The First of Many... Hopefully.

When I was asking people to contribute to this blog I had a bit of a mixed blessing. On one hand it was easy. Nearly everyone I asked said yes. It only took 2 days to get everyone on board.

On the other hand I didn't even get halfway down my short list of people to ask.

There are a multitude of good boardgame writers. I decided to invite people who were on my short list to contribute an article from time to time. Here's the first, Paul Sommer, aka TiNYTimIDFluffYBunnY on BGG.

Incidentally, Paul was one of the original people I did ask to contribute. He was the only person I contacted who wasn't able. To our loss and his gain his wife had just had a baby. Congratulations, by the way, on another little fluffy bunny (not another Tiny Tim, as you will read).

As I recall, Paul was frazzled with the in-laws and their hotel situation when I first contacted him. Now that things have stabilized Paul sent me this. I wish I had thought of it. I've been there before.

Enjoy,
Coldfoot

A Geek Flirting Guide
or "How I learned to stop worrying and spot my fellow BGGers"

It's always a dilemma isn't it, geek flirting. Meeting other Board game geeks without embarrassment, flushed faces or criminal charges being brought on you by the shop owners.

Perhaps I should elaborate a touch here to put you, the reader, into the picture.

Who hasn't been in a brick and mortar gaming shop glancing at the titles with a dazed hungry look, fondling your loose change in you pocket, trying to work out if you should buy games or food this week and what will happen if your long suffering partner should find out. The owner lies slumped behind the counter, with a look of dull resentment, cornered by a 12 year old "Magic: The Gathering" freak.

Cue: New customer enters the shop.

As you peruse the shelves you notice the other guy (or gasp a lady) eyeing the shelves. You assess their dress code, hygiene standard and waist size. Are they a BGG geek? Is that Grognads? Or Mister cranky, or Aldie in drag? How can you find out?

You continue to browse the shelves, however now you are keeping a close eye on "the other gamer" to see what he will pick off the shelves to look at the back cover.

He eyes a copy of RISK. Ha! Obvious rookie. Perhaps he picks up Munchkins. You shudder in disgust. Or he grabs Modern Art, shakes the box, feels the weight, frowns and hurls it back. You gasp in shock.

Stage 1

You decide to give them a chance as you pick a medium level, high quality game (say Power Grid) and hum loudly to yourself "Mmm. Wow, they got this baby in. Hmmmm." You replace the box and wander away leaving the trap set for the possible undercover geek. If the geek wanders over and picks up the game you looked at, he is NOT a geek, i.e. He doesn't know what is what! Ha gotcha.

Stage 1a

Repeat, but with a lousy game, if he picks that up he really is a rookie.

If, however, the person looks over at you humming over Hungry Hungry Hippos and sneers, he's a geek or works for Milton Bradley.

Stage 2.

Now comes the dangerous part in approaching the would be geek without appearing to be a rampant homosexual on the make.

You could make a comment like, "Ohh that's a good game you are looking at there!" But this can lead to embarrassment when the fellow turns out to be a lip reader or deaf or stupid.

Or you could sidle up to the bloke and ask in a sotto whisper, "Err, are you a, errr, geek? You know BGG?" Which leads to the man denying loudly that he is NOT Greek, thank you very much.

Or the best method which is to cosh them and search their wallet for credit card receipts from online game stores.

Surely we are smart enough to develop a unobtrusive hand sign which we can all recognize, a bit like the free masons or shriners, and perhaps we can get some of those red hats whilst we are at it.

But lets not choose the special forces hand sign for "Kill the owner, NOW", by mistake. That could be troublesome in the long run.

Yours Truly,

TinyTimidFluffyBunny

(incidently stop calling me tiny tim! Tiny tim is a twerpish fictional Dickins character where as I am not ...or am I?! )