Goblins and Growlers Gazette: E-May-il Newsletter
🐉 Pinkertons hunt for Magic, a 24-Hour D&D Network, a free D&D rules PDF, and Ben Franklin's D&D. Actually, that's confusing. The Pinkertons are just hunting for Magic, not all those things. Thank goodness I caught that!
Brandon Dingess
May 16, 2023
⚡ (Total read time: 2.8 minutes) ⚡
May I? This month we’re talking about a Revolutionary new 5E setting, that whole WotC/Pinkertons thing, Adventure Hour indie RPG, raising money to help your neighbors, and a few news updates on the TTRPG scene.
This month:
🗞️ 3 must-know gaming news nuggets
🏕️ 1 great indie game you need to play
🎧 2 hot takes from the podcasts
🧭 Goblins in the wild: Where to Find Us
🗞️ 3 must-know gaming news nuggets
Project Black Flag Kickstarter. Kobold Press’ answer to the Wizards’ OGL debacle launches its crowdfunding this month with a 2024 delivery date. Not yet launched as of this writing. (Kickstarter Link)
They’re calling it “Tales of the Valiant.”
It’ll be two books: Players’ Guide and Monster Vault. (Announcement)
Free (and Legal!) D&D Rules PDF. The complete starter set core rules from the “Stranger Things” Starter Set is free on Hasbro’s site. Download it for a nice & concise free rulebook to share. (Link)
Everything you need to play in a nicer format than that 400-page SRD document or buying the Core Rules.
No maps or character sheets (looks like you gotta pay for those).
Hasbro Launching 24-hour D&D Network. Coming this summer. Free but ad-supported, so think Crackle but for Dungeons & Dragons. Remember Crackle?(Link)
Will feature a live version of the “Encounter Party!” podcast.
Also a Matthew Lillard-fronted comedy improv “Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill!” where level-one characters pick fights they cannot win.
Other offerings include a cooking show and episodes of the 1980s cartoon.
🚸 1 great indie game you need to play
⚔️ Adventure Hour. A cute, traditional-style RPG from Sam Doebler. It’s 2d6 based and was playtested on kids 8-12 years old. It’s easy to learn, so a great choice to get a young kid interested in tabletop while also being a blast for adults. It’s full of tables to help speed along character creation, world building, and just general fun. Pay what you want on itch.io for digital and the print copies are super cheap. (Go Deeper)
“Adventure Hour! is a compilation and distillation of the most potent and practical ideas running fast-paced games of creativity, exploration, and wonder for those of any age.”
🎧 2 hot takes from the podcasts
🇺🇸🇬🇧🐉 Nations & Cannons. It’s Revolutionary! We interviewed Collyn Messier, the lead rules designer for this historical 5E setting to talk about cultural sensitivity, N&C as a history teaching tool, and Ben Franklin hunting banshees. (Link to audio podcast, YouTube)
Nations & Cannons adapts the regular 5E rules to better suit life in Colonial America, which means less magic and more flintlocks.
🚨 Wizards Sends the Pinkertons. We went over a bunch of news items in this episode, but the headline was WotC hiring Pinkertons to confront/intimidate/hassle a YouTuber who got ahold of (a lot of) prerelease Magic: The Gathering cards. The whole thing is confusing. (Link to audio podcast, YouTube)
🛒 Storage-Unit-Clear-Out-Sale.
Our storage-unit-clear-out sale continues through this Saturday (5/20). We’ve had a great response so far but it’s time for the final push so we can make room for some new items starting in June!
Free shipping on everything with code “GRAVYBOAT”
10% off most items
Sizes limited
In June we’ll be bringing back an old favorite to the store!
There’s more than this. I just didn’t want to load up the email with a ton of merchandise screen grabs. I encourage you to explore on your own.
🧭 Goblins in the wild: Where to find us.
Where Be Goblins? We’re in the slow part of our convention season but hop onto our Discord for the latest information about our monthly games at Unplugged RVA and Garden Grove Brewery and Urban Winery. It’s all in the #announcements channel.
MAD RVA Spring Flea 2023, May 28. We’ll be vendors at the MAD RVA flea market fundraiser at Diversity Thrift in Richmond. It’s to support MAD RVA’s new Meadowbridge Community Market Free Store so at least 30% of all proceeds will be donated. Come see us and all the other vendors from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Reach out to MAD RVA if you think you’d be a good fit as a vendor.
🔊 May the month be with you.
We’ll catch you in June. We should have at least one new cool addition to the Big Cartel store and maybe some news about the next con we’ll be at. We’re sliding into summer here, so everyone do what you do best and keep cool.
Rock over London, Rock on Chicago.
Brandon