Category Archives: Medieval life

Swords in Role-Playing Games

Posted on October 25, 2014 by lostdelights

I’m in the middle of rewriting my rpg from top to bottom, so I went a bit nuts and did a lot of research on swords. I discovered, after many years of role-playing, that rpgs indiscriminately mix weapons from different … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice to Beginners, Heroic Fantasy, Journeyman, Medieval life, Runequest, Thoughts | Leave a comment

Arthurian Role-Playing in Higher Education

Posted on March 21, 2014 by lostdelights

At a 2013 conference, Alex Mueller gave a fascinating presentation on his use of role-playing by students on a class blog using the lens of Arthurian fiction. The conference was the University of Massachusetts at Boston’s annual teaching and learning … Continue reading →

Posted in Arthurian legend, Higher Education, Medieval life, Thoughts | Leave a comment

Doune Castle

Posted on January 12, 2014 by lostdelights

Doune Castle is my favorite. Built in the late 14th century, it has been restored (partially) to that early era. It’s been the shooting location for a number of my favorite movies. In Monty Python & the Holy Grail (1974), … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps, Medieval life | Leave a comment

Terry Jones & the Great Map Mystery

Posted on August 7, 2013 by lostdelights

This is a four part BBC2 series on John Ogleby’s Britannia (1675), which Terry describes as the world’s first road atlas. There are of course earlier road maps, but I think Terry names it this way because it has a … Continue reading →

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Roland, and the origin of Paladins

Posted on February 11, 2013 by lostdelights

In D&D, Paladins are a lawful good fighter dedicated to God in the 1st edition or to their God(s) in 2nd edition. There were originally twelve Paladins, the Twelve Peers, the best of King Charlemagne’s warriors. The Paladins were the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dungeons and Dragons, Heroic Fantasy, Medieval life | 2 Comments

Kite Shields in the Bayeux Tapestry

Posted on August 29, 2012 by lostdelights

Josh & I were talking about an earlier post about a kite shield found in Oxford . That got me thinking so I went looking for early medieval shields in the Bayeux Tapestry. It also helped me understand the difference … Continue reading →

Posted in Heroic Fantasy, Medieval life, Thoughts | 3 Comments

What a Medieval Shield Might Have Looked Like

Posted on August 7, 2012 by lostdelights

I was reading some old fantasy (“Puss Cat Mew,” from 1869) and found a reference to a “Life-preserver” that a character used to cosh a dwarf in the skull. After searching around, I found that these things were baleen (whale … Continue reading →

Posted in Heroic Fantasy, Medieval life, Thoughts | 8 Comments