Hello and welcome home.
This is Audio EXP, the weekly podcast from Geek Native. I am your host, Girdy.
[The following is a transcript of Audio EXP: #329]
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There was no episode last week, and I apologise for that. I was away attending Conpulsion, Scotland’s oldest tabletop gaming convention.
I should have warned you about the possibility of a skipped week, but I forgot and didn’t have the stamina to record a late-night podcast after a very long weekend of gaming.
However, we did get some excellent news out of the convention, including highlighting the last chance to play the prototype version two of Alexa MacBett’s Track Dogs.
If you noticed a significant number of Genre Police articles from Ben Jackson-Ellery going live over the last fortnight, that is directly related to my absence. It was incredibly useful to pull these great roleplaying game tips and essays from the content bank while I was out. Now is a perfect time to highlight the new Genre Police HQ on the site. It serves as a master index and a fully searchable archive of all the brilliant Genre Police articles published over the years. You can find links to it at the bottom of every Genre Police article.
We also published our roleplaying game publisher spotlight interview with Mythmere Games this week. We had the pleasure of speaking with Matt Finch, who discussed the Tome of Adventure Design and the mechanics behind OSRIC 3. It is a fantastic read for anyone interested in old-school Renaissance design.
Looking at the broader industry, we are seeing strong pushback in the anti-artificial intelligence and pro-independent-creator space. Oxford’s CAPTION festival is making headlines by drawing a firm line in the sand and tackling the threat of generative artificial intelligence to human artists.
Meanwhile, the UK Games Expo is enforcing strict new rules for its Bastion Indie Market. They are explicitly banning any projects that rely on crowdfunding, in an attempt to preserve space for truly grassroots, independent creators who bring finished, self-funded games to the table.
In retail news, we have a pair of stories focusing on the lifeblood of the hobby: the friendly local game store.
We explored how precision procurement is solving the notorious Warhammer stock crisis, acting as the Mother of Army Builders for frustrated tabletop generals. That’s a story about Loaded Dice, who let gamers custom-design their entire Warhammer army, and they wait while Loaded Dice finds the most cost-effective way to buy it new for them.
Closer to home, Aberdeen’s Thistle Tavern is expanding. They have hit an impressive two million-pound milestone. They are preparing to open a brand-new flagship store in the Scottish capital, proving that physical retail can absolutely thrive with the right community focus.
Is your FLGS aiming for £2 million in turnover?
It has been a complicated week for Dungeons and Dragons. First, we looked at the Gygax controversies, exploring Gary Gygax’s complicated legacy ahead of the highly anticipated 2026 return to the Greyhawk campaign setting.
We also discussed how Wizards of the Coast is bringing Innsmouth style horror to Ravenloft, though our coverage suggests the real terror for fans might actually be pre-order fatigue.
Finally, we analysed the legal grey area surrounding the new official Dungeons and Dragons actual play series. The core question being asked by the community is whether it is genuinely an entertainment show or simply a sixty-minute, heavily produced advert for upcoming products.
Moving outside the main news clusters, we have some brilliantly quirky stories. A fascinating new academic paper has formally explored the murderhobo phenomenon in tabletop roleplaying games, dissecting exactly why players so often resort to wandering violence.
For those seeking an alternative to combat, the newly announced Dam Nation offers a roleplaying game focused entirely on peaceful autonomy and society-building after a collapse.
And looking ahead to the UK Games Expo, industry veterans Erik Mona and Jason Bulmahn from Paizo have announced they will be debuting a brand new project titled 13 Omens at the convention.
We wrap up this week with an absolute avalanche of digital bundles to stock your digital shelves:
- You can save the world or end it with the massive Fellowship roleplaying game bundle.
- If you prefer science fiction, check out Lampblack and Brimstone’s Perilous Void collection for survival among the stars.
- Fantasy fans can find vast savings on the Pathfinder Remastered collection, ranging from the Grand Bazaar to the sewers.
- We also have the Souls-like Viking fantasy of the Runecairn roleplaying game bundle.
- Finally, you can dive deep into the dark woods of Davokar by grabbing 25 Symbaroum roleplaying game books for under 14 pounds.
That is it for this week. Thanks for listening to Audio EXP. For all the links and full stories, head over to Geek Native. Until next week, stay geeky.
