The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Fourth of July and American Cryptids | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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
Happy Fourth of July, Goblins. To celebrate, we invited a couple of our friends, Inver and Sydney, to chat about the most patriotic thing we could think of: the red-blooded cryptids unique to this U.S of A. We got Mothman. We got Slenderman. We got Skunk Apes. We got the Flatwoods Monster.
So raise your beer, grab your hamburgers, and huddle around the grill to listen this extra-long episode full of aliens, monsters, and the dwellers of the Hollow Earth. E Mothmanibus Unum.
Also, we got an email from a listener who asking about the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers RPG.

A GIANT Unearthed Arcana Release and a GROTESQUE Bestiary | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

A GIANT Unearthed Arcana Release and A Grotesque System-Neutral Bestiary
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
The Unearthed Arcana actually was pretty reasonably sized, but it still felt like a lot because of the subject matter. Josh throws his usual prosecutorial shade at this playtest materials. It's interesting that most Unearthed Arcana seems to be kind of overpowered when it comes out. It's like Wizards and the Dungeons and Dragons design team is like "Hey, let's throw ALL this stuff at the wall. We'll see if anyone out there wants to pull us back from the edge before we make it an official release.
A Grotesworth of Grotesques is a fantastic system-neutral bestiary that you absolutely should buy. It's influenced by old-timey scientific treatises from the likes of explorers such as Alexander Von Humboldt. It's a bargain at twice the price. We probably should have broken this one out into its own episode, but maybe we can get the creator on for an interview to make up for that.
Time Codes
Correction! (2:28)
Giants Unearthed Arcana (4:45)
A Groatsworth of Grotesques (48:50)
Additional Resources
Wizards of the Coast: Giant Options Unearthed Arcana (with videos!) https://dnd.wizards.com/unearthed-arcana/giant-options
A Groatsworth of Grotesques: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/357543/A-Groatsworth-of-Grotesques
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, an actual play)
JOIN OUR DISCORD: bit.ly/goblindiscord
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.

Monsters of the Multiverse: Great or Grift? | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Monsters of the Multiverse: Great or Grift?
I consider myself somewhat plugged into Wizards of the Coast’s release schedule, but this new Mordenkainen almost snuck past me. I saw “multiverse” in the title and immediately thought they chose the name to cleverly tie into “Spiderman” and "Doctor Strange.” There was an Unearthed Arcana in 2021 called “Travelers of the Multiverse” and it mainly featured player races associated with the “Spelljammer” setting, which we all knew was coming out in 2022. My mind immediately went there. “This must be some kind of additional bestiary for Spelljammer!” So that’s on me for not investigating further before I supported my Local Gaming Store to the tune of $50. I sat there alternating between reading and feeling miffed until both activities merged into a melange of mild dejection. I put it away and sat with the feeling for a couple of days. tl;dr: I changed my mind. Listen to this episode and read the rest of the blog post from which I pulled the preceding!
ALSO: Be sure to join our Discord. Then you can do things like one member, Dr. Glaucon, did and correct me about the ability to buy certain things ala carte from D&D Beyond. I had no idea! He was able to do this because he's on Patreon and got the video version of the episode three days early! Be like Dr. Glaucon!

Second Edition AD&D Spelljammer | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Second Edition AD&D Spelljammer
Episode Introduction
Thanks for sticking with us after the delay on last week's episode. That was totally Brandon's fault! We're back on the horse this week to talk about the original Spelljammer from Second Edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. Once the Fifth Edition version comes out in a couple of months we'll see how different they really are. We were looking at the "Legend of SPelljammer" box set that came out in 1991. Spelljammer itself came out in 1991. It was a long day, so Brandon refers a few times to the setting coming out in 1991, not 1989. Just roll with it. We're all tired. Also, Goblins and Growlers is going to be at Queen City Anime Con this year August 5-7. Come see us! We'll be doing panels and running the tabletop gaming room. Visit www.queencityanimecon.com for details. 
Additional Resources
Big thanks to Harbs Narbs for getting an email interview with Jeff Grubb so I didn't have to risk rejection to do so myself! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ5y_9TdIJQ&t=8s
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, an actual play)
JOIN OUR DISCORD: bit.ly/goblindiscord
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.

