Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

I have a whole series of free paper based games that I am working on and I have just finished the second one. It is called “Enter the Labyrinth and Rescue the Princess”. This one is a little different than my first paper game (Storm The Castle). In that one you had to fight your way through the castle and overthrow the king - taking the throne as your own.

 This second game is a little more subtle. The Princess is lost in a labyrinth and you have to find her. But along the way you have to collect her possessions so you can bring them to her. There are wandering monsters like zombies and spiders. And of course, being a labyrinth, there is a Minotaur.

This was a fun game to make and I have put it all into a complete package (Microsoft Word Doc) so you can download it, print it out and play it. The complete package for the game is located here:

Free Paper Game: Enter The Labyrinth and Rescue the Princess

This is a fun little project that is about 12 inches long. It doesn’t take a whole lot of material and can be completed in a couple of hours. The thing about this catapult is that it is more realistic to the types of catapults they had in the Middle Ages and Medieval times. This is because it doesn’t use springs or rubber bands for propulsion. They didn’t have rubber bands or springs in the middle ages! But they did have rope, and twisting up rope can create a lot of torsion power. SO this mangonel uses twisted string for power. And after completing this project and testing it out I was really surprised by how much power it generates! The project comes complete with pictures, a full step-by-step explanation and an instructional video. If you really want to storm the castle here is your chance! How to Make a Mangonel Style Catapult

This is a fun little project that I just completed. It is a katana that is made out of cardboard. Now this is not some flimsy toy. This thing is actually very strong and can be used for sparring - amazingly enough. I borrowed a little bit of know how from the Master Japanese sword makers. One of the secrets to their amazing katanas is that they used two different types of steel, one was soft and flexible while the other very hard. This combination is one of the things that makes samurai swords so amazing.

Well, I transferred this application to cardboard and came up with a seriously strong sword. It’s a fun project and it actually takes three days to make because you have to glue it then let it sit overnight, twice! But it only will take an hour or two to make it.

Here is the project location: How to Make a Cardboard Katana

A lot can be said for the conveniences of modern day. I had a big discussion with someone the other day about the simpler life (like you see in the medieval movies like Robin Hood). Believe it or not, even though I love all that stuff I took the side of modern life. My arguments were based around hot showers every day, a thermostat in winter, movies, refrigerators and an abundance of food literally at my fingertips. I pretty much won the argument. Who can argue with those simple yet amazing things we all have in our modern lives.

Now don’t get me wrong, along with all those wonderful yet simple amenities that make life so good there is also a big abundance of harrassing and aggravating details like bills, commutes, bills, appoiintments, repairs, commitments, and did I say bills?

Anyway, to the point of my blog post. Was it easier when a knight was choosing a horse?

I have been car shopping lately and trying to find something that I really want. I am at that stage in my life where I have reset a lot of values and taken a hard look at things. Being an empty nester and a single guy has radically changed my life so I have well a lot of choices.

As far as the car shopping goes I have spent quite a few hours online looking at all kinds of cars just trying to find something that strikes me as right! It’s a process I have done before and it always works. I see the car and say: “That’s the one!”

But I came across a snag this time. The eureka moment did happen to me and I found the car that was the one! Yay! But when I went down to test drive it I was in for a big suprise.  You see, I am six foot two in bare feet. Put a pair of boots on me and I am six four, and 210 pounds. Well, come to find out my chose car is just too small for me!!! Drats!!!

Now I find myself wondering if knights had the same problem. Horses do come in different sizes and if they aren’t full grown yet you can feed em and they get bigger! amazing how that happens. But the Chrysler Crossfire? Nope, only comes in one size and I can’t figure out how to feed one.

I don’t often talk about the Art or Philosophy of the Middle Ages or the Renaisssance. But I thought you might want to see one of the most remarkable paintings I have ever seen. It actually covers both Art and Philosophy rather neatly.

It is a work by Rembrandt called :Philosopher in Meditation

Now, I could spend quite a bit of time on a soliloquy about all the amazing things about this painting and I could go on to talk about how painting can express things in a language all its own that doesn’t require words/ or where words are not adequate and well this painting also covers both those things. I just suggest you take a look at this beautiful work and let it sink in for a couple of minutes. This is a good example of the legacy of the Middle ages, the Renaissance, and the Englightenment has brought us. We owe a great debt to those centuries.