May the Forks Be With You: A Grand Cities Geeks Guide

When I first moved to this Final Frontier, it seemed like an Undiscovered Country, but it didn’t take Generations for me to make First Contact with my fellow nerds.

Whether you’re a seasoned geek or looking to join the team (ONE OF US! ONE OF US!), but not sure where to start, here are a few spots where you can find all your nerdy supplies and attempt to engage in communication with the local species.

– Grand Cities Games

Whatever your nerd interest might be, you’ll find it here. GCG has an extensive selection of comics, games, and collectibles. Make sure to follow them on Facebook so you can be the first kid on your block to know about events and special sales! I’m proud to say I found my first local Dungeons & Dragons group through their Discord server.

– Paradox Comics-N-Cards

A day in Fargo just isn’t complete without a visit to this massive mecca for games and gamers. With multiple daily events, you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on their calendar so you can rally your favorite party of adventurers for the occasion. Because isn’t the real treasure just the friends we make along the way?

– Ojata Records & Comics

Ever tried to read a comic book while eating a hot dog AND rocking out to some funky jams? Well, you can do any combination of those things over at Ojata, AKA DogMahal. They get my vote for most random assortment of secondhand “objet d’geek”, and it’s a great venue to enjoy some local live music as well.

Grand Forks is also home to many talented local writers and artists. I met a few of them at this year’s Comic Con and I would feel terrible if I didn’t recommend them to my fellow nerds.

– Allee Mead is an author whose first novella, “Isaac,” is about a robot. How cool is that?! She is also a poet! Check out her website for links to various published works.

– Ceril N. Domace has created “The Fae Queen’s Court,” an intriguing trilogy of fantasy books. Dragons also appear to be involved, so I’m down.

– LM Pederson is an impressive artist leaving her mark on stickers, pins, patches – just about any accessory you might require, so there’s literally no reason to ever leave home without some LM Pederson geek bling.

– Terry Allen Clark and Karlene Tura Clark of Hire an Adventurer are ready, willing, and able to handle all of your gaming miniature needs. If you love minis, but don’t have the patience for painting (guilty), check out their awesome custom collection, or reach out directly with any specific requirements. Also, Karlene is another local fantasy writer! Her work is available, browsable, and buyable on Amazon.

In closing, here are a few common acronyms you might hear while attempting to navigate the sea of geekdom.

– LGS

Local Game Store. Wherever possible, by your nerd stuff straight from the nerd source!

– CGC

Certified Guaranty Company. They examine and grade collectibles such as comics and cards. Items that are well-preserved receive higher grades and thus are more valuable. Not to be confused with:

– CCG

Collectible Card Game. “Pokémon cards” are one of these. An early 90’s boom unleashed a multitude of games, typically inspired by other properties like Star Trek, Highlander, or Hercules and Xena.

– MTG

Magic: The Gathering. Inarguably the coolest and most popular CCG. Since its genesis over 30 years ago (ALEXA, ORDER MORE IBUPROFIN), Wizards of the Coast has produced over eleven jillion cards

– RPG

Role Playing Game. Players will assume an entire character identity and progress through a story, often using dice, gathering points known as “experience,” which unlocks things like more powerful spells or magic items.

– TTRPG

Table-Top Role Playing Game. An RPG you play in person, around a table. Like the kids from “Stranger Things,” but as adults. Which means instead of playing all day and night in a basement, you get two or three hours every few weeks, based on everyone’s busy schedules.

– MMORPG

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, or sometimes just MMO. This is an RPG-style video game you play on one of those electronic computer machines, using the World Wide Web (or “Internet”), where you can interact with real people from real places in real time.

– WOW

Not just Owen Wilson’s catch-phrase – WOW stands for World of Warcraft, a high-fantasy MMO that I…ehem… I mean, some people – have been playing since 2004. (ALEXA, WHERE’S THAT IBUPROFIN?)

– LARP

Live Action Role Playing, where nerds and theatre people unite! This is where you leave the table behind, throw on a cape, grab a foam sword, and meet your fellow LARPers on the Field of Honor (or, if unavailable, your local park will suffice).

Uh-oh, I think I’ve used up my actions and bonus actions, tapped all my lands, my companions have been captured, the cat’s eaten the Dilithium Crystals, and on top of everything else – WE’VE GOT MOVIE SIGN!

This is J. Paul Zimmerman, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.