Beyond by S.M. Lease.
This is a new fanzine from sometime RPGNet writer, Spencer Lease. It's quite a new site and so will need some time to develop. So far there is
an interesting history of lycanthropy, the ubiquitous history of roleplaying
and some TV and film reviews. There are some chat rooms too but they are for
Java only and being run by a Christian, no blasphemy or swearing are allowed - except in Pernese!
The pages are quite hard to read sometimes (light on dark never works) but hopefully this and the content will improve with age. Has potential.
De Web Mysteriis by Laurent Alquier.
This site is not just a massive Cthulhu web resource, it is THE Cthulhu web resource. The design is incredible, with artwork by the owner and many others. There are hudreds of links, sorted in themed lists making browsing easy - and it is also fully searchable. All you need for a good Call of Cthulhu bash is here, from new monsters to recommeded music. The site comes in two flavours: English or Français and although parts may be old it is a cornucopia of useful info. The crowning glory is the online Necronomicon. So don't let those demons rest, summon up the courage to take a look right here.
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Serendipity's Circle by Games Mistress Julie Hoverson.
This is actually a paper zine but they have online resources too. They have a competition to win an issue which they will mail anywhere in the world (they
sent one to me in the UK). The zine caters specifically for the horror and weird genres so
you will find things for Chill, CoC, Over The Edge, Vampire and the like. There
really is a wealth of material here and it is worth it getting a real copy too.
The site is well designed and easy to read although some links have been down recently.
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Tesarta Online Gamer's Resource by Kevin Muñoz and Andrew Roy.
This site caters mainly to GMs. It has all the usual links to gaming companies,
organisations and players but what really catches the eye is the background
material fror GMs. If you have ever needed to know the effects of Acute Stress
Disorder, how Alchemy works or the symptoms of numerous allergies then this is
the place to look. The site is also the home of the diceless RPG Persona and the layout and design make it easy to read. Worth a look.
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S. John Ross' Blue Room.
S. John Ross is one of the RPG giants. His canon includes many GURPS books and a
fair chunk of Ars Magica. He also has his own generic RPG called Risus which
you can get for free right here. This site teems with interesting articles and
game aids (mainly for GURPS). There are lists of plot ideas, a nice page of
search engines and a document from the disocordian church (All Hail Eris!).
SJR has been around long enough to understand good site design even if some
pages are a little long.
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RPG Times, editor Karen Mizeri.
A regular rpg monthly newspaper that has been publishing since January 1996, although it recently had a face lift and is now much easier to read. It is well desinged, with a range of articles covering most of the RPG spectrum. There is also a lot of fiction, both short stories and on going sagas. There are also reviews and announcements from companies and gamers. The site has mirrors on most major land masses (just click the central icon).
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Gothtech by Andrew Cunnington.
Andrew's site has a handful of good links to various gaming sites, companies and oddities. However of more interest to your average gamer is the large database of RPG software. If it exists, there is a good chance that it is here. All platforms are catered for from Apple to Unix via the Palm Pilot and the PC. I use it quite a lot. My last downloads include a hex map editor and a star system generator. The design is simple and easy to use.
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GT2K.com
Well, this is the wierdest gaming site I've ever seen. Online gaming radio, ready to download! There are reviews, interviews and news, albeit with a largely US bent. This would be easier to handle if the News DJ didn't have a voice that would put coke-heads to sleep. But don't let that put you off. This is a site you should visit at least once and they do have frequent prize giveaways. Good design as befits a professional site - if a little cluttered.
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Throttle for Black Gate Publishing by Brandon Blackmoor
The first thing that hits you here is the seriously good design. Even if the content was crap it would still be worth a visit just on style alone. Fortunately it also kicks ass on the contents front. There are 4 sets of cool backgrounds, 3 complete free RPGs, 2 pages of links, a wealth of interesting articles and the Al Leong fan club (who's Al Leong? - go here and find out!). This place gets my vote for site of the year and it's only April.