Monday, December 31, 2012

Tenrecs are NOT What One Imagines

There is a bizarre little creature native to Madagascar that is called a Tenrac and, though it resembles a tiny hedgehog, is related to whales and sea cows.  Go figure then read more here on BBC.co.uk!


Sunday, December 30, 2012

The Guoliang Tunnel through Taihang Mountain

YouTube user Goorney has several videos showing off some of the amazing features of the Guoliang Tunnel through Taihang Mountain in China.  Enjoy!





Saturday, December 29, 2012

True Facts About the Angler Fish

The often interesting io9.com recently pointed toward a ze frank YouTube video on the Angler Fish that should prove fun to view.  Enjoy!


Friday, December 28, 2012

Watching the Stars

If you're trying to add some depth to a tabletop roleplaying setting, try describing the night sky.  To get some inspiration on how to do so, check out a video or two at the JPL News YouTube channel here!


Thursday, December 27, 2012

30,000 Year Old Engraved Stone

Earlier this month, Sci-News.com reported the finding of an engraved stone believed to date back 30,000 years.  Consider that when writing up the history of your own tabletop roleplaying setting.  Read more here!


Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Book in a Book

Check out the fascinating article on the edmontonjournal.com website about an "18th century Latin dictionary published in Switzerland hides inside the fragments of an early 13th century Italian manuscript of the Justinian Code."  Your tabletop roleplaying setting might benefit from hiding some tombs inside of others.  See more here!


Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Free Harnic Christmas Adventure

If you like running holiday themed adventures, check out the FREE Harnic Christmas adventure.  It's a comfortable eight pages and no doubt it could easily be adapted to many Medieval Fantasy roleplaying settings.  See more here!


Monday, December 24, 2012

Bifurcated Snake

If you ever wondered how a Medieval Fantasy or Ancient setting might depict a hydra feasting on prey, check out this YouTube video showing a "Two Headed Snake feeding." You might also like to read up a bit on axial bifurcation on the Nerdy Science blog here!  Enjoy!


Sunday, December 23, 2012

Bardic Tellings of Beowulf

If you want to get an idea of how some bards might handle the stroytelling of Beowulf, check out the videos below.  Enjoy!




Saturday, December 22, 2012

Maharashtra Rock Sculptures

Dozens of ancient rock sculptures have recently been rediscovered in India and they date back 6 to 9 thousand years.  Read more here!


Friday, December 21, 2012

Underground Mayan Observatory

According to a recent National Geographic YouTube video, the Mayans had an underground observatory.  Enjoy!


Thursday, December 20, 2012

Fantasy Coins

Tom Maringer is an artist and craftsman making fantasy coins, some for The Game of Thrones line.  Check out his work here and I'm sure you'll find it inspirational in your setting creation work!


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Pipestones Transported

A new study of 2,000 year old pipestone artifacts found in Ohio in the early part of last century might be revealing something unexpected.  The items may have been transported from elsewhere rather than being locally produced as once thought because of similarities in the local stone to that of the stone used in their carving.  Something to keep in mind when adding artifacts to a tabletop roleplaying game setting as a possible red herring.  Read more here!


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Underwater Landscape

There is an interesting and inspirational photo I was linked to see on InterestingPlaces.es, a site worth bookmarking for future foraging.  See more here!


Monday, December 17, 2012

Mysterious Places on the Sea

Over on lifeslittlemysteries.com is a neat pictorial called "Dark Waters: The Most Mysterious Places on the Seas."  You can add these places to many tabletop roleplaying campaigns.  See more here!


Sunday, December 16, 2012

Frogs vs. Fungus

Some predators just lie around and wait.  Check out a Natural Geographic YouTube channel video showing how a few decades of fungus growth are wiping out a Central American frog population.  Watch!


Saturday, December 15, 2012

Dinosaur Extinction Might Be Linked to Volcanoes

There is a theory that rather than meteors being responsible for the downfall of the dinosaurs, it may have been volcanoes that caused their extinction.  Something to contemplate as you flesh out the deep history of your own setting.  Read more here!


Friday, December 14, 2012

Statues from the Mausoleum at Halikarnassos

There are some very cool statues from the Mausoleum at Halikarnassos that are on display at the British Museum.  Original one of thirty-six colossals suspected to have been there, it has a fascinating history.  Read more here!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

De Brazza's Monkeys

There is an interesting creatures known as the De Brazza's Monkey that lives in Africa.  It has a wise, introspective appearance which would lend itself well to anthropomorphism.  See more here!

 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Estalia - A Setting from Grobius Shortling

There is a rather interesting website created by someone named (or going by) Grobius Shortling who states that he has been creating related settings since the early Sixties.  Check this out for a bit of inspiration (and some lovely ideas for maps).  See more here!


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Caño Cristales - The River of Five Colors

There is a fascinating location in Columbia, the river known as Caño Cristales which is also called The River of Five Colors.  Read more here!


Monday, December 10, 2012

Setting Songs

Have you ever written a song or even a poem for your tabletop roleplaying game setting?  Here's some inspiration for you.  Enjoy!


Sunday, December 9, 2012

Solar System Comparisons

If you are doing a little setting creation and you want to get a handle on comparisons of bodies within our solar system, check out this handy chart here!


Saturday, December 8, 2012

Barbados Threadsnake

There is a wiki entry that many tabletop RPG setting creators will find useful.  It is on the Barbados Threadsnake and details how this tiny creature can often go unnoticed.  Add some lethal venom and put this snake into a lock trap.  Read more here!


Friday, December 7, 2012

Angus McBride Tolkien Artwork

There are some amazing images over on Gandolf.com of Angus McBride's artwork highlighting some Tolkien scenes.  See more here!


Thursday, December 6, 2012

Huge Croc

There was some good footage posted to YouTube last year (originally from 2007) showing an enormous crocodile from Australia.  Enjoy!


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Retro-Fitting the Explanations

No one can ever create everything that is needed for any tabletop roleplaying setting, nor have reasons for everything that happens in the moment at the table or transpires behind the scenes.  In a Doctor Who episode not long back, the iconic noises of the Tardis were explained to great comic effect.  See how they handled a mystery three decades in the making.  Enjoy!


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

WWI Soldiers Found Preserved in Shelter

It was reported on telegraph.co.uk that "German soldiers [were] found entombed in a perfectly preserved World War One shelter."  This might be a scenario idea for a zombie apocalypse game.  Read more here!


Monday, December 3, 2012

Canadian Dinosaur

A new type of dinosaur called the Xenoceratops has recently been discovered in Canada.  Read more here!


Sunday, December 2, 2012

Saxon Dining Hall in Kent

The Telegraph ( telegraph.co.uk ) has reported that a Saxon Dining Hall uncovered in Kent is bound to yield a great deal of interesting finds as more is explored.  Read more here!


Saturday, December 1, 2012

Sinkholes

IScienceTimes.com has a new article on the phenomenon of sinkholes.  Read more here!