Welcome home. This is Audio EXP, the weekly podcast from Geek Native. I am your host, Girdy, and today is Saturday, the 10th of October, 2026. This week, we examine the fallout from severe copyright claims that pushed veteran hobby commentators off YouTube, cover emergency mutual aid in the independent publisher community, and unpack three designer interviews spanning cinematic sci-fi, live theatrical gaming, and retro space opera.
[The following is a transcript of Audio EXP: #351]
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Before we dive into the headlines, an update on our community feature. After their win in last week’s patron vote, we reached out to Slithy Tove Games, our October RPG Publisher Spotlight honouree, to start arranging our Q&A. We haven’t heard back yet, but we will keep you posted as the interview details take shape. Meanwhile, voting remains open on our nominations hub for November’s studio, so cast your vote if you haven’t already.
Turning to our top stories, we start with an urgent human interest development from the independent publishing scene. Battlefield Press has launched an emergency 20% discount sale on DriveThruRPG following publisher Adam R. Thompson’s hospital stay. Thompson spent a week hospitalised in Louisiana due to severe, unexplained blood pressure spikes. Because he pays his personal expenses through gig work while operating the press, missing shifts created an immediate cash shortfall for monthly living essentials while deferred medical bills loom. If you can support an independent creator in need, picking up titles like Gaslight Victorian Fantasy or Sherwood from their digital catalogue is an immediate way to help.
Our lead story in community media centres on digital intellectual property enforcement. Harassment and corporate copyright strikes from Games Workshop have forced veteran hobby creator The Outer Circle off YouTube. After years of independent commentary, analysis, and critical coverage of the miniature wargaming hobby, the channel operator confirmed they are walking away from the video platform entirely. The exit shows how vulnerable tabletop video essayists are when corporate automated copyright systems combine with targeted online hostility, leaving independent voices with little recourse.
In high-profile game announcements, two heavyweights of speculative fiction and video game design are joining forces. Author Adrian Tchaikovsky has joined former BioWare creative director James Ohlen to build Malborn, a new 5E setting from Arcanum Worlds. Set inside the hollowed-out caldera of an extinct volcano, the setting blends vigilante justice, crime syndicates, and urban corruption, letting characters balance civilian double lives with masked heroics. A free 128-page introductory guide is already available to download.
Over in designer conversations, we published three distinct deep dives this week. First, Canadian design duo Jason Ox and Julian Frid joined us as Ox Games unveiled Sine, a cinematic sci-fi roleplaying game set twenty years after a devastating alien invasion. The game departs from grid movement and tactical miniatures, focusing instead on civil reconstruction and diplomacy using a two-mode Freeplay and Turn-based framework powered by d6 pools and a dedicated d20 Luck die.
Next, we spoke with Sam Shearman of Inventive Productions to explore how London’s Hexmoor blends tabletop roleplaying principles with live immersive prison theatre and bespoke cocktails. Shearman explained how their production separates fixed narrative beats from free character interaction, issuing jumpsuits to establish immediate player buy-in without putting self-conscious guests on the spot.
Our third interview looks at classic space opera mechanics. We sat down with Massimiliano Caracristi to discuss Against the Starmaster, covering d100 vehicle critical hits and the studio’s strict human-art AI disclosure standards. Building on the lethal, open-ended percentile heritage of Against the Darkmaster, the upcoming adaptation introduces expanded vehicular combat and brutal critical strike tables while maintaining a clear, transparent policy supporting human creators.
In rules system updates, Italian studio Acheron Games has revealed the Helluva System 2.0 alongside a free Helluva Kingdom quickstart. Ditching polyhedral dice entirely, the engine uses a standard 52-card poker deck to resolve tests, tracking damage through cartoonish “Bonks” rather than traditional hit point pools as players portray expendable minions serving petty Dark Lords.
On the live stage, we reviewed a major symphonic touring production with our Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert review, breaking down how Jeremy Zuckerman’s live orchestration elevates the animated series on a grand scale.
On the lighter side of geek culture and hardware:
- Bronwen highlighted Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman returning to bust Slimer in a delightfully silly Halloween Ghostbusters promo for electric vehicle maker Rivian.
- We checked out Anker’s new 45W smart display charger, which bypasses expensive robotic desk pets by adding dynamic animated facial expressions to a compact desktop fast charger.
Finally, we wrap up with an absolute goldmine for old-school enthusiasts. You can grab three volumes of Knock! Magazine on the Bundle of Holding. Packed with more than 600 pages of weird OSR essays, strange tables, new character classes, and ready-to-run adventures from The Merry Mushmen, it is one of the richest collections of indie gaming theory and design available.
That is it for this week. Thanks for listening to Audio EXP. For all the links, interview transcripts, and community sale details, head over to Geek Native. Until next week, stay geeky.
