Now, there are plenty of things that we can start as a new nerdy hobby, maybe you want to start playing Dungeons and Dragons, get into board games, or read more Sci-Fi books. But where you jump into them can be pretty tricky for some of them. So how do you pick that starting point of joining into a hobby that already has a lot of people in it?

Let’s use, what I know well, board games, as an example. In 2019 there were thousands of board games that were published, and that’s just last year. And in that, there were thousands of bad board games published, so if you are getting into the hobby, what should you be looking for? Is there some proper starting place?

It is going to be overwhelming to jump in, but thankfully, there are a lot of articles out there about good starting places for board games. So to start with board games or any hobby, I’d use Google and simply research, “Introductory…” and it’ll give you some good options. Now, that might seem off, because you want to play the best board games, so maybe you would go to somewhere like Board Game Geek, which will probably come up in search results, and just buy games in the top 10, but a lot of those are much bigger and heavier games, and the same with picking the most popular Sci-Fi or anything, it is going to lean more into what those who are already steeped in the hobby like.

The other reason that you want introductory is that while the games aren’t always cheaper, they are going to be teach you about the hobby. So something like Carcassone teaches you tile placement, how games can have various ways to score, and generally gets you to a point where you can understand board games better, and the different introductory games are going to be good at teaching different things. Catan can teach you about probability and resource management. Ticket to Ride is about set collection, route building, and there are so many other intro games that teach other things.

But, maybe you won’t like all of the introductory games, so should you really go out and get all of these games? You will probably find some that you don’t love, so did you just waste money? Thankfully, if you’re in a larger town/city, you might have a couple of options. A lot of larger cities are going to have gaming stores. These places often has games that you can just try or the employees should be willing to open up a game and teach you how it’s played a little bit so you have an idea before you purchase the game. Also there are other spots that you can try and game. A lot of breweries are going to have some games, and while you might mainly find Cribbage and Cards Against Humanity, I’ve seen Catan at a lot of them as well. And who knows what gems you might find there. Also, you can look on Facebook or other places used to schedule Meetups (again Board Game Geek could help) and you can find a public one in your area that you can join. I’m in a city, so there are more options, but in more rural areas, you might be able to at least connect with people who are already in the hobby. But use these ways to start playing the introductory games and then when you have a better idea of what you like, you can get some.

Now, that section seems fairly specific for board games, but it works well for D&D as well. For something like Sci-Fi, this would be the library. Get a library card and check out books that are different types of Sci-Fi to see what sort you want, maybe you want the hard core scientific Sci-Fi, or maybe you prefer one that focuses like on the science aspect and is more a grand space adventure. Who knows, maybe your library even has a Sci-Fi book club or would have up a poster for one. There are always groups around for various nerdy things, whether it’s in person or an online forum that you can join as well and ask questions. Now, it’s the internet so there will be people who get annoyed because you aren’t already into the hobby like they are so you’re stepping on their turf and wasting time by asking questions, and while it’ll seem like they stick out more than anyone, it is really less people than those who want to grow the hobby, so ignore the trolls.

This is all a good way that you can start and it helps get rid of some of the chafe that might be less than ideal stuff to dive into to start. But any hobby, unless it’s something with technology that is brand new, is going to have a lot to dive into. So it’ll seem intimidating when you’re jumping. And you’re going to run across games or books or DM’s or whatever it is that you don’t like. Don’t let that drive you off and don’t let those people who feel like it’s their hobby and because you’re just joining keep you from joining the hobby. It might take you time to find the area of it that you like, so the last piece of advice is patience. And with that, if you don’t like part of it, move on and try another part of it, if you don’t love heavy Sci-Fi, go and try some more adventure type Sci-Fi, if you don’t like deckbuilding, try area control games, if you don’t like playing a wizard try playing a fighter. Experiment until you find something that you like more. And maybe the hobby won’t be for you, but there is so much diversity in all of these hobbies now in different types of things that hopefully there will be something for you.

I could talk more about this topic, but I don’t want to overwhelm someone who wants to get into a new hobby. To summarize, try and find an existing local community that can help you or a good online community. Try a wide range from the hobby you want to join, and while everything might not be for you, find what is for you.

If you’ve already gone through this process, what other simple tips do you recommend?

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Time for the New Years State of Nerdologists Address

Ladies and Gentlemen, Nerds and Geeks, lend me your beers.

Alright, what’s coming in 2019 for Nerdologists, enough being goofy.

1. The podcast is going to be done for a while. As you know, with having a kid, recording an actual play D&D podcast is going to be a we bit tricky. It also uses up a good chunk of my time for content creation, so I want to free up more time.

