Historical Thursday - Noble Women

Three from the Medievalists.net this week with the first being "‘The boldest and most remarkable feat ever performed by a woman’: Fiery Joanna and the Siege of Hennebont."  Learn more here.

Also, find out about "Queenship, Nunneries and Royal Widowhood in Carolingian Europe" here.

Finally, enjoy an "Interview with Nancy Goldstone, author of The Rival Queens" here.

Historical Thursday on GRYMVALD.com

Sifting through History to
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Worldbuilding Wednesday - Egyptian, Etruscan, & Corinthian

Over on livescience.com, a recent article suggests "Pharaoh Ramesses III Killed by Multiple Assailants, Radiologist Says" here.

Also, on ansa.it, "Tomb excavations uncover treasures of an Etruscan princess" here.

Finally, on haaretz.com, they tell us "Monumental Piers Found in Sunken Harbor City of Corinth" here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
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The Tuesday Sundries - Art Old & New

Over on luxortimesmagazine.blogspot.com, they tell us "Prehistoric paintings discovered in Aswan" here.

Also, on top13.net, they tell us how a "Man Arranges Leaves, Sticks, And Stones To Create Magical Land Artworks" here.

Finally, on fastcodesign.com, they fill us in on "The Harvard Library That Protects The World's Rarest Colors" here.

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Mapping Monday - Big Thunder Mountain

With my friend Dex doing a Disney trip recently, I found myself looking around the Intrawebs for anything Disney that might be gamer-adjacent.

That's when I stumbled onto Big Thunder Mountain which exists as a Disney thing in a number of places.  According to Wikipedia:

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is an indoor/outdoor mine train roller coaster located in Frontierland at several Disneyland-style Disney Parks worldwide. The ride exists at Disneyland Park (California) and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and at Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Park (Paris) as Big Thunder Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is also the name of the fictional rail line the roller coaster depicts.

It looks like a pretty cool setting for fun and over on disneyatwork.com they detail it a bit more here.

But what does this have to do with gamers?  And why post about it on Mapping Monday?  Well, if you followed the last link, you saw a smaller version of this map I found which graces the location and shows it in all its glory.  Snag this for your own games and, I think, it can be used in multiple genres though, obviously, it is ready-made for a Western game.

Mapping Monday on GRYMVALD.com

Cartography and Mapping are the order of the day,
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Setting & Society Sunday - Picts

Three from the Medievalists.net on the Picts this week with the first being "The Enigma of the Picts" here.

Also, have a look at "War or Peace? The Relations Between the Picts and the Norse in Orkney" here.

Finally, check out "Picts offer historians a picture of non-Roman Briton culture" here.

Setting & Society Sunday on GRYMVALD.com

Looking closer at Setting and Society

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Saturday in Space - Planet 9, Mirror, & Ceres

I've fallen behind on some of the side-news from Space.com so here are a few stories from last onth that slipped through the cracks with the first being "'Planet Nine'? Cosmic Objects' Strange Orbits May Have a Different Explanation" here.

Also, have a look at "Mirror Installation Complete for NASA's Next Space Telescope" here.

Finally, check out "Dwarf Planet Ceres Still Stuns, 215 Years After Discovery" here.

Saturday in Space on GRYMVALD.com
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Flora & Fauna Friday - Cat Variations

Over on voices.nationalgeographic.com, they reveal the "Secrets of the World’s 38 Species of Wild Cats" here.

Also, on wired.com, they share "From Cheetah Spots to Kitty's Stripes: The Genetics of Cat Coats" here.

Finally, on sciencealert.com, "Here's why cats have such weird eyes" and "Beware the murderous side-eye" here.

Flora & Fauna Friday on GRYMVALD.com

Examining animals, plants, and the

environments we use for our tabletop RPGing.

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Historical Thursday - Vampires in History

Over on smithsonianmag.com, they tell us of "The Great New England Vampire Panic" here.

Also, on medievalists.net, they try "Unearthing Medieval Vampire Stories In England: Fragments From De Nugis Curialium and Historia Rerum Anglicarum."  Learn more here.

Finally, on historyextra.com, and though vampires are but a small part of the article, check out "Vampires, zombies and Frankenstein: Gothic history in pictures" here.

Historical Thursday on GRYMVALD.com

Sifting through History to
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Worldbuilding Wednesday - On Water

Over on gizmodo.com, check out how "Scientists Discover a Boiling River of Amazonian Legend" here.

Also, on dailymail.co.uk, learn of the "Body of German adventurer was found hunched over table on his yacht next to note to his dead wife and fading photos that provide clues to his past" here.

Finally, on weekly.ahram.org.eg, a "Boat discovery sheds light" when "A recently discovered 4,500-year-old non-royal boat in the Abusir necropolis is shedding new light on watercraft construction in ancient Egypt."  Learn more here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
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The Tuesday Sundries - Viking Artifacts

Over on dailymail.co.uk, they feature a "'Hammer of Thor' unearthed" and go on tyo tell us "Runes on 1,000-year-old amulet solve mystery of why Viking charms were worn for protection" here.

Also, on scienceblogs.com, they show us a "Viking Crucifix" here.

