Nerds Unite!

Report: Oct 31st, 2010

Goose and I took it pretty easy for Halloween weekend. Normally we're going through the annual bonding ritual of scaring kids and adults alike at our friends house. All while imbibing booze, sugar and some of the spiciest food on the planet. Long live papaya salad!

This year we headed down to a science fiction convention in downtown Halifax which covered everything from sci-fi, comics, television shows, Dungeons and Dragons, Steve Jackson Games, Magic the Gathering, etc. It was the first year for the convention so we were excited to participate and support our fellow nerds.

There was always that thought of Goose and I not finding folks with similar interests when we moved. After attending this convention I began to question if I was a devoted enough nerd to be in the club. People came out in packs with more Cos Play than I could shake a stick at. There were droves of Trekkies/Trekkers to be had, plus autographs by Walter Koenig (The original Chekov) and Denise Crosby (Security Chief, Tasha Yar, from The Next Generation).

I like anime films, but it seems I'm behind on the times since people were dressed as characters I had never heard of or would wish to encounter anywhere in the real world.

At first we couldn't figure out why we saw so many guys dressed as Wolverine. Then Goose said "I get it, Wolverine is Canadian!"

I will say I have found a new appreciation for Dr. Who. We attended a seminar concerning the series and I had no idea it had such a cult following. I have watched a spin off of the series called Torchwood and enjoyed that very much. But it seems the Doctor is here to stay so I'll probably watch a few episodes to see if the more modern Doctor is as cool as everyone seems to profess.

We did get a chance to squeeze in a D&D Pathfinder pick up game. I had originally wanted to check out D&D 4th Edition in a bit more detail but that area was packed so we stuck with the game system we already knew. Ok, ok, part of the reason I didn't force my way into the 4th edition game was I didn't want to feel like I was forced to sit at the kiddie table during Thanksgiving. When I checked out the table I was easily 15 years older than anyone sitting down and I was hoping to play with folks our age group in order to make new friends. Instead we got into the Pathefinder game just to be stuck with some guys kids that he didn't want to babysit...so I ended up playing/watching little kids anyway. Sigh, I guess it's just the way of things during a con. I will admit that thanks to those two kids I have learned that if you describe all your actions in your "Goblin Voice" that it has more of an effect than your regular character voice.

For all our Firefly groupies they did have a great discussion session titled Geeks vs. Nerds: Han Solo vs. Malcolm Reynolds. The debate was hot and heavy since both characters are beloved by many. I'm not sure if I could choose between the awesomeness of these two legends. I will say that Nathan Fillion called in to defend Mal as an all around bad ass which I'm quite sure tilted the debate in his favor. I was pretty impressed he took the time to call in. Just goes to show he's an actor that believed in the character he played and he's willing to show appreciation to all the fans out there.

Feel free to check out the link to the right if you wish to see more details on Hal-Con. It looks like they already have 2011 booked in a bigger venue.

Have no fear fellow nerds, Goose and I will represent the California tribe with just as much fierceness next year!

Eagle Out