Season 2 Episode 6: Nerd Unification Theory for Men - 9-28-2014

This has been something I have been speculating on for some time, just what makes someone a nerd.  In this sense of the word "nerd", I am referring to the Big Bang Theory type of characters, who are into toys, comics, games, etc.  This is not including people who are socially inept, and may be intelligent, but are not into nerdy things, or the hyper intelligent scientist / doctor who is nerdy because they like to read, but otherwise are not into gamer culture.  I am not saying they aren't nerds in some sense, I am just saying that I am not talking about those types.

So, I asked myself a question - what makes someone a nerd?  Are they born to like games, and otherwise share no interests with the popular crowd?  (They don't like to play card games, turns out.)  Sometimes, it is easy, because the person is fat, near sighted, smelly, (or in my case, all three).  Being fat doesn't always lead to nerd-dom, because there are plenty of fat idiots out there, and the one common link in nerds is that we are all at least decently intelligent.

Behirs, Beholders, and Bugbears! Oh my! - by Andrew Hindenburg - 9-21-2014

Sometimes, Wizards of the Coast gets it right. Sometimes Wizards of the Coast will release a product that makes me stand back and say, “Oo, that's pretty.” Or, “That's some creative game mechanics.” Rarely, however, have I had the opportunity to say both about the same product. Not since the glory days of 3e have I had cause to say either of these things about any of their D&D products. The fiasco that was the 4^th edition of Dungeons and Dragons made me take a step back from the game, shaking my head and wondering when my beloved tabletop game turned into a pencil and paper MMO. You may think my assessment of D&D's previous edition a bit harsh or even just wrong, but lets take a step forward and call the past the past.

Season 2 Episode 5 - Cute Cat. What's Its Name? (Part 3) - 9-23-2014

Well, we are finally here, at the promised story that I have been alluding to for a couple of weeks now.  Unlike the last couple of entries, this annoying situation had nothing to do with theft, though it did kind of feel like it after it was all over.

It all started two weeks ago, on a Friday before our regular FNM (Friday Night Magic), and Eddie was away on his vacation.  I came into work at about 6 pm, which is the normal routine lately.  One of my grade school friends Andy was volunteering for us that morning while Ed was gone, and a few of our other volunteers / customers / owners were around as well.

Season 2 Episode 4 - Cute Cat. What's Its Name? (Part 2) - 9-17-14

Hello!  We are back again, and I want to keep going with the story of customers that just piss me off.  Before I get to this week's doozie, I want to remind everyone that I am primarily a writer before anything else, and writing this blog is just what I do.  I don't write any of this to be vindictive, or to be sensationalist, or whatever.  I write this because I want to share my story.  My life / story isn't always fun, and I tend to do / be around controversial things.  This blog will definitely end up as a book when it is all said and done, and if I ever really get the urge, perhaps a 'Big Bang Theory' meets 'Clerks' type sitcom.  I am mostly interested in conveying the truth as I remember it; that is pretty much all I can do.

Okay.  With that out of the way, we can talk about the topic for today, and today we have another thief.  It is not quite the same as the culprits in last week's entry, because that situation was a bit more ambiguous, and was handled as such.  No, this time we got the thief dead to rights, right on camera, stealing our stuff... only it was a little too late.

Season 2 Episode 3 - Cute Cat. What's Its Name? (Part 1) - 9-7-2014

It has been a very long day today, my friends.  It was long because my days are always long, but also because I had to deal with some very difficult customers.  Even about 5 hour later, I am still fuming, and it actually brings me to a topic that doesn't get a lot of attention - annoying customers.  (The title is a reference to Kevin Smith's 'Clerks'.  The cat's name is Annoying Customer.)

Don't get me wrong, I love all my customers.  Some of the kids have been coming since day one, and a lot of the people I've met are super cool.  There are three specific interactions that will illustrate my point, and two of them involve theft, so you can see that I am not talking about my honest customers who may be slightly annoying.  

Season 2 Episode 2 - One-Year Anniversary

Well, it is official!  We are one year old here at Gamers Link Chicago!  It's been a rough year, and there are definitely some sexy emotional scars amongst us, but here we are, still standing!  There's a lot to report, so let's get to it!

Season 2 Episode 1 - Gen Con; a Year Later

It has been a while since I etched anything in the annals of The Link Adventures.  Things got pretty rough for me during the winter, but now things are mostly better, and its time for a new season of the blog.

It's been just about a year since we opened the doors of Gamers Link Chicago, and it really came full circle this year with Gen Con.  If you remember from the first episode of season 1, Eddie went to Gen Con and came back with a lot of stuff.  Made some connections and friends and all the other things that gregarious folk do.