Viewfinder

'Geekway to the West' Lets Board Gamers Indulge in Fun

Three hundred board game fans take over Westport for four days of laid-back fun.

"Geekway to the West" took over Westport's Sheraton Hotel for four days of nonstop fun, playing boardgames from around the world. The $25 admission earned all 300 attendees a daily chance to win donated games. At the end of the convention, organizers gave away dozens of "Play and Win" games to people who had a chance to try them out during the convention.  Sneak a peek at these outgoing geeks in this week's Viewfinder.

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Viewfinder

Viewfinder: Geeks Gather in Maryland Heights

Sneak a peek at some costumed geeks as they partied away the weekend in Maryland Heights.

Maryland Heights may have a reputation as a sleepy bedroom community, but scatch the surface, and there is plenty of indie culture excitement. Last year, Archon temporarily relocated to the Sheraton in Westport. This year, a smaller science fiction convention called Conflation took place at the Comfort Inn in Maryland Heights. We take you on a visual tour of a few choice costumes from the convention.

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Geek Girl's Guide to Gambling

Roulette: The Steampunker's Gambling Choice

The Geek Girl tries to find a steampunky connection to Roulette.

Gambling seemed like it should be such an intuitive leap for a geek like me. After all, I own plenty of cards at home. Okay, they’re for Dominion, Bang, and because I’m a girl, Lost Cities. I also own plenty of dice at home. Alright, most of them have 20 sides, though in a pinch I can always whip out my iPhone DiceBag app if for some reason I need a four or eight sider. Even so, I failed dramatically at gambling with cards. Gambling with dice worked a little better. This week, in the spirit of steampunk, it was time for me to gamble with gears. I was ready to try Roulette. I left my brass goggles and astrolabe necklace at home in favor of a look that wouldn’t get me thrown out as a terrorist. Since I hadn’t seen any roulette tables at …

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The Great Escape: Conflation

Enjoy a $35 geeky staycation this weekend without breaking the bank.

Sometimes you can get away from it all without going more than 20 minutes from home. This weekend, leave the kids with their grandparents and head up the street to Westport’s Comfort Inn for a geeky weekend with other grownups. Conflation describes itself as, “a great chance to get away from the kids, let your hair down and not have to worry about what you say being overheard.” It’s technically a science fiction convention, but really, it’s an excuse for people who consider themselves nerdy or geeky to get together for a weekend and party. Since there will be alcohol on the premises, you must be over 21 to attend. This means a guaranteed weekend with geeky grownups. Admission is only $35 and includes things like a nerf battle by day, a …

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Geek Girl's Guide to Gambling

Vulgar Threats for a First Time Gambler

This week, a woman who never leaves home without her netbook and smartphone is flummoxed by slot machines.

After playing an assortment of slot machines at Maryland Heights’ Harrah’s Casino, I pounced when one of four Star Trek-themed slots become available. Surely Spock could walk this gambling-newbie through the illogical human game of chance. But as I sat down, a man at the adjacent machine rather graphically threatened me with physical violence if I laid a hand on his friend’s slot. “Touch that machine, and I will shove a [expletive] apple up your [expletive],” said the tallish, gray-haired man. She was coming right back, he said. I asked if I could play in the meantime and was suddenly hit with the full glaring force of an entire nursing home. No one believed my assertions that random number generators govern slots. His friend had put in …

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Maryland Heights Stockings

Fill a Stocking Suited for a Nerd

Mall parking lots are a mess and Wal-Mart lines are downright scary. This week we’re shopping in Maryland Heights to find five perfect stockings for the special people in your life.

Every family has one person who knows Han Solo Shot First. Fanboys and girls may have plenty of friends online who know exactly what they want for Christmas, but finding presents is always a little bit of a mystery to people outside the subculture. The problem is nerd gifts are typically expensive and suited to very specific tastes. It's best to err on the side of slightly generic, yet lighthearted fun if you don't want to risk being treated to a very long explanation of why the X-Men comic you innocently chose doesn't fit into the continuity arc they're currently following. If you didn't understand any of that, we're here to help. You can still stuff a stocking with things bought right here in Maryland Heights that will make the nerd in …

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