Welcome home. This is Audio EXP, the weekly podcast from Geek Native. I am your host, Girdy, and today is the 23rd of May, 2026. This week, we are looking at a critical shift in remote-work standards, a sudden retreat on adult content policies by a crowdfunding giant, and breaking news from one of the largest fan celebrations in global media history.
[The following is a transcript of Audio EXP: #334]
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Before we jump into the deep-dive headlines, an update on our immediate future. Next week is a massive milestone for the tabletop community as we head down to Birmingham for the 20th Anniversary of the UK Games Expo. Because it is going to eat up absolutely all of my time, the brilliant Bronwen is covering for me next week. Now, to take the pressure completely off her in case she finds the technical hurdles of pulling a late-night podcast together at the short notice I’ve given her, let us establish a formal rule: if there is no Audio EXP next week, we are collectively assuming she was left to heroically fight off a sudden infestation of technical gremlins.
Regarding community milestones, here is a quick update on our monthly events. The current roleplaying game publisher spotlight honouree for May is ndvmaps. While they did not respond to our multiple requests for an interview ahead of the pre-convention rush, we pushed forward with a comprehensive spotlight piece regardless. It is a fantastic look at their unique digital design talent, and you can read the full Spotlight on ndvmaps: The Inkarnate Talent over on the site right now.
Our top story this week focuses on a bold structural pivot in how tabletop media is produced. Wiltshire-based publisher Mongoose Publishing is actively breaking industry norms by launching an open-ended recruitment drive for a permanent, full-time video content creator. While the wider roleplaying game sector heavily relies on decentralised, remote freelance networks for promotional material, Mongoose is challenging remote-work standards by legally mandating that this new specialist must work entirely on-site at their Swindon headquarters. Anchored by a guaranteed baseline salary of £35,000 per annum, this in-person studio setup is paired with a strict, absolute ban on utilising AI tools in creative projects – offering genuine workplace stability while firmly protecting traditional, manual content creation pipelines.
Meanwhile, the digital funding space has experienced a whiplash-inducing policy reversal. Following intense, widespread creator backlash over what was widely dubbed “the crowdfunding purge,” Kickstarter has briefly backtracked on adult content rules . The platform originally attempted to squeeze mature-themed tabletop content off the site. However, after prominent indie designers threatened a coordinated, permanent mass migration to alternative platforms like BackerKit, the corporate ecosystem folded, proving that independent tabletop creators wield massive leverage when they organise collectively.
In hard-nosed tabletop business news, we are tracking a pair of sudden, bittersweet transitions for indie settings. First, it is a sad day for fans as community creators are left to take over Achtung! Cthulhu as Modiphius halts the line. Rather than letting the setting vanish permanently into a dark corner, the publisher is transitioning the intellectual property over to community creators, allowing the grassroots fanbase to take the wheel and drive the narrative forward independently.
Similarly, the Dead End publisher, Atomic Ninja Studios, has announced a sudden closure and a final digital bundle. They are bowing out of the market entirely, but they are offering a final, massive digital bundle to ensure fans can secure their entire catalogue before the digital shutters close for good.
On a brighter note, we have a phenomenal resurgence of a storytelling classic that has become a highly popular story on the site this week. James Wallis has partnered with 9th Level Games for a new edition of his classic storytelling game, The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Wallis’s return to this narrative engine represents a fantastic bridge between old-school roleplaying philosophy and modern, indie-first design mechanics.
Turning our attention to the upcoming convention, there is another fantastic indie project heading to the show floor that we’ve highlighted on the site. Black Armada is bringing their corrupted superhero story game, The Big H, to UK Games Expo 2026. It looks like an incredibly tense narrative experience for anyone making the trip down to Birmingham. Or perhaps an apt commentary about power corrupting.
In physical goodies, Bronwen uncovered a massive surprise hit this week with the striking new Lipstick Keyboard from Lofree. On the miniature side of the hobby, Games Workshop has revealed official Ciaphas Cain miniatures as Henry Cavill television speculation intensifies. The timing of the reveal is incredibly strategic, landing exactly as mainstream media speculation surrounding the upcoming Warhammer television universe reaches a complete fever pitch. Meanwhile, the trading card market is breaking records of its own, as the Goldin Spring Auction sets record highs for rare Pokémon and One Piece cards.
We turn now to a historic moment for international media. The 10th Annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards have officially concluded, shattering all previous engagement metrics as global fan voting surged past an unbelievable 73 million votes. Here is a bulleted breakdown of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026 major winners, where My Hero Academia Final Season took the top prize:
- My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON triumphed by taking home the highly coveted overall Anime of the Year prize.
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle swept the cinematic category, securing the title of Film of the Year.
- Lazarus captured the award for Best Original Anime, solidifying its massive creative impact on the community.
- ONE PIECE deservingly took the crown for Best Continuing Series, proving the absolute longevity of the legendary franchise.
- Gachiakuta secured the title of Best New Series, validating its explosive debut over the past year.
We wrap up this week with an expansion of the digital tabletop space and a chance for you to win a major piece of software. Beyond the Maps: RPG Stories VTT’s Infinite Worlds expands the 3D virtual tabletop, bringing robust, multi-genre environment-building tools to game masters. To celebrate the launch, we are running a massive competition to win a key for the 3D VTT RPG Stories on the site right now. You can find the entry mechanics right alongside our digital deals at the bottom of the show notes.
Good luck to Bronwen with the upcoming gremlins. 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.
