Keep off the Borderlands

"It's about RPGs and stuff" ~ Free Thrall
  • 4.9 (10)
  • GAMES
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Welcome to Keep off the Borderlands. Initially a podcast documenting my return to table top roleplay gaming following a thirty-year hiatus. Currently searching for excuses for why I haven't GM'd yet. You can leave me an audio message here or via Speakpipe at https://www.speakpipe.com/KeepOffTheBorderlands Email me at spencer.freethrall@gmail.com You can also follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/FreeThrall and join the podcast Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/FreeThrall/ freethrall.substack.com

  1. 1D AGO

    Boxes & Books (Helluva Town, Cosmic Dark, Rune) (E310)

    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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freethrall.substack.com

    44 min

  2. 12/29/2025

    Movie Monday: Flash Gordon (1980) (E309)

    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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freethrall.substack.com

    1h 8m

  3. 12/11/2025

    Between the Borderlands: Miracle on Dirty Thought Street (E308)

    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. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freethrall.substack.com

    11 min

  4. 12/08/2025

    Flying Solo (Carved in Stone, Star Borg, Astroprisma) (E307)

    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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freethrall.substack.com

    41 min

  5. 11/23/2025

    Movie Monday: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (E306)

    Welcome to Movie Monday! This month’s movie was Hayao Miyazaki’s animated post-apocalyptic fantasy Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind from 1984. A based on Miyazaki’s own critically acclaimed manga series of the same name. This episode features contributions from: (in order of appearance) James Knight and Ellen of the Southwest London Sofa Gang James and Judy of the South Pacific Sofa Jason Connerley of Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast (podcast, blog) Goblin’s Henchman (podcast & blog) & the Umber Bulk Joe Richter of Hindsighless (podcast) Jason Hobbs of Hobbs and Friends, and Random Screed (podcasts) MW Lewis of The Worlds of MW Lewis (podcast) Mirke of Mirke the Meek (podcast) 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. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3gAZmllf145wZLkdbkYbra?si=O5ZQFgBLQ0yjzkMvbzDaCg “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 You can find me in a bunch of other places here ⁠https://freethrall.carrd.co⁠ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freethrall.substack.com

    1h 43m

  6. 11/16/2025

    Belated Birthday Box Bonanza (Vaesen, Stay Frosty, Scream Amongst the Stars) (E305)

    Having found myself on the wrong side of 55, I attempt to distract from this devastating realisation by responding to some Movie Monday feedback before indulging in a little retail therapy. First up is James Knight with a call about September’s movie Richard Donner’s Superman, then we have calls from Joe Richter of Hindsighless and MW Lewis of The Worlds of MW Lewis regarding the October choice Fred Dekker’s Monster Squad. I mention a Dungeon Craft review of Chris McDowall’s Mythic Bastionland that you can watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsJ5px6_8ew This is followed by that strangest of phenomena, the audio unboxing. I take a peek inside Free League's new Vaesen Starter Set, Casey Garske’s Stay Frost Remastered, Loke Battle Mats’ Dungeon Designer’s Deck (as featured on Geek Gamers) and Diogo Nogueira’s Screams Amongst The Stars. Check out the Dungeon Designer’s Deck here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FuEq0yen-Y This month’s Movie Monday is 1984’s animated pre-Ghibli classic Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind directed by Hayao Miyazaki. That episode will air on 24th, so please send your submissions by the 22th if you’d like to be included in the show. Leave me an audio message via ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/KeepOffTheBorderlands You can email me at ⁠spencer.freethrall@gmail.com⁠ Find the Movie Monday Letterboxd list here https://letterboxd.com/the39thman/list/movie-monday-1/ Be sure to check out the new podcast I’m involved with, With Wife and I. My wife, Isla, suggested we take turns to choose a movie to watch together, then share our thoughts with anyone who cares to listen. Here’s our very first episode, where we pit Bram Stoker’s Dracula against Renfield https://open.spotify.com/episode/29HMVF3BBpClDiAwzczghP?si=ts3ULH8uRgy3rfLXFOyRxw Episode 2: Byzantium Vs. Near Dark is coming soon! “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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freethrall.substack.com

    38 min

  7. 10/26/2025

    Movie Monday: The Monster Squad (E304)

    Well, what do you know, it’s Movie Monday again! This month, we watched Fred Dekker’s The Monster Squad from 1987. This episode features contributions from: (in order of appearance) Goblin’s Henchman (podcast & blog) & the Umber Bulk Jason Connerley of Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast (podcast, blog) James Knight, Ellen and Tyranner Joe Richter of Hindsighless (podcast) Karl Rodriguez of the GMologist Presents… (podcast) MW Lewis of The Worlds of MW Lewis (podcast) Find the Movie Monday Letterboxd list here https://letterboxd.com/the39thman/list/movie-monday-1/ The movie for November will be 1984’s animated pre-Ghibli classic Nausica of the Valley of the Wind directed by Hayao Miyazaki. That episode will air on 24th, so please send your submissions by the 22th 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. Here’s our very first episode, where we pit Bram Stoker’s Dracula against Renfield https://open.spotify.com/episode/29HMVF3BBpClDiAwzczghP?si=ts3ULH8uRgy3rfLXFOyRxw “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 You can find me in a bunch of other places here ⁠https://freethrall.carrd.co⁠ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freethrall.substack.com

    1h 8m

  8. 10/12/2025

    Between the Borderlands: What Superman Did Next (E303)

    Welcome to a mid-month Movie Monday feedback episode. I share my thoughts on the Richard Donner cut of Superman 2 and Superman 2025, James Gunn’s latest attempt to revive the franchise. I have calls from Karl Rodriguez of The GMologist presents… (podcast), James Knight and Tyranner of the Southwest London Sofa Gang, and Joe Richter of Hindsighless (podcast). Find the Movie Monday Letterboxd list here https://letterboxd.com/the39thman/list/movie-monday-1/ The movie for October will be 1987’s Monster Squad, directed by Fred Dekker. The episode will air on the 27th, so please send your submissions by the 25th if you’d like to be included in the show. Leave me an audio message via ⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/KeepOffTheBorderlands You can email me at ⁠spencer.freethrall@gmail.com⁠ You can find me in a bunch of other places here ⁠https://freethrall.carrd.co⁠ I’m also very pleased to announce the launch of a new podcast I’m involved with, entitled With Wife and I. My wife, Isla, suggested we take turns to choose a movie to watch together, then share our thoughts with anyone who cares to listen. Here’s our very first episode, where we pit Bram Stoker’s Dracula against Renfield https://open.spotify.com/episode/29HMVF3BBpClDiAwzczghP?si=ts3ULH8uRgy3rfLXFOyRxw This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freethrall.substack.com

    21 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Welcome to Keep off the Borderlands. Initially a podcast documenting my return to table top roleplay gaming following a thirty-year hiatus. Currently searching for excuses for why I haven't GM'd yet. You can leave me an audio message here or via Speakpipe at https://www.speakpipe.com/KeepOffTheBorderlands Email me at spencer.freethrall@gmail.com You can also follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/FreeThrall and join the podcast Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/FreeThrall/ freethrall.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    "It's about RPGs and stuff" ~ Free Thrall
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    310
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Free Thrall
  • Show Website
    Keep off the Borderlands

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