Known Universe: Imagine Alien Life

On National Geographic's YouTube channel they have a short video on imagining alien life to herald their Known Universe program.  It has a number of interesting creature concepts worth checking out.  Enjoy!

"Le combat en armure, Daniel Jaquet"

Though I don't speak or read French, this video from museecluny's YouTube channel will go some way toward helping describe the action of knights in plate armor.  Have a look!

Walking with Reindeer

When describing a different culture in a tabletop roleplaying game, sometimes the little things such as the manner in which someone speaks, what they find important in comparison to the norm for the player characters, or even what they do not find engaging, can say a lot.  Take a look at this clip from the National Geographic YouTube channel and see if it strikes you as meaningful too.  Enjoy!

Eagle Owls

Someone on EN World pointed out a video of an Eagle Owl swooping in for prey from the vantage point of the prey itself.  More information on this wonderful creature can be had from a wiki entry on the Eurasian Eagle-Owl here.  Quite astonishing!

Finger Magic

One of the things I like to integrate into tabletop roleplaying games that have magical spells is the ability for the caster to describe, to some degree, how that magic manifests.  I was recently pointed toward a video on YouTube, and I somewhat apologize that it is actually a Samsung commercial, but it has such neat CGI work added to a very cool display of manual dexterity that I felt like sharing it.  If a player decided that this was how his character cast spells, I would enjoy it immensely.  Imagine a character "building" a wall of force in this manner, or any number of other spell-like effects.  Take a look!

No Bottom Lake, Ruins, and More

There's a place in Ireland known as No Bottom Lake.  In this YouTube video from underwaterireland's channel, the camera explores the ruins nearby, bizarre vegetation that grows in the water before the drop off, and some of the strangest suggestions about the supposed mystery.  It's a very weird video but the underwater shots are so amazing that it's worth watching.  Enjoy !

Slow and Steady

Yahoo News had an article from last month about the extinct Galapagos Tortoise apparently making a comeback.  I could easily see the infamous Land Shark suddenly coming back in a Fantasy setting and wreaking havoc on some unsuspecting villages that would require rescueing by adventurers.  Read more here!

30,000 Year Old Plant Reborn

Over on Discover Magazine's blog, there's an article about a 30,000 year old plant that was discovered in a ancient squirrel's den under many layers of ice and brought back by scientists.  It raises the question, does your tabletop campaign setting have such depth of history that something lost this long could be rediscovered?  Read more here!

Grand City

The good folks at io9.com did a recent story on the artist who dreamed up and drew an entire city.  Now this is what I call setting creation on a grand scale.  Check it out here!

Super Villain Lairs

A recent article on Cracked.com points out "6 Abandoned Places That Will Make Awesome Supervillain Lairs" which could be useful for your tabletop roleplaying game settings.  Enjoy!

Giant Amphipods

A recent Gizmodo.com article asks the question, "What the Hell Did Researchers Pull from the Depths of New Zealand’s Seas?"  Pretty scary and quite a food source for those deep ocean dwellers in your tabletop roleplaying setting.  Check it out here!

The Western Tradition Video Series

If you're looking to do a little light research and enjoy a good lecture series on video, check out The Western Tradition from the learner.org website.  Here's a link directly to the first in the series though you'll need to allow popups from learner.org to get the full screen version.  In their own words -

A video instructional series on Western civilization for college and high school classrooms and adult learners; 52 half-hour video programs and coordinated books.  Covering the ancient world through the age of technology, this illustrated lecture by Eugen Weber presents a tapestry of political and social events woven with many strands — religion, industry, agriculture, demography, government, economics, and art. A visual feast of over 2,700 images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art portrays key events that shaped the development of Western thought, culture, and tradition. This series is also valuable for teachers seeking to review the subject matter.

Carpet Sharks

Carpet Sharks, also known as Wobbegong, includes 12 species of sharks that are bottom-dwelling ambush predators that have been known to eat other shraks due to the remains found within them.  However recently a photo has been captured of one such feasting and it's quite spectacular.  You can check out more on the National Geographic website here!

