The GEEK FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Ahh yes, welcome to The Geek Way. I'm sure many of you are wondering just who (or what) the heck we are, so consider this the place for you Questions answered, and your stereotypes brushed asside like used Card Protectors. So Lets Roll the dice!

"What is a Geek?"

Well, in short a Geek is defined as, more or less, an outcast of society. We live outside the stereotype that many people consider "Normal" living, and embrace that fact as what makes us unique. Conforming to other's ideas of what we should be is the last thing on our minds, as we do find the rest of humanity either stupid, boring, or both. :/

"Wait, I know what you are! You're a (Nerd, Dork, Spaz, Tweeb)!

Wait. Hold it. Stop right there. First off let me clue you in as to the differences between Geeks and the rest of society's outcasts. First of all, Nerds are those brainy, science guys who have a pocket protector with inch thick glasses and no self-confidence, they are so book-smart it hurts normal humans. Dorks are more along the lines of people who know a lot of stuff that really no one cares about, more along the lines of being street or pop-smart and no one cares. Spazs are those hyper outcasts who continue talking on and on and on and on and on and on.. (I'd keep going, but I'd have to hit myself with something blunt X_x). Dweebs are the unlucky few who puperty has forsaken because their voices are high-pitched and annoying, and they also know more about literature than others.

"Okay mister smart guy. Then what is a Geek?"

Glad you asked. First off a Geek is a wonderful combination of all of the above. We have the first-hand world experience of Dorks, the level of Book-smarts that Nerds have, some of the hyper-activity of Spaz, and we've finally lost the high-pitched of the Dweebs. As you can see, we are the wonderful mix of all four outcasts to create our very own group of social outcasts who really don't care what the rest of the world thinks of us. Give it up. We ain't goin' nowhere! XD

"Okay, then why are you doing a web comic about Geeks?"

Well, to be honest. I didn't know I was really a Geek until the summer of '04. I stopped at a cardshop that I had been trying to find several months before. It was a place where I met all the characters featured in The Geek Way. Oz, Mason, Kenny, Rob, Jeff, Derek, Lindsy, if they've been featured in the comic, I met them at that card shop. But before even THAT, I had done a little ole comic called RM 730. It involved me and my room-mate at College last year. I did the comic for the University Newspaper, which ended up having a larger fan-base of people who hated it than those who really liked it. Of course it contained so many inside jokes that only Geeks would truely understand, realize that now. Well with RM 730 ended and I started to realize my true Geekesque-ness.. (yes I know that's not even a word on earth...but bare with me..) I suppose it happened with a little story that Jeff told me, which is summerized in the very first Geek Way on the site (Click Geek Archives and you'll see the story that started it all.

"Who are you then?"

For the record, just call me DR. And yes... I am a Geek. I fully embrace my own Geekiness. And if you don't like that.... well then don't read on. XP

"What makes you a Geek, DR?"

For starters you can basically tell that I'm a combination. I'm into Sonic the Hedgehog comics, Anime, Manga, Godzilla movies (I nearly have the entire set of movies), Art and drawing in general, Sci-Fi, Writing fantasy stories, RPG (Role Playing Games) Video games, Table Top RPGs (Dungeons and Dragons, Werewolf, ect), Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic the Gathering, Dinosaurs, Crypto and Xenobiology, and I think that about covers it. My itnerests vary from subject to subject, but currently I'm in school to become a Paleontologist. Which means about 8 more years of school and I'll have a shot at being what I've wanted to be since I was 5.

"Okay, what kind of Geeks are there?"

Now this is a fairly interesting Question. There are an unlimited number of Geeks that Exsist in the world, but here are a few that are featured in The Geek Way.

