Up Next!

Coming Soon!

Four mix-matched adventurers traverse the realm of Lawbrand: a gritty, industrialized world where heady religion and ancient magic are in constant contention…  all the while, the Auroboros writhes just beneath the surface, biding its time.

October 29, 2023 • 6:00 PM

November 22, 2023 • 6:00 PM

Recent Events

September 22, 2023  • Witches & Wizards Arcade

Normaltonville is famously normal, except when it turns... abnormal. Journey back with us to the small town we visited exactly one year ago! This time, heroes of a feline sort take the stage to unravel a strange mystery like a puzzling ball of yarn! In this sequel to the Dogs of Normaltonville, our new adventurers discover that some things are just not what they seem!

Detect Nerd presented yet another improv RPG story on Friday, September 22 in the inside theater at Wizards & Witches Arcade (1214 Eugenia Street.) Players include Andrea Baka, Chris Dijak, Anna Furstenau, Doug Miller and Travis Scott, with game manager Elizabeth Keach.

---

September 10, 2023

---

September 8, 2023  • Cafe Berlin

---

August 27, 2023

---

August 18, 2023  • Sentinel Park

“All aboard the Malheur Express! Hurtling across the remote Oregon Outback in 1884, six strangers are confined within a train that only knows four speeds: DANGER! MYSTERY! REVERSE! and NORMAL!”

Detect Nerd presented yet another improv RPG story on Friday, August 18 on the outdoor stage at Sentinel Park

Players were Andrea Baka, Chris Dijak, Colter Janssen, Brock Johnson, Elizabeth Keach, and Travis Scott, with game manager Doug Miller.

---

August 3, 2023

---

July 30, 2023

Our heroes have returned to the hidden city within the obelisk. Thanks to their efforts at the Arcanimus Academy, a crucial ritual may now proceed. But all seems threatened as a mysterious force suddenly attacks — and long-kept secrets are revealed!

---

July 14, 2023  • Sentinel Park

“Welcome to Camp Possibly! The premier camp for the magically inclined! For the past 100 years We’ve focused on an in-TENTS-ly fun and foundational summer programs for the squishier side of our adventuring parties! From nature to divine to arcane, we at Camp Possibly are all about learning, cooperation and communication! in-TENTS!”

Detect Nerd presented a new improv tabletop RPG story on Friday, July 14 at Sentinel Park.

Players included Andrea Baka, Chris Dijak, Colter Janssen, Buck John, Elizabeth Keach, and Doug Miller, with game manager Lars Van Zandt.

---

July 7, 2023

---

June 25, 2023
Watch on YouTube

In game: the party tries to salvage a heist gone wrong in order to save Tiny Town.
In real life: this is the first episode edited from scratch in Premiere Pro vs. just using the OBS feed. The lighting is still a work-in-progress, and Chris/Colter's microphone was still not properly deployed so they're hard to hear. Next episode we'll try a much different lighting setup and recording each microphone channel separately to so we can mix the levels better after the fact.

---

June 23, 2023  • Love Coffee

"The Junk or Treasure Caravan is coming to your village! Bring your prized heirlooms to the Caravan's celebrity hosts for expert appraisals. With so many festive people and rare valuables gathered together in a carnival setting, surely nothing can go wrong! Right?"

Detect Nerd presented a casual tabletop roleplaying performance on Friday, June 23rd at Love Coffee. Detect Nerd liveplay shows are a combination of collective storytelling, improvisational comedy and strategy governed by rolls of the dice.

Players included Chris Dijak, Anna Furstenau, Colter Janssen and Travis Scott, with game managers Elizabeth Keach and Doug Miller. Game setting by Jay Sparks.

---

June 9, 2023

This clown car of a kid's adventure film features pint-sized versions of Josh Brolin, Ke Huy Quan, Sean Astin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green and Martha Plimpton as they race to uncover the secrets of an old treasure map along Oregon’s scenic northern coast. Featuring a screenplay by Chris Columbus (Gremlins, Home Alone, Harry Potter) and based on a story by Steven Spielberg.

The Goonies showed Friday, June 9 at 7:30pm on the outdoor screen at Sentinel Park. Elizabeth Keach and Doug Miller of Columbia’s nerd/gaming group Detect Nerd hosted the show with trivia, commentary, and raffle prizes.

---

May 27, 2023

Featuring 7-year-old Drew Barrymore in one of her first film roles, this family-friendly science-fiction classic tells the tale of a stranded alien and the children who befriend him. With a soundtrack by John Williams, and premier practical visual effects from the very last days before CGI changed everything.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial showed Saturday, May 27 at 6:30pm on the outdoor screen at Sentinel Park. Elizabeth Keach and Doug Miller of Columbia’s nerd/gaming group Detect Nerd hosted the show with trivia, commentary, and raffle prizes.