Hey, Hey, Episode Delay a.k.a. Brandon You Dope | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Hey, Hey, Episode Delay a.k.a. Brandon You Dope
How’s everyone doing this fine Monday morning (or whenever you’re listening to this)?
So, I’ve got a confession to make. It’s Real Talk Time. I know we promised you an episode on Spelljammer Second Edition to dovetail with last episode’s discussion of the upcoming 5E Spelljammer.
HOWEVER
I’ve got no new episode for you this week, but it’s totally my fault.
What happened was this:
We hired a fantastic new editor to help us with production on the podcast. I sent him the audio tracks for the Spelljammer 2E episode. Except I didn’t. I accidentally sent him the wrong files. I sent him the new ones after I realized what happened and he’s working on them now. 
So here’s the plan:
NEXT Monday, May 30, Memorial Day in the United States, we’ll release the Spelljammer 2E episode. And then, to say on track, THE FOLLOWING Monday, June 6, we’ll release another new episode. Josh and I had a really good conversation/review for Mordenkainen’s Multiverse of Monsters where we talk not only about the book but also the publishing strategy behind it and analyze a couple of interviews with Jeremy Crawford, the main game design architect for D&D. It was a really fun conversation!
In the meantime, please Tweet us your frustrations, hopes, and dreams at @WayOfBrandolore, @BlackCloakDM, or @goblinsgrowlers. Also hop on the Discord at bit.ly/goblindiscord.
Anyway, folks. Again, sorry about this one — it’s all on me.
Sidenote: I’m recording this at around midnight on Sunday night. I just got back from a Bit Brigade concert and am full of the amped-up energy you have when you come back from a live music show. If you’ve never seen Bit Brigade, please check them out. I recommend any of their Meagan 2 performances.
I’m about to brush my teeth and head to bed. I hope everyone has an awesome week where you set goals, accomplish them, and wow people with how amazing you are. You are amazing! Let’s all try to lift people up this week. Tell your friends/family/co-workers/whoever that they’re awesome and capable and can take on the world. Spread around the love.
Talk to you all next week. Hope to see you in the Discord between now and then. 
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, an actual play)
JOIN OUR DISCORD: bit.ly/goblindiscord
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.

Spelljammer 5E and Hostile Takeovers | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Spelljammer 5E and Hostile Takeovers
Episode Introduction
A doubleheader of topics today. We start off with our best understanding/interpretation of the attempted hostile takeover of Hasbro by hedge fund Alta Fox. They're trying to get people on the Hasbro board so they can spin off Wizards of the Coast into an independent company. Maybe there's an argument to be made there, but it's a complicated subject and there's politics on both sides of it. THEN, we get into the real fun stuff and chat about the new Fifth Edition Spelljammer setting announcement. It's almost like they're putting out an honest-to-goodness box set for this! We talk about what the product is going to look like and go over the basics of the setting in case you weren't familiar with it from its Second Edition origins. Get your giant space hamsters ready.
Topics
Alta Fox's attempted takeover of Hasbro to spin off Wizards of the Coast (1:00)
Spelljammer is coming to Fifth Edition. We talk about the setting and the specific product being released in August (26:00)
Additional Resources
https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2022/04/wotc-proxy-battle-heats-up-hasbro-slams-spin-off-plans.html
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220426006218/en/Alta-Fox-Files-Definitive-Proxy-Statement-and-Sends-Letter-to-Hasbro-Shareholders
https://investor.hasbro.com/news-releases/news-release-details/hasbro-board-directors-issues-letter-shareholders
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-17/alta-fox-said-to-push-hasbro-for-wizards-of-the-coast-spinoff
https://dnd.wizards.com/products/spelljammer
https://www.cbr.com/spelljammer-collection-expect-dnd-5e/
https://arcaneeye.com/dnd-news/spelljammer-5e-announcement/
https://www.polygon.com/22722987/dungeons-dragons-spelljammer-reboot-5e-fifth-edition
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, an actual play)
JOIN OUR DISCORD: bit.ly/goblindiscord
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.

