Date nights are few and far between for my wife and I, but when they do happen, we spend what some would deem a disproportionate amount of time wandering and browsing the shelves of Barnes & Noble. That's how it's always been with us, and I suspect that's how it always will be. There's something about the calm, the quiet, the serenity that these parents—in the age of laughable and unnecessary lock-downs—are so desperate for; but it's also the adventure and wonder you can find only while surrounded by thousands of books you've yet to open. It's our place to feel like kids again, at a reasonable volume.
Usually I'm on the lookout for something inspiring that my kids will enjoy—a new book, or better yet a new series, or perhaps a novelty from one of their favorite reads. On our last outing, knowing how much I love Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle series, Andrea came across and pointed me to "The Name of the Wind board game." It turned out to be a The Name of the Wind themed expansion set to an existing game that I had never heard of: Call To Adventure.
If I wasn't already sold by the fact that there is a The Name of the Wind expansion set to go with it, the cover and description took me the rest of the way there. I knew this would be a blast to play with the kids, even if the clerk at the counter tried to make me feel like an idiot for thinking kids could understand the complexities of the game-play. She hasn't met my kids.
Okay, I'll admit that it was a bit intimidating at first, and the last thing I wanted to do was attempt to figure out how to play with two impatient children asking questions the entire time, so my friend Randy helped me figure out the set-up and game-play while our children enjoyed a play date ("play date" is a well-known parenting euphemism referencing a voluntary transaction whereas one receives a cocktail and a much-needed respite from all parenting duties in exchange for the utter destruction of one's own home) and our wives—multitaskers extraordinaire—impressed us as they whipped up an incredible shrimp and chicken pasta dish while simultaneously deriding us for taking so long to figure out how to play. We ate, we laughed, then we adventured. What a blast the game was! Even though you are certainly competing to win (which I did), the game retains a cooperative quality which I love, but the best part is the end when each player concocts and relays their newly created character's unique story.
Once we had it down, we played with the kids the next night—and they absolutely loved it! We had some serious family fun, and beside that, the story-telling aspect was even more inspiring than I expected it to be! We created some truly memorable characters and story lines, and the following evening I outlined the better part of a new novel based on some of the characters and plot points created during our adventure.
I haven't had a chance to play the Name of the Wind expansion yet, but I'm hoping to go back and pick it up soon! There is also a Stormlight Archive expansion set for all you Brandon Sanderson fans.
コメント