General Northwest Regional Science Fiction Clubs and Organizations

Clubs Logo
All Northwest Groups
With a bit of strange:-)

(Check below for others that might also fit here, but have their own unique niche :-)
  • Club of JenZilla is a just for fun fan group that has been around for a while and, well, am not sure how to categorize. Check it out.

  • DevaWeb describe itself as being 'the realm of the nefarious Merchants of Deva Fan Organization. Purveyors of refined debauchery, distillers of alcoholic concoctions man was not meant to know. Pan-dimensional partiers extraordinaire, responsible for imposing the outré events of Demolition Drinking, the S.L.A.V.E. Auction, Invasion: FIFE and The Gauntlet upon unsuspecting conventions far and wide. The Merchants of Deva: Music, Mayhem and Mixology.' They certainly are all that and more. Also, check out their facebook page to see the latest and tell them what you think.

  • The Integalactic Bank of Timbuktoo (Note that this is a google group that warns about adult content, but) has a " mission is to host exclusive, live-action role-playing events and parties at Northwest sci-fi/fantasy conventions & pirate events. Products: IBT is the sole issuer of Timbucks and Tibloons, which are unique currencies designed to support and compliment our activities." You can also find out more or add your comments by visiting their facebook presence.
Lists or Forums of Northwest Artistic/Fannish Groups
  • riverspeak.net describes itself as "Spokane's forum for everything artistic" A very nicely put together page and a good place to begin if you are in the Spokane area. Not specifically fannish, but worth a look and does include contacts and links for writers and comicbook lovers.
Other Non Northwest Regional Clubs & Organizations


Doctor Who
  • The Emerald City Androgums is a Doctor Who club that gets together once every month or two to watch some "Doctor Who" and the various new spinoff shows, catch up on the news, and eat Check them out if this is of interest to you. You can also check out their facebook presence for additional information.

  • Society of the Rusting Tardis is another northwest feature of Doctor Who fandom that has Pizza meetings usually with videos of Doctor Who. You can also check out their facebook presence for additional info.
Star Trek Organizations.
  • The House of Kiln or Jesters of the Empire is a klingon club that cherishes humor, especially at the expense of Star Trek. Not sure what else is involved, but check the page for details. Their convention page indicates they will be visited some of the local conventions.

  • IKV Deathgrip! is a is a Klingon enthusiast organization stationed in the Seattle/PugetSound area of Washington State

  • The IKV T'Mar is an independent Klingon based general Science Fiction club in Tacoma, WA who perform random acts of charity and community service, in and out of costume.

  • The IKV Raptor is a Klingon enthusiast based general Science Fiction club located in the Portland, Oregon area and who also does acts of chairty and community service.

  • Klingon Imperial Diplomatic Corp - This is the main portlan for the Klingon Imperial Diplomatic Corps. Check through the site to find the northwest groups and other groups of interest.
  • Imperial Starbase Society They describe themselves as follows 'This is the dedicated Web Site for the Fan Club formerly known as Imperial Starbase Seattle.The originalImperial Starbase Seattle folded January 1st, 1996. However, due to the fact that there was still a lot of interest in this organization and with the permission of the original founders we decided to bring it back. As you may have noticed, we have renamed the organization to Imperial Starbase Society. The reason for this is simple: we don't want to limit ourselves to just the Seattle area.'

  • The International Federation of Trekkers (IFT) describe themselves as being 'one of the world leaders of Star Trek fandom founded with the help of Gene Roddenberry. They are a non-profit Star Trek fan club and organization with Star Trek chapters in the United States and around the world.

  • Region 5 for Starfleet International is the local northwest region including Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington for one of the premiere star trek organizations available. Either the region site or the general Stafleet International site are good places to begin to find out more about what is available. In particular, this is the first place to look for a local ship in your area.

  • The Seventh Fleet describe themselves as being 'a Family of Star Trek Friends dedicated to having fun and helping our local communities in the spirit of the 24th Century. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, The Seventh Fleet also has chapters and corespondence members in other states and on US military assignments. There are no membership dues and remember to have fun every day.'