• Art Geek - You're never seen without a pencil, pen, or other writing instriment in one hand and paper of some kind in the other. Your notes, papers, tests all have multiple doodles or drawings echted in them. You strive for feedback and comments on your work and you can see a deffinate improvement. Congratulations, you are an Art Geek.
• Otaku Geek - Usually a term for a rabid Fan-boy, I'm using it to describe an exclusive Fan-boy, specifically for Anime and Manga. If it's from Japan, drawn in Japan, made in Japan, you are an Otaku Geek
• Music Geek - You always listen to music, and your MP3 is never far from you. You have over 700 songs on one device and you know which one #367 is off the top of your head. Heh, you Music Geek you.
• Trading Card Game Geek - This one has a massive collection of cards. From Magic the Gathering to Yu-Gi-Oh. If it's tradeable and collectable, then you're a Trading Card Game Geek.
• Table Top Geek - Dice are your life. You know the errata from Dungeons and Dragons to the White Wolf games. You have the dice, Storyteller's screens, and basically as much material for your games as you can. You are the head DM in your group and your players don't know what they are in for. Good Going Table Top Geek.
• Comic Geek - From Spider-Man to Superman, you've read more comics than textbooks in your life. You know anything and everything that happens in the comics and can't help but spark arguments over who's a better artist. Prove 'em wrong Comic Geek.
• Uber-Rare Female Geek - You are the few, the proud, the rare, the FEMALE GEEK! Nuff said.
• Video Game Geek - From AcroBat to Zubat, video games are your life. You have some of the fastest finger triggers in the group and hardly no one can touch you in Halo. You have been fragged by the Video Game Geek.

There are an unlimited number of Geek Types, it just depends on what you are more interested in.

"You have some mad l33t skillz. How do you draw like that?"

First off, stop talking in L33t, we'll all be a lot better off if you do. Secondly, I spent years drawing. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, usually drawing only Dinosaurs and such. I kept drawing, improving as I did and eventually got into Anime-style art. From there I ordered books, and watched as much Anime and read lots of Manga. I am by no means an expert, but I do take pride in my artistic abilities.

"What does "Nat 20"/"Botch"/"other-random-Geek-Term" mean?"

Ahh yes, we get to the Terms Geeks most commonly use. Let's get started.

• Nat 20 - Short for Natural 20. In Dungeons and Dragons the players roll a 20-sided die, or a d20. The numbers range from 1 to 20, and depending on the number rolled depends on how well you acomplish a task. When you hit a 20 on the d20 it5's known as a Nat 20 and is the best possible roll you could make.
• Botch - A Botch is a World of Darkness Term. In the Old World of Darkness, the players use d10 (Ten sided Die) in vast ammounts called "Dice Pools." When rolling these dice pools (Ranging from 1 to somewhere around 20 dice at a time) the DC or Difficulty is set by the Storyteller (ST). Ranging from 6-10 and the number of dice that land between that interval are considered successes. Now, Ones rolled take away a success, starting with 10's and working their way down. Now when NO succeses are rolled and there is at least a single One, it is considered a Botch. The Worst possible thing happens at that point. Your gun jams, your sword breacks, you trip and fall and break an arm. It's a wost case scenario.
• SMEF - SMEF is an acronym that stands for Sudden Massive Exsistance Failure. Normally comes around when a LOT of damage is inflicted to a player or monster.
• Gack - Means the same as SMEF. Normally said when a player just dies. "You just got Gacked!"
• Broo-ha-ha! - A little joke between Denny and Jerf. Mainly has to do with Halo 2's Brute Shot Grenade Launcher.
• Musan Shculer - Poor Mason. This started because of a parcel post that was sent to Mason addressed to this misspelling of his name. After that Rob started calling Mason, "Musan" and the rest of the Geeks started as a reflex action.
• Pixling Karma - Thanks to Badger (James), this term has haunted the Geeks for many months. Pixling Karma is defined as getting massive succeses (Nat 20, ect) for several dice rolls, then massivly screwing up (Critical Fail). The story behind this term is thus: Badger's Pixling succesfully resisted the Domination of a Vampire. He continously succeded against other attempts by the Vampire to make Badger attack Oz. Well, on the Attack Roll against Oz, Badger's Pixling cut his own head off, crit-failing on the attack roll. Oz (the character... also the player) said that the Pixling showe dhis true sense of friendship by killing himself rather than killing his friend.