Wikipedia says Chris Perkins is 57. The Canadian is no longer the creative director of D&D. He has retired. In many ways, he’s going out strong and as D&D turns 50.

This is Audio EXP for March 29th, and the episode title is “Cheese and Gary Con”.

Wizards of the Coast seem to have already thrown in the virtual tabletop towel as the Sigil team is dramatically downsized. However, there’s Courage from a Critical Role partnership and a host of horror mashups on offer.

GAMA’s finalist list for the 2025 Origins Awards pits D&D 2024 against a host of rivals, special printers for special dice and a Dragonlance deal. These and other highlights from a week of news on the podcast.

Audio EXP is Geek Native’s highlights podcast. Each week, there’s a recap of some favourite or exciting RPG and geeky news, conventions, interviews, and thought pieces.

Dunderdagar wins RPG Publisher Spotlight; Free League praised; Edinburgh gamers face funding cuts; Dread game recap; Alien VR game trailer; solo wargame “This Is Where The Stars Died”; Street Fighter makeup; Wanderverse TTRPG interview; Fate of the Stormwailer Kickstarter; Hinterdom TTRPG avoids colonial tropes; Wiggy’s writing retirement; Samurai Pizza Cats game; Bundle of Holding deals (Girl by Moonlight, Mutant Crawl Classics).

Explore queer love and nonbinary representation in TTRPG awards, unravel the mystery of a lost wedding ring in a dungeon, and hear a suggestion for Roll20’s next acquisition (a 3D mini printing site?). Plus, the return of D&D on TV and other Netflix gaming successes.

What is DriveThruRPG up to with their new Retailer Version and Publisher Fulfilled tags? We talk about ghostly shoes, the rebirth of Jurassic Park and Comic Con Alba

Geek Native’s creative director, Bronwen Winter Phoenix is a recovering LA journalist and once interviewed Stephen Knight about a thriller called Locke.