---

May 19, 2023  • Sentinel Park
Watch on YouTube

Within the land of Yolanda, sits the town of Neverhorn where six adventurers meet in a tavern of little importance. But hither, tis it not? This be the tavern where the heroic party shall gather and begin their grand quest. What will they face in these dire times? What will they sacrifice? Who will they become? What is their fate? Only time can tell the tales of these brave six; this courageous troupe! Join us as we weave a well-worn story of magic, mischief and might! Huzzah!

Players included Kyle Bogden, Chris Dijak, Anna Furstenau, Colter Janssen, Brock Johnson, and Travis Scott, with game managers Elizabeth Keach and Doug Miller.

---

April 30, 2023
Watch on YouTube

In the game: The party discovers the secret of Tiny Town and embarks on a small mission.
In real life: The video is looking pretty good, finally. We're beginning to transition away from OBS — since we're not live-streaming anymore — and over to just editing the native camera footage, even though that will take more time. From here on out we'll be recording the sessions a week before they air — instead of one day — to give us time to edit the shows properly. Better under-table microphone placement this time, but there were some problems with microphone orientation, so Chris and Colter were a little quiet. Overall, though, an improvement.

---

April 22, 2023

This collaboration between Hollywood titans George Lucas and Steven Spielberg set the direction for decades of blockbuster comedy-action films. Harrison Ford’s iconic Indiana Jones has inspired countless real-life archaeologists to search for ancient relics, and non-adventuring middle-aged men to sport brown fedoras and leather jackets.

Raiders of the Lost Ark played Saturday, April 22 at 7:00pm on the outdoor screen at Witches & Wizards Arcade. Elizabeth Keach and Doug Miller of Columbia’s nerd/gaming group Detect Nerd hosted the show with trivia, commentary, and raffle prizes.

---

April 21, 2023  • Cafe Berlin
Watch on YouTube

Don't change that channel! Up next, join our host and long-time nature enthusiast Nelly Wilson's return home to the treacherous Cannabian Jungle as she attempts to track the never-before-filmed Tetra Hydra Cannibalis. Can the cast and crew survive this treacherous, winding river basin? Will the local flora, fauna, and florauna be the end of our brave heroes? They may all die, but it should make for a great shot!

Players include Kyle Bogden, Anna Furstenau, Colter Janssen, Elizabeth Keach, Doug Miller and Travis Scott, with game manager Chris Dijak.

---

April 16, 2023
Watch on YouTube

Players Chris Dijak, Anna Furstenau, Colter Janssen, Doug Miller and Game Manager Elizabeth Keach sit down in the Booth of Discussion to talk about the world of Auroboros: Coils of the Serpent, what's going on in the campaign, and what the characters are all about.

---

March 18, 2023  • Cafe Berlin
Watch on YouTube

“Belittle Caesar!” The year is 44 BC, and Julius Caesar has just unflavorably decreed an end to delivery pizza! Traffic is just too insane in the city of Rome, and honestly, he owns stock in AnTony’s Frozen Pizza. His competitors know a stab in the back when they see one. So buckle up and beware the Hydes of March, Caesar. You might not make it out alive! 

Players include Kyle Bogden, Elizabeth Keach, Doug Miller and Travis Scott, with game manager Elizabeth Keach.

---

March 12, 2023

Rabble's past comes back to haunt him. People can't sleep. Investigations into the murdered charioteer continue. Everything blows up, depending on your perspective.

---

March 3, 2023  • Witches & Wizards Arcade

---

February 17, 2023  • Cafe Berlin
Watch on YouTube

“Hear ye, hear ye! Master Eros’ hand-selected Warriors of Love compete once more in the Battle of the Cupids. Who shall be next to ascend to the final plane of Venus and her Champions?! Deadly trials of Wit, Charm, and Mischief ensue! May thine arrows strike true and our bloody, beating hearts be open!”

Detect Nerd presented yet another Dungeons & Dragons-type one-shot on Friday, February 17, 2023 at Cafe Berlin (220 N. 10th Street, Columbia, MO). Players included Chris Dijak, Joey Gilmore, Colter Janssen, Doug Miller and Lars Van Zandt, with game manager Elizabeth Keach.

---

February 11, 2023
Watch on YouTube

In the game: Our heroes return to the Underbelly for more gladiatorial posturing and cage fighting. Grunkir the Closet Dwarf is distraught. The party dazzles Revel Inc. executive Sala Tijad with their table manners and supper conversation.

