The Goblins and Growlers Podcast
Hey, we do awesome tabletop stuff. Since 2018, Goblins and Growlers has been: - Running public TTRPG events in local breweries and restaurants in Richmond - Writing and publishing all our own original (award-winning) content - Producing ”Quid Pro Roll,” a 90k+ download narrative tabletop podcast - Producing ”The Goblins and Growlers Podcast,” an interview and discussion show about fun gaming products and topics - Presenting panels, performing on stage, and running organized tabletop events at gaming and pop culture conventions up and down the East Coast
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Episodes
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
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.
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Monday Mar 14, 2022
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.
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Push It Real Good
Episode Introduction
Josh and Brandon’re here and we’re in effect. It’s been a while since it was just us on the show. They catch up on some personal news, as well as talking about Brandon’s latest TTRPG product selection, and some basic Twitter drama. Relatedly discussing an indie TTRPG system called Alter Arms.
The meat of this week’s episode is Cezar Capacle’s Push SRD, a rules-light game design system, which Josh repeatedly calls “beautifully simplistic.”
Topics
Personal news (0:27).
Power Rangers RPG (1:23)
Alter Arms (3:59)
Cezar Capacle (9:25)
Push (10:53)
Push Synopsis (14:08)
“The Oracle” (16:01)
Echoes of The Quiet Year as well as Lasers & Feelings (18:20)
Brandon’s designing a game??? (23:11)
Cezar on Twitter, Spelling, and Josh totally knows the NATO phonetic alphabet (26:19)
Cezar’s narrative voice, and intentional omission (29:04)
Minimizing the numbers put into your game (30:48)
"We are not number crunchy bois." (36:32)
Wrestling Facts (38:47)
Traits in Push (45:05)
Wrapping up & outro (49.05)
Additional Resources
Power Rangers RPG by Renegade Game Studios:https://renegadegamestudios.com/game-world/power-rangers/power-rangers-roleplaying-game/
Alter Arms by Duffy Austin: https://www.alterarms.com/ https://twitter.com/AlterArms
Cezar Capacle’s links: https://capacle.bio.link/
Push by Cezar Capacle:https://capacle.itch.io/push
The Quiet Year by Avery Alder: https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/the-quiet-year
Lasers & Feelings by John Harper: http://www.onesevendesign.com/laserfeelings/
Short Rest Mug by Cezar Capacle:https://hicsuntdracones.threadless.com/designs/short-rest/accessories/mug/standard
And just for fun:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCadcBR95oU
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.
Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
Review: Critical Role’s “The Legend of Vox Machina” Episodes 10-12
Episode Introduction
Here we are 12 episodes later reviewing the final installments of the first season of Critical Role's "The Legend of Vox Machina." Brandon knew nothing about Critical Role going into to this, so odes he want to keep watching or has he soured on it? Has the series rejuvenated Gabe's interest in Critical Role after becoming something of a lapsed fan? Also: it's a spoiler review.
A couple of notes:
- The final episode of our SEO-cash-in review series!
- This was a solid and entertaining season. If the second season is anywhere close to this then we're all about it.
- Do you want to hear use review more gaming, fantasy, and gaming-fantasy-adjacent stuff? Let us know at contact@goblinsandgrowlers.com OR tweet us @WayofBrandolore and @BlackCloakDM
P.S.: Minimal editing on this one given the tight turnaround and, frankly, exhaustion. Forgive all the “ums,” “uhs,” and “likes.”
Monday Feb 14, 2022
Monday Feb 14, 2022
Review: Critical Role’s “The Legend of Vox Machina” Episodes 7-9
Episode Introduction
Happy Valentine's Day. Brandon + Gabe = Review of episodes 7-9 of "The Legend of Vox Machina" from Critical Role and Prime Video. We're in the stride. Everything feels cohesive (except for Pike's story) and our episode notes are suffering from us being engrossed in the plot. By the end of this batch we're rounding third and are on the cusp of the final action in the season. It's pretty great so far and Brandon, who's ignorant of all things Critical Role, is fully bought-in at this point. Also: it's a spoiler review.
A couple of notes:
- Next week's review should come out on Tuesday because of the regular GGP release day.
These third batch of three episodes of this 12-episode series dropped on Thursday, Feb. 10 (EST). The final three episodes will release Thursday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. EST.
P.S.: Minimal editing on this one given the tight turnaround, folks. Forgive all the “ums,” “uhs,” and “likes.”
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Review: Critical Role’s “The Legend of Vox Machina” Episodes 4-6
Episode Introduction
Brandon and Gabe are back with a review of episodes 4-6 of "The Legend of Vox Machina" from Critical Role and Prime Video. This batch of episodes feels so much more cohesive than episodes 1, 2 and 3. The story gets rolling kept us engaged through all three 24-minute installments. After the somewhat bumpy episodes 1 and 2, it feels like the show has hit its stride. We're invested now and would be binging them for our own enjoyment even if we weren't recording reviews! Also: it's a spoiler review.
