Earlier this year I published two strange fantasy zines, Wiki Articles Are Wizards [citation needed] and its companion volume, 30 Wicked Wizards.
In researching and playtesting for these zines, I ended up going down dozens of Wikipedia rabbit holes. I've selected more than fifty articles that are great in their own right and/or lead to all sorts of interesting information if you start poking around.
Some of them would translate into very interesting fantasy ideas. (Giant virus! Unstoppable metal-eating plague! Artefacts powered by magic smoke!) They might make useful jumping-off points for your next game.
For your perusal, a big list of links:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_horses_are_the_same_color
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_death_triangle
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch_bark_manuscript
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_curse
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Imaginary_Beings
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Ingenious_Devices
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_disease
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_pearl
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobog_and_Belobog
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_on_a_really_big_board
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damned_yellow_composite
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darvaza_gas_crater
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep-sea_gigantism
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derinkuyu_underground_city
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunken_trees
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erfurt_latrine_disaster
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execration_texts
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_door
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fierce-fire_Oil_Cabinet
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagellant_confraternities
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshwater_aquarium
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_hermit
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_tank_problem
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_virus
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffito_of_Esmet-Akhom
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeble
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houmuwu_ding
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteron_Proteron_Club
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaymakli_underground_city
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linsey-woolsey
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_discredited_substances
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_non-water_floods
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_obsolete_occupations
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminous_gemstones
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumpers_and_splitters
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_smoke
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mead_of_poetry
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merseburg_charms
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss_people
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk_ship
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-armed_versus_one-legged_cricket
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outburst_flood
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pace_count_beads
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascaline
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pole_of_inaccessibility
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_plant
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloth_bear_of_Mysore
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smuggling_of_silkworm_eggs_into_the_Roman_Empire
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squirrel_king
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toadstone
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towers_of_Bologna
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_cat
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunamis_in_lakes
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voynich_manuscript
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_louse
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Game
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worshipful_Company_of_Tax_Advisers
Enjoy!
