The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Hey, we do awesome tabletop stuff. Since 2018, Goblins and Growlers has been: - Running public TTRPG events in local breweries and restaurants in Richmond - Writing and publishing all our own original (award-winning) content - Producing ”Quid Pro Roll,” a 90k+ download narrative tabletop podcast - Producing ”The Goblins and Growlers Podcast,” an interview and discussion show about fun gaming products and topics - Presenting panels, performing on stage, and running organized tabletop events at gaming and pop culture conventions up and down the East Coast

Episodes

December 1, 2025 59 mins

Richmond filmmaker Benjamin Zimmerman stopped by to talk about "Squire," the medieval short film he has been quietly building out of childhood wonder, battlefield mud, and a very personal sense of courage. The conversation winds through his early days corralling neighborhood kids into backyard quests, his time in HEMA circles, and the long arc that carried him from film school to LA to RVA’s blossoming arts scene.

We talk about why...

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Join Inver, Josh, and special guest Gareth of Starlit Games to discuss Gareth’s d10 simultaneous-action game system: Pythòs!

Check out Starlit at https://www.starlitgames.com/

And Don't Forget! We produce a ton of Patreon-exclusive bonus episodes! Check us out on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers) for bonus Deep Dive videos along with early access to the video and audio of the podcast. 

Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Fr...

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Leroy from Let’s Roll Press joins Inver and Art to discuss Chapelwick, a cosmic horror campaign setting steeped in gothic dread, modular madness, and soulslike challenge. They explore parasite-bound paladins, tendril-ridden druids, and the Madness Deck that turns 5E horror into a full sensory experience. Plus, a look at future projects and the alchemy of music, art, and tabletop design behind this Kickstarter phenomenon.

Support Ch...

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Josh and Art take some time to highlight upcoming crowdfund indie titles. They start with talking about Absurdia, a modern take on paranormal TTRPGs.

Hey! We produce a ton of Patreon-exclusive episodes! Check us out on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers) for bonus Deep Dive videos along with early access to the video and audio of the podcast. 

Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Friend about the Goblins and Growlers Podcast.

...

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Josh and Art are joined by special guest, co-founder of Dice Dungeons Jarrett Butler to talk about their upcoming Kickstarter campaign for their cryptid-themed bestiary, P.T. Lamark’s Cryptid Codex. Jarrett shares insights into a few of the creatures we can expect blocks for, as well as an exploration into the design philosophies of the book, including a couple of illustrations by Zora.

On Patreon: Check out this week's bonus podca...

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Critical Role shocked fans by choosing 5E for Campaign 4. What does this mean for Daggerheart’s future?

Critical Role stunned fans by announcing Campaign 4 will be played in Dungeons & Dragons 5E instead of their own system, Daggerheart. Inverlyst is joined by attorney and podcaster Noah Downs (@MyLawyerFriend) and TTRPG streamer Captain Robear (@CaptainRobear) to break down the decision. Was this a cautious business move, a ma...

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Critical Role isn't using Daggerheart for Campaign 4! There are a lot of good business reasons for that, but there's still an element of poor planning there that's hard to overlook.

WotC's new Unearthed Arcana is an air raid siren telling us that they're planning a Dark Sun release, likely in 2026. This is a huge change from perceived sentiments a couple of years ago that the setting was "too problematic" to get a 5E conversion. Di...

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In this week’s Goblins & Growlers Podcast, Inverlyst welcomes Alex of Alpha Comics & Games to pull back the curtain on writing romance into your tabletop games. Together, they tackle the messy realities of GMing smoochable NPCs, avoiding bleed, and why player-to-player romance can derail a campaign faster than a crit fail.

From sexy smiths to sahuagin brothels, Alex shares her hard-earned lessons on slow burns, narrative fl...

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Critical Role's Daggerheart is shaking up the TTRPG licensing world and we've got legal insight you won't find in your average rules breakdown. Inverlyst is joined by returning guest Noah Downs (a.k.a. @MyLawyerFriend) to unpack the Community Gaming License (CGL), its potential legal pitfalls, and whether it's truly the heir (or foil) to the OGL. We dig into fan content protections, revocability risks, VTT carve-outs, and what crea...

