Actually I really appreciate the idea about the justification thing. I think I might just "play to find out" and if something seems to contradict "canon" then it'll be a mystery until maybe a future play reveals the truth. Why space wizards? Because... who knows? Find out later!
As for sound, I have podcast experience but I've been out of the game for several years. My set up will probably be pretty simple, trying to balance sound quality vs burnout potential. I'm currently thinking of using my zoom to record the audio, using a pretty decent mic with filter, then using slick audio magic noise reduction. Of course, I'm open to opinions/advice.
Carmilla sounds like something I need to check out. I mean vampires AND robots!? That's my jam.