Historical Thursday - The Middle Ages

Over on medievalists.net, they discuss the question of "When were the Middle Ages?" here.

Also, on medievalists.net, they examine "The Most Dramatic Moment of the Middle Ages!"  Learn more here.

Finally, on historyextra.com, they tell us "10 things you (probably) didn't know about the Middle Ages" here.

Historical Thursday on GRYMVALD.com

Sifting through History to
enhance our tabletop RPGing.

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Worldbuilding Wednesday - Neanderthals

Just last Summer on nature.com, an article titled "Neanderthals had outsize effect on human biology" suggested "From skin disorders to the immune system, sex with archaic species changed Homo sapiens."  Read more about that here.

In a sort of revisiting of that line of though, over on theguardian.com recently, they report "Neanderthals may have died of diseases carried by humans from Africa" here.

To be clear about the place of the Neanderthal in our current understanding of human evolution, on nhm.ac.uk, they have a nifty chart here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
for our tabletop RPGing.

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The Tuesday Sundries - Rings & Things

Over on ancient-origins.net, they give us "Magical Rings and Their Mystical Powers" here.  These are all real world items said to have possessed mystical or magical powers and worn by such luminaries as King Solomon, Charlemagne, and Genghis Khan.  I particularly love that archaeologist Howard Carter wore a ring believed to be enchanted in ancient times to protect the wearer from curses, like those one might get exploring a mummy's tomb.

Also, on historyextra.com, they share a nice collection of photos of various items from the Staffordshire Hoard here.  Although they are misshapen from time and environmental conditions, and not perfectly restored, you can certainly see why these were set aside as treasures.

Finally, on ultanya.com, the Gran DM offers up some wonderful "Ravenloft Trinkets" in the form of a randomized table here.  These were created with The Curse of Strahd in mind but is more versatile than that, so bookmark and save this for your tabletop RPGing!

The Tuesday Sundries on GRYMVALD.com
Essentially, a clearinghouse for topics on GRYMVALD.com
not covered elsewhere or wanting a particular focus.

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Mapping Monday - Dyson's 2015 Cartographic Review

Over on rpgcharacters.wordpress.com, Dyson Logos has been toiling away for a long time amassing a vast number of very cool maps for gamers to use in their tabletop RPGs.  His maps have a simple, clean, and effective Old School style and feel to them.  I've mentioned his website before in passing but wanted to feature him since the recent change to the CMG Blog Triad (moving RPG Media Monday to the CMG corner and adding a specific Mapping Monday feature).  But more importaly, Dyson has some amazing work that is highly worthy of support.  There are a number of ways in which one can do so.

Folks should know that I've been a Patreon supporter of his efforts for a little while now and you can also do so for as little as a buck a month or a few cents a map, if you so desire.  It might not seem like a lot but you'd be amazed how that adds up.  As I say, you can give a set amount per map (he's very prolific) and even limit that by a chosen number of maps per month.  The number of maps he releases each month can be quite high but it does vary.  Personally, I give $5 per map but limit it to two maps, essentially ten dollars per month.  He's worth even more but that's what is in my budget.  You can support him in a similar fashion through Patreon here.

Dyson also puts out some regular books of his Dungeon Delves and most recently a year-in-review Dodecahedron 2015 Cartographic Review.  These tomes come in print form here on lulu.com (many in both hardcover and paperback) and through the OBS sites on places like RPGNow.com here.  His work is well worth collecting and using.  Adventuring ideas just spring off the page when I look at these wonderful works!

Mapping Monday on GRYMVALD.com

Cartography and Mapping are the order of the day,
from setting maps to battlemaps, it's all good.

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Setting & Society Sunday - Languages

Over on Google Plus, someone was sending around meme on the evolution of the English language which I cleaned up to share below.

Also, on tribune.com.pk, they shared a "Blast from the past: New language system of Gandhara civilisation discovered."  Read more here.

Finally, on the Business Insider Science YouTube channel, they featured a video on "Animated map shows how Indo-European languages may have evolved."  Enjoy!

Setting & Society Sunday on GRYMVALD.com

Looking closer at Setting and Society

as a part of what is presented by GMs.

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Saturday in Space - Black Hole, Europa, & Giant Planet

There's been a spate of new development in the astonomy and space exploration sectors this week with the first coming to us from over on space.com where they exclaim "Surprise! Gigantic Black Hole Found in Cosmic Backwater."  Find out more here.

Also, on ndtv.com, they tell us "NASA Plans Mission To Explore Life On Jupiter's Moon" here.

Finally, on technobuffalo.com, they feature a story about a "Giant planet with 3 stars found, KELT-4Ab" here.

Saturday in Space on GRYMVALD.com
What's happening in Space and

what can it mean for our tabletop RPGing?

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Flora & Fauna Friday - Wasps & Hornets

Over on nerdapproved.com, they featured a "'Soul-Sucking' Wasp Species Named After Harry Potter Dementors" here.

Also, on gawker.com, an old article told us "This Hornet Will Be the Last Thing You See Before You Die" here.

Finally, from the Tim Freeman YouTube channel, there is a video on "Japanese Hornets."  Enjoy!

Flora & Fauna Friday on GRYMVALD.com

Examining animals, plants, and the

environments we use for our tabletop RPGing.

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