Vintage Copies of Books – So, books will show up multiple times on the list in different ways, but I think that there are different types of books you can pick up for that fantasy fan. And one of the cooler ones is vintage books. Getting an older copy of Lord of the Rings, even if it has a little bit of wear and tear on it is going to be awesome for a fan of Lord of the Rings, because the vintage covers and just the feel of the books is different. Or, it could be any other vintage sort of fantasy book, but there’s just something about having that almost collectors type book, that fantasy book lovers will really like.

Box Sets of Books – Here’s the other book thing. Box sets of books are also that other book lovers collectible thing. Again, box sets are the pieces that you can put on the shelf and show off. It also means that you can give them something they might not buy, for example, if they were picking up the Harry Potter books as they went along and they were published, they could have a mismatched set, but most book lovers will spend their own money on more books, not making a consistent collection, so you could give them that as a box set, so it is consistent, and it’s something that they’ll likely love.

Fantasy Themed Artwork – Now, this is a bit iffy to put on here, simply because, while Superhero artwork you can know has a recognizable superhero on it, fantasy artwork is all over the map. So, I would lean towards artwork that is based on something. So, Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter are good examples here. There’s going to be artwork that has been done depicting both of those stories, and if someone is a fan of that story, they’ll appreciate the artwork more so. That said, maybe the person has some obscure story that they like and there isn’t artwork on it, I’d be hesitant to suggest picking up large artwork, but postcard size stuff that is work appropriate and they can put up in a cubicle, that would work. Just don’t go with anything too large that they might not like because it’s just not their style.

Fantasy Themed Magnets – Fairly specific with this one, but I’ve found that a lot of people have pretty boring magnets, if they have many magnets on their fridge. Or they might again be using them at work in a cubicle. This is where you can go with the more generic fantasy, because, again, it’s smaller. And especially going with a cute art style or maybe a chibi art style, those work for a nerdy person’s fridge. If the person has a beer fridge or a wine fridge you can put magnets on, getting the hobbits drinking pints in chibi form would be great, in my opinion, for something like that. Or maybe, the person doesn’t want chibi but loves Dungeons and Dragons fantasy, get them dragon magnets. This also has the advantage of being something if you get a magnet that you can use as a stocking stuffer.

Lego – Yup, there are plenty of fantasy Lego sets out there, some generic, and then Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Sorry for you Game of Thrones fans, no Lego sets. This is another display type thing, or if they are younger kids, something that can be played with. But in our house, we have a Hobbit Lego on one shelf and a Hogwarts up on top of another shelf. So, you can go small or big with this, but Lego is a bit on the spendier side of things with the larger sets. It is a lot of fun to put together, and if someone has time off over the holidays, it gives them something fun to do through their time off.

Video Games – Woo, another generic category, but there are a lot of fantasy games out there. You can go retro if they have an older system or a Retron system and get them things like the original Zelda or Final Fantasy. Or, there are middle aged games (not games in the middle ages) like the original Dragon Age that have been ported over to the newer systems, but if someone still have an XBox 360, you could find it for that. There are so many fantasy games out there, figure out if the person you are giving the gift to like the more sword and sorcery style games, more story driven games, fighting, whatever it might be, and you’ll probably be able to find something unique for them. And if they are already a video gamer and have a lot of them, you can look towards more of the indie titles and there are a lot of interesting fantasy games out there.

Classic Fantasy Movies/TV Shows – When I say classic, I more so mean old ones. Find the fantasy movies or TV shows that people might not remember from back in the day. I’m sure there are plenty of good lists out there, or you could find the B-Movie classics in the genre as well. Definitely a lot of them you can check out, and if they are more of a classic one, the cheesy nature of them works better versus a modern cheesy story. Now, you still end up with some of them being too cheesy or dated poorly in other ways, so do a bit of research, but you can probably find bluray or DVD collections of them that would have a good variety as well.

This list is a bit more generic, so I apologize because it’ll make you do more work tracking stuff down. But fantasy is a bit broader than the board game topics and even broader than superheroes, because, while there are indie superheroes out there, most people think Marvel and DC. I tried to suggest some ideas that are a bit more specific for Lord of the Rings fans or Harry Potter fans, but there’s so much in the fantasy realm that it’s hard to cover some of the broader stuff. For that reason, if the person loves reading, books is always a great option, next time you see their book shelf, look at it and find what books might work there.

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DA:O was released by BioWare all the way back in 2009, but that was midway through college for me, and I had neither the time nor the means to give it anything other than a passing thought. But at long last, I’ve found myself in simultaneous possession of an Xbox 360 and enough random blocks of free time to actually play some video games for once. And since Peder recently played through the game again, further inspiring me to start it once he was done, conditions were perfect to finally find out what the fuss was about. So far, DA:O has not disappointed–in fact, it’s often exceeded my hyped-up expectations.

