Zombie Bees

There is a real phenomenon that spreading around the country wherein a type of fly burrows into bees and devours them from the inside then leaves their eggs.  But, and here's where it really gets weird, the bees don't die right away.  Once "infected," the bees fly around for a while in erratic patterns like zombies.  Read more here!

Brazilian Wandering Spider

This eight-legged foe is easily large and dangerous enough to be a perfect creature for threatening your tabletop roleplaying setting players.  Read more here!

Equinoxes

There is a brief video on the National Geographic YouTube channel on equinoxes.  A good little something for creators of tabletop roleplaying settings to know if they wish to incorporate these events in their gaming campaigns.  Enjoy!

Scorpion Senses

An article from last December on Wired.com discussed the possibility that the entire body of a particular scorpion might act as an eye.  Read more here!

Fantasy Name Generator

Coming up with suitable names can often be the toughest part of tabletop roleplaying setting creation.  Someone pointed me toward a useful generator that you can check out here!

Visovac Monastery

If you're looking to add an isolated religious location to your tabletop roleplaying setting, check out the Visovac Monastery.  It's island refuge might just be perfect for you and your players.  Read more here!

The Ancient Altars of Perperikon in Bulgaria

An archaeological find in Bulgaria at the ancient site of Perperikon revealed holy altars and more.  Read more here!

Drop Bear

My friend Craig clued me into the Drop Bear, an Australian-born myth based on a Koala Bear but with a very vicious attitude and a penchant for a surprise attack.  Just the sort of anti-cuddly creature to put your players on their heels and keep them looking up.  Read more here and here!

Geoff Mackley, Lava Lover

There is some incredible footage, on his YouTube channel, of Geoff Mackley getting right up next to the rim of a spitting volcano.  This is simply too cool not to view many times over and really makes you want to reconsider what we generally call both daring and stupid.  Enjoy and also read more about his experience here on his website!

The Fates

Many ancient cultures have a mythology that includes the concept of Fates.  Read up on a few then craft one for your own tabletop roleplaying setting.  See more here!

Elephantnose Fish

A humorous picture of a Photoshopped "elephant fish" has been circulating online but there is a real fish called "Peter's elephantnose fish" that might add some flavor to your tabletop roleplaying setting, even or perhaps especially if you use the funnier one.  Read more here!

Fire Twister

A bizarre sight was seen by Australians recently in the form of a tornado which caught on fire.  Someone captured a video of the event and it's been uploaded to YouTube.  Check it out!

Blanket Octopus

There are some bizarre creatures in the deep but few more enthralling than the blanket octopus.  Over on the RealMonstrosities.com website is an article on these beauties along with some pictures and a link to a video of this animal in action.  Read more here!

Armadillo Girdled Lizard

I ran across a photo of a Armadillo Girdled Lizard that prompted me to research these creatures a bit.  Scale them up and they'd make for an interesting, if shy, dragon for a Medieval Fantasy tabletop roleplaying setting.  Read more here!

Populating your Setting

For those of you working on populating your Medieval tabletop roleplaying setting, check out welshpiper.com's Medieval Demographics Online.  See more here!

Starship Background Soundtrack

Someone recently pointed us toward a YouTube video with background sound from a starship that can be quite useful in tabletop roleplaying games with a futuristic flavor.  It's about an hour and a half long, so it should be easy to use at the table if you have a solid Internet connection.  Enjoy!

There is also another that lasts for a purported 24 hours (1440 minutes) though the buffering on it might be problematic.

New Monkey

On cnn.com, a recent article details the discovery of a new monkey.  How often does an adventure in your tabletop roleplaying setting involve the discovery of a new creature?  Read more here!

Medieval Armor Primer

Over on mythicscribes.com is a neat little article called "Medieval Armor – A Primer for Writers" that examines an approach somewhere between the realistic and the practical for writers that also works for those running tabletop roleplaying settings.  Read more here!

Jumping Spiders

There is a cool YouTube video with a sizable jumping spider that should give many the willies.  Enjoy!

Deep Sea Recession

Over on Deep Sea News is an interesting article regarding how climate change might affect the deepest oceans of the world.  The news is obviously not good but perhaps also not too late.  Take a look at some of the creatures that might be affected then size them up and add them to adventures in your underwater tabletop roleplaying setting.  Read more here!

A Poem In Elvish read by J.R.R. Tolkien

There is a cool YouTube video with a poem in Elvish read by J.R.R. Tolkien that might bring some inspiration to those who create languages for their tabletop roleplaying settings.  Enjoy!

The World's Most Beautiful Temples

Over on the One Lucky Soul blog (http://oneluckysoul.blogspot.ca) is a pictorial of what they call "The World's Most Beautiful Temples" and they have a point.  Check them out and see if something similar can be added to your tabletop roleplaying setting.  See more here!

The 5 Most Unpleasant And Undignified Ways To Die In Ancient Times

A recent io9.com article details "The 5 Most Unpleasant And Undignified Ways To Die In Ancient Times" and they can be quite gruesome, so add them to your tabletop roleplaying setting.  Read more here!

TRAVEL P0RN: 10 Hard to Reach Places on MessyNessyChic.com

Over on the Messy Nessy Chic website is a recent article called "TRAVEL P0RN: 10 Hard to Reach Places" that has some amazing photos of unusual locales.  Note the winch they use to get supplies up to the monastery.  See more here!

Another Seven Wonders?

Over on the art2shere.blogspot.com website is a neat article and pictorial called "Another Seven Wonders of the World" which can be great inspiration for your tabletop roleplaying setting.  See more here!

Big Cats and Civilization

While working on your tabletop roleplaying setting, if you think that certain large predators always avoid civilization, think again.  Recent sightings of a cougar in the near north suburbs of Chicago bear out that some individuals will stray fairly close to population centers when they have a mind to do so.  Read more here!

Medieval Wounds Charts

Over on retronaut.com are some cool illustrations from Medieval publications showing various types of wounds one might sustain.  See more here!

Ohio Renaissance Festival Jousting

Dungeon Master Mark paid a recent visit to the Ohio Renaissance Festival and took some video of their Jousting tourneys.  Check it out for some inspiration on how to set up an in-game tourney for your tabletop roleplaying setting!

Rare Books in your Setting

Are the folks in your tabletop roleplaying setting literate?  If so, then surely there are some rare books and unusual tomes that can drive some of the scenarios.  If you'd like inspiration coming up with some, then check out the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library website and you'll find tons of ideas.  Read more here!

Aogashima the Volcanic Island

There is a picturesque island a couple hundred miles south of Tokyo that looks like something right out of a Bond movie.  Read more about Aogashima here!