh was under the weather, so we were lucky enough to snag Noted TTRPG Attorney Noah Downs, Esq ., to come and talk about and offer his on-the-ground perspective about the tumultuous last 12 months in Dungeons & Dragons and the tabletop gaming space overall. Do you think Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro has recovered from the PR nightmare that was the Open Gaming License controversy? I'd argue that even with last month's layoffs, D&D is far stronger now and better positioned to thrive than i...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 73
Happy Christmas Eve! We figured we'd stick a present under your virtual tree and release this episode a day early! We hope everyone's had a great holiday season so far and we'll see you in the new year! GET OUR MONTHLY GAMING NEWS NEWSLETTER: https://goblinsandgrowlers.beehiiv.com/subscribe CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE AND GIVE US A SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtSPHOe-0jQARPpxvi0xgHQ SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@goblinsandgrowlers Despite being the Atlas su...
Dec 24, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 72
On Today's Goblins and Growlers Podcast We’d planned today to talk about Kobold Press’ “Tales of the Valiant"/Project Black Flag, but had to change things up a bit. Brandon and a few of the other Goblins were at PAX Unplugged the weekend before last when Wizards of the Coast announced the 2024 lineup of Dungeons & Dragons books. So, much like last year, we decided to dive into the list a little bit to see if anything excited us. It's an interesting slate, but also very different from what ca...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 71
We finally get a chance to talk about Wizards of the Coast's new 5E Planescape release. It's snazzy as "box set"-style releases go these days, but is it worth your gold if you're looking for something new and different? What do you think of the new Planescape release? Let us know in our Discord ! SIGN UP FOR OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER (Indie game recommendations, TTRPG news, podcast updates) https://goblinsandgrowlers.beehiiv.com/subscribe JOIN 800+ GOBLINS ON OUR DISCORD http://bit.ly/goblindiscord...
Nov 27, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 70
Following long on the heels of our massively successful "Unpopular Dungeons & Dragons Opinions" episode, we're back with "Unpopular D&D Opinions Part 2." We once again have solicited some controversial and curmudgeonly thoughts on the state of Wizards of the Coast's TTPRG crown jewel. Do you have some unpopular opinions about D&D? Drop 'em in our Discord -- if we get enough, we'll do a Part 2.5! Check out today's sponsor, Throne Exchange! Sign up between now and November 27th, to par...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 69
And now for something completely different. For our Halloween-week release, The Goblins and Growlers Players present the haunting tale of... The Machine! " The Machine " is "A serial journal roleplaying game for as many players as you wish by Adira Slattery and Fen Slattery . Gameplay happens across days, weeks, or even months. Only one person plays this game at a time, but many people play it in sequence." It's great fun and you should check it out. It's kind of like a hyper-detailed version of...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 68
This week we take a look at Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk. It's The Lost Mines of Phandelver plus, essentially, an extra adventure. Is this a full adventure or just half of one since the first part of it (more or less) was released as part of the original Starter Set? And how does that look coming right after Wizards of the Coast raised the price of the physical Dungeons & Dragons books? Join our Discord below and let us know what you think. SIGN UP FOR OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER (...
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 67
A mere 2 weeks and change after its release, the GGP boys are talking about Bigby's Glory of the Giants. Topics include but are not limited to: What's in the book? Is the $60 price tag justified? The AI art debacle that occurred shortly before release. AI in general. Having book content call on another (non-standard) book's content. And more! SIGN UP FOR OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER https://goblinsandgrowlers.beehiiv.com/subscribe JOIN 800+ GOBLINS ON OUR DISCORD http://bit.ly/goblindiscord LINKS Wiza...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 66
We all get tired of D&D (or Pathfinder or Other Gaming Systems Are Available) eventually, so this week we're touching base on some cool indie games available (mostly) on itch.io. It's a mix of high-concept, interpretations of other systems, and tossed salad and scrambled eggs. We'll be callin' again in two weeks with scrambled eggs all over our face. SIGN UP FOR OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER https://goblinsandgrowlers.beehiiv.com/subscribe JOIN 800+ GOBLINS ON OUR DISCORD http://bit.ly/goblindiscor...
Sep 18, 2023•50 min•Ep. 65
At the recent Queen City Anime Con, we were fortunate enough to meet Ash (they/them) who, by pure coincidence, happened to be as big a fan of animatronic children's entertainment pizza robots as Brandon. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so we got them on the podcast to chat about Nolan Bushnell, Pizza Time Theatre, Showbiz Pizza, Rock-a-Fire Explosion, and Charles Entertainment Cheese. Not a typical episode, but we had fun. SIGN UP FOR OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER https://goblinsandgrowle...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 64
Gather round and I'll tell you a story from long ago. Way back in the 1970s and 80s, if you wanted an interactive game that didn't require other people, you were basically out of luck. Fortunately, there was an option for those of us whiling away our elementary school days: The Choose Your Own Adventure books. These books had stories with branching paths that sometimes went is *extremely* weird directions. Josh and I snagged some CYOA books and had fun channeling our childhood selves with "Blood...
