Geek Native's Audio EXP

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 353. This week, we analyse why Palladium Books walked away from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles licence to refocus resources on Rifts, and look ahead to 2000 AD opening early bird tickets for its 50th anniversary celebration in Shoreditch. We examine Ben Robbins updating Microscope 2e by dropping Legacies, recap our trip supporting indie creators at Edinburgh's TAGS F...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 352. Reporting from Edinburgh's TAGS Festival, Girdy examines Hasbro filing a Christmas Eve redundancy notice for 587 staff while outsourcing physical production to Renegade. We look at UK Games Expo apologising after an official promo breached its own generative AI ban, Kelsey Dionne partnering with Kobold Press on Dark Halls, and Matthew Mercer leading Hololive VTube...

Audio EXP podcast: October 10th - Community aid, space opera mechanics, and YouTube copyright fallout

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 350. This week, we mark the Day of Dredd as Rebellion expands Judge Dredd across tech, apparel, and high-end collectables ahead of his 50th anniversary. We investigate the sudden publishing split between Renegade Game Studios and White Wolf over the World of Darkness, celebrate Slithy Tove Games winning October's RPG Publisher Spotlight, and dive into an interview with...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 349. This week, we examine UK Games Expo's strict ban on generative AI across all NEC exhibition halls and break down our interview with QuestXR on adapting Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying for outdoor augmented reality using the ORC licence. We also cover EN World battling 90,000 automated AI scraping bots, look at Sirius Dice releasing resin-ship Star Trek polyhedrals de...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 348. This week, we analyse the major leadership transition at Steve Jackson Games as Steve steps down to return to game design, evoking memories of the 1990 Secret Service raid. We examine Dan Ayoub’s strategy to de-risk Dungeons & Dragons through external licensing, discuss Red Ruin Publishing's non-commercial Dragon Warriors agreement, and evaluate executive changes...

Back after a two-week break on the ground at the Royal Highland Centre, Girdy recaps Tabletop Scotland breaking attendance records with over 5,000 unique visitors and explores what Gamehole Publishing bringing their organised play to UK Games Expo 2027 means for British D&D. We also examine the routine Companies House paperwork that triggered an online crowdfunding panic for Steamforged Games, cel...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 346. This week, we expose how AI tech companies are buying up and physically destroying out-of-print tabletop RPGs for model training, and look at Chaosium launching an original IP with the Time Without Tide d6 quickstart. We also sit down with Paul Vincent of Table Cat Games to discuss Street Wolves, cover Dark Sun veterans reuniting on Dragon Kings 5e with native psi...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 345, our bumper Fringe Special catch-up. After a three-week break covering 57 shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Girdy reviews top theatrical picks including Olaf Falafel's five-star comedy and Dungeons & Shakespeare. We also break down the 2026 ENNIE Award results with wins for Daggerheart and Legend in the Mist, analyse Gen Con flooding, explore fake tabletop in...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 344. This week, we examine the surprise departure of Wizards of the Coast president John Hight right ahead of Gen Con 2026 and evaluate his claims about D&D's market strength. We also cover massive Gen Con product drops, including an 18+ physical revival for Dark Sun, a 2027 Star Wars D&D crossover, White Wolf announcing Vampire: The Masquerade 6th Edition, and Free Le...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 343. This week, we analyse an accidental Roll20 leak revealing an official World of Warcraft 5e product and review Paizo's revised informal deal to keep Archives of Nethys running. We also check in on our July spotlight with Menagerie Press, open August voting lines, and share highlights from our exclusive interview with Felicia Day on funding The Guild movie. Plus, we...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 342. This week, we examine a major digital reference shakeup as Paizo ends its long-term partnership with the Archives of Nethys website. We also cover the changing retail logistics from Mondo and Titan Comics to protect subscribers ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, check in on our newly published spotlight interview with Menagerie Press, and look at how the It's Your Role...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 341. This week, we explore a digital preservation milestone as the June 1977 debut issue of White Dwarf magazine is added to the Internet Archive's historical library. We also examine the launch of the ENNIEs Emporium 2026 on BackerKit, showcasing how independent publishers are combining forces for rapid retail shipping, and catch up with exclusive interviews featuring...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 340. This week, we analyse the postponement of the O2 Arena Dungeons & Dragons London Fan Expo to 2027 and celebrate our annual Superhero Week with the arrival of Free League's Invincible tabletop game. We also cover Chris Lackey's audio-driven preparation mechanics for the Strange Stories horror game, an update on July's spotlight winners, Menagerie Press, and a deep...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 339. This week, we analyse a significant UK advertising ruling against Microsoft that warns virtual tabletops about subscription cost transparency. We also cover Warhammer fan creators moving away from Steam following copyright sweeps, review the BackerKit and DriveThruRPG fulfilment partnership, and discuss the 5e third-party marketplace crisis with Dice Average RPG....

