Tabletop Weekly – Détails, épisodes et analyse

This week on TableTop Weekly…

Jason and Peter ease into a quieter, holiday-season episode with a mix of indie highlights, industry shifts, and thoughtful commentary on where tabletop gaming culture is heading as the year winds down.

The show opens with a spotlight on Hey Ho, Let's Go Home, a new punk-infused holiday zine from Ham and Egg Publishing. Written by John Maguire and Gio Colazzo, the short story reimagines A Christmas Carol through the lens of DIY punk, following a teenage runaway visited by the ghosts of the Ramones. The hosts praise its warmth, sincerity, and strong connection to tabletop-adjacent storytelling culture.

Next, the conversation turns to New Game Master Month, an annual January initiative designed to help first-time GMs overcome anxiety and run their first sessions. With support across multiple systems, the hosts highlight its hands-on structure and argue that mentorship and encouragement matter more than endless GM advice videos.

Creators take note as Meta quietly tests limits on link posting for Facebook professional accounts. Jason and Peter unpack what this means for small publishers, the creeping pay-to-be-seen model of social media, and why modern promotion feels more complex and less effective than traditional magazine advertising ever was.

On a lighter note, the long-awaited second edition of Toon finally arrives. With original artist Kyle Miller returning, full-color interiors, and a renewed focus on fast, slapstick play, the hosts celebrate Toon as a perfect convention and one-shot game that understands comedy is hard and supports it with strong design tools.

The episode wraps with industry news as GMT Games welcomes Candace Harris to its team. Known for her years at BoardGameGeek, Candace's move signals a push to make deep, logistics-driven wargames more accessible. The hosts close by musing about the untapped potential of wargaming as spectator media and why someone really should turn it into a sports-style broadcast.

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This week on TableTop Weekly… 

Jason and Peter open the show with a heartfelt thank-you to the community as the Top Secret: Tradecraft Manual Kickstarter continues to outperform expectations. With five days to go, strong backer numbers, and solid momentum in what is traditionally a difficult launch window, the hosts reflect on what this says about the Top Secret community and why expansions only matter if people are actually playing the game.

The first news story covers Evil Hat Productions opening its annual game submission window. The discussion breaks down what Evil Hat is looking for, why 5e is explicitly excluded, and what creators should realistically expect from a traditional publisher relationship, including ownership, royalties, crowdfunding partnerships, and legal protections around unsolicited submissions.

Next, the hosts tackle controversy in Magic: The Gathering, where players destroyed cards over allegations of AI-generated art. While no proof has emerged, the conversation widens into a thoughtful examination of broken trust, corporate pressure, artist reputation, and the uncomfortable reality that human-made art is now sometimes required to prove itself as human.

The tone shifts with a look at the newly launched Black Company RPG playtest from Arkdream Publishing. The hosts praise the open playtest model, old-school percentile mechanics, and the grounded, military-forward tone inspired by Glen Cook's novels, calling it a promising system worth attention.

Personnel news follows as Wizards of the Coast promotes Justice Ramen Armen to Game Design Director for Dungeons & Dragons. While congratulatory, the discussion also raises questions about experience, institutional knowledge, and the weight of stewarding the world's most influential RPG.

The episode closes on sobering industry news as Mythic Games officially enters liquidation, leaving millions in unfulfilled Kickstarter pledges. The hosts analyze what went wrong, why scale increases responsibility, and how failures at this level damage trust in crowdfunding as a whole. To end on a positive note, they spotlight community projects, including Tomb of the Ancient Mor King from Orange Cat Games, and circle back to the ongoing success of Tradecraft Manual as an example of doing it right.

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This week on TableTop Weekly...

Jason and Peter are joined by Amy and Bert from House of Books and Games to talk about their upcoming mini-convention HBGCon, taking place October 18–19 at Lupalto Brewing in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. They discuss how the shop began as a weekend passion project and grew into a thriving community hub for roleplaying games—especially small-press and indie titles from publishers like Free League, Modiphius, Goodman Games, and Solarian Games.

The news this week starts with New Holland Brewing's "Dragon's Milk D20 Dice Tower" set, a bourbon-barrel stout packaged with a dice tower and custom D20s. Then it's on to Modiphius' Star Trek Adventures: 23rd Century Guide, a supplement that captures the classic Kirk-era feel with new rules for free traders, redshirt survival, and the formative years of the Federation. The hosts also cover Robert Wardhaugh's 43-year Dungeons & Dragons campaign, officially recognized by Guinness as the longest-running game in the world, featuring more than 500 characters and 30,000 painted minis. They talk about the new Stranger Things: The Hellfire Club Starter Box, a beginner-friendly adventure inspired by Eddie Munson's final campaign, and end with a heartfelt mention of Rebecca Heineman, the legendary programmer and Bard's Tale designer, who's fighting cancer and has raised over $100,000 through GoFundMe.

