If you’re new to the Buffalo area like I somewhat am, it can be hard to find others to game with. It’s pretty unfortunate since board games typically rely on being played by groups. Most people from the area are already a part of a gaming group, so once you even manage to find fellow board game fans and gaming stores that you like, it can be an even greater challenge infiltrating those pre-existing groups. Thankfully, though, a group exists to help anyone in or near Buffalo to find the gaming group that works best for them. Organized and moderated…
Author: David Theriault
There’s far from a shortage of unique gaming shops in Western New York, but one particularly interesting game haven is Great Escape Adventures. They offer a massive and diverse selection of board games, card games, tabletop RPGs, miniatures, and more, along with a back room with table space for gaming and an exceptionally welcoming staff. They carry everything from Warhammer 40K to Fluxx. This isn’t dissimilar to the many other tabletop gaming stores in the area, but they do have their own characteristics that distinguish them from the rest. Great Escape Adventures’ name may have jumped out to you, as…
If you’re looking for a good read, delectable drinks, and a cool indie vibe, look no further than Pulp 716 Coffee and Comics. Since the shop’s founding in 2015, they knew they wanted to have a unique comic shop that had other types of items to offer. Located in Lockport and in North Tonawanda, this quirky café offers a wide variety of treasures for all visitors, including comic books, collectibles, and t-shirts, and a drink menu that can’t be matched. Their coffee and fancy hot chocolate flavors are absolute must-haves, but their hot ticket item is their bubble tea. Pulp…
Queen City Bookstore has been a staple of Buffalo for decades. For more than 50 years, it has been an inviting haven for comic book lovers, making it the longest-standing comic store in Western New York. Now, it still shines as bright as ever despite the current pandemic taking a toll on businesses everywhere. Still, at their Main Street location, they remain open at their normal hours and are offering curbside pickup. If requested, they are even mailing comics to customers. This comic book headquarters clearly knows how to make themselves flexible for collectors, hobbyists, and overall fans of geek…
The independent video game market is constantly growing. Indie games became much more recognized when the ability to release them digitally came about in the 2000s. Now, indie titles make up a huge portion of today’s video game market. PlayStation Network, XBox Live, Nintendo eShop, and Steam each have extensive indie libraries. Games like Minecraft, Cuphead, and Super Meat Boy have all made massive splashes in the gaming world, and that wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for this rise in indie game visibility. This visibility is perfect for those looking to create their own games and make their…
The world is currently in a difficult state due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many around the globe are unfortunately hurting financially because of the quarantining as a result of it. That said, intuitive entrepreneurs are finding clever ways of conducting business despite being closed for quarantine. Many big companies will be perfectly fine once normalcy returns, but what about the smaller ones? There are countless independently-owned businesses, like the many local comic book and gaming shops in WNY, that will rely on the support of their customers and fans at a time like this. Even though our favorite nerd havens…
Each year, University at Buffalo students take the initiative to run a massive event dedicated to tabletop games, video games, anime, comic books, and much more. Run by the college’s dedicated gaming club, SARPA (the Strategists and and Roleplayers Association), this tremendous convention is known as UBcon. The upcoming UBcon XXXI will take place from Friday April 24th to Sunday April 26th at UB North Campus. Nerds of any kind should look forward to it. Convention-goers can expect to experience a wide variety of events at UBcon, including a cosplay ball, anime viewing, and an anime and gaming themed improv…
It’s almost that time again when we celebrate the best films of the year; the Academy Awards. It’s always an exciting time to bear witness to some of Hollywood’s and pop culture’s biggest moments from the past year. Attempting to guess the winners is part of the fun of this annual televised event, so I listed my picks for each category for this year’s big show below. I also plan on posting a follow-up article on my blog at nonstopnerd.com reflecting on how my picks did after the Academy Awards premiere. Here’s a complete list of all the nominees for…
As someone who loves spending my time and money at comic book and gaming stores, I’m always seeking them out and exploring to find more. I even have an ongoing list saved on my phone of ones that I still need to check out. There is a much larger amount of these types of places in Buffalo and the Western New York area than one would think, and the number of them is constantly growing. Not only does that make my nerdy self extremely happy, but it shows how vast and accepting the nerd culture community is here. Lovers of…
Writing can be a difficult art to master, and writing comic books is its own beast. Buffalo’s own Stephanie Phillips slays that beast with skill. Stephanie writes for some major players in the comic realm like Dark Horse Comics, Ominous Press, Top Cow/Image Comics, Black Mask Studios, AfterShock Comics, and more. She has written titles such as Devil Within, Kicking Ice, Descendent, and The Butcher of Paris. I had the pleasure of meeting with the wordsmith herself to find out more about her work and her experiences with comics. How did you get into writing? I have my Master’s Degree…