This is an off-the-cuff episode, wherein I cover a variety of things.

Free PDFs:

Cairn: Barebones Edition by Yochai Gal https://yochaigal.itch.io/cairn-barebones-edition

Intergalactic Bastionland: Beyond Into The Odd: Playtest by Chris McDowall https://open.substack.com/pub/bastionland/p/bastionland-goes-intergalactic?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Books:

Promethean Horrors: Classic Tales of Mad Science by Xavier Aldana Reyes for British Library Tales of the Weird

The Uncanny by Sigmund Freud

It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right by Brandon Applegate

Films:

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) dir. Rouben Mamoulian

The Black Cat (1934) dir. Edgar G. Ulmer

Black Pit of Dr. M (1959) dir. Fernando Mendez

The Plague of the Zombies (1966) dir. John Gilling

Theatre of Blood (1973) dir. Douglas Hickox

Frightmare (1974) dir. Pete Walker

Messiah of Evil (1974) dir. Willard Huych, Gloria Katz

Phantasm (1979) dir. Don Coscarelli

Weapons (2025) dir. Zach Cregger

RPG Material:

Cosmic Dark by Graham Walmsley

The No-Prep Gamemaster: Train Your Brain to Run Tabletop Roleplayng Games Second Edition by Matt Davids https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/524180/the-no-prep-gamemaster-train-your-brain-to-run-tabletop-roleplaying-games

Cloud Empress Core Boxed Set by Watts

Honourable Mentions:

Dave Aldridge of dPercantile (podcast)

Weird Studies podcast Episode 86: On E.T.A. Hoffmann's “The Sandman” https://open.spotify.com/episode/5LwYzcmq29EJXXa9C5SSH4?si=vDE7gzUfQQay5i-gWK8uXQ&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A7MtLPVWIcFbl5XPsMiF9f8

Scott Doward of The Good Friends of Jackson Elias (podcast)

Andy Goodman of Grizzly Peaks Radio (podcast)

Jen Fridy at GrimHumor https://www.jenfridy.com/

Find the Movie Monday Letterboxd list here https://letterboxd.com/the39thman/list/movie-monday-1/

This month’s Movie Monday is The Golden Voyage of Sinbad from 1973. Directed by Gordon Hessler and featuring stop-motion effects of Ray Harryhausen. That episode will air on February 23rd, so please send in your submissions by the 21st if you’d like to be included in the show.

Also, be sure not to miss the new podcast I’m involved with, entitled With Wife and I. My wife, Isla, suggested we take turns choosing movies to watch together, then share our thoughts with anyone who cares to listen. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

“Warning” by Lieren of Updates From the Middle of Nowhere

Leave me an audio message via ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/KeepOffTheBorderlands

You can email me at spencer.freethrall@gmail.com, follow me on BlueSky @freethrall.bsky.social, or look me up on Discord by searching for freethrall

You can also hear me in actual plays on Grizzly Peaks Radio and find me in a bunch of other places here ⁠https://freethrall.carrd.co⁠

I begin this episode by talking about two Kickstarters I recently backed.

Tanya Flocker’s The Thunder Perfect Mind (ending February 10th) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/floaker/the-thunder-perfect-mind?ref=discovery&term=the%20thunder%20perfect%20mind&total_hits=1&category_id=34

Three Sail Studio’s Gallows Corner - A Peasants’ Revolt RPG https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/threesailsstudios/gallows-corner-a-peasants-revolt-rpg?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=gallows%20corner&total_hits=1

This is followed by some Movie Monday feedback from Evil Jeff of Minions & Musings (podcast), Joe Richter of Hindsighless (podcast), and Mirke of Mirke the Meek (podcast).

Find the Movie Monday Letterboxd list here https://letterboxd.com/the39thman/list/movie-monday-1/

This month’s Movie Monday is The Golden Voyage of Sinbad from 1973. Directed by Gordon Hessler and featuring stop-motion effects of Ray Harryhausen. That episode will air on February 23rd, so please send in your submissions by the 21st if you’d like to be included in the show.

Also, be sure not to miss the new podcast I’m involved with, entitled With Wife and I. My wife, Isla, suggested we take turns choosing movies to watch together, then share our thoughts with anyone who cares to listen. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

Leave me an audio message via ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/KeepOffTheBorderlands

You can email me at ⁠spencer.freethrall@gmail.com⁠ or look me up on Discord as FreeThrall

You can find me in a bunch of other places here ⁠https://freethrall.carrd.co⁠

For the first Movie Monday of 2026, we watched dark fantasy action comedy The Golden Child from 1986. Directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Eddie Murphy, Charlotte Lewis, Charles Dance, and Victor Wong.

