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Critical Lit

@criticallit.bsky.social
164 followers 42 following 99 posts

Critical Lit is a podcast where we revisit and retool (and lambast and lampoon) classic tabletop RPG adventures. Part book review, part heckling commentary, all in good fun. Hosts Dan Dillon, Amelia Som, I-Hsien Sherwood, Sal Tamarkin.

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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 16h
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 16h
As we walk out of Barovia for good, we leave this land and this book forever changed. And we don't just mean the lidless third eye and hunger for bones, though those are nice too. Pour out a little Red Dragon Crush for all our mist connections. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
podcasts.apple.com
Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 27: You Will Be Mist
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · October 7 · 1h 33m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
We're gonna need @stras.bsky.social to reskin Band of Blades for Curse of Strahd. The Party fights eastward against hordes of undead, to the final showdown at Castle Ravenloft against The Cinder Count. Broken: The Abbot, the Mad Mage, Argynvost. Rally to your Chosen Ally. Bring siege engines.
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Bullet time still hits, friends. In this month's bonus content, this film holds up far better than other, more Star Wars-y attempts to launch a sci-fi movie trilogy in 1999. What does body horror look like nearly 30 years later? I have no thumbs and I must scroll? www.patreon.com/CriticalLit/...
patreon.com
The Matrix (Part 2) - September 2026 Bonus Episode | Critical Lit
Bullet time still hits, friends. We're happy to say this film holds up far better than other, more Star Wars-y attempts to launch a sci-fi m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
It's the Curse of Strahd Q&A! You had questions, both thought-provoking and simply provocative. Some mechanical, some hypothetical, some satirical, even some heretical. And we have...opinions. Hot takes! Recommendations! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
podcasts.apple.com
Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 26: Question Everything
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · September 26 · 1h 36m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Is this sandbox too spooky? Try a less grim take on Barovia with these more heroic (and more linear) options. And we pick clean the corpses of the other official Ravenloft books that have dropped in recent years. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
podcasts.apple.com
Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 25: Mod Squad
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · September 10 · 1h 47m
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colin feral @sal.gay · 04/09/2026
😤 why bother
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The viral dialect quiz doesn’t ask about janklee at all :(
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Strahd gets knocked down, but he gets up again. And again. The Epilogues in Curse of Strahd offer endings, of a sort. Happy, not so much. All your favorites and least favorites are accounted for, except for the ones who are not. Vasilka we hardly knew ye. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
podcasts.apple.com
Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 24: Slaughter Rinse Repeat
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · August 27 · 1h 46m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Strahd is an ISTJ btw
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The Black Kryptonian @kryptonianblerd.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Doctor Doom. But not in some incel loser way, but as an “ethical tyrant”. A Strahd that says, “Yes, I promise to use all of my power to make sure every creature, monster, and human have equity in my lands. As long as you pay your tithes and know that there will be NO ONE above Shrahd.”
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lucas, ho chi minh thot @antioccident.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I tried to bring in a bit of Hans Gruber into mine
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Strahd falls to his death from the top of Nakatomi Castle is the perfect ending to the campaign. - i
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colin feral @sal.gay · 17/08/2026
Personally I think Tár would make excellent Strahd inspo!!!!
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
- Cersei lannister: Ruthless, cunning, enjoys taunting victims - Kingpin: quick tempered genius whose intellect is outdone only by his size & strength - Homelander: hunky psychopath - Hannibal lecter: brilliant, urbane, vicious, loves to use puzzles/riddles/abstruseness generally
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
ok let's say you're going to run Curse of Strahd What fictional character(s) will you use as touchstones for how you will roleplay the dread lord himself? (some options in next skeet)
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Last call for all your Curse of Strahd questions before we record the Q&A! DM or email hugepitfilledwith200spikes at gmail
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
In Ch. 15 of Curse of Strahd, the werewolf pack gets their claws out. Which of these lucky young newcomers to the den will come out on top in this single elimination competition? And will child endangerment laws get in the way? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
podcasts.apple.com
Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 23: The Real Housewolves of Barovia
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · August 12 · 1h 46m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Open!
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
We’ve spent a year crawling through Strahd’s guts. After two dozen episodes of critical analysis, it’s time for the Curse of Strahd Q&A! We’ve read every word of this book, so feel free to get into the weeds. Send questions via DM or email hugepitfilledwith200spikes at gmail.
Curse of Strahd cover art
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
The dream of the '90s is alive in Port-land. In this month's bonus content, the Matrix perfectly captures the wrongness predicating the imminent fall of empire. We were adrift at sea, locked in cubicles. Ah, simpler times. www.patreon.com/CriticalLit/...
patreon.com
The Matrix (Part 1) - August 2026 Bonus Episode | Critical Lit
The original Matrix is perhaps the quintessential piece of '90s fiction. It perfectly captures that sense of wrongness that predicates the i
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
In Ch. 14 of Curse of Strahd, Yester Hill is a planned community for retired berserkers with zero secrets hidden beneath a thin layer of sod. Evil druids unleash their blood-filled wood upon the world & even Strahd himself comes here to pine among the pines. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
podcasts.apple.com
Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 22: Reverse of Strahd New Game Plus
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · July 29 · 1h 36m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Choose a side
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Inspired by Smaug? Could be...
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Who wore it best?
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Bonus content on Patreon! This film is Thranduil slander. And let this be a lesson to all you Lake-townies: When facing an enemy who has an inexhaustible AoE attack, try not to cluster your buildings in one convenient location. www.patreon.com/CriticalLit/...
