Welcome home. This is Audio EXP, the weekly podcast from Geek Native. I am your host, Girdy, and today is the 11th of July, 2026. This week, we explore digital preservation, which opens a classic portal to tabletop history, examine a collaborative storefront alliance that bypasses traditional supply chain hurdles, and check in on an interview with newly crowned award winners.
[The following is a transcript of Audio EXP: #341]
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Before we dive into our stories, we have an update on our ongoing community initiatives. Following up on last week’s RPG Spotlight voting results, I have officially sent our interview request to Menagerie Press via Messenger, their preferred channel. We are hoping to get cracking on that conversation shortly, so stay tuned.
Our lead story this week looks at a massive victory for digital preservation and gaming history. The premier issue of White Dwarf magazine has officially been made available to read on the Internet Archive. It’s been there since late 2025, but who knew to look?
White Dwarf was launched in June 1977 by co-founders Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson. The debut issue and nearly 100 more have been digitised and added to the platform’s open-source Magazine Rack collection. Long before it became the dedicated house organ for Warhammer, the publication served as a general gaming journal covering the wider, nascent industry. This digital copy provides a fascinating look back at an era when Games Workshop actively distributed and reviewed competitor rulebooks, offering rare early articles for systems like Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest, and Traveller.
In modern publishing logistics, independent creators are testing a fresh collaborative retail festival. The ENNIEs Emporium 2026 has officially launched on BackerKit, showing how independent publishers are pioneering curated tabletop marketplaces. Running from the 6th to the 16th of July, this joint storefront partnership gathers recent award nominees to host rapid, ten-day fulfilment campaigns for products that are already manufactured and ready to ship. By teaming up, small design teams can bypass legacy distributors, coordinate international shipping, and offer instant digital downloads. A prominent participant this year is Scotland’s own Handiwork Games, showcasing the distinct visual style of their setting, Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland, led by illustrator Jon Hodgson.
This collaborative drive perfectly aligns with our next feature. Fresh off their high-profile win at the Origins Game Fair, we sat down for a detailed interview with Ben Costa and James Parks, the creative team behind Land of Eem. The authors shared their journey of transitioning their original graphic novel series into a Roleplaying Game of the Year title. They discussed their specific design philosophy, which deliberately rewards creative problem-solving and social roleplaying over standard combat loops, alongside their unique approach to writing a bestiary that treats monsters as individual people with complex personal motivations rather than simple targets.
We also have a second exclusive designer conversation on the site this week that addresses the complexities of adult themes in the hobby. We hosted a fascinating Q&A with Ashton Baker regarding the mechanics and safety parameters of Courtesans’ Guild. The upcoming Catacolyte Games supplement introduces a modular Rogue subclass built around political infiltration, espionage, and close-quarters grappling, complete with custom virtual tabletop maps for locations such as brothels. Baker explained that adult themes usually rely on permissions rather than rules, but this project builds the themes directly into the gameplay engine without gamifying explicit acts.
Baker also shared the struggles of independent publishing, noting that moving away from legacy crowdfunding platforms was a deliberate choice to avoid restrictive platform regulations and algorithmic filtering.
On the entertainment side of the blog, fantasy and sci-fi television are generating significant discussion. Bronwen has checked in with two major media updates. First, she digs into the political schemes of Westeros with a comedy essay exploring the alternate character fates we can all dream of in House of the Dragon. I’ll admit I’ve not seen a single episode, but Bronwen’s post leaves me thinking that pet chickens and rat burgers might feature more heavily than I imagined. Switching to science fiction, she has also found the off-the-chain cyber-dystopian trailer for Hot Spot, a gritty near-future thriller starring Noomi Rapace.
We also have a new cultural critique on the site; okay, it’s a review of Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia. The anime follows the life and tough life of a young woman sold into slavery just when the Mongols attack. The show, which is on Crunchyroll, takes a grounded look at traditions and community structures that stand in stark contrast to typical Hollywood stories.
Finally, we close out this episode with an excellent digital discount for fans of old-school tactical survival. You can save 77% on the Torchbearer Second Edition library via the latest Bundle of Holding offer. The award-winning game uses a refined version of the Burning Wheel system, focusing on resource scarcity, light management, and the grim physical toll of exploring forgotten spaces, making it a perfect pick for groups who enjoy high-stakes logistics. But you have to be quick because the deal is almost over.
That is it for this week. Thanks for listening to Audio EXP. For all the links, the media trailers, and full stories, head over to Geek Native. Until next week, stay geeky.
