Interesting Gaming Websites

[MoonHunter]

http://legends.dm.net/index.html

FOR over a thousand years, storytellers have spun tales of King Arthur of Britain, his Queen Guinevere, and the circle of his noble Knights. Why do these stories endure? How does an outlaw in Lincoln green with a taste for disguise and foolery survive for six hundred years to inspire disguised tricksters from Alta California to Revolutionary France to the farthest reaches of the galaxy? How have these songs and stories twisted and turned over the centuries, and how have they defined our expectations of heroism, romance, and adventure?

This is Legends, Paula Kate Marmor's personal journey through the worlds of Robin Hood, King Arthur, D'Artagnan, and other swashbuckling characters of balladry, fiction, and film, from the shores of Avalon to the dungeons of Zenda.


Legends promises -
Guided access to primary source material and up-to-date scholarship
Personal essays and extended reviews
Historical surveys and thoughtful commentary
Romance, adventure, and panache
Come, explore the worlds of Legends!   -  PKM

[Ancient Gamer]

http://www.jorgetutor.com/latest.htm

A lot of pictures here.

I like to use landscape and places as a source for inspiration, and this photographer has captured a lot of beautiful landscapes on film, even if he photoshops them.

[MoonHunter]

Ah yes, the city image thread just got easier to post to. I like the variety attached to this site.

So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already. So post already.

[CaptainPenguin]

http://members.tripod.com/grahamjmabey/index.htm

{I know, I know, it isn't strictly roleplaying related. But it is and incredible case study on how to fully flesh out and detail an incredible setting. -CP}

You can read here the whole story of a hitherto unknown civilisation, and decide for yourself if it is the true story of a whole society forgotten for millennia,  or simply a work of imagination.

I discovered this very detailed history of Atlantis and her empire - "Sayatal atlantisayu ed atlanan ceriehayu" in the original tongue - as a handwritten document in a package on my doorstep! That much I know to be fact. Yet the history itself appears to be the work of an author describing the archaeological and literary discoveries about Atlantis and neighbouring countries found beneath the Sahara Desert. Is this truth - and if so, how can it be, as we know of no such discoveries being made in our world? Is it a document I have somehow received from the future, or perhaps from an alternate  timeline? Or is it all a long invention by the unknown writer?

I can only reproduce the words as I received them, and leave it to you to decide if this whole magnificent story of the rise and fall of an Empire named Atlantis, with its detailed account of the societies, politics, military conquests, arts and languages of a whole Continent, is a true description of a real world of the past ----

OR NOT!

[MoonHunter]

http://members.lycos.co.uk/genesisproject/

Articles, Forums, Forum Games, and more on this one stop generic super hero site.

Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock! Capes and Cowls Rock!

[manfred]

Halfbakery: it's not just a good idea, it's also some bad ones.

"The Halfbakery is a communal database of original, fictitious inventions, edited by its users. It was created by people who like to speculate, both as a form of satire and as a form of creative expression."

A cool page with half-baked and weird ideas, without any guarantee to be applicable in real life (or anywhere for that matter). Can be a great inspiration, which we all need at times!


Cactus Traffic Stoppers

Playing board games with real money

A maze with walls of falling water - you can cheat anytime, but you get wet. Would look great at night with lights. Now imagine it being acid... what a dungeon!
"You are in a maze of splishy little passages, all alike..."

[Renee_Strife]

Here's a site my husband and I put together for those who love free form chat based role playing. Please remember we are still considered new, but enjoy none the less guys.

RealmsRP

[CaptainPenguin]

May Tekumel, one of the most complete, most impressive, most mind-bogglingly-awesome settings in the history of storytelling, never be forgotten.

Tekumel: The World of the Petal Throne

Almost a thousand Tsan upstream from Jakalla, along the muddy banks of the broad Mssuma River, stands the city of Bey Su.

The name means "Soul of the World" in the ancient Bednalljan tongue. Though it has undergone many changes, this mighty metropolis has remained the capitol of Tsolyanu for millenia.

