This Week in Geek: Game Like It's 1939, Party Like It's 1963

A showcase of this week's finest geek and geek related activities for the week. Mark your calendars.

“Cry ‘Havoc’" and let slip the hogs of war!... Whatever farm animal of war, Lana!”
(Image by Neil Burt)

Today

• Gaming - Flames of War (Open Play) - Glen Burnie, MD - 5:00PM
• For those of you into minis wargaming, the open play nights every Monday at Games & Stuff is a great chance to try out a new genre if 40k is starting to lose its shine. For those of you who already have armies, login with the event link above and register to save your space for this evening. FoW centers around WWII, which may not be your cup of tea\Earl Grey\hot. However, if you’re in that nebulous area between DC and Baltimore, it’s also a great chance to check out the local game shop.

Wednesday

• SPACE! - The Sky is Falling: Following the Trail of Meteorites - Washington, DC - 6:45PM
• Know what’s awesome? Space, and things falling out of space and slamming into Earth. While the proper use of any residual solids may be to throw dat thunderbolt iron into a magical sword, the Smithsonian takes a slightly more highbrow (and less magpie-esque) route when examining these gifts from the cosmos. Astrophysicists examine their composition, seeking answers to age-old questions about the nature of the vast darkness surrounding our pale blue dot. (In addition to the excellent lectures, they’ll let you touch a meteorite, which alone would be worth the $42 price of admission).

Thursday

• Warning - Fill Social Media with "Arrr” Day - Everywh’arr - All day
• So, it’s the time of year to put on your needless eyepatch and that badass tricorn hat. Confuse coworkers, create awkward retail interactions, frighten children. No, wait. Don’t do that. This year, bide your time by quietly yo-ho’ing to yourself throughout the day until you can make it to the safe haven of the Piratz Tavern celebration (4pm to midnight). They promise mayhem, madness, a fire show, belly dancing, and above all: grog. So drink up, me hearties.
• Holiday Tinkering - Intro to Animated Holiday Lighting - Reston, VA - 7:00PM
• (Aside: This is Aine cutting in. The reason that craft stores put out the Christmas decorations well before Halloween actually isn’t so that their employees can be screamed at every day for months on end for following corporate orders and attempting to cling to their jobs. It’s because crafting your own decorations takes time. So if you want the badass display, start planning and tinkering now).
  
  You know you want to be "that guy" on your street. Sure, your neighbors might hate you for inducing seizures from your Wagner-synced display, but just think of the YouTube fame the Reddit Karma or even gold, and the potential for slow local news day coverage)! Thankfully, NoVA Makers are around to make sure you have all the tech savvy needed to nerd out your blinding displays.

Yes, Christmas talk in September. Come at me, bro!
(Image by Donielle)

• Trivia - ThinkGeek Trivia Night - Vienna, VA - 7:00PM
• Unless Brown Paper Tickets is lying to me, the event isn’t quite sold out as of the time of this writing! There’s still time for you to assemble your team of 6-8 people if you move lighting fast (and as for team names, this is just a guess, but all the Legends of the Hidden Temple ones are probably taken). If you just want to watch and/or bring your kidling - remember that everyone needs a ticket. If you want to play and can’t find 5 friends to help, then show up for a meet & greet at the beginning. You can let the roulette of fate decide the competitors with whom you’ll be partnered.

Sunday

• Derby - DC Rollergirl Tryouts - Temple Hills, MD - 9:00AM
• Anyone who’s been to a derby bout can tell you that there is a lot more than being able to put on a terrifying game face and throw a mean shoulder check. If you have the bloodlust and serious skating chops, see if you have the metal and head to the open tryouts this weekend for the DC Rollergirls (minimum skills/rules can be found here). For the rest of you, if you've ever enjoyed the stocking and fishnet-clad violence of derby, consider donating to DC Rollergirls. They are just 81% shy of their fundraising goal for their first permanent practice space.

Longer Term

• Convention - Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention - Hunt Valley, MD - Thursday through Saturday
• There really is a convention for everything (ooh, Sandman reference). This weekend, if old-time radio, stars of the silver screen, and vintage television is your thing, then the Nostalgia Con is likely perfect. There’s a list of celebrities stretching from all-grown-up child actors to Julie Newmar (Catwoman). And here’s the geek cred that places the con squarely on our list this week: their coverage of 50 years of Doctor Who.

Did we miss something? If you have an event you’d like to promote that isn’t on this list, leave a comment or email us. Other weekly recurring events are listed on our website (such as Rocky, CCG tournaments, crazy themed happy hours). For more information, check out the calendars at DC Geeks.