Real-Life Weirdness

[Inky]

In 2006 an archaeological dig in Baluchistan in Iran discovered what they think is the oldest known prosthetic eye, dated to 2800 BC.
The site is known as "the Burnt City" because it seems to have been burnt down three times during its history.
The eye was found on the skeleton of a 6 foot tall, probably Arab woman, who they think was a priestess of some kind. It seems to have been meant for ornament rather than to convince anyone it was a real eye; it was made of bitumen decorated with gold wires representing veins and the rays of the sun, and was held in place with a thin cord, like a pirate's eyepatch.
https://web.archive.org/web/20120223...tion=2&id=6811
https://web.archive.org/web/20120411...tion=2&id=6857
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4449516/
Good place to look for local colour for an ancient setting, but also, as somebody on Twitter commented:
"Do. Not. Remove. The. Golden. Eye. From. The. Unnaturally. Large. Holy. Woman's. SKELETON. Please."

[Dr. Beckenstein]

What happens when you organize a parade with elephants and a steam locomotive, "dressed" as a dragon?
The worst.

In short: In 1888, the people of Munich did this. When the elephants encountered the steam-dragon and panicked, the crowd panicked even more and fired up the only elephant stampede in German History. A number of people died, more were injured, and at least one elephant was shot.

This is one for your time travel or steampunk campaigns. Or for your modern day ones, if you replace the steam vehicle with a modern truck. Or you use a real dragon in your fantasy campaign.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Inky

"Do. Not. Remove. The. Golden. Eye. From. The. Unnaturally. Large. Holy. Woman's. SKELETON. Please."

Eh, she mostly just used it to cheat during children's card games.

Of course, the original tweet that one was responding to has been deleted. I'm pretty certain I don't have the clearance to find out why.

What are they hiding?

[Anders]

Need a bulletproof ball gown for your Action campaign? Here's how to make one.

[Anders]

How do you end civilization for your post-apocalypse game? A geomagnetic storm may be just the thing.

[Dr. Beckenstein]

Surely, the desert finds its own use for things.
Cloning camels has become a thing in the UAE. Of course, not every-day desert ship, only the pretty ones.

Hook #1: Around the world, in circuses and zoos, camel mares give birth to identical foals (?). Somewhere in the middle east, the owner of a very expensive camel and the director of the cloning lab are not happy about the pirated copies and hire the pc to find out who is responsible - and why did he did it.

Hook #2: Somebody made multiple clones of a racing camel. While a few are doped to max with steroids, the others are kept clean and presented to the races officials for drug tests etc. A lot of money and pride is involved in this scheme, and so the culprits will do anything to hide their crimes. Enter the pc.

A few years ago, this would have been science fiction adventures.

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by Dr. Beckenstein

Hook #1: Around the world, in circuses and zoos, camel mares give birth to identical foals (?).

Serious question, but how would anyone notice? And how long would it take to do so?

[Dr. Beckenstein]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

Serious question, but how would anyone notice? And how long would it take to do so?

Good question.
Probably by comparing breed registries, and of course breeders/collectors/ranchers/bookies, always out for new breeding stock, will keep their eyes upon.
And in times like this, there are probably forums for camel racing fans out there.

[William]

A white stag was sighted entering the urban area of Merseyside, UK. How wonderful! In many cultures, including English folklore, they're said to be good omens.

So anyway, they shot and killed it.

New travel recommendations for those heading Merseyside, UK: bring a container of salt, 3oz or more... any unpainted solid iron item of at least 1 lb...

[William]

Longleats looks like an amazing place to set all sorts of games, from a Gothic murder mystery to a Regency court intrigue.

Besides being an elegant manor in the English countryside, it has a peculiar structure: there's an older house, surrounded in later years by a larger rectangular building easily doubling its size. What secrets does that old house hold, and did someone feel a need to imprison them there?

The rooftop, especially the older part, is full of walkways, isolated turrets, and rows of chimneys. Great for a chase scene, a fencing duel, or a break-in once someone has scaled the outer walls.