Critical Lit

By Amelia Som, Dan Dillon, Sal Tamarkin, I-Hsien Sherwood

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. Hosted by industry veteran... more

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FAQs about Critical Lit:

How many episodes does Critical Lit have?

The podcast currently has 32 episodes available.

Critical Lit episodes:

September 10, 2026 Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 25: Mod Squad
Is this sandbox too spooky? Parties looking for a less grim take on Barovia have a host of more heroic (and more linear) options. They can be used to spice up an individual encounter, build out a whole plot hook, or even run an entirely different campaign altogether. Plus plenty of official Ravenloft content has dropped in recent years. In this episode: Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, Curse of Strahd: Reloaded, MandyMod's Fleshing Out series.
Support us on Patreon to hear monthly bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalLit
Curse of Strahd Reloaded: https://www.strahdreloaded.com
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @CriticalLit.bsky.social
Dan Dillon: @dandillon.bsky.social
I-Hsien Sherwood: @ihsien.bsky.social
Amelia Som: @ameliasom.com
Sal Tamarkin: @sal.gay
Cover art by Aram Vartian: @aramvartian.com
...more
1h 48min
August 27, 2026 Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 24: Slaughter Rinse Repeat
Strahd gets knocked down, but he gets up again. And again. The "final" battle is a tricky needle to thread, but victory earns a literal Pandora's box of endings. In this episode: Final fight with Strahd, Epilogue, Strahd Prevails, Strahd Dies, Rahadin's Revenge, Sergei and Ireena, Escape from Barovia, Aftermath, Appendix A: Character Options, Haunted One, Gothic Trinkets, Appendix C: Treasures, Tome of Strahd, Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, Sunsword.
Support us on Patreon to hear monthly bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalLit
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @CriticalLit.bsky.social
Dan Dillon: @dandillon.bsky.social
I-Hsien Sherwood: @ihsien.bsky.social
Amelia Som: @ameliasom.com
Sal Tamarkin: @sal.gay
Cover art by Aram Vartian: @aramvartian.com
...more
1h 46min
August 12, 2026 Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 23: The Real Housewolves of Barovia
While Kiril's away, the pups will play! The pack really sinks their claws into each other this time, but the real question is which of the lucky young newcomers to the den will come out on top in this single elimination competition? In this episode: Chapter 15: Werewolf Den (Pack drama, Approaching the Den, Areas of the Den Z1-Z8, Cave Mouth, Guard Post, to the death, Wolf Den, Underground Spring, Deep Caves, no country for young kids, werewolf vs werewolf, Kiril's Cave, Shrine of Mother Night, Ring of Stone, Hunger Games, tourney rules, Special Events, Leader of the Pack, Die Kinder).
Support us on Patreon to hear monthly bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalLit
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @CriticalLit.bsky.social
Dan Dillon: @dandillon.bsky.social
I-Hsien Sherwood: @ihsien.bsky.social
Amelia Som: @ameliasom.com
Sal Tamarkin: @sal.gay
Cover art by Aram Vartian: @aramvartian.com
...more
1h 47min
July 29, 2026 Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 22: Reverse of Strahd New Game Plus
Visit Yester Hill, a planned community for retired berserkers with absolutely no secrets hidden beneath a thin layer of sod. Evil druids seek to unleash their blood-filled wood upon the world, and even Strahd himself comes here to pine among the pines. In this episode: Chapter 14: Yester Hill (Areas of the Hill Y1-Y5, an enormous map, Trail, Berserker Cairns, Druid's Circle, death from above, Wooden Statue, Hidden Graves, Gulthias Tree, dead adventurer, Wall of Fog, Whispering Wall, Special Events, Druid's Ritual, Wintersplinter, tree blights, Gulthias blights, Strahd in the mix, Blood Spear of Kavan, blood spear of Kevin).
Support us on Patreon to hear monthly bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalLit
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @CriticalLit.bsky.social
Dan Dillon: @dandillon.bsky.social
I-Hsien Sherwood: @ihsien.bsky.social
Amelia Som: @ameliasom.com
Sal Tamarkin: @sal.gay
Cover art by Aram Vartian: @aramvartian.com
...more
1h 37min
July 15, 2026 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?
The final vaults in the basement of the Amber Temple hold 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. You can even bring one person back from the dead, and isn't that worth it? In this episode: Chapter 13 (X33c-X42, Ghastly Vault, playing with Dark Gifts, The Teeth of Dahlver-Nar version history and design, Breached Vault, comparing Dark Gifts, Vault of Harkotha, death slaad, fire giant strength, Vault of Thangob, hell hounds, shield guardian, poltergeists, Sealed Treasury, Amber Vault, vampire spawn, dark gift of Vampyr, dark gift of Tenebrous, dark gift of Zhudun the Corpse Star, Special Events, Rahadin’s Prayer, Kasimir’s Dark Gift, Patrina Velikovna).
