It was in June of 2025 that I went to Calgary to attend AardCon. While there, I took a side trip to Banff to visit the iconic Lake Louise. One look and I knew it had to go into the show, but couldn't call it 'Lake Louise'.... so I used the name of a second, smaller lake I hiked to: Mirror Lake. The place in the story is basically an amalgamation of the two spots.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Shownotes for Episode 50 (S3E50)
Theme Enchiridion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8NkG3bhIxU
Welcome 148 Barovian Castle https://tabletopaudio.com/
LTO Scott Buckley Legionnaire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwW0vFUCz
Some FX https://www.zapsplat.com
Monday, March 9, 2026
Introducing: Corporate Saboteur
There's a new solo game in town. Brought to you by Crit Dreggae, Corporate Saboteur is a solo journaling RPG about workplace revenge, moral limits, and controlled chaos. Through prompts and dice rolls, players chronicle small acts of rebellion inside a fictional corporate machine, exploring the blurry line between survival, sabotage, and conscience.
I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it before - and it gives me Office Space vibes in the best way. If you'd like to check it out, you can get a copy right here.
Friday, March 6, 2026
Shownotes for 'The Wretched' & Episode 49 (S3E49)
Bonus Episode 'The Wretched'
Theme Enchiridion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8NkG3bhIxU
49
Theme Enchiridion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8NkG3bhIxU
Welcome 148 Barovian Castle https://tabletopaudio.com/
LTO Scott Buckley Legionnaire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwW0vFUCz
Some FX https://www.zapsplat.com
Sunday, February 8, 2026
I'm off-grid for the next 4 weeks
Well, not really off-grid, but I will not be checking email or socials regularly as I travel in South America for the next month or so. Episodes are automated to release on my altered schedule: Feb 15th & March 1rst. When I get back I will resume the usual 3/month schedule.
Hasta luego,
Jon
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Discussing Dispel Magic
A little while back, Achillea acquired the 3rd level Magic User spell, Dispel Magic during a level up segment. She got it through a random roll, but the implications of this turn of fate were immediately significant. Could she just... dispel the magic on Aldvay and reverse his petrifaction? If so, the story would be more or less over. I'm sure I choked on my coffee a bit when this occurred to me, but after a moment's consideration, I understood that no, this is not something this spell could do. Story saved.
But let's talk a bit about why this is so, without getting into 'angels on the head of a pin' territory. The Expert rules say the spell removes 'spell effects' cast by a magic user. So, a definition of 'effects' is in order. If a Disintegrate spell kills a villager, the effect might be that the villager is dead - clearly Dispel Magic will not bring Farmer Joe back to life.
I think the crux of any argument has to be: is the magic still there? And here's where it gets tricky. A Wall of Fire? Can be dispelled. An active Levitation spell? Can be dispelled. Petrifaction? Well, we have to know if the newly created stone is magical or not. I would argue it is not. A quick look online shows that the community is split on this and I learned that in 5e, there's a window of opportunity in which a Dispel Magic will work, but after a minute or so, the effect is considered permanent.
So for me, Achillea's choice not to risk ending her quest to go home and risk failure is justified (she would have failed). It's a bonus that it didn't ruin the plot, but I do think the ruling is sound.
Do you have thoughts? Share in the comments below :)
Sunday, February 1, 2026
ONE MILLION DOWNLOADS!!
It finally happened: TOTM has been downloaded more than one million times. It's such a big number that my brain cannot fully comprehend the size, but I can tell you one thing: it feels great! Considering the recent disaster with my SSD, this is just what I needed to pick myself up off the ground and get to work restoring the lost episodes.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this dream come true!



