The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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.

Push It Real Good | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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.

Review: Episodes 10-12 of Critical Role’s “The Legend of Vox Machina” | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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.”

Review: Critical Role’s “The Legend of Vox Machina” Episodes 7-9 | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

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.”