patreon.com
The Hobbit, Rankin/Bass 1977 (Part 2) - July 2026 Bonus Episode | Critical Lit
The depiction of wood elves in this film has to be Teleri propaganda. Poor Thranduil (a phrase never uttered before or since) is a froggy-lo
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
We are always saying this!!!!
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Ch. 13 of Curse of Strahd concludes with the best rewards in all of Barovia. If it's wrong to murder your loved one and drink their blood or sacrifice dozens of innocent souls in order to ensure your immortality, then I don't want to be right. open.spotify.com/episode/2oye...
open.spotify.com
Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 21: Would You Still Love Me If I Was a Wisp of Utter Darkness No More Than a Few Inches Long?
Critical Lit · Episode
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Ch. 13 of Curse of Strahd continues. Deep within the Amber Temple, alone in the dark, lurks the most helpful lich in the multiverse. Play your cards right and there's free drinks and body modifications, too. You didn't need those eyeballs, right? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
podcasts.apple.com
Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 20: Vestigial Tales
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · July 1 · 1h 52m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Bonus content on Patreon! Take one part anti-war treatise, two parts nature travelogue, one part snack diary and zero parts sex appeal, combine, trim, and set to sick beats. The result is the most definitive version of The Hobbit ever put to celluloid. www.patreon.com/CriticalLit/...
patreon.com
The Hobbit, Rankin/Bass 1977 (Part 1) - June 2026 Bonus Episode | Critical Lit
Take one part anti-war treatise, two parts nature travelogue, one part snack diary and zero parts sex appeal, combine, trim, and set to sick
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Lil' buddy
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Let's not forget Shemeshka the Marauder
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
My vote for best arcanaloth art? @diterlizzi.bsky.social's critters from 2e Planescape.
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
We're back in Barovia for Ch. 13 of Curse of Strahd, and the Amber Temple is sending mixed messages. Does it want us to freeze to death? Burn to a crisp? Get possessed by loot? Maybe this adorably bespectacled jackal-faced creature can help? Nope, more fireballs. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
podcasts.apple.com
Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 19: Anyway, Here's Fireball
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · June 17 · 1h 35m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Our final look at the Caves of Chaos takes 17 man-turns to unpack. The cult fit is very Queen of Hearts & matches the canonically evil furnishings. But the real villain is in accounting. Who else could set up such an enormous slush fund for magic amulets? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k...
podcasts.apple.com
Keep on the Borderlands Deep Dive 04: Color-Coded Chaos
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · June 3 · 2h 44m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Chekhov's Potted Plant
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Bonus content on Patreon! The Saja Boys launch an earworm attack & Jinu's jawline launches 1000 shipfics, joining Trauma Mommy Celine & a giggly Gwi-Ma as likable antagonists. But the real villain is the tight 90-minute runtime. Oh the exposition we could have had! www.patreon.com/posts/kpop-d...
patreon.com
KPop Demon Hunters (Part 2) - May 2026 Bonus Episode | Critical Lit
KPop Demon Hunters (Part 2) - May 2026 Bonus Episode by Critical Lit on Patreon. Join Critical Lit's community for exclusive content and updates.
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
me fr
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Many yawning orifices await as the spelunking finally begins! The myriad tribes of the Caves of Chaos have complex social hierarchies, tight-knit family units, commerce, and vintners, but their deaths carry absolutely no moral weight. Exterminate at your leisure! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k...
podcasts.apple.com
Keep on the Borderlands Deep Dive 03: Throuple Trouble
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · May 20 · 2h 12m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
The Ewok movies are substantially better than most kids-focused Star Wars media. Think “Krull” quality: enjoyably campy, not cringeworthy, plus some ‘80s girl-power mojo. It’s worth it just for the “I got a rock” scene. The Ewoks animated series, however, is basically Star Wars Care Bears.
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
It rolls downhill
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Dammit granite! If these walls could talk, they'd blush & tell you 'murder hole' is not the preferred nomenclature. Gygax continues to wow with his commitment to verisimilitude (of a sort), but where are all the bathrooms? Just don't ask who's feeding the snakes. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k...
podcasts.apple.com
Keep on the Borderlands Deep Dive 02: An Officer and a Normalman
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · May 6 · 1h 52m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Less beautiful. Big manifest destiny/promised land vibes
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
A thing of beauty
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
What if "Do as I say, not as I do" was a D&D module? We're headed to The Keep on the Borderlands for spring break & Gary Gygax's 1979 grab-bag of breathless GM advice turns out to be mostly cribbed from TSR colleague Mike Carr. Shaper of the Cosmos am I, the DM! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k...
podcasts.apple.com
Keep on the Borderlands Deep Dive 01: Miserly Business
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · April 22 · 1h 45m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Rumi's Mifune walk
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
An Oops All Bards party protects the world from demons, but the real demons are the ones inside them all along. And the Demon King has a great sense of humor? This month's bonus content features a triumph for representation & for underdogs over corporate indifference. www.patreon.com/posts/kpop-d...
patreon.com
KPop Demon Hunters (Part 1) - April 2026 Bonus Episode | Critical Lit
Get more from Critical Lit on Patreon
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Everything's vine down at the Wizard of Wines! Chapter 12 is the nexus of nearly every plot hook in this book, but it's knee-deep in stick monsters and teetotaling druids. Remember, they're not dirty because they're evil; they're evil because they're dirty. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
podcasts.apple.com
Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 18: This Little Blight of Mine
Podcast Episode · Critical Lit · April 8 · 1h 42m
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Critical Lit @criticallit.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Bonus content on Patreon! Even Level 15 Divination Wizard Annie isn't enough to save the juke joint crew from the depredations of Remmick von Zar O'vich. www.patreon.com/posts/sinner...
patreon.com
Sinners (Part 3) - March 2026 Bonus Episode | Critical Lit
Get more from Critical Lit on Patreon
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