January Newsletter: Goblins and Growlers Gazette

⚡ (Total read time: 2.7 minutes) ⚡

Sliding in here right a the tail end of January, it’s the January GG newsletter! Some interesting news items on some non-D&D systems to counter-act the heavy D&D focus we had on the podcast this month! Where are things in this hobby one year out from 2023’s OG-HELL controversy?! Enjoy!

(And if you haven’t, please subscribe to the GG YouTube channel 📺 )

In this month’s newsletter:

🗞️ 3 must-know gaming news nuggets
📻 1 great 3rd party supplement you need to see
🔥 2 hot takes from the podcast + bonus
🧭 Goblins in the wild: Upcoming events

🗞️ 3 must-know gaming news nuggets

• 🎮 WotC looking to license IP for more video game development. Tech company Tencent likely in negotiations to license and produce big-budget games similar to “Baldur’s Gate 3.” (Dig Deeper)

  • Initial headlines made it sound like Hasbro was trying to outright sell D&D, which is 100% not the case and ridiculous on its face.
    

• 💷 Troika SRD is now available for free. (Dig Deeper)

  • Melsonian Arts Council puts their surrealist TTRPG’s core rulebook online for free.

  • You can read it embedded on the site or get the free PDF by signing up for their newsletter.

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Pendragon 6E FINALLY gets release date. Chaosium’s long-awaited update to the Arthurian TTRPG coming out in April. (Dig Deeper)

  • It was ENWorld’s 2023 most anticipated TTRPG.

  • Game master’s guide and high-level play guide coming out “as soon as logistically possible” after that.

  • April will also see an update release of Larry DiTillo’s 1986 Pendragon adventure, “The Grey Knight.”

🍸 1 great 3rd-party book you need to check out

🍻 Taverns & Tankards. Mage Hand Press produces some fantastic, high-quality, and affordable 5E-compatible supplements. We had a chance to hang out with them at Pax Unplugged in December and pick up a few of their books. My favorite is “Taverns & Tankards,” which, as you might expect, is all about bars. In addition to guidance and tables related to running/managing a tavern in your game, it also includes a bunch of new character options like College of the Bartender, Circle of Moonshine, Oath of Revelry, etc., along with new drinks (Orc’s Milk!), magical items, and monsters (Alemental!). At $15 for print, it’s wildly affordable, a quick read at 44 pages, and only $10 if you buy it as a PDF. It’s a great purchase if you’re looking at adding some life and detail to your adventure’s watering holes.

🎧 2 hot takes from the podcasts (and a bonus)

• 💪🏼 D&D Stronger Than Ever Now? The one-year anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons’ Open Gaming License debacle has led to a ton of nutty, hyperbolic podcast and Youtube headlines like “D&D on LIFE SUPPORT!” which is ridiculous. Brandon and attorney Noah Downs (who was involved in some of the OGL battles) discuss the current state of DD& and look back on everything that happened to the brand in 2023. (YouTube, Spotify)

• 🥇 Are We at the End of a TTRPG Golden Age? Josh found an epic Facebook essay from a TTRPG writer explaining how we’re at the tale end of the tabletop utopia we’ve been experiencing for the last 10 years or so. There are some things to agree with in the essay, but is it overblown? (YouTube time code)

• 📺 Bonus note: Brandon and Josh will livestream their next recording of The Goblins and Growlers Podcast on Feb. 7. It’s going to be a podcast version of our “Help! My Game Is On Fire!” panel where game masters and players ask for advice on dealing with their tabletop situations. Come join us on our Twitch Channel at around 8 p.m.

🧭 Goblins in the wild: Where to find us.

• 🔺🗾 Triad Anime Con. The Goblin contingent will be returning to Triad Anime Con March 29-31 in Winston-Salem, NC. Panels! Performances! Hanging out and chatting with folks in the vendor room! Come see us if you’re planning on hitting up the con.

🤖 Happy New Year!

Whoomp, there it is. Hope everyone’s year got off to a good start and February is shaping up to be an excellent experience. I know some people like the snow, but I’m hoping the weather stays comfortable and dry all the way to spring!

Have a good one!
Brandon