Support us on Patreon to hear monthly bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalLit
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @CriticalLit.bsky.social
Dan Dillon: @dandillon.bsky.social
I-Hsien Sherwood: @ihsien.bsky.social
Amelia Som: @ameliasom.com
Sal Tamarkin: @sal.gay
Cover art by Aram Vartian: @aramvartian.com
...more
1h 52min
July 01, 2026 Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 20: Vestigial Tales
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? In this episode: Chapter 13 (X18-X33b, Architect's Room, ewer trouble, West Shrine trap, Secret Alcove hijinks, Lich's Lair, becoming buddies with Exethanter, Preserved Library, Barovian witches, Amber Vaults, Vault of Shalx, Vault of Maverus, a smorgasbord of Dark Gifts).
Support us on Patreon to hear monthly bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalLit
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @CriticalLit.bsky.social
Dan Dillon: @dandillon.bsky.social
I-Hsien Sherwood: @ihsien.bsky.social
Amelia Som: @ameliasom.com
Sal Tamarkin: @sal.gay
Cover art by Aram Vartian: @aramvartian.com
...more
1h 52min
June 17, 2026 Curse of Strahd Deep Dive 19: Anyway, Here's Fireball
It's back to Barovia for Chapter 13, 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 us. Nope, just more fireballs. In this episode: Chapter 13 (The Amber Temple history, Extreme Cold, Areas of the Temple X1-X17, Temple Facade, stealing the statues, Temple of Lost Secrets, arcanaloths, flameskulls, Vilnius, amber golem, mountain folk, Jakarion, staff of frost).
Support us on Patreon to hear monthly bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalLit
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @CriticalLit.bsky.social
Dan Dillon: @dandillon.bsky.social
I-Hsien Sherwood: @ihsien.bsky.social
Amelia Som: @ameliasom.com
Sal Tamarkin: @sal.gay
Cover art by Aram Vartian: @aramvartian.com
...more
1h 35min
June 03, 2026 Keep on the Borderlands Deep Dive 04: Color-Coded Chaos
Our final look at the Caves of Chaos takes 17 man-turns to unpack. The cult fit is very Queen of Hearts and 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? In this episode: Hobgoblin Lair, Torture Chamber/Playroom/Food Storage, Shunned Cavern, Owl Bear's Den, Bugbear Lair, Caves of the Minotaur, Gnoll Lair, Shrine of Evil Chaos, NPCs, Tips to the Players, Glossary, Final Thoughts.
Support us on Patreon to hear monthly bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalLit
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @CriticalLit.bsky.social
Dan Dillon: @dandillon.bsky.social
I-Hsien Sherwood: @ihsien.bsky.social
Amelia Som: @ameliasom.com
Sal Tamarkin: @sal.gay
Cover art by Aram Vartian: @aramvartian.com
...more
2h 45min
May 20, 2026 Keep on the Borderlands Deep Dive 03: Throuple Trouble
Many yawning orifices await as the spelunking finally begins in earnest! The myriad tribes of the Caves of Chaos have complex social hierarchies, tight-knit family units, commerce, treaties, and their own vintners, but their deaths carry absolutely no moral weight. Exterminate at your leisure. But first, we traipse about the friendly wilderness and hunt nothing at all. In this episode: Adventures Outside the Keep, Wilderness Map, Camping Outdoors, Mound of the Lizard Men, Spiders' Lair, Raider Camp, The Mad Hermit, Dungeon Master's tables and insert, The Caves of Chaos A-E, Tribal Alliances and Warfare, Kobold Lair, Orc Lair B, Orc Lair C, Goblin Lair, Ogre Cave.
Support us on Patreon to hear monthly bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalLit
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @CriticalLit.bsky.social
Dan Dillon: @dandillon.bsky.social
I-Hsien Sherwood: @ihsien.bsky.social
Amelia Som: @ameliasom.com
Sal Tamarkin: @sal.gay
Cover art by Aram Vartian: @aramvartian.com
...more
2h 13min
May 06, 2026 Keep on the Borderlands Deep Dive 02: An Officer and a Normalman
Dammit granite! If these walls could talk, they'd blush and tell you "murder hole" is not the preferred nomenclature. Gygax continues to wow us with his commitment to verisimilitude (of a sort), but where do all these armored men keep the bathrooms? Fortunately, this keep is at the top of the hill, not the bottom. Just don't ask who's feeding the snakes. In this episode: Rumor Table, Areas of the Keep 1-27, economics, outhouses, switching sides.
Support us on Patreon to hear monthly bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/CriticalLit
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @CriticalLit.bsky.social
Dan Dillon: @dandillon.bsky.social
I-Hsien Sherwood: @ihsien.bsky.social
Amelia Som: @ameliasom.com
Sal Tamarkin: @sal.gay
Cover art by Aram Vartian: @aramvartian.com
...more
1h 53min

FAQs about Critical Lit:

How many episodes does Critical Lit have?

The podcast currently has 32 episodes available.

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