Welcome home. This is Audio EXP, the weekly podcast from Geek Native. I am your host, Girdy, and today is the 25th of July, 2026. This week, we examine a digital leak pointing toward a long-awaited crossover between two fantasy juggernauts, follow the sudden resolution of Paizo’s licensing dispute, and dive into exclusive interviews with web-series pioneers and veteran tabletop designers.
[The following is a transcript of Audio EXP: #343]
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Before we jump into the main news, we have a fantastic update from our community spotlight. Our full Q&A with Menagerie Press and William MB is live on the site, and William had some wonderful insights to share on the power of collaboration. He highlighted his recent conversions of Stephen Grodzicki’s Tales of Argosa modules over to Shadowdark, and revealed an upcoming project with Owen K.C. Stephens converting Rogue Genius Games’s Pathfinder 1 material into Shadowfinder. That project kicks off with Ed Greenwood’s adventure, The Black Skull Laughs, featuring incredible original art from Attila Nagy.
With William’s spotlight wrapped up, voting for our August spotlight is officially open for patrons over on our Patreon voting page. The five independent nominees looking for your support next month are:
Our lead story this week involves a major digital slip-up that has sent shockwaves across the tabletop landscape. An accidental Roll20 listing leak has revealed an official World of Warcraft product for Dungeons & Dragons. Briefly appearing on the virtual tabletop’s storefront before being taken down, the listing points toward an officially licensed crossover bringing Azeroth’s iconic classes, races, and lore into 5e. While Wizards of the Coast and Blizzard have yet to issue a formal joint announcement, the slip confirms that high-profile video game adaptations remain a core strategy for expanding D&D’s digital footprint. We just didn’t expect it to be this way around; from computer screen to tabletop.
In a surprisingly swift resolution to last week’s top story, the digital reference situation for Pathfinder has stabilised. Archives of Nethys will remain official as Paizo trades its commercial licensing agreement for an informal arrangement. Following the initial anxiety surrounding their split, both parties clarified that the shift simply removes the formal commercial contract while maintaining a cooperative, fan-supported relationship. The site will continue providing free, official rules reference documents for Pathfinder and Starfinder, assuring players that the volunteer-run database isn’t going anywhere.
We also had the absolute pleasure of chatting with web-series icon Felicia Day following a monumental crowdfunding milestone. We published a detailed interview with Felicia Day on bypassing studios and reuniting the cast for The Guild movie. Reflecting on raising over one million dollars independently to bring back the beloved series, Felicia emphasised how bypassing traditional Hollywood executives allowed the team to protect their authentic voice, keep full creative control, and deliver a feature film built entirely for the fans who supported them from the beginning.
In game design conversations, we sat down with veteran author Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan to discuss his latest cosy murder-mystery system. He gave us the lowdown on sticky pudding, GUMSHOE mechanics, and halfling sleuths in Merryshire Detective Club. The system adapts investigative mechanics to a charming, low-stakes village setting where pastoral halflings solve local crimes without resorting to violence.
Meanwhile, local theatre and tabletop are crossing paths right here in Scotland. We published a quick look at Dungeons and Shakespeare, bringing tabletop roleplaying to the Edinburgh Fringe, highlighting how live improv actors are combining Elizabethan drama with polyhedral dice.
In gothic horror developments, classic vampire lore is making moves across both gaming and television. An official Interview with the Vampire RPG is coming to BackerKit this autumn, bringing Anne Rice’s atmospheric world to the tabletop. Adding to the hype, Bronwen highlighted a teaser trailer for the freshly greenlit Queen of the Damned TV series, offering a glimpse of the dark gothic aesthetics coming to screens.
For film fans looking for something lighter, Bronwen also spotted the wild trailer for Don’t Move, a prehistoric spider comedy-horror movie.
Finally, we close out the show with three outstanding digital bundle offers. Sci-fi fans can sing the space cowboy blues with two Orbital Blues RPG bundles on Humble. Mythology lovers can dive into Norse fantasy unleashed with the Throne and Bones TTRPG bundle on Bundle of Holding. Or, if you prefer brutal, old-school combat, you can grab 152 dollars worth of unforgiving fantasy roleplaying in the HackMaster Revival bundle.
That is it for this week. Thanks for listening to Audio EXP. For all the links, interview transcripts, and bundle deals, head over to Geek Native. Until next week, stay geeky.