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“What do you get when you mix a thousand-legged centipede, a skeleton butler, and an emotionally resilient owlbear cub? A Paul Hughes interview, of course.”

 

In this special episode of GGP, Inver and Josh are joined by Pets & Sidekicks co-creator Paul Hughes, longtime EN World writer and TTRPG monster crafter. Together, they delve into:

✦ The design philosophy behind scalable companions in Advanced 5E

✦ Balancing action econom...

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Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Friend about the Goblins and Growlers Podcast.

→ Bonus episodes and early access on Patreon (http://patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers) → Subscribe to our monthly gaming newsletter (https://goblinsandgrowlers.beehiiv.com/subscribe) → Join the Goblins and Growlers Discord (http://bit.ly/goblindiscord)

Jess Lanzillo got a new opportunity with White Wolf and Todd Kenreck got the boot. Both are gone from D&D ...

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DrivethruRPG removed 9th Level Games' "Rebel Scum" game because it's loud about proud about not being a game that supports bigotry, fascism, anti-vax, and generally things that are good to dislike. It turned into kind of a weasel-wordy exchange over standards of the publishing platform and was, generally, frustrating to read about and talk about. Beware of ranting in this video.

Check us out on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gobli...

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It started with a story about Mage Hand Press' Gunslinger class being available basically ala carte on D&D Beyond.

That turned into supercharged debate about whether guns fit or belong in the classic fantasy setting typically associated with D&D. Inver did her best to moderate. The debate starts somewhere around the 30-minute mark.

Check us out on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers) for bonus Deep Dive videos a...

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This one might be a little inside baseball. Brandon, Art, and Josh vended at Animazement over Memorial Day weekend and it was our first time at that con. Apparently, it's the largest anime convention in North Carolina. We're also pretty sure it was our first time just working a con as vendors -- no special guest privileges or anything. It was fun, and it gave us a little more insight on hobby economics in the current climate. 

Anim...

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Josh tapped out this week, so it's up to Brandon and Inver after what feels like forever since the last recording. Inver's fresh (and tired) from PAX East in Boston and Brandon just finished putting together some prototypes for a new game accessory idea we're trying out.

Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Friend about the Goblins and Growlers Podcast.

→ Bonus episodes and early access on Patreon (http://patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers) → Sub...

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Amazingly, Wizards of the Coast is putting the new 2024* rules into Creative Commons! We talk about the implications and issues there, along with a bizarre tangent about "Three's Company."

Check us out on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers) for bonus Deep Dive videos along with early access to the video and audio of the podcast. 

Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Friend about the Goblins and Growlers Podcast.

→ Bonus episod...

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Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Friend about the Goblins and Growlers Podcast.

→ Bonus episodes and early access on Patreon (http://patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers) → Subscribe to our monthly gaming newsletter (https://goblinsandgrowlers.beehiiv.com/subscribe) → Join the Goblins and Growlers Discord (http://bit.ly/goblindiscord)

Really not a political episode. Really. 

Check us out on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers) for ...

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Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Friend about the Goblins and Growlers Podcast.

→ Bonus episodes and early access on Patreon (http://patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers) → Subscribe to our monthly gaming newsletter (https://goblinsandgrowlers.beehiiv.com/subscribe) → Join the Goblins and Growlers Discord (http://bit.ly/goblindiscord)

This week, I had the chance to FINALLY connect with Lucas Zellers of Mage Hand Press about "Book of Extinction...

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March 10, 2025 69 mins

You know how some podcasts don't dedicate the whole episode to one topic and instead have a genuine discussion without knowing where it's going? We tried that today and went in a lot of directions, including Hasbro's (and thusly Wizards of the Coast's) Q4 and total year earnings, Final Fantasy games, and so much more!

Check us out on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers) for bonus Deep Dive videos along with early access...

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Quick heads up: Our guest Alex owns Alpha Comics & Games and is married to our co-host. #NotSponsored

Guess what, listeners? I’ve seized control of the podcast again, which can only mean one thing. It is time for a proper rant. This week, I’m joined by dear, dear friends of the show (and professional GMs) Luke (@WunderBardic / @BraveB33) and Alex (@AlphaComicGames / @LexieSunshine) as we sink our teeth into Veilguard. We talk s...

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