The show wraps with Amy and Bert unveiling the full HBGCon lineup, featuring Top Secret: New World Order, Weird Heroes of Public Access, Star Trek Adventures, and Call of Cthulhu, all beginner-friendly and ready to play.

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This week on TableTop Weekly...

Jason and Peter kick things off with a look at Analog Union, the new cross-publisher indie RPG newsletter featuring updates from Arcane Sword Press, Get Haunted Industries, Carian Games, and others. Then, it's on to ModCon, the first convention dedicated to modern-era RPGs, coming to Northampton, Massachusetts in May 2026, plus a preview of Jason's upcoming Top Secret sessions at HBGCon in Connecticut and GailCon in Ireland.

News stories this week include the Strong Museum's virtual D&D history exhibit (developed with Google Arts & Culture), Starbreeze canceling its D&D co-op video game, and the Kickstarter workers' strike over a proposed 32-hour work week and livable wage demands. The hosts unpack what it means for creators and why supporters shouldn't boycott the platform.

They close with a discussion of the Gary Gygax Memorial Kickstarter, a proposed bronze sculpture of Gygax running a game by the lake in Lake Geneva. The duo cover its design, funding challenges, and why it deserves to exist—no matter the past controversy.

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This week on TableTop Weekly…

Jason, Peter, and special guest Tim Brannan from The Other Side blog take a trip through gaming history, convention chaos, and the strange economy of vintage D&D.

They kick off with a wrap-up of ShireCon, the cozy New England convention "in the land of no cell service and no hotels," before announcing ModCon, the first convention dedicated entirely to modern-era tabletop gaming. Set for May 30 in Northampton, Massachusetts, ModCon will focus on games set in the 20th and 21st centuries—spy thrillers, cyberpunk, and post-apocalyptic adventures included.

Next, they dive into the Heritage Auctions Dungeons & Dragons sale, where shrink-wrapped red boxes are hitting $900 bids and Descent Into the Depths of the Earth is somehow fetching nearly $200. The hosts debate grading, "slabbing," and how collector speculation could distort the hobby's history.

Finally, Tim joins them to discuss his article In Search of Castle Greyhawk, exploring how Gary Gygax's original dungeon evolved from a shared play space into a mythic symbol of old-school gaming. The crew swaps stories about Gygax, the Troll Lords, and what a true "Castle Greyhawk of today" might look like—complete with a fantasy designer draft list from Kelsey Dionne to Ed Greenwood.

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This week on TableTop Weekly...

Jason and Peter dive into D&D "by the numbers," damn good minivans, and a new indie publishing alliance.

They start with EN World's massive breakdown of every official Dungeons & Dragons product from OD&D to 5E: 1,253 releases, roughly 124,000 pages, and about $23,000 if you'd bought everything at cover price. That leads into a history lesson on how 2E's product glut, setting overload, and the infamous Random House deal helped sink TSR and set the stage for Wizards of the Coast to step in.

Next up is "Damn Good Minivan," a new Top Secret adventure Jason is running at Gailcon in Dublin. Agents pose as PTA parents in Des Moines, Iowa, juggling undercover suburban life, weaponized gene drives, and a line-up of fully statted, mission-ready minivans.

Then the hosts spotlight designer and educator Anna Anthropy's one-hour-at-a-time RPG history course, touching on Vampire LARP, diplomacy roots, and why RPGs are cultural artifacts worth preserving.

They wrap with Analog Union, a new shared newsletter for indie RPG publishers like Solarian Games, Arcane Sword Press, Get Haunted Industries, Saltar RPG, Severed Books, and more. The first issue highlights old-school box set Barrows & Borderlands, the bizarre baking grimoire How to Bake a Breadling, Saltar's Book of Z quickstart, Severed Books' Sickest Witch coven box, and updates on Top Secret and upcoming missions.

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This week on TableTop Weekly...

Jason and Peter unpack a handful of big tabletop stories, starting with Chaosium's gorgeous new Call of Cthulhu collector's editions. These leatherette seventh-edition reprints aren't cheap, but they're built for fans who want their mythos with a side of luxury. From Masks of Nyarlathotep to Pulp Cthulhu and the Grand Grimoire of Mythos Magic, the guys debate whether these belong at the table or on the art shelf.

