Fantasy

Confession time. I’m a little over 60 years old, and I’m still playing fantasy games. Apparently that's a bit of an anomaly.

Statistics online say only 15 percent of gamers are over 55, which means I’m older than over 85% of other players. And, as the oldest participant in my Dungeons and Dragons group, I can’t disagree with the stats.

I started DnD way back in 1981, when a college buddy asked if I’d be interested in a fantasy game he’d been playing. I tried it, and immediately got hooked. Here was a way I could get with friends, use my imagination, and “live” in a really cool world, mostly of our own making. 

One of the things that helped draw me in was the artwork. The images of dragons, faeries, elves, orcs, and so many other creatures were amazing! The artists of that era, and through to today, created some stunning visuals for fantasy gamers to enjoy. So when I noticed that several of those images had found their way into my puzzle collection, I had to share them.

Three of my four puzzles this month were from artist Ann Stokes, who has a large catalog of fantasy art, including some from official DnD publications. The first two featured are published by Clementoni, and are fantastic quality. The fit is solid, and the pieces have a nice heft, with no bending or peeling.

First up was the 1000 piece “Inner Strength”. As I put it together, I got the feeling that the dragon behind the woman was an outward representation of her own inner strength. If you mess with her, you’re messing with the dragon inside! It’s beautiful imagery, with vibrant colors giving the appearance that both woman and dragon could step out of the puzzle at any time. I wish I knew how to change the background table to white - it would make it even more striking.

Inner Strength by Clementoni

Next was my second Stokes image from Clementoni, “Dragonkin”. This 1000 piecer had me thinking of HBO’s “Game of Thrones”, or “House of Dragon”. Looking at the picture, you can almost feel the relationship between the woman and the young beast. They have a bond that the artist captures perfectly in her work.

Dragonkin by Clementoni

For my third puzzle, I stuck with the same artist, but switched up publishers. This is “Dragon’s Lair”, 1000 pieces from Cobble Hill. Where the first two evoked a sense of DnD, this red dragon is more reminiscent of one from Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.” Looking a bit like Smaug protecting his hoard, you can feel the danger of trying to take even a single coin from his stash.

Dragon’s Lair by Cobble Hill

Finally, if that’s not enough dragons for one month, here’s one more - with a little different feel from the others. “Night Spirit”, from Ceaco, was a quick 500 piece collection of dragons, each with their own look and attitude. This one also had a couple of other creatures, so my month wasn’t only dragons.

Night Spirit by Ceaco

I loved doing these puzzles, so I’m glad I finally moved them to the top of the pile. I’m a little sad that I didn’t solve them on my regular white table, because that background would definitely show off the depth of color and the artistry in the designs. Fantasy fans should absolutely love the options available at PuzzleWarehouse. And now, it's Friday as I write this, so I'm off to DnD for the evening.

Happy Puzzling.

Phil (aka Puzzle Buster)