The Fantasy Question Again

Over on Terra Nova, Dr. Richard Bartle brought up the simple question, “Why Fantasy?”

There is a fair stream of comments in response to his post. 

On other sites, Moorgard offered up his own views on the subject, while over on Nerfbat, the simple truth was revealed.

This is the sort of topic I like to dig into myself, except I did so not too long ago, when CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson asked a similar question.

So, in the spirit of recycling, I offer up my old post in response to the current round of this question:

Why So Much Fantasy?

Cheers!

Honey, I Shrank The Owlbears!

Okay, who has been messing with the fauna in Nektulos Forest?

Seriously.

Gaff asked if I wanted to do the heritage quest Dragoon K’Naae of the Thexians with his third set of alts. (He has already leveled up his main and another set of alts past me, slug that I am.) I told him I had the quest and that I was at some step past the owlbear meat collection.

Of course, I logged on last night and found out that I was still on the owlbear meat collection stage, so I decided to catch up, as Gaff has reported that part finished with his multi-box crew.

I headed out to Nek Forest and ran off to the corner where the owlbears have now been banished. Somehow they, and the firelight shrillers, lost their premium spot astride the main path through the woods. I tell you, it is all politics in Nek Forest.

I started looking around for them, but the area seemed empty. Empty until I saw a little movement in the grass.

Holy crap, those aren’t owlbears! Those are… owlhamsters, or owlpotbellied pigs.

Seriously, they used to be… you know… bear sized. Like this.

Now, with my new video card and the graphics turned up a bit, I was missing them in the foliage.

Is this some aspect of Frostfell I have overlooked in the past?

Anyway, using tracking and keeping my eyes on the ground, I managed to hunt down the owlbears I needed to complete the stage. It is a good thing I did not need all 60, as they were blending in quite well with the ground cover.

Finishing that up, I went to find the big Dragoon, but he was taking a powder, so I wandered into a building of some sort that appeared to have been put up since I last visited.

I thought perhaps the Dragoon had a new house built, since they appeared to have cleaned out the trailer park that he used to live in. (If you remember what his area used to look like, you know what I mean by that.)

Of course, I went straight into the building because, if MMOs have taught me anything, they have taught me to barge straight into the homes of strangers, in case they have something nice or a quest to give you!

But it turned out not to be a house.

Instead, it was the entrance to Darklight Wood, home of the emo fae and the oxymoron capital of Norrath.

(Believe me, do not bother trying to order jumbo shrimp in Darklight Wood, they totally do not do irony there.)

So I did what anybody does when they find themselves in the opposing faction’s home town.

I made witty conversation!

I tried to be helpful to the locals.

And I generally tried to fit in.

Eventually I figured out that they must speak another language in Darklight Wood, as nobody seemed to acknowledge anything I had to say.

So I headed back to the Dragoon, who was still taking a powder somewhere. Once he shows up, I will be ready to do the next stage with Gaff.