In real life: The video is finally starting to look acceptable; there are definitely still problems with the microphone levels and/or some sort of audio compression. But we now have closed captioning for the hearing impaired!

---

February 3, 2023  • Witches & Wizards Arcade

---

January 27, 2023  • Witches & Wizards Arcade

---

January 21, 2023  • Witches & Wizards Arcade

---

January 20, 2023  • Cafe Berlin

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone that came out for our D&D one-shot at Cafe Berlin on January 20! We had such a blast. Words cannot describe how appreciative we are for the amazing audience participation and donations made.

P.S. Thank you to Dani Mondloch for the amazing photography!

---

January 15, 2023
Watch on Twitch

Watch on YouTube

In the game: Our heroes continue an encounter with Sssnakeboys and their mysterious ritual involving stolen magical orbs. Sira is retrieved from the brink of a pleasant situation. Cult tattoos are feigned, revealed and removed. As the afternoon draws to a close an elderly cleric of the Sularian Church provides valuable aid and information.
In real life: Detect Nerd learns about mismatched frame rates, deinterlacing, and over-eager audio compression.

---

December 16, 2022  • Witches & Wizards Arcade

---

December 10, 2022
Watch on YouTube

Episode 2 finds our heroes continuing their quest for 3 missing orbs. Investigating ancient underground ruins, they encounter ghostly creatures, bad dogs, sssnakeboys and more!

---

November 25, 2022  • Witches & Wizards Arcade

Witches & Wizards presents Fantasy Film Friday hosted by Detect Nerd. This new series features classic nerd cinema, entertaining live commentary, prizes, and comfortable couches. We start off with 1978’s animated The Lord of the Rings — the first attempt to bring Tolkien’s epic novels to the screen. Director Ralph Bakshi (Fritz the Cat, Wizards) was a loyal fan of Tolkien and a pioneer of independent animation intended for grownups. This version makes extensive use of the rotoscope technique to carefully draw and paint over every frame of a live-acted film — resulting in a dreamy style of animation that mixes realistic action and fantasy.

The Lord of the Rings plays Friday, November 25 at 6:30pm in the upstairs screening room of Witches & Wizards, 1214 Eugenia St. Beverages are available. Detect Nerd's Elizabeth Keach and Doug Miller will introduce the film and provide fun commentary at key points along the way. For more info contact arcadedistrict@gmail.com.

---

November 18, 2022  • Cafe Berlin
Watch on YouTube

Thank you to everyone that came out for our Supperware one-shot! And thank you @cafeberlincomo for hosting us! It just gives us so much happiness to see new faces and interact with other nerds. We have so much fun sharing our silly stories with you!

Really make your leftovers come alive and join Detect Nerd for a Dungeons & Dragons Thanksgiving one-shot, Supperware! Mr. Sanderson, new to Bakewell Street, is hosting his first Supperware Party and it might just be the social event to die for!

Supperware! players include Kyle Bogden, Chris Dijak, Colter Janssen, Elizabeth Keach and Doug Miller, with game manager Anna Furstenau.

---

November 5, 2022
Watch on Twitch

Watch on YouTube

Welcome to the realm of Lawbrand: a gritty, industrialized world where heady religion and ancient magic are in constant contention…  all the while, the Auroboros writhes just beneath the surface, biding its time.

In this debut episode we meet our four mix-matched adventurers — Rabble, Merritt Boothe, Sira Tss and Gary Bristle — as they explore the mysterious and dangerous Trade City of Lietsin.

---

October 27, 2022  • Sentinel Park

Thank you to everyone who braved the chilly weather.

Detect Nerd spins the tale of an ancient house, the people who call it their home, and a doorway that opened one dark and stormy night. It's an improvised story, a game of Dungeons & Dragons, and 6 nerds trying to make each other laugh.

Players include Chris Dijak, Anna Furstenau, Khaymen Hoelscher, Colter Janssen and Travis Scott, with game co-managers Elizabeth Keach and Doug Miller.

---

September 25, 2022  • Sentinel Park

Thank you to everyone who came out to see our debut one-shot! It was a little windy, and the battles required a bit more mental visualization than we had planned, but our adventuring dogs successfully rescued their missing friends, and with Carol's help defeated Dr. Laslo Spork and his not-quite-dog Frankenlady.

What happens when a group of 6 verified nerds pretend to be magical, heroic dogs who uncover a threatening mystery? Watch a delightful and comedic story unfold before your eyes, as Detect Nerd presents live gameplay of an original Dungeons & Dragons (& Dogs!) adventure. 

Players include Alex Childers, Cadie Cowden, Chris Dijak, Anna Furstenau, Khaymen Hoelscher and Colter Janssen, with game co-managers Elizabeth Keach and Doug Miller. 

---