The Nerd Shed

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It’s a question I’ve been thinking about for a few years now. With more niche interests entering the mainstream via various media is it finally time for our passions to get the spotlight we have always thought they deserved? Does this come with its own set of problems even? 

Let’s roll the clocks back to 2016 and a little known show called “Stranger things” and a web show called “Critical Role” came into the cultural mainstream. And the effects they had on the Dungeons and Dragons scene was phenomenal. Google searches for “how to play D&D” shot up 600% after the first episode of “Stranger Things” shows the young protagonists playing the game. And now with a Warhammer series in the pipeline it seems likely that we will see and increase in interest in the worlds of Warhammer. Not to mention the recent slew of video game adaptations to the small screen with critical success.

We have also in recent years seen more and more “celebrities” talk about their involvement in various aspects of hobbies such as Post Malone being an unabashed Magic the Gathering fan, Vince Vaughan hosting D&D or Henry Cavill and the late Robin Williams touting their fondness for painting and playing Warhammer.

At this point I’d argue that “Nerd” for lack of a better word is here to stay, and its impact on the cultural zeitgeist will only continue as more people discover the rich worlds and stories that we know and the pleasures “nerdy” hobbies can bring. 

So to answer my own question. “Is Nerd the new cool?” 

No. 

It has always been cool, I just think now with easier access the world is starting to see what we have always seen in our hobbies and the joys they bring. 

C.L Jones.

 I was pondering for a while on weather to include this in our "Shed" post, but in all honesty and to remain loyal to the "Hub's" ethos it simply has to get a mention.

Now a very brief history as to the origins of this timeless classic which can be traced back to Victorian England, then variants of it through India and even our American cousin's having their own version of it in the 1940s.

I will endeavour to give you some Wiki info at the end of my regale to my personal connection to this masterpiece.

Now I can remember first playing this as young child with family and friends alike. I think the sheer simplicity in the game was and still is the reason it's incredibly popular to play to this day.

I believe it was between 2 and 4 players, one maybe two dice and a selection of coloured counters to represent each player. Simply roll the dice, advance the allocated amount of square's. 

Obviously trying to land on a ladder to get you further on in the game, or alternatively avoiding the snakes which when I think back were possibly supposed to resemble a subliminal message of "now your going to lose".  For me personally, when I landed on the scaley serpents it just made me try super hard to get high dice rolls to rectify my predicament.

That being said it was so much fun, and I still enjoy a game with like minded people.

I have also found over the past few years of providing support sessions to people who struggle with a host social interaction challenges, that its a very good distraction tool in which you can have some fun with out the complexities of other board game platforms. 

For this reason alone, if you have never really given board games a go. Try this out with friends and family, you might just be surprised how much fun it actually is.

Anyway that's it for this one Folks!

Your Nerdy Host 

Wiki Stuff Below. 

Snakes and ladders is a board game for two or more players regarded today as a worldwide classic.[1] The game originated in ancient India as Moksha Patam, and was brought to the United Kingdom in the 1890s. It is played on a game board with numbered, gridded squares. A number of "ladders" and "snakes" are pictured on the board, each connecting two specific board squares. The object of the game is to navigate one's game piece, according to die rolls, from the start (bottom square) to the finish (top square), helped by climbing ladders but hindered by falling down snakes.

Snakes and ladders originated as part of a family of Indian dice board games that included gyan chauper and pachisi (known in English as Ludo and Parcheesi). It made its way to England and was sold as "Snakes and Ladders",[3] then the basic concept was introduced in the United States as Chutes and Ladders.[4]

The game was popular in ancient India by the name Moksha Patam. It was also associated with traditional Hindu philosophy contrasting karma and kama, or destiny and desire. It emphasized destiny, as opposed to games such as pachisi, which focused on life as a mixture of skill (free will)[5] and luck. The underlying ideals of the game inspired a version introduced in Victorian England in 1892. The game has also been interpreted and used as a tool for teaching the effects of good deeds versus bad. The board was covered with symbolic images used in ancient India, the top featuring gods, angels, and majestic beings, while the rest of the board was covered with pictures of animals, flowers and people.[6] The ladders represented virtues such as generosity, faith, and humility, while the snakes represented vices such as lust, anger, murder, and theft. The morality lesson of the game was that a person can attain liberation (Moksha) through doing good, whereas by doing evil one will be reborn as lower forms of life. The number of ladders was fewer than the number of snakes as a reminder that a path of good is much more difficult to tread than a path of sins. Presumably, reaching the last square (number 100) represented the attainment of Moksha (spiritual liberation).

Snakes and ladders originated as part of a family of Indian dice board games that included gyan chauper and pachisi (known in English as Ludo and Parcheesi). It made its way to England and was sold as "Snakes and Ladders",[3] then the basic concept was introduced in the United States as Chutes and Ladders.[4]

The game was popular in ancient India by the name Moksha Patam. It was also associated with traditional Hindu philosophy contrasting karma and kama, or destiny and desire. It emphasized destiny, as opposed to games such as pachisi, which focused on life as a mixture of skill (free will)[5] and luck. The underlying ideals of the game inspired a version introduced in Victorian England in 1892. The game has also been interpreted and used as a tool for teaching the effects of good deeds versus bad. The board was covered with symbolic images used in ancient India, the top featuring gods, angels, and majestic beings, while the rest of the board was covered with pictures of animals, flowers and people.[6] The ladders represented virtues such as generosity, faith, and humility, while the snakes represented vices such as lust, anger, murder, and theft. The morality lesson of the game was that a person can attain liberation (Moksha) through doing good, whereas by doing evil one will be reborn as lower forms of life. The number of ladders was fewer than the number of snakes as a reminder that a path of good is much more difficult to tread than a path of sins. Presumably, reaching the last square (number 100) represented the attainment of Moksha (spiritual liberation).