The Phantasy Snitch: April 2026
Rediscovered Realms is catching you up on some of the coolest fantasy news that just won’t fit in our regular weekly edition. Welcome to the April 2026 issue of The Phantasy Snitch! (And find out who won the Marvelous March: The Epic Fantasy Loot Giveaway!)
Rediscovered Realms’ denizens . . . er, citizens can now enjoy a curated lite dose of worthy Fantasy-related news, products, and rumours from the RPG, fantasy book, movie, D&D, LOTR, mythology, board game, art & archaeology genres (and you now have extra time to immerse yourself within all our other beefier newsletters!)
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
THE NEWS:
The reviews are in and the new Deathstalker movie and it’s a “ludicrously enjoyable revisit of 80s swords-and-sorcery silliness”
“A 1980s Roger Corman swords-and-sorcery movie gets a loving remake here, as strapping antihero Deathstalker attempts to break the spell of a cursed amulet in the Kingdom of Abraxeon, with sensational low-budget creature design and lashings of goopy practical special effects where you can really feel the splatter. Said kingdom is being laid waste by the Dreadites, minions of the evil sorcerer Nekromemnon.”
Have some space in your at-home game room? Check out this enchanting brand-new Harry Potter pinball machine by Jersey Jack!
And in case you missed it last year, here’s what the “Dungeons & Dragons Tyrant’s Eye” pinball game brings into your life.
Romantasy. Fae Fiction. Faerie Smut. What’s the seduction all about? I found this new article an interesting read: ‘Complex, dangerous, sexual beings’: The centuries-old origins of current fairy fiction
“The fairies in faerie romantasy – or erotic “fae” fiction – are not the glittery, do-gooding sprites of children’s stories. They are dangerous, shape-shifting spirits – just as they were in centuries-old folklore, according to a new book about fairy history. From the ancient Nordic forest fairies and the 15th-Century Mélusine legend to Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, faerie folklore is full of deception and seduction.”

A good follow-up to the preceding article would be this one from Atlas Obscura: The Real-Life Origins of Taboo Fairy Romance
“In 1656, Karin Svensdotter stood trial in the southern Swedish village of Sävsjö on an unusual charge: fornication with supernatural beings. Specifically, the court was investigating the young housemaid’s claims that she had a relationship with the King of the Fairies.
Svensdotter testified that several years before, she had been approached by a handsome man dressed in gold who called himself the Älvakungen, meaning “Elf King.” (Elf can be used generically for all humanlike spirits of nature, similar to the term fairy). He led her into the forest, to a great hall hidden beneath a mountain, where they danced and reveled with other elves in fine clothes. After this, Svensdotter said, her otherworldly lover began to visit regularly. Their relationship resulted in seven children, but each time Svensdotter gave birth, the Elf King appeared and carried the baby off to his own realm, despite her protestations. Witnesses testified that they had seen Svensdotter experience exhausting physical fits, which she described as labor pains, and heard her wandering the forest at night in search of her stolen children. Despite this, there was no evidence that Svensdotter had ever been pregnant.”
From Wargamer: I’ve never played D&D, but I’m sure as hell buying the Cosmere RPG for $21
Seems like a pretty cool starter bundle for any Mistborn fans!
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
You ever heard of the Ring of Gyges? It granted its bearer invisibility . . . similar to another Ring you might have heard of. Explore more about the connection here in this fascinating article: Plato’s Magic Ring Allegory and the Lord of the Rings
“Few people would be quick to draw a connection between Plato and The Lord of the Rings, authored by epic high fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien. However, the ancient Greek philosopher’s hypothetical Ring of Gyges bears some striking similarities to Sauron’s One Ring.”
Speaking of Lord of the Rings, check out what this Adventurer built! Huge LEGO ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Erebor Has 55,000 Pieces – Lets You Be King Under The Mountain
Would you rather “die like a Hobbit” or “dye like a Hobbit”? (Hopefully, it’s the later.) From TheOneRing.net: New episode teaches viewers how to dye like a hobbit!
“Did you know that you can dye your own clothing right in your very kitchen? And what’s more, you can do so with very simple ingredients and even a “weed”! Given Tolkien’s famous distaste for industry, it stands to reason that most residents of Middle-earth would have purchased or traded for dyed clothing from artisans and craftspeople. Join Kili in this new episode of Happy Hobbit to learn how to utilize this oft-overlooked springtime plant to make your own (Middle-)earth tones.”
