The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Deck of Many Things Review | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Good Goblin Monday! This week, we take a look at the (spoilers) fantastic "Deck of Many Things" after its delayed release thanks to production issues. We also talk about the Tales of the Valiant Game Master's Guide and this new D&D virtual reality game that seems to be in development. Deets after the jump.
Also, on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. EST, Josh and Brandon will be doing a live recording of the podcast over on our Twitch channel. We hope you can join us for the first podcast edition of our popular convention panel, "Help! My Game is on Fire!" where players and GMs can ask for advice about how to deal with touchy issues in their games. Hope to see you there!
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Is this the END of a tabletop GOLDEN AGE? (Someone thinks so) | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Good Goblin Monday, everyone. This week, we're analyzing an essay that claims we're at the end of "The Golden Age of Tabletop Roleplaying Games." As you might expect, the writer is using the 2023 OGL Crisis as the jumping-off point for their argument, so this should be coming right after our "D&D is Stronger than Ever" episode. The essay has all the hallmarks of a hyperbolic reaction that blows things out of proportion, but some nuggets of truth in there are hard to disagree with. Full topics breakdown below the jump, along with a couple of other brief topics we hit at the top of the episode.
Have a great one and don't forget to join the Discord, sign up for the newsletter, and subscribe to the YouTube channel.

OGL One Year Later: Is D&D Stronger Than Ever Now?

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 it was this time last year. Check below for all the topics we discussed.
The OGL Controversy One Year Later
Despite the body blow to the company, is Wizards of the Coast actually *better off* now than they were a year ago?
WotC juking everyone with Creative Commons
D&D's 5.1 SRD going into Creative Commons wasn't at the top of anyone's list of probabilities when everything with OGL started.
Third Parties’ Plans Foiled
Third-party publishers clearly planned for a different outcome when they started announcing their upcoming D&D alternatives. But, once WotC went with Creative Commons, it seems like they scrambled to still move forward without losing face even though their original motivation was less and less relevant.
One D&D (Can we even call it that anymore)?
Call it One D&D, call it 6.0. Whatever it is, it's coming, and it remains to be seen if it's going to be "iterative" like was originally announced or an entirely new ruleset. You would think that releasing the 5.1 SRD into Creative Commons would incentivize them to release a whole new ruleset.
Wasn’t there a D&D movie?
Yes, and it bombed. We talk about why.
WotC’s Book Price Bloat
Sure there's inflation and things generally cost more, but what extra value are you getting for the additional cost of these books?
Planescape returns… is it worth it?
Rerelease, remix, or return to get your money back? Does the new 5E Planescape justify its existence?
Ernie Gygax and Justin La Nasa’s NuTSR files Chapter 7
Uninclusive company with a racist and transphobic product continues to have problems and files for bankruptcy after <blank>ing around and finding out.
Weird D&D channel
What's the deal with that D&D free ad-supported television channel? Who asked for this? More importantly, who's paying for it?
AI’s influence on content creation
AI has 100% affected every corner of content creation in the last year and WotC wasn't safe, either. We talk about the real AI art scandal and the smaller, made-up one that came at the end of the year.
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OBLIGATORY 'FORGOTTEN PATHS' PLUG
Also, I have to promote "Forgotten Paths," or Noah will hunt me down and end me chillingly and mysteriously. So anyway, check out "Forgotten Paths!
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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 and/or your podcatcher of choice. You can find and/or support us at all the places below:
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The Goblins and Growlers Podcast is produced by Goblins and Growlers, a Richmond, Virginia-based tabletop-roleplaying game content and events company dedicated to inclusivity through TTRPGs. 

Dungeons & Dragons Layoffs, Project Black Flag’s Relevancy | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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!
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Despite being the Atlas supporting the world that is Hasbro, layoffs also came to Wizards of the Coast this month, affecting well-known names such as Dan Dillon and Mike Mearls. Was this an instance of sharing the pain in a demonstration of "fairness" by the parent corporation? Also, is that new free-ad-supported Dungeons & Dragons channel part of Hasbro's Entertainment division? If so, then maybe don't get too attached to it.
Somewhat related to the layoffs, there's also some new kerfuffle over the use of AI art, but it seems like it could just be a misunderstanding from some folks on the Internet.
Finally, we chat about "Tales of the Valiant," nee "Project Black Flag." When Kobold Press announced this new roleplaying system, it was before Wizards of the Coast juked everyone and irrevocably placed the Fifth Edition System Reference Document into Creative Commons. Now that the core of 5E is protected like that, is there really a need for what Kobold Press' own people have called 5E with "a fresh coat of paint." Ultimately, what's their differentiator? What's their argument for us to purchase a new set of books with largely the same rules we already have? We dig into detail on all these during this episode of “The Goblins and Growlers Podcast.”
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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 and/or your podcatcher of choice. You can find and/or support us at all the places below:
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https://quidproroll.podbean.com (our sister podcast, the best actual play)
The Goblins and Growlers Podcast is produced by Goblins and Growlers, a Richmond, Virginia-based tabletop-roleplaying game content and events company dedicated to inclusivity through TTRPGs. 

