BioniLUG Collab 2023: High Fantasy

Overview: Who isn’t a sucker for high fantasy? Elegant elves trained over centuries in fine bows and nimble blades. Dwarven craftsmen and warriors clad in heavy armor and heavier weaponry. Dragons, orcs, undead, the whole shebang. Maybe throw in a monster or two; Beholder, Gelatinous cube, Displacer Beast.

Build something in the high fantasy genre and bring it to a convention or send it on the BZP Convention Circuit to participate! MOCs will be put on display at multiple conventions and perks will be given to those who participate in the collab, including  free sets and raffle entries! (Note: in order to receive the perks, you will have to ensure you sign up for the circuit.)

What is a High Fantasy: High fantasy is set in an alternative, fictional (“secondary”) world, rather than the “real” or “primary” world. This secondary world is usually internally consistent, but its rules differ from those of the primary world. By contrast, low fantasy is characterized by being set on Earth, the primary or real world, or a rational and familiar fictional world with the inclusion of magical elements. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fantasy)

Some notable examples include:

  • Terry Brooks’ Shannara
  • Terry Goodkind’s The Sword of Truth
  • Robert Jordan’s and Brandon Sanderson’s The Wheel of Time
  • Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea
  • C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia
  • George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones)
  • Terry Pratchett’s Discworld
  • R. A. Salvatore’s Forgotten Realms and The DemonWars Saga
  • J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Additional Requirements: All MOCs should be scaled to the Toa Metru (7 to 8”) – humans and elves should be about that size, dwarves and halflings should be a bit shorter, and monsters and enemies bigger or smaller as appropriate.

Other Considerations: This is high fantasy, and while there can be some overlap with other genres such as Gothic fiction, dark fantasy, and steampunk, try to stick with the classic high fantasy heroes and villains.

You can certainly build a MOC based on your favorite high fantasy media, like Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, or you can make it more generic. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s high fantasy!

Scenery: Heroes and monsters are pretty awesome on their own, but they look even better when they have a fantasy world to live in! We’re looking for people to make buildings and other scenery to spread around the display to give it some scale. The good thing is, since they’re not the main focal point, they don’t have to be super-detailed or even look finished. Some things we’d like to see:

  • Buildings scaled roughly to 10 bricks per floor – they don’t need to have windows or even four sides, but they should be free-standing. Think castles, towers, thatched-roof inns, that sort of thing.
  • Other objects like trees, siege machines, barricades, and the like are more than welcome too!

Also, these MOCs will need to be shipped and displayed so, while not required, please take into consideration stability and durability when making your MOCs. It makes it easier on everyone involved!

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