2. But we don’t want to lose content from Nerdologists. So we, probably primarily myself with guest appearances by Kristen and others (hopefully), are going to start doing some board game streaming and video streaming content. The equipment is on it’s way. The big reason for this move is because the live streaming means that I don’t have to spend extra time editing.

With this, I haven’t come up with a name for it yet, but let me know your ideas of a solo gaming and board gaming focused video stream. Right now “The Gnat Goes Gaming” or “Dice Chuck Gaming” are a couple of options. But I’m still trying to come up with something, could also just be Nerdologists Presents: Dice Chuck Gaming.

3. You’re not going to see much difference in the amount of articles posted. I’m still going to try and get one up per day during the week. Hopefully with streaming we’ll get some more evening or weekend content, but we still want to turn out a good number of articles for reading.

4. Hopefully we’ll be getting back to some conventions this year. Personal goal of mine will be to make it to GenCon this year, but there are also cons like CONvergence and AcadeCon that we’ll have to decide if we’re going to make it to them and if it would just be myself or Kristen and myself. Mainly, it’s fun with AcadeCon or going to GenCon being able to play games and see people who have influenced and encouraged me with getting into the hobbies of RPG’s and board games. We’ll see how that goes this year though.

I’m sure that there will be some more surprises along the way for Nerdologists this year. The biggest thing I’m excited to do is the video streaming. It’s a new way to add content and it’s a way for me to play board games solo without me feeling like I’m just talking to myself (though I might be anyways).

Personally, there a number of nerdy things that I’m resolving to do. Including get back to watching more anime, took some time off for some TV shows, just started Dagashi Kashi yesterday. Playing the board games that I picked up around the Holidays that I haven’t played yet, especially Betrayal Legacy. It’ll be a fun time delving into more nerdy things again, and then getting distracted from them by the kid.

What are your New Years Nerdy resolutions?

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P: I don’t know book titles yet, but I know that I want to read more Urban Fantasy books. Also, I want to finish off the Library Wars Manga, which I started over Christmas break; we need to get the last seven.

K: I’d like to read more manga in general — I love manga, but my knowledge of it isn’t very broad yet, and I really want to change that! I’d also like to read more historical fiction; I’m hoping to read at least one more book in the Outlander series (I’m on the fifth one), and after a recent trip to a Norwegian history museum, I’m inspired to read something set in the very early Middle Ages (I’m looking for recommendations, if you have any!). I’m also due for re-reads of Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia!

What Shows/Movies Do You Want to Watch/Binge?

P: I’m going to go the Marvel route — I want to binge on Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., plus there is a new Agent Carter coming out as well that I’ll need to watch.

K: I’m with Peder on the Marvel — I’m excited to watch all of those! I’d also really like to watch The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and finish the episodes of Scorpion that I missed last year. And as with manga, I’d like to widen my knowledge of anime. Peder got me the whole Soul Eater series for Christmas, so I’ll start with that one — I can’t wait!

What Games Do You Want to Play?

P: I have some kickstarted board games that I need to play — in particular, Ghostbusters. As far as video games go, I need to finally play through all of Tomb Raider, and Divinity: Original Sin.

K: I have a kickstarted game coming my way called Marrying Mr. Darcy that I’m really stoked about. I’m also looking forward to playing Pandemic: Legacy — the original Pandemic is my favorite board game, so I’m excited to try this one! When it comes to video games, I am determined to play more of them in general this year. I want to finish The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and play at least one of the Mass Effect games.

What New Nerdy Thing Do You Want to Start?

P: I want to watch more anime; I’ve enjoyed it when I’ve watched it, but I haven’t watched all that much. So I’ll be watching more anime and reading more manga, like Library Wars and Fairy Tail.

K: I always seem to have a zillion things, but mainly, I’d like to make more nerdy crafts. I’m about to start knitting a Fourth Doctor scarf, and I’d really love to learn how to make amigurumi (crocheted plushies). I’d also love to get back into doing fan art — it’s been a long time since I’ve done much, and I really miss it!

What Do You Want to Do for the Website?

P: I’d like to start writing a story — something that is serialized and that will come out once a month, maybe even as an audio drama. Also, I want to get guest writers coming in and get more articles up on the website.

K: I’m looking forward to joining Peder in creating the serialized story/possible audio drama; I’d also really like to do another podcast series or two. And I’m toying with the idea of doing a little vlogging — we’ll see if we get there this year!

We’d love to hear about your New Year’s resolutions, too! Whether nerdy or otherwise, feel free to share them with us in the comments below! What are you hoping 2016 will bring?

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