This episode features contributions from:

(in order of appearance)

Joe Richter of Hindsighless (podcast)

Goblin’s henchman (podcast, blog) and the UmberBulk of the Southwest Sofa Crew

M.W. Lewis from The World of M.W. Lewis (podcast)

Find the Movie Monday Letterboxd list here https://letterboxd.com/the39thman/list/movie-monday-1/

The movie for February is The Golden Voyage of Sinbad from 1973. Directed by Gordon Hessler and featuring stop-motion effects of Ray Harryhausen. That episode will air on February 23rd, so please send in your submissions by the 21st if you’d like to be included in the show.

Also, be sure not to miss the new podcast I’m involved with, entitled With Wife and I. My wife, Isla, suggested we take turns choosing movies to watch together, then share our thoughts with anyone who cares to listen. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

“Warning” by Lieren of Updates From the Middle of Nowhere

Leave me an audio message via ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/KeepOffTheBorderlands

You can email me at ⁠spencer.freethrall@gmail.com⁠ or look me up on Discord as FreeThrall.

You can find me in a bunch of other places here ⁠https://freethrall.carrd.co⁠

Well, I think it’s high time Flash Gordon got its sequel, so here it is, a sequel to December’s Movie Monday episode at least.

Featuring messages from DarkFluid and Q, M.W. Lewis from the Worlds of M.W. Lewis (podcast), Joe Richter of Hindsightless (podcast), Goblin’s Henchman (podcast), and Jason Connerley of Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast.

Find the Movie Monday Letterboxd list here https://letterboxd.com/the39thman/list/movie-monday-1/

This month Movie Monday is dark fantasy action comedy The Golden Child from 1986. Directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Eddie Murphy. That episode will air on January 26th, so please send your submissions by the 24th if you’d like to be included in the show.

Also, be sure not to miss the new podcast I’m involved with, entitled With Wife and I. Isla and I take turns choosing movies to watch together, then share our thoughts with anyone who cares to listen.

“Warning” by Lieren of Updates From the Middle of Nowhere

Leave me an audio message via ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/KeepOffTheBorderlands

You can email me at spencer.freethrall@gmail.com, follow me on BlueSky @freethrall.bsky.social or look me up on Discord by searching for freethrall

You can also hear me in actual plays on Grizzly Peaks Radio and find me in a bunch of other places here ⁠https://freethrall.carrd.co⁠

Welcome to my first episode of 2026, wherein you will hear some audio unboxings, I talk about improving my reading habits, and my in-house book reviewer, Fox Loves Carrots (formerly known as Little Munchkin), returns to talk about Carlos Sanchez’s Rune: The Tale of a Thousand Faces.

Featuring: Helluva Town - Cartoon Gangster RPG from Achron Games, Cosmic Dark by Graham Walmsley, The Wind’s Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin, A Dreamer’s Tales by Lord Dunsany, Bound In Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror edited by Lor Gislason.

Find the Movie Monday Letterboxd list here https://letterboxd.com/the39thman/list/movie-monday-1/

This month Movie Monday is dark fantasy action comedy The Golden Child from 1986. Directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Eddie Murphy. That episode will air on January 26th, so please send your submissions by the 24th if you’d like to be included in the show.

Also, be sure not to miss the new podcast I’m involved with, entitled With Wife and I. Isla and I take turns choosing movies to watch together, then share our thoughts with anyone who cares to listen.

“Warning” by Lieren of Updates From the Middle of Nowhere

Leave me an audio message via ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/KeepOffTheBorderlands

You can email me at spencer.freethrall@gmail.com, follow me on BlueSky @freethrall.bsky.social or look me up on Discord by searching for freethrall

You can also hear me in actual plays on Grizzly Peaks Radio and find me in a bunch of other places here ⁠https://freethrall.carrd.co⁠

For December’s Movie Monday, I chose a film that’s as camp as Christmas. Mike Hodges’ 1980 cult classic space fantasy Flash Gordon starring Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Topol, Max von Sydow, Ornella Muti, Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed, Mariangela Melato, Peter Wynguarde, with music by Queen and Howard Blake.

