Joe Richter (Hindsightless) ran a group through Horror on the Hill. I ponder/ramble to unpack the experience—what worked, what didn’t, and why that one trap still bothers me. Joe adds a little bit of his own thoughts.

Some topics pondered: setting/assuming expectations, old-school module/dungeon design, faction play, and the tension between running a module “as written” versus making it your own.

Check out previous episodes of Hindsightless for more discussion of Horror on the Hill starting here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/joe-richter9/episodes/612-OSR-October-Charles-Patton-e39tiu5

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Email: mirke [dot] the [dot] meek [at] gmail [dot] com⁠

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I walk and talk about the old Conan cartoon from 1992. For those with kids around age seven, you may want to consider it for giving an early taste of sword and sorcery, sanitized as it may be.

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In this episode, I think through the idea of what’s possible—and why some strange things in stories feel believable while others don’t.

Using examples from Star Trek and Carmen Sandiego, I explore the difference between unrealistic things and things that don’t really make sense at all, touching on the philosophical idea of metaphysical possibility.

From there, I connect it to tabletop RPGs and how philosophy informs our games and players' choices, whether we realize it or not.

This isn’t a formal philosophy lesson—just me working through some ideas and relating them to games.

People/Things Mentioned:

• Knowledge, Reality and Value (Michael Huemer) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57610167-knowledge-reality-and-value
• Riley (Diegetic Advancement) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/diegeticadvancement
• The Actual Reason Brennan is so Good (Edariad YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghf7tksqyaA
• Brennan Lee Mulligan is Saving the World, one D&D Game at a Time (Rolling Stone) (https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-gaming/critical-role-dungeons-and-dragons-brennan-lee-mulligan-1235438859/

Feedback:

Speakpipe (90 seconds): ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/MirkeTheMeek⁠

Email: mirke [dot] the [dot] meek [at] gmail [dot] com⁠

My Itch.io Page: ⁠https://mirkethemeek.itch.io/⁠

BJ helps me answer a couple of call-ins concerning our psychology discussions.

People/Things Mentioned:

• BJ (Arcane Alienist) ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arcanealienist⁠
• Riley (Diegetic Advancement) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/diegeticadvancement
• Daniel (Bandits Keep) https://www.youtube.com/c/banditskeep

• Semi-Related Article (https://www.apa.org/monitor/2025/04-05/role-playing-games-therapy)

Feedback:

Speakpipe (90 seconds): ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/MirkeTheMeek⁠

Email: mirke [dot] the [dot] meek [at] gmail [dot] com⁠

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Thank you BJ for the discussion! (Arcane Alienist: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arcanealienist⁠)

BJ discusses a conference talk about using D&D for therapy.

Feedback:

Speakpipe (90 seconds): ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/MirkeTheMeek⁠

Email: mirke [dot] the [dot] meek [at] gmail [dot] com⁠

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Thank you BJ for the discussion! (Arcane Alienist: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arcanealienist⁠)

We finish our discussion of Dr. Donald Robertson's book, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250621436/howtothinklikearomanemperor).

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Thank you BJ for the discussion! (Arcane Alienist: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arcanealienist⁠)

I talk my 2026 nerdy aspirations before getting into a discussion of Dr. Donald Robertson's book, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250621436/howtothinklikearomanemperor).

Feedback:

Speakpipe (90 seconds): ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/MirkeTheMeek⁠

Email: mirke [dot] the [dot] meek [at] gmail [dot] com⁠

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More Howard, Lovecraft and Sword & Sorcery Talk

People/Things Mentioned:

• Riley (Diegetic Advancement) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/diegeticadvancement
• BJ (Arcane Alienist) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arcanealienist
• Jason (Nerds RPG Variety Cast) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376
• Anchorite APA (https://sites.google.com/view/anchorite/home)

Feedback:

Speakpipe (90 seconds): ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/MirkeTheMeek⁠

Email: mirke [dot] the [dot] meek [at] gmail [dot] com⁠

My Itch.io Page: ⁠https://mirkethemeek.itch.io/⁠

How would you describe your game playing: information handling & decision making or imagination & immersion?

People/Things Mentioned:

• Joe (Dekahedron) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jpgill/
• Anthony (The Casting Shadows Podcast)https://castingshadowspodcast.com/episodes/
• Jason (Nerds RPG Variety Cast) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376
• Keep Off the Borderlands (https://freethrall.substack.com/podcast)
• Anchorite APA (https://sites.google.com/view/anchorite/home)

Feedback:

Speakpipe (90 seconds): ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/MirkeTheMeek⁠

Email: mirke [dot] the [dot] meek [at] gmail [dot] com⁠

My Itch.io Page: ⁠https://mirkethemeek.itch.io/⁠

The final Advent-ure. Will the kittens help these star-crossed lovers?