"First time, eh?" Tetkoru hiSashan, your caravan-master, asks sympathetically. "La! You'll see it all. You'll get a peek at the Pyramid of Ssirandar III, the Governor's Palace, the Hirilakte Arena, and a lot more. And you shall have a litter and a guide to show you around and see you don't get lost."

Welcome to a world as complex and fascinating as our own, but unlike anything you have ever experienced.

Welcome to Tékumel.

The world of Tékumel, the creation of Professor M.A.R. Barker, is an incredibly detailed science fantasy world which, to my mind, is easily the match of the creations of J.R.R. Tolkein, Frank Herbert or Stephen Donaldson. However, in comparison, Tékumel remains largely unknown and unexplored by the general public.

I was introduced to 'Empire of the Petal Throne', the first role-playing game based in Tékumel, in 1978. I feel a special debt to the game because it captured my imagination and inspired me to to detail 'underworlds' and design character sheets, setting me on the path which eventually led to my adult career as a graphic designer. Tékumel's rich, lovingly detailed atmosphere seems as alive to me now as it was when I was twelve years old. I find it continually surprising that this remarkable creation has not received the widespread recognition it deserves.

I hope this site inspires you to look deeper into this beautiful world. I'd like this web site to be an exciting, inspiring nexus for the literature and visuals of Tékumel, to give Professor Barker's world as much exposure as possible. There have been several games and novels based in Tékumel, and a wealth of material waits to be discovered. I welcome all comments and contributions. If any material offends copyright, please inform me at head@universalhead.com and I will credit it or remove it immediately; but remember this is a totally non-profit site, and my motives are only to inspire interest in the world of Tékumel.

Peter Gifford

[MoonHunter]

http://www.seventhsanctum.com/

This used to be the place where you would go to get generator information. It still has a number of really fun and somewhat useful generators. However, it is also a great source for fiction writing. The forum is a lot of fun.  

I, in with my guru hat on, like one of the subsections...
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/www/index.html
Way of the World may be old, but it is not dated and still as useful today as it was way back when.

Some of the interesting links are
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
http://www.nanowriye.org/
http://dmoz.org/Arts/
http://www.emetaphor.com/
http://www.fantasticsfilm.com/

[Strolen]

Not exactly gaming, but I found the whole idea a little fascinating

http://www.elonka.com/kryptos/


Kryptos is a sculpture located on the grounds of CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Installed in 1990, its thousands of characters contain encrypted messages, of which three have been solved (so far). There is still a fourth section at the bottom consisting of 97 or 98 characters which remains uncracked. This webpage contains some information about the sculpture, including some photos collected from around the web, some rubbings of the sculpture taken by your intrepid webmistress, links to other articles and Kryptos discussion groups here and there, and information about other encrypted sculptures which have been created by the sculptor, James Sanborn.

[MoonHunter]

Get the Downloads.  Free. Have to love Free.
http://www.deiker.net/tft.html

I recomend the microgames. They are a lot of fun. They are a better diversion than a CCG while you are waiting for a game to start.

The RPG is fairly good too, if you remember it was published in 1980. The Fantasy Trip was the precursor to Gurps, and in some ways superior. It was the first game I ran in a campaign. I ran Arth in this system for a decade. If it wasn't for some legal issues, this game would of taken down DnD as a dominant rpg. I mean you could get the entire advanced rules of the game for 2/3rds the price of ONE ADnD book, the spells were adaptable to any world, some of the fan based stuff allowed it to do science fiction and a variety of fantasy, and it supported a really good magazine of its own.

Webring
http://www.weirdrealm.com/tftring/

A main site... the links are good.
http://www.thefantasytrip.org/
http://www.webring.com/hub?ring=tft