This episode features contributions from:

(in order of appearance)

James V. West (https://www.jvwest.art)

Jason Connerley of Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast (podcast, blog)

Karl Rodriguez of The GMologist presents… (podcast, YouTube)

Goblin’s henchman (podcast, blog) and the UmberBulk of the Southwest Sofa Crew

James and Judy of the South Pacific Sofa

Joe Richter of Hindsighless (podcast)

Find the Movie Monday Letterboxd list here https://letterboxd.com/the39thman/list/movie-monday-1/

The movie to kick off 2026 is dark fantasy action comedy The Golden Child from 1986. Directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Eddie Murphy. That episode will air on January 26th, so please send your submissions by the 24th if you’d like to be included in the show.

Also, be sure not to miss the new podcast I’m involved with, entitled With Wife and I. My wife, Isla, suggested we take turns to choose movies to watch together, then share our thoughts with anyone who cares to listen. Our second episode is already available, pitting Neil Jordan’s Byzantium against Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark, and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

“Warning” by Lieren of Updates From the Middle of Nowhere

Leave me an audio message via ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/KeepOffTheBorderlands

You can email me at ⁠spencer.freethrall@gmail.com⁠ or look me up on Discord as FreeThrall.

You can find me in a bunch of other places here ⁠https://freethrall.carrd.co⁠

The debate continues. Jason Hobbs (Random Screed, Hobbs & Friends podcast) and MW Lewis (The Worlds of MW Lewis podcast) call in to convince me that Nausicaä is mooning us all.

See the case for the defence below…

Exhibit A: https://www.reddit.com/r/ghibli/comments/q9z5j6/is_anybody_else_bothered_by_all_the_gratuitous/

Exhibit B: https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/32328/does-nausica%C3%A4-wear-underpants-and-if-not-what-outside-universe-reason-is-there

Exhibit C: https://nausicaa.fandom.com/f/p/3083158488613143982

Exhibit D: https://discuss.panzerdragoonlegacy.com/t/nausicaas-ass/774

Find the Movie Monday Letterboxd list here https://letterboxd.com/the39thman/list/movie-monday-1/

The movie for December is Mike Hodges’ 1980s camp classic Flash Gordon. That episode will air on December 29th, so please send your submissions by the 27th if you’d like to be included in the show.

Also, be sure not to miss the new podcast I’m involved with, entitled With Wife and I. My wife, Isla, suggested we take turns to choose movies to watch together, then share our thoughts with anyone who cares to listen. Our second episode is already available, pitting Neil Jordan’s Byzantium against Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark.

Welcome to another episode of Keep off the Borderlands, wherein I answer some calls, open some boxes, and chat about solo tabletop roleplaying games.

Featuring calls from Karl Rodriguez of The GMologist presents…, Jason Connerley of Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast, Joe Richter of Hindsightless and Mirke of Mirke the Meek podcast.

We talk about getting older, Miyazaki’s Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and Mothership hack Cloud Empress.

Cloud Empress by Watt can be found here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/454022/cloud-empress-rulebook?src=hottest_filtered

I open some parcels containing such delights as Carved in Stone by Brian Tyrell and Lizy Simenon…

Astroprism by Camila Mera of Crescent Chimera…

Scarred For Life: Volume III by Stephen Brotherstone & Dave Lawrence and The Feast of Tegney Wood by Yochai Gal.

The Feast of Tegny Wood PDF is available for free here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/541026/cas-3-the-feast-of-tegny-wood

I then talk about a few solo role-playing games that have piqued my interest:

Solo D6 Fantasy Expanded by sceptr, which can be found here: https://cseptr.itch.io/solo-d6-fantasy-expanded

Star Borg by JP Coovert, which can be found here: https://jpcoovert.com

and TREY - Solo Roleplaying by Mattias Peterburg & Clarence Redd, which can be found here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/469224/trey-solo-roleplaying

Find the Movie Monday Letterboxd list here https://letterboxd.com/the39thman/list/movie-monday-1/

The movie for December is Mike Hodges’ 1980s camp classic Flash Gordon. That episode will air on December 29th, so please send your submissions by the 27th if you’d like to be included in the show.

Also, be sure not to miss the new podcast entitled With Wife and I. My wife, Isla, suggested we take turns choosing movies to watch together, then share our thoughts with anyone who cares to listen. Our second episode is another vampire double-bill, pitting Neil Jordan’s Byzantium against Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark.

“Warning” by Lieren of Updates From the Middle of Nowhere

You can find me in a bunch of other places here ⁠https://freethrall.carrd.co⁠

Follow me on BlueSky @freethrall.bsky.social or look me up on Discord by searching for freethrall

You can also hear me in actual plays on Grizzly Peaks Radio