Aug 21, 2023•58 min•Ep. 63
This week, we divided and conquered to cover a couple of excellent 5e-compatible setting books from writer and illustrator Andrew Kolb. Josh decided there was no place like Kolb's "Oz" setting , while Brandon refused to grow up and talked about " Neverland ." They have lore, unique stat blocks, maps, and tables - oh so many tables. I would have liked to write more for these show notes, but I have to finish writing a paper for school and get ready to head to Queen City Anime Con later in the week...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 62
You'll hear on the intro why we had to pull this one out, but this is an interview we've been holding back for a while in case of a rainy day. That day has come. A good while back, Brandon interviewed Jason Michal, author of the upcoming "Questing for Glory," about his book. It's the definitive history of the "Quest for Glory" computer game series from the 90s which he's writing in collaboration with Lori and Cory Cole, the creators of "Quest for Glory." While the book hasn't come out yet, it's ...
Jul 25, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 61
Bad news for this week, GGPeeps, technical issues have taken our ability to release an episode. We'll be back in 2 weeks right as rain! SIGN UP FOR OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER https://goblinsandgrowlers.beehiiv.com/subscribe JOIN 800+ GOBLINS ON OUR DISCORD http://bit.ly/goblindiscord Catch you all next episode! LISTEN, RATE, AND SUBSCRIBE! If you like the show, please tell a friend about it. And if you want to tell more people, then please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. You can find and/or sup...
Jul 10, 2023•30 sec•Ep. 60
In this week's episode, we discuss the D&D Movie Honor Among Thieves (because we're very timely with these things), the chapter 7 bankruptcy filing of Ernie Gygax and Justin LaNasa's TSR, and finally a reflexive C&D issued by Renegade Game Studios to The Polyhedral Knights over the title of their Kickstarter project Renegade City. If you haven't reviewed us yet, take a minute to do so! If you have reviewed us, then telephone, telegraph, tell a friend about The Goblins and Growlers Podcast. SIGN ...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 59
I'll share something with you all. The edit on this episode has been done for a couple of days but it's only now, late on Sunday night, that I'm finally uploading it, scheduling it, and writing the show notes. I'd love to be able to translate this into a personal lesson on time management, but I truly believe we'll find ourselves in this scenario again in two weeks. ANYWAY. In this week's episode, we discuss the further OGL fallout of Pathfinder eliminating the Drow from its lore, the upcoming F...
Jun 12, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 58
It's a news roundup this week. Fresh off the heels of sending Pinkertons to hassle someone with pre-release Magic cards, Wizards of the Coast is upping the price of their D&D books! Fortunately, though, Kobold Press' "Tales of the Valiant" Kickstarter launched and it's already clocking in at more than $750,000, so you'll have options if you want to play some mainstream TTRPGs even if you bail on D&D. Also, there's going to be a 24-hour ad-supported D&D streaming service; I thought we already had...
May 29, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 57
This week we had the treat of an interview with Collyn Messier, the lead rules designer for Nations & Cannons, a new Revolutionary War setting for Fifth Edition. Because of a comedy of errors, it took about five months to schedule this interview and, unfortunately, we weren't able to publish it until just *after* their (highly successful) Kickstarter ended -- but the upside is that you can still pre-order! Nations & Cannons is a fun spin on regular 5E rules to adapt them to 18th-Century America....
May 15, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 56
It’s a news roundup this week on the Goblins and Growlers Podcast! We’ve got a few nuggets from Wizards of the Coast (including that Pinkerton situation with the pre-release Magic: The Gathering Cards) and a Pathfinder update along with some interesting news from smaller and indie publishers, including a fantastic Kickstarter for a fishing “DLC” for your 5e game. Also! We have a big Spring Sale going on at our Big Cartel store ! Most things are 10 percent off and you can use the code "GRAVYBOAT"...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 55
Episode Introduction Large Language Model AIs like ChatGPT and Bard are revolutionizing the way we create content in basically all sectors of business. We're back for part 2 of our discussion on the responsible use of AI tools for gamemastering and overall content creation for your tabletop games. How are you planning to use this tool, and what are your thoughts on the ethics of using AI-generated content for your own games? Let us know at [email protected] or on Twitter. Join our D...