Some sites I like...
http://tft.brainiac.com/
http://www.reese.org/tft/index.html
http://www.branya.com/
http://www.loran.karoo.net/tft/index.html
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~casliber/tft/tft.html

http://kelly_nall.tripod.com/labyrinth/index.html



WTF? Here, take the library entry...
The Fantasy Trip
Melee ed by Steve Jackson, Howard Thomson (1977) Metagaming
Wizard ed (1978)
In The Labyrinth ed (1980)
This was originally a series of two compatible pocket-sized games of combat and dungeon exploration, only nominally role-playing. They are notable as precursors to Steve Jackson's GURPS and other games. Actions are resolved by rolling 3d6 under 1 of 3 attributes: Strength (ST), Dexterity (DX), and Intelligence (IQ). There are no skills in the basic game. Character creation is point-based: distribute 8 points to raise attributes above base. "Into the Labyrinth" adds advanced rules, including binary skills, more complex point-buy options, and an optional critical hit location chart for hit rolls of 3-7. The advanced system has two classes: hero and wizard, extended from the character generation in Melee and Wizard. There are also advanced rules for targeting specific locations, at a DX penalty.

There is a great deal of history behind this game. Like all good, but nearly great games, there is a soap opera behind things.

[MoonHunter]

http://www.dicecollector.com/

Officially the world's largest collection of dice. Certified.  And a site about dice in general.  Really scary.

It is good to be a really useful member. It is good to be a really useful member. It is good to be a really useful member. It is good to be a really useful member. It is good to be a really useful member. It is good to be a really useful member. It is good to be a really useful member. It is good to be a really useful member. It is good to be a really useful member. It is good to be a really useful member. It is good to be a really useful member.

[Kevin Cook]

http://www.dicecollector.com/

Officially the world's largest collection of dice. Certified.  And a site about dice in general.  Really scary.

Scary? How so? ... Dice arent scary

[MoonHunter]

http://www.mythinglinks.org/
Interesting and useful cross cultural information.
An Annotated & Illustrated Collection of Worldwide Links to Mythologies, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Sacred Arts & Sacred Traditions

http://www.mythworks.net/
Some interesting things hiding in here. Thought provoking.
MYTHWORKS is a global consultation and resource company helping individuals, organizations, the media arts and the military be more creative and effective via Applied Mythology, Ancient Wisdom, New Science and the Proven Power-Tools of Creativity.

www.sciencefriday.com
The coolest place to look for weird science that might qualify as magic.
Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide from 2-4pm Eastern time as part of NPR's 'Talk of the Nation' programming. Each week, we focus on science topics that are in the news and try to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand.

[MoonHunter]

www.writermag.com

I keep pushing sites that will help improve the writing ability of our members and the story telling abilities of our GMs.  This is another one.  This site is actually better than the magazine that sponsors it. If you are a more serious about your writing, this is a good site to check into.


www.writersdigest.com

This is a duplicate post of the original. This site is not as good as the magazine that sponsors it.  It is a must for serious writer types or those who want to be serious writer types.

[MoonHunter]

This is the third post I have done in this thread today. So go read the previous two. This one will be here for later.

http://www.kungfumagazine.com
In general, Kung Fu is a label used to describe any Martial Art that comes from China. It is the generic name for literally hundreds of individual Chinese fighting arts, both "internal" and "external," ancient and of relatively recent invention.
I like this magazine and its presenation of Kung-fu and Tai-Chi. I find most of the articles to be fairly detailed with good tactical advice.  And there are lots of pretty pictures.  The site is kind of neat too.

http://www.martialarts2.com
This is the site associated with Inside Kung-Fu.  I like this magazine so much, I actually subscribe.

http://www.blackbeltmag.com/
Black Belt: The most venerable martial arts magazine. The Time Magazine of the Martial Arts World. Another magazine I subscribe to.

The sites are different enough that you will probably only like ONE of the three, as their styles clash.  



http://www.martialarts.com/
Kind of cool link that I have experience before.

[MoonHunter]

Military strategy, history, and the like can be quite enlightening to a roleplaying gamer. There are some great sites where you can get your feet wet.  All of these sites have free content, but all have pay aspects to them.


http://www.armchairgeneral.com
This a good site for a better magazine. It is written by experts in their various fields and has a lot of things you would never think of... until you saw them here.

http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/
Forums and other goodness by serious and semi-serious history buffs.

www.magweb.com
An online archive of 110+ military history and related magazines holding the full text and graphics of over 40,000+ articles. This includes back issues, current issues, and bonus articles -- covering war, warfare, and war toys from the ancient era to the modern wars. While there are free samples, it is a pay site. AND SOME OF THE MAGAZINES ARE ROLEPLAYING ONES. So you will get content you understand, plus expand your horizons with military articles.

