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Ah, here we are in year 2006. Well, technically, it's still 2005 while I'm writing this, but with the exception of my editor, it will be 2006 before anyone READS this. So welcome to the New Year. I have some big plans for 2006, and hopefully I'll be better at fulfilling them than I was at reaching my 2005 goals.
Right at this very moment, my goal is to make this particular column actually relevant and helpful, instead of something silly that I wrote to fill my little spot on the CT page. This month I'd like to discuss a rather important topic: research. Whether you're a GM, a player, or a writer, you'll probably have to do some research at some point in time.
Now, I'm all for using books for research - my apartment is full of reference books, and I'm always buying more. And of course, there's always the library, a place which I haven't visited in many years (something that I intend to remedy this year). But sometimes you need to research a slightly obscure topic and you don't feel like leaving your home. That's where the Internet comes in.
I do so love the Internet. I've done all kinds of research on-line, whether for roleplaying games or stories, and I've almost always been successful (except on the subjects of pre-Victorian English funeral practices and the cost of real estate in New Orleans in the 1920s). Invariably, I also end up finding about half a dozen other interesting things during my search. The one caveat with Internet research is that you should always double-check and verify the info that you find if it's for something important. Not all websites are terribly accurate.
There are a few basic, easy ways to find information on-line. One thing I like to do, if I don't need the answer in a hurry, is to ask around on the forums I visit. Sometimes you'll discover that one of your forum buddies actually has some interesting insight to your question and it sparks interesting discussions. Also, it gets the constantly-curious sorts helping you in your search. The other thing to do is the very obvious web search. Type in a few key words and then enjoy wading through scads of useless links until you find the right thing!
Beyond those basics, there are a few specific sites I like to visit for information and sometimes just for fun. These include . . .
- www.wikipedia.org I've recently become a huge fan of Wikipedia, purely because of their excellent write-up on Cthulhu. Recently I've used it to look up what cement is made out of and the origins of stop-motion animation. Oh yes, and spontaneous human combustion. That was a fun and interesting read. However, the caveat on fact-checking goes doubly for Wikipedia. Because people can edit the entries, some people post false info as a gag or just because they're stupid.
- www.imdb.com This is my movie-review secret. I always use the Internet Movie Database to look up actors, directors and more when I'm reviewing a film. I also use it to answer all of those "Who WAS that guy?" questions and track when the next martial arts movie is due out. It might not be of much help for roleplayers, but I still find it to be a great site.
- www.pantheon.org Without a doubt, one of my favorite sites ever. This is THE site to go to if you want to look up mythology. Not just limited to the typical Greco-Roman with a smattering of Norse and Egyptian, Encyclopedia Mythica boasts an impressive array of articles on gods, heroes, and myths. I particularly enjoyed their write-up on Taliesin, and have made extensive use of their information on the Morrigan, Oisin, and the Fenians. Plus, if you want to kill some time, they have a few quizzes to test your knowledge of Greek mythology!
- www.costumes.org I love clothes, it's true! When I want to research fashions for a specific time period, I turn to the Costumers Manifesto. This site is chock-full of links to sites, whether they hold information or goods to be purchased. Furthermore, I imagine it would be an even better resource for those wishing to sew historic clothing, or for artists looking for inspiration on clothing for their drawings.
- http://digiserve.com/heraldry/index.htm and http://www.heraldryandcrests.com/heraldic%20symbols.htm If you ever need or want to design a heraldic crest for whatever reason, these two sites will prove most interesting. They go into the symbolism behind the colors, designs and devices used in heraldry.
- www.snopes.com Not necessarily a real reference site, per se, but Snopes is always handy for checking the truth of those "OMG, this is true!" e-mails that people forward to you, looking up the origins of Urban Legends, and for reading just for fun when you want to kill hours and hours of your life. Believe me, I know.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg, really. I have a slew of links for other, more obscure subjects. 18th century medicine? Got it covered. Chinese surnames? Yep. Most popular names in America in the Victorian era? Got that one, too. And even one on Ancient Egyptian names. Not to mention mahjong, afternoon tea, and a few on-line dictionaries for assorted languages. But if I added all those to the list, I'd be here all day.
Do you have a great reference link that you'd like to share? If so, please send it on to me and if I think it's great, I'll mention it in next month's column. Until then, happy gaming!
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