TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - U.t. Bashcon attracting nerds from across the country web story
It's an event where it's cool to be a nerd.
U.T. BASHCon 33 attracts gamers and role players from across the country, all self-proclaimed nerds and proud of it.
"I think it's the community. I've noticed a lot of people who show up are usually the people that have been here since the beginning and helped run it beforehand" according to BASHCon's Jacquelynn Chaput.
Many of the nerds came to play Dagorhir. It's a fantasy battle game with foam rubber swords made popular in the Lord of the Rings movies.
There's a reason David Mortland does it.
"Beat up other nerds!" added Daniel Wurzinger. "Lots of nerds play this. We're all a bunch of nerds but that's okay."
Over 1,000 nerds are here with many of them hanging out at the gaming tables. One of them came all the way from the North Pole to promote a new game called Dwarvin Smithy.
It should be available sometime this year thanks to a kickstart campaign according to a man with a long white beard who only identified himself as Santa Claus.
"Even Santa is a nerd. Santa enjoys games and toys" Smithy laughed.
Over in the vendor area was a booth run by a woman who calls herself Nerd Mom. She markets pillows featuring popular TV characters and BASHCon games appealing to the nerd culture.
"There are things that we embrace, that we enjoy. So now when we call ourselves nerds we're proud of being nerds because it's a special community family" said Nerd Mom Kathy Dowd.
This annual family reunion runs through Sunday at U.T.'s Student Union. A weekend pass is $20 and U.T. students get in for free.
It's definitely nerd nirvana.
