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BY MOLLY WOULFE
TIMES FEATURES WRITER
(219) 852-4329
mwoulfe@nwitimes.com.
| Saturday, July 26, 2008 | (No comments posted.)
Let sleeping dragons lie.
Unless you want a hot time in ye olde town of Bristol.
Alas and alack, it's true. For the first time, a dragon has invaded Bristol Renaissance Faire, the annual salute to Elizabethan life near Kenosha, Wis.
You can't miss the mythical beast, Shane Hill said. She's snoozing "in a tree close to the front (gates). She's 30 feet long and fire-engine red."
If you can't see her, you can hear her. She snores, a low rumble that echoes through the fictitious 30-acre English hamlet.
"We have a looped soundtrack that plays a growl every three minutes," explained Hill, director of Bristol's Gamers Guild. With every snore, "a puff of smoke comes from her nostrils."
For two decades, history buffs and fantasy lovers have hied across the border to rub elbows with nobles, jesters and saucy wenches at Bristol, the Midwest's largest outdoor salute to medieval England.
Organized by Renaissance Entertainment Corp., the faire offers the chance to gnaw turkey legs, cheer jousting knights and hurl tomatoes at churls.
More than 1,200 costumed actors mingle with visitors in the imagined town every summer weekend through Labor Day. The revelry takes place within the frame of a summer day in 1574 when Queen Elizabeth I pays a visit.
But Bloodtharken -- that's the dragon's name -- marks a departure from the fanciful script. She's the star of RenQuest, a live-action adventure that powers role-playing games to a new level.
Since the faires are magnets for RPG fans -- die-hards show up in tunics and singing hey-nonny-no -- producers are pushing the interactive envelope, capitalizing on the yen for online games like World of Warcraft. Patrons can set off on a quest to save the village from a fiery end. An ancient spell must be uncovered, riddles must be solved and a broken idol pieced together to keep Bloodtharken in dreamland.
(Spoiler alert: The green-eyed monster's a light sleeper. And when she recalls that St. George killed her mate, hell hath no fury like a scaly female. Several puppeteers are required to stage a dragon tantrum.)
Chicago actor Hill, a longtime Dungeon & Dragons fan and three-year Bristol veteran, wrote the storyline with fellow actor-gamer Derrick Gaetke. The adventure "takes you the length and breadth of the faire," said Hill, 34. Clues and missions owe debts to such diverse sources as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," the "Clue" board game, and "The Da Vinci Code."
To his surprise, his castmates -- already performing in character -- embraced the idea of weaving guests' sagas into the collective tapestry. "Barbarian" teaches would-be dragon-slayers to wield rubber swords. The blue-robed Dragon Fairy murmurs secrets. Beware the dark-cloaked Draco Disciples who tell half-truths.
Unlike D&D, no dice are involved. Players choose an identity, write their own back story, and decide whether to align with the flashy Order of the Sun or the chaotic Lunar Tribe.
The starting point is the camp of Thoren Grymm (Hill), a tinker with an eyepatch. His gypsies award and keep track of points scored as gamers advance through five increasingly difficult levels of play. The average level takes a day to complete, a foxy way to ensure players' return.
"RenQuest," rated PG-13 due to mild sexual intrigues, has attracted mainly 16-year-olds to 30-year-olds to date. About 60 percent of players are male. Gallants older than 21 seem to enjoy the pub-crawl challenge while fair ladies gravitate to shop-centric missions. Participants are charged $10 for one day, $15 for two.
Curiously, both genders relish "warrior training," and the chance to cross swords under Barbarian's watchful eye.
As for D&D fans, they are in RPG heaven. One in-joke: The missing idol is dubbed "Gygax," after E. Gary Gygax, the Chicago native who codesigned and published the original "Dungeons & Dragons" game in 1974. The fantasy role-playing pioneer died at age 69 in March.
For self-described geek Hill, "RenQuest" is a timely addition. Geekiness is hip. "The biggest movie out is 'Batman' ('Dark Knight'), and it's a comic-book movie," he said. "A lot of people are embracing their geek side."
Ifyougo
Bristol Renaissance Faire
When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through Aug. 31 and on Labor Day, Sept. 1
Where: 12550 120th Ave., Kenosha, Wis. (just went of I-94's Russell Road exit)
Tickets: Adults, $18.95 at the gate; children age 5-12, $9.50. RenQuest participation is an additional $10 per day or $15 per weekend.
Details: (847) 395-7773 and www.renfair.com.
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