For those who aren’t familiar with the game, DA:O is set in a high-concept fantasy land called Ferelden (one of countless examples of really great names within the game). You play as a hero who must leave their home (the reason varies depending on the type of character you choose) and join the Grey Wardens. The Grey Wardens are special forces whose job it is to protect the world from Darkspawn, demonic beings who threaten to overrun Ferelden. Early on, you find that you will one day be tasked with facing and defeating the Archdemon, leader of the oncoming Darkspawn horde causing an event known as the Blight. But first, you’ll have to travel Ferelden with a motley band of fellow heroes, rallying support for your cause and slaying monsters of all kinds along the way (in between seemingly hundreds of side quests, of course).

You have the option to play as a male or female character who is either a mage or rogue. You can play as a human, a dwarf, or as one of two sorts of elves–a city-dweller or a nomadic Dalish. The character I created is a female Dalish elf rogue, and as the story begins, she is tainted by Darkspawn sickness and must become a Grey Warden both to save herself and to protect her people and her realm from the Blight.

So far, I’m absolutely loving both the story and the general feel of the gameplay. In essence, it has all the stuff I loved from my brief foray into the world of Skyrim, and none of the stuff I didn’t. A highlight for me is the character interactions–in particular, I find the “approval” mechanic to be a lot of fun. DA:O allows you the option to get to know your fellow characters both through idle conversations between quests and during discussions that happen at key moments in the plot. In general it’s a good idea to chat with your fellow party members whenever there’s a lull–if you don’t, you might miss out on some really interesting dialogue.

Through these conversations, your party members’ “approval” meter in relation to your character will go up or down depending on the dialogue options you choose. You can even romance a fellow character–to do so, each time you interact with the party member you wish to form such a relationship with, you’ll need to choose the dialogue options that you think they will respond best to. After their approval of you reaches a certain point, you then have the option to initiate a romance with them. I highly recommend it, as it adds another layer of depth to the story that you wouldn’t get otherwise.

Another main component of the game is your ability as a player to influence the direction of the story based on the choices you make, from creating your character to speaking with your party members to the way you interact with key characters who are introduced along the way. Much like similar choice-based games, like the Mass Effect series, you can play your character in such a way that they are more virtuous and heroic or more villainous and chaotic, depending on your preference. I’m one of those people who feels terrible whenever I make my character do something mean, so I go pretty aggressively toward the virtuous side of things (why yes, I do know I’m a goody-two-shoes, thank you very much), but no matter what, the way you play your character has a big impact on the story at large. In my opinion, this makes the game highly replayable. Being both indecisive and a completionist, I have to admit that I find the choice-making element to be stressful at times, and I’ve already made a number of choices that I immediately regretted. Overall, though, I really like the choice aspect of the game, and I wouldn’t have it any other way, neuroses notwithstanding.

Like other fantasy RPGs, DA:O is rife with side quest opportunities. Here’s where my completionist side gets the better of me again…I find myself helping townspeople and hunting for rare items until I’ve all but forgotten what I was supposed to be doing in the first place. This is one of the reasons I quit playing Skyrim; however, unlike Skyrim, finishing all (or most) of the side quests in DA:O and still playing through the game in a reasonable amount of time is actually an attainable goal, so while this side of it trips me up a little from time to time, it’s not really a problem. In general, it makes the story feel richer rather than making the gameplay feel burdensome.

Another of my favorite aspects of this game is how rich the world of the game is. The visual aspect is stunning, and the graphics hold up surprisingly well for a game that’s nearly 10 years old. The characters feel as well-rounded as any fictional characters I could hope to meet, and they’re voiced by a host of talented voice actors. Throughout the game, there is a TON of dialogue, as well as a wealth of cut scenes both short and long. Some players may find this annoying if they’re ready to get into the action, but for my part, I really enjoy it.

Beyond that, I love how well-developed the history and the political climate of DA:O are. And though you can really dive into those elements if they interest you, it’s not forced upon you, so it doesn’t feel overwhelming or overwrought the way it so easily could. From the stories the characters tell you to the contextual codices you pick up throughout your adventures, it’s easy to see that the game creators put a lot of thought into developing a rich, realistic world.

As far as the combat aspect of the game is concerned, I can’t speak to it with much authority–I set the game on super-duper easy mode, since I care a lot more about the story of the game than I do about defeating monsters (not that that isn’t fun too). If combat’s your thing, just raising the difficulty level will give you the chance to focus on it more and work on honing your skills and strategically leveling up your characters. Thus far, the combat mechanic feels a little muddy to me, though I’m not sure whether this is due more to the way it’s set up or because I’m fervently button-mashing my way through each and every battle. Regardless of the reason, I’d say that the story side of the game is stronger than the combat side overall, but I think there’s plenty of room to lean in to either (or both), depending on your gaming style.

In short, this game is everything I’ve been looking for but not finding in other RPG-style video games I’ve played up until now, and it makes for an immensely satisfying gaming experience. I can’t wait to keep playing through this game and eventually move on to the next installments in the series, Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition!

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