I have a confession to make. I'm a total nerd.
For those who know me personally, this will come as no surprise. For those who know me only through Life in Norway, here are some eye-opening facts:
- I collect old football programmes
- I watch Battlestar Galactica, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager
- I long for the day they make seasons 3-6 of Carnivale
- I used to run a Subbuteo league
- I wear Big Bang Theory T-Shirts
The list could go on and on, so best to stop it right there.
Bearing that in mind, it should come as no surprise to anyone to hear that one of my favourite shops in Norway is the nerd paradise of Outland.
The two stores in Oslo are slightly hidden away, one in the recently refurbished Østbanehallen, the other on Kirkegata. There are also stores in Trondheim, Stavanger, Bergen and Kristiansand.
Inside the stores, there's a vast array of books and comic books (Norwegian and English), board games, RPGs, costumes… you get the idea.
Some stuff I found particularly interesting:
Monty Python Fluxx – I played this for the first time a few months ago and am hooked. For those unfamiliar with Fluxx, it's a card game with no rules, or more specifically, the rules are created as the game is played. Genius – and the Monty Python version just adds a dose of British quirkiness into the mix 🙂
Rubik's Cube Speaker – Kitsch anyone? The iconic Rubik's cube takes me back to Christmases spent with family, trying in vain to get even one line of colours to line up! I haven't bought this yet, but it's inevitably going to happen…
Kampen om Norge – this game caught my eye thanks to a display in the Østbanehallen branch. Kampen om Norge (The Battle of Norway) is a strategy based board game along the lines of Risk, Civilization, Diplomacy, Settlers of Catan, etc. It's based on the German invasion of Norway prior to the second world war – and I have this earmarked as a great way to learn more about the history of Norway in addition to developing my language knowledge.
While I'm talking strategy games, there's a big underground RPG culture in Norway and this is very visible at Outland. The Østbanehallen store has several tables outside where people can sit and play RPG – Role Playing Games – and each store hosts gaming sessions ranging from World of Warcraft to Pokemon!
I'm in danger of spending a vast amount of money in Outland…
Looks like an awesome shop. I’ve been a gamer for a long time, from Dungeons and Dragons to Chess and Magic the Gathering. Outland reminds me of some of the great stores in New York City like Forbidden Planet and Jim Hanley’s Universe. You’re a cool dude… play many boardgames like Catan, etc?
Dude, if you wear a Big Bang Theory T-Shirts you are possible a anti-nerd. It all depends if you are talking about the god awful tv series( that if nerds was a race it would have been super racist) or theory of the development of the universe.
Thank you for this! I’m about to move to Norway from the US to study at the University of Oslo and I was having trouble finding local game stores/groups. With a new edition of Dungeons and Dragons coming out around the time of my arrival, I need an outlet to feed my addiction.