Did you now the movie “Excalibur” began development as a Lord of the Rings Adaptation? I did not. From MovieWeb.com: Liam Neeson’s Fantasy Movie Was Almost the First ‘Lord of the Rings’
“Before Ralph Bakshi directed the animated Lord of the Rings film in 1978, British director John Boorman (Deliverance) sought to adapt the very first live-action version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved fantasy tales. Unable to secure the literary rights at the time, Boorman had to pivot and ended up translating one of the most famous storytelling legends on record, giving Liam Neeson a jumpstart to his brilliant career in only his third feature film.
Shot on location in Ireland and known for giving other Irish upstarts like Gabriel Byrne and Ciarán Hinds their big break, Excalibur has ascended as a bona fide cult classic over the past 45 years. Although it began development as the first live-action LoTR movie, it now ranks as arguably the best adaptation of the Legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.”
😮😮😮 Arnold Schwarzenegger Returns As Conan The Barbarian After 42 Years
“Arnold Schwarzenegger is coming back as Conan. He announced it himself at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio two weeks ago, and 20th Century Studios has since confirmed it.”
“It’s a great story where Conan was king for 40 years, and he gets complacent, and now he gets forced out of the kingdom. Then there’s conflict, of course, and then he somehow comes back, and then there’s all kinds of madness and violence and magic and creatures. Now, of course, you have all the special effects, and the studio system has plenty of money to make those movies really big.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger
WizKids has pre-orders open for some D&D HeroClix and new Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures!
Here’s some fun monster lore for you, courtesy of History.com: What Are the Origins of the Golem Legend?
“In Jewish folklore, the golem is an artificial humanoid formed from earth or clay and brought to life through sacred knowledge. Rather than a single, fixed legend, the golem myth developed over many centuries, drawing on biblical language, rabbinic thought, medieval mysticism and folklore.”
Here’s the Monster Manual entry from 1st edition AD&D (check out hard it was to heal if your character got damaged by one!):
Well, raiding season is almost upon us once more. Make sure to equip yourself appropriately with this arsenal from OdinsTreasures.com
Wow - they have some really good-looking stuff! Let me know if you have any experience ordering from them. I’m thinking I need to start saving some coin for a purchase.
Do you want to write better Fantasy stories? Well, you probably should have bought J.R.R Tolkien’s desk when you had the opportunity. It was expected to sell for 50,000 - 80,000 GBP. It instead sold at Christie’s auction in December for . . . 330,200 British Pounds!!!
“The Merton Desk, owned and used by J.R.R. Tolkien during his tenure as Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford (1945–1959), was the site of much of the author’s work during his most productive and creative literary period.”
In computer RPG news: Inside the quixotic team trying to build an entire world in a 20-year-old game: Stories and lessons learned from an impossibly large community modding project
“Despite being regarded as one of the greatest role-playing games of all time, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind disappointed some fans upon its release in 2002 because it didn’t match the colossal scope of its predecessor, The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. Almost immediately, fans began modding the remaining parts of the series’ fictional continent, Tamriel, into the game.”
Over 20 years later, thousands of volunteers have collaborated on the mod projects Tamriel Rebuilt and Project Tamriel, building a space comparable in size to a small country. Such projects often sputter out, but these have endured, thanks in part to a steady stream of small, manageable updates instead of larger, less frequent ones.”
And for a little D&D Ranger humor: ‘Speak With Animals’ is a useless spell
The comments are gold, and I was surprised at how polarized people got about this!
And finally, we get to the winner of last month’s grand prize from Marvelous March: The Epic Fantasy Loot Giveaway Returns
Congratulations to Elite Adventurer, Rick Ohnemus!!! I’ll contact you through email to arrange delivery of your prize.
(Every member of THE 300 and ELITE ADVENTURER paid subscriber tiers get an automatic entry into all giveaways and also have the option to cash in their Electrum or Mythril extra chance tickets.)
The winner of last month’s “DriveThruRPG DRAGON’S DRAW” $10 gift card . . . 🥁
Congratulations, Jim Jaeger!!! - I’ll reach out to confirm your email and acceptance. Thanks for being a paid member of THE 300, Jim!
(“DriveThruRPG Dragon’s Draw” winners are selected from THE 300 and ELITE ADVENTURER paid subscriber tiers)
And that’s a wrap! Another Phantasy Snitch edition is now complete. Until next time, Headline-Hunting Hero, Keep the Adventure Going STRONG!
Your next piece of fantasy fun is calling.
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I'm excited to see how the new Conan movie will turn. That Tolkien desk auction would be another "if I won the lottery I wouldn't say anything but there would be signs".