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 338. This week, we review a key decision for digital ownership as the European Commission decides against new legislation to stop publishers from retiring live-service video games. We also cover independent game stores quickly claiming their Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon allocations, and share an update on our upcoming Q&A with Dice Average RPG. Plus, we look at tactica...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 337. This week, we dive into a major corporate crisis as Paizo announces restructuring and staff layoffs caused by an ongoing distribution deadlock with Diamond Comics. We also examine DriveThruRPG's sudden rule changes banning executable software files, share a production update on our June spotlight honourees Dice Average RPG, and welcome Bronwen to the podcast for a...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 336. This week, we dive into an urgent economic reality facing independent creators: the tabletop AI tax, exploring how community sentiment and public protests are forcing small studios to lose time and money proving their work is human-made. We also report live from Birmingham on a milestone weekend as the 20th anniversary of the UK Games Expo shatters NEC attendance...

Audio EXP is Geek Native's weekly highlights podcast. RPG news, geek TV, movies, tech, anime and computer games are curated and chatted about each weekend. Episodes are short with a few of the more significant stories from the week discussed and in just a little more detail than news headlines. This is a podcast for which you don't need to catch up on older episodes, not unless old news is of inte...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 334. This week, we examine a fascinating workplace shift as Mongoose Publishing challenges remote-work standards by requiring video marketing presence in its job postings. We also examine Kickstarter backtracking on its mature content rules after intense creator backlash, Modiphius handing Achtung! Cthulhu over to community creators, and Atomic Ninja Studios suddenly s...

In Audio EXP episode 333, Girdy tackles a week of massive structural shifts. From Kickstarter tightening boundaries on adult content to the reality of renting your favourite dungeons rather than owning them, the tabletop landscape is changing. We also talk about an exclusive Ghost in the Shell interview, gorgeous new Ravenloft dice components, and the latest solo investigative bundles. About Audio...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 332. This week, we examine the final digital consolidation of Wizards of the Coast as they transition to an official virtual tabletop platform. We also celebrate the return of Elric of Melniboné with two major licence announcements and look back at how roleplaying games built the original Star Wars lore. Plus, we cover the staggering success of Neon Odyssey and the som...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 331. As we move into May, Girdy tackles a strange revelation from the tech world, uncovering OpenAI's secret instructions to keep roleplaying game monsters out of its coding models. The episode also explores massive physical releases, including a towering animatronic xenomorph and the triumphant return of the classic urban horror setting Nightbane. Listeners can also c...

As April draws to a close, Girdy tackles a deeply frustrating week for the events sector, marked by the sudden shutdown of WizardCon 2 and the cancellation of the 2026 London Film and Comic Con due to soaring international flight costs. The tabletop industry brings more positive news, with Free League celebrating the tenth anniversary of their acclaimed dark fantasy roleplaying game Symbaroum, alo...

Welcome to Audio EXP episode 329. After a brief hiatus for the Conpulsion gaming convention in Scotland, Girdy is back to unpack a massive fortnight of tabletop news. This week covers everything from academic studies on the murderhobo phenomenon to strict new independent market rules at the UK Games Expo. We also dive into the complicated legacy of Gary Gygax, the legal questions surrounding offic...