Sometimes I get a little stuck on what to write about. So I’ll glance at my shelves, looking for ideas. But I’ll often talk myself out of that option for two reasons: First, I have some deep cuts over there on my shelves. Second, who cares?
“Who in the Nine Realms would be interested in the stuff I like?”, I think to myself. But screw it, my stuff is STRAIGHT PURE JOY MAN AND I GOTTA LET YOU KNOW!
So, here we are. These are 7 random things from my nerdy little bookshelf that you might not be aware of, but you need in your life:
7 Nerdy Things You Need in Your Life
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Raiders of the North Sea
What it is. Raiders of the North Sea is a Viking-themed board game. The art is wonderful and the game design is top notch. To understand the basics all you need to know is that you place a worker, then you take a worker. That’s the gist. We did a full review here.
Why you might like it. Raiders isn’t an actual Viking board game obviously, like the one that historical Vikings were buried with. It’s just a simple worker placement game that allows you to play as Viking plunderers. It’s really simple to learn to play, which allows it to be a great jump into the world of modern board gaming or as a game to have on hand to bring new players in. Plus, it has tons of expansions to add later.
Where you can get your hands on it. Well, keep your hands off my little Viking! (that sounded dirtier than I intended it to; not gonna change it though) Instead, I’ll direct you direct to Renegade Game Studios, the publisher, or to Amazon. Better still, look for it at your FLGS.
Starfinder
What it is. Starfinder is a “Science Fantasy” game for Paizo Publishing, the makers of the Pathfinder tabletop roleplaying game. In fact, Nerds on Earth writer Brandon never passes up an opportunity to tease me by typing “Space Pathfinder!” when we talk about Starfinder in the Nerds on Earth Slack channel.
Why you might like it. Paizo makes wonderful RPGs, most notable is how they support their products with their Adventure Paths, serialized adventure books that take characters from level 1-15 or so. Paizo is doing the same good work with Starfinder. In fact, we checked in on Starfinder on the one year anniversary of the game.
Where you can get your hands on it. Just about all of us at Nerds on Earth dig Starfinder, so it’s not just on my shelves. In fact, even as I type this, many of the other writers are coordinating a Roll20 game for tonight. You can get Starfinder direct from Paizo, or from Amazon. Better still, ask for it at your FLGS.
Walking Dead Compendiums
What it is. There are currently 3 brain-devouringly huge books that collect the Walking Dead comics. These compendiums collect around 40 issues of the comic each. The fourth compendium should be coming soon.
Why you might like it. While the insane popularity of the Walking Dead television show has waned, we often forget what an impact the franchise has had and still has. This is particularly true with the comics, still a monthly Top 10 seller, despite being on issue 175+ and not being from the Big 2.
The compendiums are the best way to binge large runs of the comics for the best price. And you will indeed want to binge it, as the comic is so engrossing you won’t be able to wait to read what happens in the next issue.
Where you can get your hands on them. If you get them via Amazon, they are typically just over $30. For a book that collects over 40 comics, that’s a absolute steal. Here’s the link.
Marvel Legends Action Figures
What it is. Marvel partners with Hasbro to release 6″ action figures of just about every Marvel comic book or MCU character you can imagine. They have a few waves of these dolls action figures per year.
What’s fun is that each figure contains an additional piece of a larger figure. A wave of 8 can be collected, allowing the additional pieces to be assembled together to form a separate build-a-figure.
Why you might like it. The figures are typically well sculpted and articulated well. And at this point there are hundreds of the figures, making it a lot of fun to try and collect the characters you enjoy.
Once every couple of months I’ll spend a little time on eBay trying to steal a bid to get a figure for cheap. I’m working on the New Mutants, the Serpent Society, and the Wrecking Crew now, characters that OG comic fans will recognize.
Where you can get your hands on them. Target, Amazon…wherever. Some are rare or exclusive, so if you get deep into collecting them, you might have to hit up eBay or sales at cons. That’s part of the fun of being a collector though.
Pathfinder Playtest
What it is. It’s the upcoming 2nd edition of Pathfinder, the wonderful pencil-and-paper roleplaying game that began as an offshoot of the 3rd edition of Dungeons and Dragons. (Here’s a primer on the history of D&D editions.)
Paizo Publishing–the makers of Pathfinder–have learned a ton in the 10 years of that game and are putting those learnings into the 2nd edition of the game, which fans are playtesting now.
Why you might like it. The Pathfinder Playtest is a popular topic of chatter in our Nerds on Earth Slack. In fact, several of our Slackers are doing a podcast play through of their playtest. The draft is wonderful and it is only getting more solid after feedback from the play testers.
Where you can get your hands on it. The final rules won’t be released until their big slash at GenCon 2019 but the playtest rules are available right now as a free download.
Wizkids Minis
What it is. If you can’t already tell, I love RPGs, particularly tactical ones because I think it’s fun to push miniatures around. But while I do enjoy painting minis and building terrain, I don’t have a whole lot of time for that.
So, I want pre-painted miniatures and there isn’t a better vendor for pre-painted miniatures than Wizkids, who build on their 15 years of Heroclix manufacturing experience.
Why you might like them. These are great looking miniatures for a nice price that give you tons of player characters and monsters for your roleplaying gams. What’s not to like about that?
There are also oodles of them. Here is a full overview of the different sets available.
Where you can get your hands on it. Look for them at your FLGS. They come in blind boosters, so I’ve written a guide for you if you are looking to build a collection through getting some specific individual pieces. Individual miniatures is the way to go if you are just looking for a fun character to serve as your PC in a D&D game.
Amazing Spider-Man
What it is. Spider-Man was the first comic I got off a drug store spinner rack and I’ve written before about how that issue has been so meaningful for me, turning me into a life-long Spider-Man fan.
As Marvel is wont to do, they’ve relaunched the Amazing Spider-man comic recently with a new #1.
Why you might like it. Well, it’s Spider-Man and who doesn’t like Spider-Man? But I’ve written a lot recently about how it’s difficult to be a Marvel Comics fan with the frequent relaunches and frustrating crossover events. Yet, they’ve hooked me with this latest relaunch, as it promises to be a long run without interruption and it is drawn by Ryan Ottley. If you want a back-to-basics Peter Parker, it is worth a look from you.
Where you can get your hands on it. Your FLGS. I started a pull list at my FLGS, my first in a couple decades.
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There you go. If you want to be a nerd in my mold, then these are a few of my favorite things. Nerds on Earth is a website for nerds who love stuff, so I hope you enjoyed looking in on a few of the things I love. Share your loves over on our Facebook page.
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