A couple of notes:
- No timecodes for this one. It was a much less structured discussion because we didn't have to rehash things like animation quality, etc. It's more or less chronological through the episodes.
- Next week's review should come out on Monday. This one came out Tuesday because Monday was already the regular bi-weekly GGP release.
These second batch of three episodes of this 12-episode series dropped on Friday, Feb. 4. Three additional episodes will be released every Friday with the season concluding on Feb. 18.
P.S.: Minimal editing on this one given the tight turnaround, folks. Forgive all the “ums,” “uhs,” and “likes.”
Monday Feb 07, 2022
Monday Feb 07, 2022
Amnesia Campaigns: Who Am I? Why Am I Here!
Episode Introduction
Noah Downs (he's a lawyer, but he's a cool lawyer) returns this week to talk with us about amnesia campaigns. How fun is it when your players have no idea who they are or what they're doing. If you're not as old as me, you can Google "Admiral Stockdale debate" to see the first thing I thought of when we discussed talking about this topic.
Noah's reasons for discussing this aren't entirely altruistic, however. He has a new amnesia campaign actual-play podcast to push. Follow "Forgotten Paths" on all the podcast platforms to join Noah and his players as they answer the who, what, where, when, and why of their existence.
About Noah: Noah Downs (@MyLawyerFriend) is an experienced gaming, entertainment, and intellectual property attorney at Premack Rogers P.C.. He is also a part-time GM on Twitch, and is the GM/Lead Writer for the Forgotten Paths D&D 5E Live-Play Podcast. You can find Noah on Twitch, Twitter, and TikTok at @MyLawyerFriend, and you can find the Forgotten Paths Podcast on your favorite podcatcher, or by following @paths_forgotten on Twitter.
Production note: I've listed the topics below in order, but no time codes, because I wrote them all down BEFORE I realized I hadn't trimmed some stuff from the beginning or added music, so they were all off my a few minutes. We can only do the best we can and try to do better the next time.
Monday Jan 31, 2022
Monday Jan 31, 2022
Review: Critical Role’s “The Legend of Vox Machina” Episodes 1-3
Episode Introduction
Josh was busy this weekend, so Brandon and Gabe hijacked the podcast to do a review of the new “Critical Role” animated series, “The Legend of Vox Machina.” Gabe is a casual fan of “Critical Role” who fell out of regular listening because of the episode length. Brandon actually has never seen or listened to an episode of “Critical Role,” so he’s going into this series knowing nothing but with an open heart and open mind. Join them as they discuss the ups and downs of the first three episodes, the first two of which were essentially a two-part pilot, followed by a third episode that sets up the Briarwood arc. Spoilers within. Timecodes after the jump.
These first three episodes of this 12-episode series dropped (to the public) on Friday, Jan. 28. Three additional episodes will be released every Friday with the season concluding on Feb. 18.
Spoiler you won’t mind hearing: We enjoyed it.
P.S.: Minimal editing on this one given the tight turnaround, folks. Forgive all the “ums,” “uhs,” and “likes.”
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Monday Jan 24, 2022
How to Legally Publish Your TTRPG Content
Episode Introduction
We’re joined by guest Noah Downs (he’s a lawyer, but he’s a cool lawyer) to talk about OGLs and SRDs, the alphabet soups of publishing tabletop role-playing game content. Noah tells us about how Wizards of the Coast’s Open Gaming License works and how you can use the Fifth Edition System Reference Document to legally create content you can publish and monetize. We also discuss fan-content policies for podcasts and copyright and trademark basics.
About Noah: Noah Downs (@MyLawyerFriend) is an experienced gaming, entertainment, and intellectual property attorney at Premack Rogers P.C.. He is also a part-time GM on Twitch, and is the GM/Lead Writer for the Forgotten Paths D&D 5E Live-Play Podcast. You can find Noah on Twitch, Twitter, and TikTok at @MyLawyerFriend, and you can find the Forgotten Paths Podcast on your favorite podcatcher, or by following @paths_forgotten on Twitter.
Monday Jan 10, 2022
Monday Jan 10, 2022
”The End,” a tabletop RPG about the Christian Apocalypse
Episode Introduction
Josh and Brandon discuss 1995’s “The End” from Scapegoat Games. It’s a role-playing game based on the Christian Apocalypse and was kicked out of GenCon for its use of religious imagery. It’s bleak, interesting, and maybe came before its time. They also start down a rabbit hole of investigation and mystery as they try to get in touch with its creator to talk about how it came to be. Hopefully there will be a Part 2 to this with interviews!- Full show notes after the jump -