Janina Gavankar, star of True Blood, took some time to wander the halls of Comic-Con 2012 and a little (un)armored combat with members of the SCA. During the SCA demo, Jana chatted briefly with His Majesty Patrick of the Kingdom of Caid.

Re-creating the Middle Ages can be a different experience for each member, but most agree that it transports them to a different time. “I like, in my mind, being in a whole different time and a whole different place,” said Jackie Gotchal of the Shire of Carreg Wen in Caid. Michelle Carter of the Lompoc (California) Record has the story. (photo)

Medieval met modern recently in Peace Park on the campus of the University of Missouri, Columbia as members of the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism gathered for combat and crafting. (photos)

Cassie Carpenter, a reporter for the Daily Mail, takes a look at the set of the upcoming Peter Jackson film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, set to be released December 13, 2012. The article includes a trailer for the film. (video)

Lord Alystyr (Yoshi), Kingdom Media Officer for the Kingdom of Atenveldt, reports on SCA participation at the recent ComicCon in Phoenix, Arizona.

Armored combat and rapier flighting caught the eye of 14-year-old Dylan Sapp at the recent Tri-State Renaissance Faire in Keokuk, Iowa. "I loved swords before I even knew what they were," he told reporter Jeff Hunt of the Hawk Eye. (photo)

On weekends, armored fighters from the An Tir have gathered to prepare for the annual West-An Tir War in Gold Beach, Oregon. Theresa Novak of the Corvallis Gazette-Times caught up with some of them recently in a local park.

Freelance journalist Lizzie Stark wrote the book on LARPing, literally. Her Leaving Mundania explains the fantasy world of Live Action Role Playing games from D&D-types to Nordic avant-garde art LARP. She explains the appeal in a short video for the BBC.

Neal Stephenson and the members of Subutai Corporation want your support to make a martial combat game that doesn't rely on pulling a plastic trigger to simulate sword strokes. The goal for the first iteration of the project will be to realistically simulate two-handed longsword combat.

Medieval military historian Kevin Reid sees the SCA as an "exercise in experimental archaeology," and happily participates as Sir Ragnarr in the Evansville, Indiana chapter. Mark Wilson of the Courier-Press spoke with Reid and others at the annual Medieval Fair demo. (photos)

Bill Woodbury and Simon Rohrich, of the Tempe, Arizona area, are off to represent the United States in international competition. No, it's not the Olympics, but the Battle of Nations, the world championship of armored combat held in Poland. Mike Sakal of the East Valley Tribune has the story.

Students from Enterprise Middle School in West Richland, Washington got a special treat recently when members of the Barony of Wastekeep, Kingdom of An Tir visited their school to teach them about life in the Middle Ages. The NBC affiliate KNDO/KNDU has the story. (video)

The hit film The Hunger Games, whose heroine is proficient with a bow, has sparked interest in the sport of archery.

Co-hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb of the Today Show recently went medieval when they received jousting lessons from Full Metal Jousting's Shane Adams. Julieanne Smolinski has the story, photos and video.

HBO's popular medieval fantasy series Game of Thrones is inspiring fans to try their hand at medieval cooking. The show even has its own cookbook.

The chivalry and pageantry of Gulf Wars was recorded recently when Tim Doherty of the Hattiesburg American visited the War. His report, along with a slideshow of 32 remarkable photographs, is available online.

Lord Johann Wulf from the Barony of the Far West, Canton of the Golden Playne (Bangkok, Thailand) has put together a documentary for the SCA in Thailand.

Ex Mentis Saxonicum, 140 pages of parables, allegories, and hilarious research tidbits derived from the popular Ansteorran newsletter column Ex Tempore by Robert G. Ferrell (Master Cynric of Bedwyn), is now available in paperback from Savernake Press.

For the past year, members of the Stronghold of Hellsgate, in the Kingdom of Ansteorra, have been striving to form a new SCA chapter. Sean Wardwell of the Killeen Daily Herald discussed re-creating medieval arts and sciences with three SCA locals.

A major discussion popped up recently on Reddit about a photo of two SCA fighters in a lonely parking garage. Most fun are the comments of readers who don't quite know what to make of the duo.

The North Canton Patch, a local newspaper, interviewed Francesca de Onorati, the Event Steward for this year's Masque of Courtly Love event at the Marche of Alderford in the Middle Kingdom.

A reporter with the Standard Freeholder paid a visit to the Canton of Harrowgate Heath in Eastern Ontario. The article showcases many SCA activities including fighting, heraldry, and scribal arts.

Caylie Sadin, a reporter for NewCity, "Chicago’s only locally owned and operated cultural weekly," recently spent a day at Twelfth Night, an SA event in the Middle Kingdom. Her observations and interviews with SCA members are recorded in a January 27, 2012 article.

The Kildeen Daily Herald visited members of the Stronghold of Hellsgate as they displayed their fighting skills, armor, and other aspects of the SCA.

The popularity of "extreme jousting" programs such as the History Channel's Full Metal Jousting have prompted comment from a number of organizations such as the SCA. Jeffrey Forgeng of the Valley Advocate (Springfield, Massachusetts) offers his take.

The new film Absolutely Anything, which begins shooting in the UK this summer, will feature Monty Python alumni John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and Terry Jones, but it is a science fiction comedy, not Monty Python reborn.

Gerry Dowswell is retired, but that doesn't keep him from wielding a sword in his local chapter of the Society for Creatiuve Anachronism. He knows where his character ends and real life begins. "It's about interaction and fun," Dowswell said, "not delusion." (video)

Visitors to the first Antioch Invitational in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, were offered a glimpse of the Middle Ages when the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism demonstrated its skills at the Albion Fairgrounds. Reporter Mitch Thompson of the Maple Ridge Times has the story.

Consider this: a day lolling around a winery, a glass of wine or mead in your hand, and a game of Primero or Hnefatafl laid out before you. Such a day will be possible when the local SCA group invades Virginia's Hilltop Berry Farm for Medieval Games Day on January 28, 2012. Rebekah Carter of the NewsLeader (Staunton, Virginia) has the story.

KTVQ TV in Billings, Montana knows how to tempt a geek with a list of serious geeky dates and activities for 2012. Included in the list: ComicCon and the Pennsic War.