Then it's Wizards of the Coast's new president, John Hight, who's cleaning up the post-OGL mess, rebuilding trust, and hinting he'd love to see a modern D&D MMO. With his World of Warcraft background, he might be the first exec who actually understands digital integration—and his promise to keep AI out of D&D's creative work gets a nod of approval.

Kobold Press drops Monster Vault 2, packed with hundreds of new creatures for both 5E and Tales of the Valiant. Doom Points, streamlined stat blocks, and GM tools for tougher, smarter encounters make this one worth watching.

Next, Black Armada's Extenebris brings gothic sci-fi horror to the stars—a Powered by the Apocalypse game of cosmic dread and creeping corruption that's already killing it on Kickstarter.

And finally, the guys unveil Analog Union, a new joint newsletter from indie publishers including Arcane Sword Press, Get Haunted Industries, Severed Books, Salt Heart RPG, and Solarian Games. It's free, weekly, and packed with news, downloads, and community highlights at analogunion.com.

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This week on TableTop Weekly...

Jason and Peter are joined by actor, author, and filmmaker Pat Kilbane to talk about his new documentary The Dreams in Gary's Basement—a stunning look at the birth of Dungeons & Dragons and the life of Gary Gygax. They dive deep into the early days of TSR, the origins of roleplaying from Dave Wesley's Braunstein to Gary's creative explosion, and the challenges of telling a true story when everyone remembers history a little differently.

Pat shares stories from the decade-long journey to make the film, revealing how he balanced fact, myth, and human drama to capture the heart of Gygax's "hero's journey." The crew swaps thoughts on dice lore, archival treasures, lost TSR locations, and the enduring soul of classic D&D art.

Whether you're a lifelong gamer or just curious how a basement in Wisconsin changed the world, this episode celebrates the legacy, the arguments, and the imagination that made tabletop history.

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This week on TableTop Weekly...

Jason and Peter dig into a mix of oddities, business shifts, and a touch of chaos in the world of tabletop gaming. Chaosium is preparing a massive monster compendium uniting decades of beasts from RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, and beyond—finally giving BRP fans a unified "Monster Manual" under the ORC license. They discuss how percentile systems remain elegant, how Chaosium pioneered open engines before GURPS, and why this release may inspire a new wave of homebrew creators.

Then it's time for some D&D craftiness with Dungeons & Dragons: A Book of Many Patterns, a crochet pattern guide featuring beholders, mimics, and the Hand and Eye of Vecna. Jason and Peter joke about "D&D croquet" and imagine crocheted owlbears as perfect handmade gifts for gamers.

Next up, Fallout: New Vegas expands Modiphius' post-apocalyptic RPG line just as the TV series prepares to revisit the irradiated city. They chat about ghouls, caps, Pip-Boys, and how Fallout carries the spirit of Gamma World better than Wizards ever did.

Paizo announces the end of its monthly Pathfinder Adventure Path softcovers after 222 months, moving to quarterly hardcovers—cheaper for fans, easier for the company, and probably better shelf material.

Then things get thorny with tariffs back in the headlines. The sudden rollback of the de minimis exemption is hammering small publishers abroad, blocking shipments from dozens of countries, and cutting off indie creators. It's "another hole in the boat," as Peter puts it, and they wonder if this industry can keep weathering policy waves.

To end on a lighter note, they explore Dungeons & Dragons: The Immersive Quest, a Canadian-made live adventure coming to Dallas that mixes escape room puzzles with theme park theatrics. It's True Dungeon's "Disney cousin," offering a fast, flashy, IP-filled experience for fans and newcomers alike.

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This week on TableTop Weekly...

Jason and Peter welcome writer and historian Michael Witwer to talk about his newest Dungeons & Dragons release from DK Books—Dungeons and Dragons, The Book of Dragons —a lavish, full-color deep dive into dragons, monsters, and lore across editions. The conversation winds through Easter eggs in Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, the origins of in-jokes like "EGG" and the legacy of TSR artists who shaped the early look of D&D.

Mike shares what it was like seeing the finished book for the first time, praising DK's stunning production values and new artwork by concept artist R. J. Palmer. They discuss how gem dragons were reimagined, the soul and imagination behind early art from David Sutherland and Dave Trampier, and why sometimes imperfect art captures magic in ways hyper-polished pieces never can.

They close with a few stories about growing up on classic monster manuals, Mike's son asking for a 1st Edition copy for his birthday, and a quick tease of his next (still secret) fantasy projects. It's an episode for anyone who's ever stared too long at a monster illustration and wondered what music the artist was hearing in their head.

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