Welcome home. This is Audio EXP, the weekly podcast from Geek Native. I am your host, Girdy, and today is the 13th of June, 2026. This week, we are dissecting a major crisis for one of the industry’s largest roleplaying publishers, examining strict new software boundaries on the web’s biggest digital RPG storefront, and welcoming a very special guest to the show to rant about the state of modern pop culture.
[The following is a transcript of Audio EXP: #337]
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Before we dive into the headlines, we have a quick update on our ongoing community events. For the month of June, Dice Average RPG are our celebrated honourees for the RPG Publisher Spotlight. I am in touch with the studio right now, and our deep-dive Q&A is officially underway, so keep an eye on the site over the coming days to read the full interview.
We also have a bit of a surprise segment to kick off the show. Our very own Bronwen has hijacked part of the podcast this week to share some strong opinions about a trending piece she published on Wednesday. I will let her take the microphone.
Bronwen: “Hi Girdy. Girdinator. Girdfather Andrew. I’m crashing your podcast this week because I have somethin’ to share, and that is that I have had it with dark timeline revivals and sequels to our favourite, popular TV shows. The worst example and offender is Picard, but I’ve also been pretty upset by what they recently did to Tommy Shelby, and other beloved characters, taking our joy, comfort and nostalgia and then just basically stamping all over it. Now, I posted this on Wednesday and so many people seem to agree with me. Do you? Anyway, I’ve found a coping mechanism, a way of dealing with this when – not if – it happens to you (because the studios aren’t likely to stop) and well, I’ve included that in the blog. You can thank me later. Okay, as you were!”
You can read her full coping strategy and join the lively community debate over on her opinion piece on depressing TV reboots.
Our lead story this week looks at a severe economic shockwave rippling through the tabletop hobby. Paizo has announced a major corporate restructuring and immediate layoffs following a distribution deadlock with Diamond Comics. This ongoing logjam has severely throttled the physical pipeline of Pathfinder and Starfinder products to comic book shops and hobby retailers. With supply chains stalled and revenue tied up in distribution logistics, Paizo has been forced to downsize its staff and realign its publishing schedule, sending ripples through the industry and highlighting how vulnerable even major publishers remain to legacy comic-channel distribution networks.
Meanwhile, the digital ecosystem is experiencing a sharp policy shift to protect user security. DriveThruRPG has officially updated its storefront rules to completely eliminate new executable software. To combat growing security vulnerabilities and malware risks, the platform will no longer accept stand-alone tools, generators, or virtual tabletop applications packaged as .exe files. From now on, digital creators looking to sell software must do so elsewhere as the TTRPG store sticks to the PDFs, ePubs and other static documents that made it so successful.
In miniature wargaming news, a historic lore barrier has just been completely shattered. Games Workshop has broken a 38-year silence by officially revealing the Emperor’s true state in Warhammer 40k 11th Edition. Since the inception of the franchise, the true metaphysical and physical condition of the Master of Mankind has been shrouded in mystery and propaganda. Now, the 11th edition text explicitly addresses the status of “The Carrion Lord of the Imperium,” fundamentally altering the narrative landscape of the grim dark future and paving the way for sweeping reveals for the setting’s core lore.
On the television side of sci-fi, grim storylines are causing real-world anxiety. A cancelled Christmas Special and a sudden production tender has left the future of Doctor Who deeply uncertain. The BBC’s decision to open up the production logistics to outside corporate bidding, combined with the sudden erasure of a holiday staple, has fans and industry insiders questioning the long-term stability of the Whoniverse under its current co-production deals.
If you are looking for a lighter, more heroic escape from bleak realities, we have two excellent digital options. Superhero fans can celebrate as the Valiant Adventures superhero roleplaying game has officially landed on DriveThruComics, bringing the iconic comic universe to your tabletop using the acclaimed Mutants & Masterminds engine.
Finally, you can live the lowlife and save big on an Acheron Games Brancalonia RPG double feature. The premium spaghetti-fantasy setting is currently running a heavy discount on the site, making it the perfect time to grab their core books and dive into a world of roguish anti-heroes.
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.
