I suppose I live a double life. It doesn’t come as any surprise to those who really know me, but to others, they laugh their heads off. I can speak fluent geek with the best of them. That’s right. I actually get all of the humor in the Big Bang Theory television show. I understand what a Dungeon Master is, and I happen to think Gary Gygax was one cool dude. I recognize gaming words and have played many video games (although my buddies have tried to get me into one, and I have refused). I also happen to love all things fantasy related and frequently watch shows on the SyFy channel (even though they keep spelling it differently).
If you are unfamiliar with any of these terms so far, don’t turn back now. I have made a very easy to use guide. All you have to do is click the links above and voilà, knowledge is at your fingertips. Perhaps you know someone who uses some of the above words in complicated sentences and throws out phrases like “Yeah, I had to make him do an ability check for that. Ha ha ha.” While you are nearby thinking how ridiculous these geek jokes are. Never fear, you too can begin to appreciate the slang of gamers. I will caution you not to get too cocky yet. You will still need a guide if you are ever to approach a comic book store.
For example, one evening I went to dinner with a girlfriend in a different city. We went for a stroll after dinner, and what do you think I saw? A cool looking gaming store. I knew it immediately from its bright displays of World of Warcraft posters, Magic: The Gathering cards, and comic books. We walked by and I said how I’d like to go in there to look at dice. She said sure. As we walked in, I could sense my friend’s apprehension. I boldly walked over to the display of dice. It was quite impressive. I found an awesome set of pink, sparkly dice (won’t the guys love this, I thought, grinning to myself). Meanwhile, my poor friend has the deer-in-the-headlights look. She saw tables at the back and dudes were all around blocking her view (I forgot to explain what was going on back there). I think she thought it might be a drug deal of some sort. Oops. Anyway, I walk her by the books and glance over and explain that those are gaming tables and it looks like they are setting up for a round of gaming. I decide we need to get my dice and get out of there before I scare her. Too soon, I think to myself. It was too soon.
All photographs are taken by me. No, you can’t touch my dice.
“Fantasy is the only canvas large enough for me to paint on.” ~Terry Brooks
The Burned Hand 