FantasyQuest

Picture from here. Fabulous face, Mr. Li.

We went to Mr. & Mrs. Rentschler's on Friday to play FANTASYQUEST. This game was designed by Asa, and with all the skills and imagination of an 11 year old. We had a BLAST!

We ate a light dinner and got ready to play. Asa described the rules - which are a little bit like Dungeons and Dragons - and we got started. He had us close our eyes and he described the scene with his prepared speech, complete with sound effects, echos, and fade outs. Nice! Our first task was to create our characters. Asa described the races he had created and the skills that we could choose, and as we were thinking he handed out paper and pencil so we could draw our characters. As we got started, several of us fussed that we weren't such super artists. And so, as Asa went around the table he started saying things like, "choose your character and think about what they might look like, then pass your paper down to dad so he can draw it for you!" Dad, of course, was really into his own character, very very cool, but was willing to stop and draw based on a few descriptions. His greatest piece of work was FireWings, for Jaya Pearl. What a fantastic glittery creature!

Not Mr. Rentschler's work here, instead this is from LayoutSparks. (Who Knew there were all these fantasy images on the net? Obviously I have missed a whole subculture!!!)

Mr. Bryant didn't waste any time with who was going to draw what. He decided to be a GNOME, and called his race the G-NOMIANS. While we were all thinking of heroic names, he chose his name and began drawing. By the time I looked over his shoulder, he had a picture of his character (Barry, the G-Nome) flying a bubble saucer (yes, a little flying saucer that shot bubbles out the back through two mufflers), shooting a thought cannon (almost bigger than Barry, causing all who are caught within its dreadful rays to immediately Sit and Think About What They Have Done), winning the Tour de France, and climbing Mt. Everest! Before we were all done with this part of the exercise, Barry had even acquired a PPPistol - and each time someone had to leave to head to the rest room, Barry shot them.

As you might imagine, this entire activity was filled with lots of laughing and Asa was filled with absolute joy. Once our characters were drawn and our skills were determined, we became a company of companions - Barry, Ajax, Priscilla, Pongo, Firewings, and the Dungeon Master, who came with us to help out if needed. We started through the town, purchased some goodies (like a cloak or two, some daggers, you get the idea), and as we walked out of the store we all fell into the first dungeon. Asa laughed and laughed, and then soberly brought out the dreadful dungeon map.

Play went on for another hour or so, and we had lots of fun braving the dungeon pathways and getting to the final battle. Amazingly, Barry completed an around the world tour and built an ice palace during the trip.

Barry the G-Gnome wearing his Rocket Pack, doing a fly-by over LA.

Thanks Asa, for the FUN game and thanks ADR & SRR for hosting a great family fun night!