The Maniculum Podcast

Medieval History Meets D&D

Author: The Maniculum Podcast

Maniculum: little hand, pointing finger; often found in manuscript marginalia. Hi! Were Mac and Zoe, a professional medievalist and triple AAA game developer, and together, we use modern game design techniques to uncover the origins of your favorite tropes and adventures from medieval manuscripts. In each episode, we explore a new medieval manuscript, its connections to modern TTRPGs, and teach you how to adapt these tales into compelling campaigns and amazing adventures. Whether youre looking to recreate the noble Arthurian tales or incorporate weird and wacky medieval monsters into your campaign, the Maniculum Podcast has you covered.
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Language: en

Genres: Arts, Books, History

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Build a Fantasy Village: Laws & How to Break Them
Sunday, 19 April, 2026

This week, we return to building a medieval fantasy village! Come dive into medieval village court records to uncover bizarre taxes, petty fines, and inheritance laws you can drop straight into your game. We discuss how these laws can help your players craft characters with realistic backstories while giving GMs resources to build closed-door mysteries and plots in a world that feels alive instead of predictable. Join our discord community! Support us on patreon! Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system here! Socials: Tumblr Website Bluesky Instagram Facebook Citations & References: Gies, Frances & Joseph. Life in a Medieval Village. Harper & Row, 1990. Bennett, Judith M. Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England. Oxford UP, 1999. Graeber, David. Debt: The First 5,000 Years. Melville House, 2011. “Medieval Settlements.” Historic England. A great PDF introduction. Link . Ellis, Penny. “Medieval Thoralby.” Thoralby Through Time. Link . Ray, T.J. “Manorial Language.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric. Link . Ray, T.J. “Feudal Language.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric. Link . The Middle English Compendium. (Note: this site often goes down.) Link . Terminology & Spelling for Reference: corrodies filstingpound firma unius noctis hamsoke heriot leirwite merchet tallage