”Conan Unchained!” DnD Module: Is This Best In Life? | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Conan Unchained!
Episode Introduction
“The GMs forgot the secret of old modules, and we who found it, are just podcasters… Just podcasters. Not Twitch streamers, not gaming journalists, just podcasters. The secret of old modules has always carried with them a mystery. You must learn their riddle, listeners. You must learn their discipline. For no site, no site in this world you can trust. Not Facebook, not Reddit, not forums. Old modules, you can trust.” - Conan’s father, probably
Brandon and Josh sat down on a Saturday morning to watch the first Conan the Barbarian film, and record an episode about the AD&D Module “Conan Unchained!” Join them as they share their thoughts on the work, expanding out to cover some of their opinions on early wargaming D&D, and general thoughts about the Conan films. 
About “Conan Unchained!”: Released in 1984 for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, written by David “Zeb” Cook, with art by Jeff Butler. Conan Unchained! includes four pre-generated characters, the adjusted rules for running adventures in this setting, and a full adventure ranging from levels 10-14.
Topics
Introduction (0:48)
David Cook before “Zeb” (1:58)
Book Vs. Movie as source material (3:33)
The Setting (square peg, round hole) (5:14)
The pre-generated characters (and why you should definitely use them) (8:23)
Stats specific to the setting (9:49)
Comparing Luck Points to Force Points (13:34)
Fear checks (14:50)
Keeping in mind the era this was written, and the system it’s for (16:46)
Hyboria is significantly lower-magic than Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms (18:09)
Without the Conan pastiche, this adventure is so-so (20:28)
If you’re wanting to play something like this now (22:22)
New monsters! But only technically plural (23:07)
Detailing the pre-generated character sheets (25:43)
Maps, Atlases, and similar material (27:32)
Jeff Butler, the artist for the book (31:17)
Additional Resources
 Conan Unchained! On Archive.org https://archive.org/details/tsr09123cb1conanunchainedlevel1014
 Conan Unchained! Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conan_Unchained!
Jeff Butler’s website, featuring a lot of his work https://jeff-butler.com/
 
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, an actual play)
JOIN OUR DISCORD: bit.ly/goblindiscord
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 Mind Behind ’The End’: Part 2 of Our Interview with Joe Donka | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

The Mind Behind 'The End': Part 2 of Our Interview with Joe Donka | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast
Episode Introduction
Welcome to part 2 of our interview with Joe Donka, creator of "The End," the 1995 Christian Apocalypse role-playing game that was banned from GenCon. This is essentially part 3 of our Joe Donka Trilogy so, if you haven't already, be sure to go back and listen to our January 10 episode where we discuss the game for the first time, then go back and listen to the first part of our interview on on March 28.
We're so grateful to Joe for taking time out of his day to talk to us and share stories about this fascinating and unique property he created. I had a smile on my face the whole time I was editing this. I decided I'm not even going to put time codes in this episode because it's such a fun interview that you really should listen to the whole thing. 
Obviously there are some mature themes discussed here -- maybe a little bit moreso than last week -- so keep that in mind as you're listening. Fortunately there was only one part where we had to do any bleeping.
And thanks again to Joe because he sent us a copy of the Judges screen and two autographed copies of "The End." They're glorious.
About Joe: Joe is a semi-retired (maybe?) game designer. The primary mind behind Scapegoat Games, half of Tyranny Games, and the principal creator of "The End," a post-apocalyptic game about the people left behind after the devout are whisked off to heaven, and the evil whisked off to hell. “The meek shall inherit the Earth” wasn’t a promise, it was a warning.
Additional Resources
GGP Reviews The End: https://goblinsandgrowlers.podbean.com/e/the-end-a-tabletop-rpg-about-the-christian-apocalypse/ 
Part 1 of our interview: https://goblinsandgrowlers.podbean.com/e/the-mind-behind-the-end-joe-donka-pt-1/
The End (Second Edition): https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/778/The-End-Lost-Souls-Edition 
Of Gods and Men: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/840/Of-Gods-and-Men 
Tyranny Games: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/25/Tyranny-Games
"The End" on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_(role-playing_game)
Richard Kane Ferguson's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rkaneferguson/?hl=en
Richard Kane Ferguson's portfolio: https://scryfall.com/search?as=full&order=name&q=a%3A%22richard+kane+ferguson%22&utm_source=mci
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://www.instagram.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, an actual play)
JOIN OUR DISCORD: bit.ly/goblindiscord
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 Mind Behind ”The End”: Part 1 of Our Interview with Joe Donka | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

