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Let’s be honest. With ACL Fest taking over Austin this weekend, you’re eschewing the bridges in favor of treating your neighborhood like a post-apocalyptic enclave. There might as well be car-eating tentacle monsters in the river, because there’s little chance you can cross it and stay sane.
Luckily, there are plenty of good neighborhood events to keep you occupied. You can pick from Dorkbot, Hamlet in Space, Epic Improv, oodles of geeky clubs, and best of all, the season’s first Haunted House openings. If the thing that catches your eye is on the wrong side of ACL Fest, look at this as your chance to meet the new and exciting geeks in your own neighborhood.
Monthly Sci-Fi and Fantasy Social
Oct. 12, 7:00 p.m.
Draught House Pub & Brewery
4112 Medical Pkwy
Join the Austin Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club for their laid back monthly pub night.
Nocturnis-Amtgard Park Day
Oct. 13, 2:30 p.m.
Brushy Creek Park
3300 Brushy Creek Rd
Cedar Park, TX
If the SCA has too much authenticity and LARPs don’t let you get violent enough, check out this boffer sword fighting group. If you’re not familiar, boffer swords are usually made from PVC coated with foam and duct tape with a nice cloth cover. People get together to beat on one another, drink and go camping. If you’re an outdoorsy geek looking for some good exercise, check them out.
Epic Tales: Improvised Interactive Fantasy Adventures
Oct. 13, 8:00 p.m.
The Institution Theater
3708 Woodbury Drive
Ever wanted to be a Hero? "Epic Tales" brings medieval fantasy role-playing to thundering, dangerous, glorious life right before your eyes! We don our corsets, doublets, and cloaks; draw our swords; and weave a fantasy world in which our audience may adventure. Under the watchful eye of the Game Master, YOU could be the hero! But be careful, one roll of the die can mean the difference between life and death.
Geeks Who Drink Meetup
Oct. 13, 9:00 p.m.
Opal Divine’s Marina
12709 Mopac
Trivia lovers can join a team for the chance to show off their smarts and win free drinks.
Dorkbot 38: Nightmare on Dork Street
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m.
ND Austin
501 N IH 35
For just over a century, amateur radio operators or “hams” have been working in basements and attics, taking things apart and putting them together to hear the crackle of a voice coming from the static. Today’s hams build and use technologies in new and creative ways and have fun doing it, talking to people around the world or across town with a simple radio and antenna, providing real time information and public service communications in disasters, and volunteering as the comms backbone for events such as bike rides and marathons. Join Steven Polunsky, Jeff Schmidt, and Jim Kinter for demonstrations ranging from the simplest homebrew to the advanced digital high-speed multimedia capability in use around Austin. Maybe some wave physics, too.
Girl Geeks of Austin Board Games and Brews
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m.
Black Star Co-Op
7020 Easy Wind Dr
Enjoy some microbrewery beers along with Euro style boardgames in the company of your fellow geek girls.
Blazertag with the Austin Explorers
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m.
Blazer Tag
1701 W. Ben White Blvd
Join the Austin Explorers Meetup for an excuse to ritually shoot new and interesting people. Why Monday? Cash. Every Monday the 8:00 PM game is only $1.00 and the 8:40 game is $5.00 (normally $8.50 each). Also, this summer they introduced the Sky-Trail. This is a bridge that is suspended 20 foot high above the arcade and supposedly offers challenges for all age levels. Currently they are having a promotional rate of $5.00 to generate some interest. So in between the laser tag games, check it out and maybe play a few arcade games.
Pathfinder Society Meetup
Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m.
Dragon's Lair Comics & Fantasy
6111 Burnet Rd
Looking for some new faces around the gaming table? Delve into ancient dungeons, uncover lost knowledge, and advance the secret goals of your faction--whether it be the freedom-fighting Andorans, the good-hearted Silver Crusade, the shady dealings of the Sczarni, or the strict laws of Cheliax--and gain experience and loot for your character no matter where you game!
Hamlet in Rock
Oct. 15, 10:00 p.m.
Alamo Drafthouse Ritz
320 E. 6th St.
We guarantee that you've never experienced the Bard like this before. HAMLET IN ROCK is light years beyond your typical adaptation of a classic Shakespearean tale. It is HAMLET imagined as an in-your-face, no-holds-barred rock 'n' roll musical, set in OUTER SPACE. The singular vision of German mathematician and software designer turned writer/director/composer Rudolf Volz, HAMLET IN ROCK features a whiny goth Hamlet, Queen Gertrude with a bright red, phallic crown, and 24 stunningly original rock ballads belted into the cosmos. Best of all, you can enjoy a post-show Skype Q&A with writer/director/composer Rudolf Volz!
Beer Brass and BS
Oct. 16, 6:00 p.m.
Sherlock's Baker Street Pub and Grill
9012 Research Blvd
It’s once more time to put on your steamy togs and enjoy dinner at Sherlock’s with Austin’s largest Steampunk group.
Iron Sky with the Austin Fantasy and Sci-Fi Book Club
Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Lake Creek Alamo Drafthouse
13729 Research Blvd
Join the Austin Fantasy and Sci-Fi Book Club for a chance to watch Moon Nazis from Finland in a truly unique theatrical experience.
Girl Geeks of Austin Nerdy Knitting and Fiber Arts
Oct. 16, 8:00 p.m.
Genuine Joe’s Coffee House
2001 W. Anderson Lane
Enjoy a laid back night of knitting, crochet, embroidery or whatever fibercraft you love in the company of your fellow nerd girls.
South Austin Game Night and Boards and Brews Meetup
Oct. 16, 6:00 p.m.
Rockin Tomato
3003 S. Lamar
This weekly gathering of gamers regularly hosts over 40 people playing a dozen different games. New people are always welcome.
Comic Club of Austin
Oct. 17, 7:00 p.m.
Bar Chi
206 Colorado St
We've all got comics we love to read and talk about. Join us for dinner and general geeky conversation about comics.
CURRENTLY RUNNING HAUNTED HOUSES AND HALLOWEEN SPECIAL EVENTS
Medieval Macabre
The Curtain Theater
7400 Coldwater Canyon Dr.
Weekends, Oct. 5 - Halloween
$15
Blood! Gore! Historical accuracy? You won’t find another show like this in Austin. Come see the darker side of Shakespeare and his contemporaries in the glorious 1/10 scale Globe Theater. Stadium cushions are recommended for all seats, as is a raincoat if you want to sit in the splash zone right next to the stage.
Scare for a Cure
J. Lorraine Ghost Town
14219 Littig Rd, Manor TX
Weekends, Oct. 12 - Halloween
$25
Most haunted houses get you in and out in 15 minutes. This one will take you closer to 45. They’ve moved out to the J. Lorraine Ghost Town, an impressive site in its own right. When you finish the haunted house, you can relax in the bar with some live music while watching a big screen showing your friends staggering around in fear. Best of all, you’ll help raise money for a great local cause.
House of Torment
Highland Mall
523 E. Highland Mall Blvd
Daily, Oct. 11 - Nov. 3
$20-35
This national award winning haunted house is full of movie quality special effects, scent cannons, animatronics, and a staff of 150 people ready to scare the living daylights out of you. Come find out why the rest of the country is so impressed.
Want to see your event listed? Post the date, a current link, and a good reason why your event belongs in This Week in Geek on the Facebook group, This Week in Geek.