Finally, on utaot.com, they tell us "Scientists Think They Have Found The Mythical ‘Sunstone’ Vikings Used To Navigate Warships" here.

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Mapping Monday - Strahd & Transylvania

With the release if the Fifth Edition Ravensloft supplement, The Curse of Strahd, cartographer Mike Schley has done what's he's been doing since 5E began and released high-resolution version of his WotC maps for sale on his own website here.

But what if we wanted to utilize what they've created without using the common setting?  Perhaps we even want to re-file off the serial numbers and turn this right around into an Eastern European setting.  Well, to assist with that, over on contur.ro, you can find a Transylvania map with all of the towns and counties one would find here.

Finally, on bergbook.com, the "Antique Maps of Johann Baptist Homann" includes a wonderful map of Transylvania can be had here.

Mapping Monday on GRYMVALD.com

Cartography and Mapping are the order of the day,
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Setting & Society Sunday - Language Evolution & Spread

Over on thevintagenews.com, they ask "How far back in time could you go and still recognise English language?"   See their answer here.

Also, on babbel.com, they give us "139 Old Norse Words That Invaded The English Language" here.

Finally, on techinsider.io, chcek out an "Animated map shows how the world's first written languages spread" here.

Setting & Society Sunday on GRYMVALD.com

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Saturday in Space - Exploration & Colonization

Over on washingtonpost.com from a couple of years ago, "This is the amazing design for NASA’s Star Trek-style space ship, the IXS Enterprise" is featured here.

Also, on popsci.com, they ask "Should Mars Be Independent, Or Just A Colony Of Earth?"  Find out what they think here.

Finally, on qz.com, they suggest "It’s completely ridiculous to think that humans could live on Mars" here.

Saturday in Space on GRYMVALD.com
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Flora & Fauna Friday - Ancient Trees

Over on theguardian.com, sad news from a couple of years ago when "Wales's oldest oak tree blown down" here.

Also, on npr.org, we were told of "A Grass-Roots Rally To Protect South Carolina's Massive 'Angel Oak'" here.

Finally, on greece.greekreporter.com, they detail how "Scientists Search Wood Used for Ancient Triremes" here.

Flora & Fauna Friday on GRYMVALD.com

Examining animals, plants, and the

environments we use for our tabletop RPGing.

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Historical Thursday - Ides of March & More

Around this time of year, for obvious reasons, folks trot out the "Beware the Ides of March" memes and most folks know enough about it to associate it with the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Roman Senate floor in the year 44 BC, by modern reckoning.  However, according to historyextra.com, there's more to the death of Caesar than we generally know, and they tell us so here.

Also, on smithsonianmag.com, they explain "What You Don’t Know About Ancient Rome Could Fill a Book. Mary Beard Wrote That Book" here.

In fact, the folks at smithsonianmag.com even gave us the "Top Ten Reasons to Beware the Ides of March" here.

Historical Thursday on GRYMVALD.com

Sifting through History to
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Worldbuilding Wednesday - Ancient Gods

Over on medievalists.net, they give us "A Quick Guide to Norse Gods" here.

Also, on irishcentral.com, they share "The top ten gods and goddesses from Celtic mythology" here.

Finally, on stumbleupon.com, they show us the "Family tree of the Greek gods" here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday on GRYMVALD.com
The nuts and bolts of Worldbuilding
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The Tuesday Sundries - GM's Day Sale Finale

As the GM's Day Sale winds down for 2016, I thought I would make mention of three items that have been very popular this year.  The first is "30 Things Can Happen!" which is on sale for just one dollar here. "Never be at a loss again with these thirty tables of random Medieval Fantasy events and findings in urban, rural, and underground locations. Each thirty entry table is divided into three ten entry categories, some with additional sub-options, making for nearly one thousand random results including the fun and fantastical. Use these pages to help flesh out locations during prep or to perk up a flagging game session. This invaluable resource is system-free and ready to help with any fantasy roleplaying game."

Also, have a look at the "Superstitions" sourcebook for one dollar as well here.  "Can you steer your ship by the albatross? Do you dare to wear the Boar's Tusks of Goblinoid Slaying? Will casting the Shark's Feeding Frenzy on your companions save their skins?  This new 32 page pdf takes many real world superstitions and gives you tips on how to use them in your game. Nearly one hundred Magic Items, Spells, and Advanced Creatures are included."

Finally, the "Fighting Fire - Ernie Gygax Benefit Adventure" is still helping Ernie cover those bills that piled so high a couple of years ago.  It can be had here.  One-third comes right off the selling price and is directed to the fund set up by his brother Luke.  "The adventure takes place in and around the town of Gamington on the shores of Gentle Lake. An arsonist's fire destroys the Tower of Ernesto, a famous wizard, but a band of heroes rallies to right the wrong, rooting out the evil in the nearby Fire Peak. A GM can set this up as a campaign addition or one-shot, in any Medieval Fantasy RPG system. There are plenty of tips to help do either. Included are some character backgrounds for the heroes noted within as well as an epic poem extolling their exploits. I hope it is as much fun to read as it was to write."

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