Gode Cookery Website

Lots of information and inspiration to be had for setting details on the godecookery.com website.  Have a look for yourself here!

Story Forge - Brainstorming Cards for Storytellers

There's a Kickstarter project underway for Story Forge to create Brainstorming Cards for Storytellers.  It's a neat little timesaver or brainstorming deck to help come up with ideas for plotted adventures or for writing fiction.  Reminds me a lot of the Deal-a-Plot or Deal-a-Story decks from times past though geared toward fantasy fiction.  Check it out!

They Fight Crime!

The website known simply as They Fight Crime! has been around for a while but if you've never checked it out you're in for a treat.  This funky little generator can be used to come up with scenarios for some excellent tabletop roleplaying action in a Supers genre.  Below is an image created for the StudioBueno.blogspot.com website as a tribute to this classic generator.  Have fun!

More on Mead Making

I posted a link to a video a little while ago on making your own mead, a process worth exploring if you wish to add some great details to libations in your campaign setting.  On gizmodo.com, they've recently uploaded an article with lots of great details on this process.  Check it out here!

City in the Clouds

A Facebook Friend pointed out this wonderful photograph on the National Geographic website of an Italian city shrouded in fog.  Enjoy!

Trial by Ordeal

Trial by Ordeal is a concept of determining guilt or innocence by ritual, usually dangerous and requiring faith.  Such scenes added to any campaign setting can be a compelling part of game play.  In a recent YouTube National Geographic channel video, a trial by oil plays out in Togo, in West Africa.  Check it out!

Violent Monkey Takeover Caught on Camera

Some situations in your setting don't need to be directly life threatening to be very awkward and dangerous.  Imagine traversing a monkey-infested territory during a power struggle for leadership of the tribe.  "After hours of fighting, the struggle is over."  Check out the YouTube National Geographic channel video for some inspiration.

Welcome to the Rat Temple video

The Nation Geographic channel on YouTube has a new vdeo on a temple in northern India where rats reign supreme.  Check it out!

Watering Holes

Watering holes in your campaign don't have to be peaceful places, nor even seemingly peaceful places with hidden dangers.  They can often be crowded affairs with a lot of local competition so desperate and thirsty that even normally shy animals will not give way to a band of adventurers.  Check out this National Geographic YouTube channel video on one such place in South Africa. Enjoy!

Nearby Super-Earth

io9.com has a recent artcle called Nearby super-Earth might be the Predator’s real-life home planet" that gives some details on the newly discovered GJ 667Cc, a planet in the Goldilocks Zone of a red dwarf star just 22 light-years from our home.  Read more here!

Music in your Game

There's a lot to be said for how music can enhance a tabletop gaming experience.  Even if you like to keep things relatively music-free, sometime a good theme song for a villain playing quietly in the background can add some tension to a game that makes its introduction worthwhile.  Over on EN World, I've made a point of collecting links to other threads where they discuss music use during tabletop roleplaying games which you can find here.  There's also a recent Forbes.com article on Supervillain Songs that should prove fun to check out.  Enjoy!

Under the Water but Not Always So

zmescience.com is reporting on some cool findings at the bottom of Lake Michigan in the northern USA.  If you're planning on having some underwater adventures, always remember that not everything that is found down there started under water!  Read more here!

Machu Picchu

A recent National Geographic channel video on YouTube reminded what a magnificent place Machu Picchu is.  Follow along with the first person in 2012 as they go to the top for that fantastic view.  Enjoy!

Runic Alphabets on omniglot.com

There's a very good website I was reminded of recently by a Facebook Friend called omniglot.com and on that site is a great section on Runic Alphabets that would be good for any setting creator to read.  Check it out here!

Underwater Wonders

Over on psdreview.com, they've collected 40+ Eye Catching Wonders of Underwater Photography Examples which are so amazing they are sure to get your descriptive juices flowing for the next time you are detailing an underwater scenario for your tabletop roleplaying games.  Check them out!

Monster Fish

National Geographic's YouTube channel is heralding a new program on Monster Fish with a video introducing the host, Zeb Hogan.  Enjoy!