Apr 17, 2023•54 min•Ep. 54
Episode Introduction The internet is abuzz with a variety of different ways to use Large Language Model AIs such as Chat-GPT and Bard. Today our hosts and special guest are going to discuss what the hell "Large Language Model AI" even means, how it's currently used, and how you might use it (ethically!!) to generate content for your at-home TTRPG adventures. Brandon shares some prompting tips, Tess pontificates on what the near future may hold, and Josh points out why AI will not be running corp...
Apr 03, 2023•48 min•Ep. 53
Episode Introduction First things first: We've launched a new monthly newsletter, the Goblins and Growlers Gazette. Here are your key takeaways: It's got some TTRPG news, indie game recommendations, and some hot takes from our podcasts and elsewhere. Also, showing us you're subscribed will get you 10 percent off our booth merchandise at conventions. It's a quick read and a way for all of us to stay connected a little better. Check it out and sign up here. Now for the episode: We have a couple of...
Mar 20, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 52
Episode Introduction Is the mere depiction of enslavement enough to classify an entire Dungeons & Dragons setting as problematic? Maybe. Recently there was some low-grade Twitter fire about D&D's "Dark Sun" setting, a fan-favorite from the Second Edition era. The setting is known for being D&D on hard mode -- a mostly barren planet ruled by draconic sorcerer kings who revel in oppression, enslavement, and gladiatorial combat; it's a daily struggle to survive on Athas. Wizards of the Coast employ...
Mar 06, 2023•58 min•Ep. 50
Episode Introduction Wizards of the Coast, D&D and the 5e SRD have been dominating the news lately. The whole situation has gotten people talking and thinking a lot more about cool indie games that shouldn't be overlooked. To get away from the 800-pound gorilla that is Dungeons and Dragons, Josh and Brandon picked out a few cool indie games from itch.io . One's about ghosts and another is about demons, so there's a definite trend starting, but they also talk about elder gods in a 1979 beach comm...
Feb 13, 2023•47 min•Ep. 48
Episode Introduction Important stuff happening once again! Thanks to intense community backlash, Wizards of the Coast has changed their mind about creating a new, uber-draconian Open Gaming License designed to take the money of the hard-working third-party publishers who've been popularizing D&D since Fifth Edition came out. They've gone a step further than a lot of us were expecting by releasing the 5E system reference document into Creative Commons, which makes it, essentially, public domain a...
Jan 30, 2023•38 min•Ep. 47
Episode Introduction Well, a lot certainly happened while we were gone. All anyone's talking about is Wizards of the Coast trying to roll out the new Open Gaming License and, presumably, put a lot of third-party publishers out of business with the royalty clauses et al. We invited attorney Noah Downs (@MyLawyerFriend pretty much everywhere) to talk through all the legal issues here, read between the lines of what Wizards is trying to accomplish, and predict where this will all end. Also, it was ...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 46
Episode Introduction Welcome to the first-annual Geepers Awards! With 2022 being our first full-year of The Goblins and Growlers Podcast, we decided to take a spin through the last 12 months and touch on each episode from the year. We blitz down the episode list and discuss our favorite and least-favorite topics, guests, and product reviews. At the end of the episode we vote on our favorites and see who earns the inaugural Geepers Award, representing excellence in the field of gaming excellence....
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 45
Episode Introduction Goblins and Growlers recently resumed regular gaming events in Richmond after more than two years dealing with fits and starts depending on COVID numbers. We've always written our own, original adventures for these games, so starting up games again meant having to write some more original content. Over the years, we learned not only how to write targeted adventures that lasted roughly three hours -- the usual length of our events -- but also how to structure them in such a w...
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 44
Episode Introduction Catching up on a few news items this episode, but first, we have to say hello to friend-of-the-show Joe Donka. He shot us a quick message saying he enjoyed our Satanic Panic episode. Thanks, Joe! For podcast newcomers, be sure to go back and listen to our "Joe Donka Trilogy" from earlier in the year. We tracked down Joe so we could talk to him about "The End," his Apocalyptic TTRPG. Then Brandon showed his support for Kelsey Grammar's hopeful return to the role of Beast from...
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 43
Telephone, telegraph, tell a friend about the podcast. Also feel free to leave some five-star reviews on your podcast platform of choice! It really helps put the show in front of new listeners. Episode Introduction We talk about the Satanic Panic and, in the style of responsible journalists, try to contextualize it to both the cultural and economic mores of the time. This is part 2 of our vaguely Halloween-themed conversation about the stigma of tabletop roleplaying games throughout a large part...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 42