[Ancient Gamer]

http://atrocities.primaryerror.net/rpgcliches.html
A grand list of cliches. In my opinion, the author of this list has become so jaded, it must be difficult for him to create anything at all. I am glad I don't spend most of my time worrying whether I create a cliche or not.

Still it is worth a look and it would not hurt to reconsider some parts of our settings, gameplay and systems.

[CaptainPenguin]

Yes, the author of that cliche list is quite obviously himself a cliche- the jaded ass-hole. I mean, I point out cliches, and I know that there are cliches inherent in a system, but I am not a jaded ass-hole, because most of the time, I don't really care.

[CaptainPenguin]

But he's right about GURPS- it is the most bland and inflexible system ever made.
d**n. I am a jaded ass-hole, aren't I?

[Kinslayer]

I've used some of these cliches, for humour value.  For those so inclined, here is another cliche site, albeit with some of the previous list, and most devoted to video games:  http://www.findcliches.com/roleplayinggames.htm

[Ancient Gamer]

If we look hard enough, we will discover cliches in every context and in every aspect of those contexts, even those we enjoy.

Some time ago I wrote an article about flight scenes, called "The art of fleeing" (I haven't published it yet). While writing it, I discovered that Hollywood only recognize a couple of aspects of the flight scene, such as the stereotype "blocked passage" encounter (brick wall at end of alley, orange/apple/tomato cart blocking the way or thugs at every exit). The flight scene has so many other options, it is a mystery why Hollywood use so few.

[Nosredna]

http://www.fat-pie.com

Strangest site I ever did see. Made by a guy called David Firth. The site is mainly composed of flash animations. Disturbing animations. Look out for one called The Milkman. Whoo boy. Brace yourself before you watch it.
You have been warned...

Update

http://www.fat-pie.com/milkman.htm

Here is the Milkman link.

[MoonHunter]

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
Almost as good as a subscription, this portal has tons of information via several avenues.  Need an idea, just surf through the site.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/
Want to see what the world looks like in terms of its ecology?

The various avenues
Adventure and Exploration- Just  a fun section. Great for inspiration.

Animals and Nature- How much ecology do you know.

History and Culture- A great resource for inspiration and material.

Kids - A great link if you want "information lite"

Maps and Geography- A huge resource for maps.

News- Plot inspiration

Photography- Plot inspiration and great material for your games

Travel- learn about exotic places so you can understand how to use them in your game.

Search (A site without search is like a fish without a bicycle... i.e. useless).

International Sites- Get your language site here

And their is tons more.

[MoonHunter]

We have posted up about Tekumel before in this thread. CP had recently discovered it and was enthusiastic. http://www.strolen.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=29174#29174

Tkeumel is the setting of the first fantasy game that was not a psuedo medival, para european, Tolkein inspired fantasy. Empire of the Petal Throne, the original game, was published in 1976 if memory serves. It is totally unique and indpendent (which was both its greatest draw and greatest hinderance). This setting has inspired four different games, several rules of miniature warfare, many pages of fan information, and five novels.

Guardians of Order has created a new Tekumel game. One of the complaints about Tekumel is that it was too complex to understand. Actually the previous games were too oddly written to convey the information correctly. GOO has overcome that and has created a Tekumel game that covers the setting well AND is accessible to anyone. The game is expanded Tri-Stat which makes it a good game system, complex enough to cover everything and simple enough to actually play without the rule book.  I expect to see a resurgence in this game and its setting.

www.tekumel.com  A fan site, but the best source of information.

Companies in support
www.guardiansorder.com
www.zotpub.com
www.titasgames.com

Tekumel FAQ
www.weirdrealm.com/tekumel/tek_faq.html

Tekumel Webring
www.weirdrealm.com/webring/

Tekumel Discussion
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tekumel

Tekumel Usenet
alt.games.frp.tekumel