The Mind Behind 'The End': Part 1 of Our Interview with Joe Donka | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast
Episode Introduction
We’re joined today by Joe Donka, creator of "The End," a roleplaying game set in the Christian Apocalypse. After spending hours scouring the internet for alternate ways to contact Joe, Brandon and I came up with a game plan for if we didn’t hear from him, then we both got busy with life as we often do. In the meantime, Joe reached back out to Brandon and agreed to an interview! The excitement is palpable. Get ready as we interview the mind behind "The End," getting context, and having some of our wild speculation corrected!
About Joe: Joe is a semi-retired (maybe?) game designer. The primary mind behind Scapegoat Games, half of Tyranny Games, and the principal creator of "The End," a post-apocalyptic game about the people left behind after the devout are whisked off to heaven, and the evil whisked off to hell. “The meek shall inherit the Earth” wasn’t a promise, it was a warning.
Topics
Introduction (0:23)
Mrs. Donka’s amusement at the whole situation (1:36)
How we came to review The End in the first place (2:35)
Joe’s first collaborator Shane (3:56)
“Special Thanks to Denny’s” (4:56)
Wanting to be an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances (7:08)
Joe’s early life, how it influenced The End (10:22)
Joe sets the record straight on his age (12:49)
The gestation period of The End from concept to publishing (15:20)
Scapegoat Games staff (20:02)
Harry Liebowitz and Brandon the Optimist (21:12)
The End is the Dark Souls of TTRPGs (23:39)
Joe’s favorite philosophers (26:07)
Back to God, WA (29:22)
Joe’s love for post-apocalypse media (30:46)
Joe’s (at the time) plans for Scapegoat Games (33:13)
The Fall of Scapegoat (34:15)
Naming the company Scapegoat Games (43:29)
Getting banned from Gen Con (44:10)
“If he’s working this hard, it’s going to be successful.” (50:44)
Outro (52:12)
Additional Resources
GGP Reviews The End: https://goblinsandgrowlers.podbean.com/e/the-end-a-tabletop-rpg-about-the-christian-apocalypse/ 
The End: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/778/The-End-Lost-Souls-Edition 
Of Gods and Men: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/840/Of-Gods-and-Men 
Joe Donka Games: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/25/Tyranny-Games 
 
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, an actual play)
JOIN OUR DISCORD: bit.ly/goblindiscord
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.

Power Rangers TTRPG from Renegade Games Studios | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Power Rangers TTRPG from Renegade Games Studios
Episode Introduction
Brandon pretty much goes full nerd in this one. He doesn't get a ton of opportunities to talk about Power Rangers and Super Sentai, though, so give him a break. This week he and Josh review Renegade Games Studios' new "Power Rangers Roleplaying Game" which, if you needed a hint, is based on the classic Power Rangers franchise, specifically the first six seasons from the 1990s.
It originally was supposed to use the Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition system, but the developers made a late change and created their own system instead, but it still feels a lot like 5e. There are ups (relatively simple to get started) and downs (sloppy production) to this game, but it's worth checking out if you're a fan of Power Rangers.
Do you own it? Have you run a game yet? Tell us what you think of it or what you might have done differently if you were the game designer.