Does D&D’s 2024 Release Slate Excite You? | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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 came out in 2023.
The 2024 D&D releases
Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, an update of a First Edition module.
Vecna: Eve of Ruin, featuring, obviously, the lich-god Vecna. Supposedly, this is some kind of tour of the D&D Multiverse.
The 2024 Player’s Handbook, part of the rules update formerly known as One D&D.
The Making of Original Dungeons and Dragons: 1970-1976, a collection of letters between D&D creators Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson along with images and scans from the original books with edits and footnotes. These letters have never been released to the public before.
Quests from the Infinite Staircase, an anthology collection of adventures.
We dig into detail on all these, including the potentially leaked and possibly incorrect release dates for them, during this episode of “The Goblins and Growlers Podcast.”
Also, here's an embarrassing picture of Brandon from PAX:
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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 and/or your podcatcher of choice. You can find and/or support us at all the places below:
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https://quidproroll.podbean.com (our sister podcast, the best actual play)
The Goblins and Growlers Podcast is produced by Goblins and Growlers, a Richmond, Virginia-based tabletop-roleplaying-game content and events company dedicated to inclusivity through TTRPGs.

5E Planescape Review - Is It Worth The Money? | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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!
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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 support us at all the places below:
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https://goblinsandgrowlers.podbean.com (and basically any other podcatcher)
https://quidproroll.podbean.com (our sister podcast, the best actual play)
The Goblins and Growlers Podcast is produced by Goblins and Growlers, a Richmond, Virginia-based tabletop-roleplaying-game content and events company dedicated to inclusivity through TTRPGs.

More Unpopular D&D Opinions | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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 participate in our gift exchange! https://exchange.throne.com/exchanges/gng23 
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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 support us at all the places below:
https://twitter.com/WayOfBrandolore 
https://twitter.com/BlackCloakDM
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https://goblinsandgrowlers.podbean.com (and basically any other podcatcher)
https://quidproroll.podbean.com (our sister podcast, the best actual play)
The Goblins and Growlers Podcast is produced by Goblins and Growlers, a Richmond, Virginia-based tabletop-roleplaying-game content and events company dedicated to inclusivity through TTRPGs.

The Machine: An Actual Play of a Haunting Indie Journaling Game | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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 play-by-post RPGs.
Over a couple of weeks, several of us wrote and recorded journal entries detailing many attempts to create an unknowable device with an inscrutable purpose. Here's a description of the game from its itch.io page that really captures the ambiance:
The curse snuck up on you, and now you can’t escape. You’re not sure how or when it began, but every waking moment, you feel the machine call to you.
Behind its words are music, beckoning you to build. The impossible notes echo in your mind, and you know what you must do. You can see it now, this manifold instrument.
You will complete this infernal machine or die trying.
We hope you all enjoy this sort-of-play. We'll do more of these if you all like them, so please let us know! Special thanks to Liz, Luke, Ollie, and Scott. Double thanks to Scott for all the production work he put into this.
We'll see you all next episode for Unpopular Opinions about Dungeons & Dragons.
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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 support us at all the places below:
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https://goblinsandgrowlers.podbean.com (and basically any other podcatcher)
https://quidproroll.podbean.com (our sister podcast, the best actual play)
The Goblins and Growlers Podcast is produced by Goblins and Growlers, a Richmond, Virginia-based tabletop-roleplaying-game content and events company dedicated to inclusivity through TTRPGs.

Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk Review -- Is It Half a Book? | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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.
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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 support us at all the places below:
https://twitter.com/WayOfBrandolore 
https://twitter.com/BlackCloakDM
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https://goblinsandgrowlers.podbean.com (and basically any other podcatcher)
https://quidproroll.podbean.com (our sister podcast, the best actual play)
The Goblins and Growlers Podcast is produced by Goblins and Growlers, a Richmond, Virginia-based tabletop-roleplaying-game content and events company dedicated to inclusivity through TTRPGs.

Glory of the Giants Review | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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! 
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LINKS
Wizards of the Coast store linkhttps://dndstore.wizards.com/us/en/product/820928/bigby-presents-glory-of-the-giants-digital-plus-physical-bundle
 
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 support us at all the places below:
https://twitter.com/WayOfBrandolore 
https://twitter.com/BlackCloakDM
https://patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers
https://facebook.com/GoblinsAndGrowlers
https://goblinsandgrowlers.podbean.com (and basically any other podcatcher)
https://quidproroll.podbean.com (our sister podcast, the best actual play)
The Goblins and Growlers Podcast is produced by Goblins and Growlers, a Richmond, Virginia-based tabletop-roleplaying-game content and events company dedicated to inclusivity through TTRPGs.