  • The Stormrider Fleet KAG West is another way to group the ever expanding population of "klingon" living among us. Not being quite sure how one group intersects with others or overlaps I add them because I noticed that they list our site and am happy to link back.

  • You can now get information about the Official Robert Picardo Fan Club from their Official Robert Picardo Home Page

  • USS SOL NCC-1733 otherwise known as the Fairbanks Ak. Star Trek Club describe themselves as being
    "Fairbanks Alaska's one and only Science Fiction Club." For those in Fairbanks it sounds like a good place to start.
Star Wars
  • Alpha Base is the Washington Chapter of Rebel Legion, a costuming group for those interested in the Rebels of Star Wars. The group has monthly business meetings, costume and prop workshops, attends conventions together and does appearances in support of charities.

  • The Dark Side Troopers describe themselves as being a "Star Wars costume enthusiasts serving in the Greater Portland, OR area. The purpose of our group is to bring together Star Wars costume enthusiasts and to use that enthusiasm for the good of our community by contributing to non-profit/not-for-profit organizations by making special appearances."

  • Spokane's Star Wars Fan Club is also known as Spokantina. The Spokantina describe themselves as being "the Spokane, WA chapter of theforce.net's Star Wars fanforce clubs.They were started in August of 2004 and have members from Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, ID. They have an active costuming group, enjoy gaming, collecting, and attending conventions"

Serenity and Firefly
  • Vancouver Firefly/Serenity Meetup Group is a group of Firefly and Serenity fans that meets in the Vancouver, British Columbia region. Check out their meetup web site and see if it fits in for you.

  • Canadian Browncoats is a group with more than 400 members from across Canada who are getting to know each other, attending Shindigs, sharing ideas, stories, pictures, artwork, news articles, convention info and just about anything related to Firefly, Serenity and the Jossverse in general.

  • Seattle Browncoats are just as they sound and they also have an annual event known as Can't Stop The Serenity
Goth
Steampunk in the Northwest and Beyond
Animation Clubs and Organizations
  • ASIFA-Portland is a Portland, Oregon based representative of "the Pacific Northwest’s foremost organization for the animation community, with a collective membership of professional animators, filmmakers, students, teachers and fans as well as affiliated professions such as voice-over actors, composers, puppeteers, illustrators and cartoonists. The Northwest has a rich history of experimental and independent animation, as well as commercial production in the areas of stop-motion, computer graphics visualization, interactive and video game animation. The mission of ASIFA-Northwest is to promote the art of animation and foster the development of the animation industry in the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon, Washington, and Western B.C. Canada."

  • Quickdraw Animation Society (QAS) describe themselves as being " incorporated as a non-profit society in 1984. QAS’s mandate is to support and encourage the production of innovative independent animation and to develop the appreciation of all types of animation as a viable artistic medium. The principles engaged in at QAS are: inclusion, co-operation, active participation by youth, and positive support and encouragement among the members." They are a Alberta, Canadian based group.

Convention Enertainment and Service Oriented
  • Bio-Hazard is noted for some of the more over the top entertainment (aka parties) that you might see at Norwescon. They maintain a web site for the organization that puts on these events. Please note that there is the potential of nudity in some places on the site. However, if you interested in what these parties are and how to contact the people who put them on, this is the place to go.
  • Clan Burnout is a long standing service organization at cons as well as live role playing. Their web site is a forum for those activities.

  • DevaWeb describe itself as being 'the realm of the nefarious Merchants of Deva Fan Organization. Purveyors of refined debauchery, distillers of alcoholic concoctions man was not meant to know. Pan-dimensional partiers extraordinaire, responsible for imposing the outré events of Demolition Drinking, the S.L.A.V.E. Auction, Invasion: FIFE and The Gauntlet upon unsuspecting conventions far and wide. The Merchants of Deva: Music, Mayhem and Mixology.' They certainly are all that and more. Also, check out their facebook page to see the latest and tell them what you think.

  • The Oregon Festivals & Events Association is a collaboration of the many organizers and groups that accept the social, artistic and economic challenges of promoting and managing Oregon's community Festivals and Events. We explore the business and art of producing festivals and events through continued education, sharing knowledge and comparing the all the resources available.
Filking Organizations
  • The Emerald Forest Filk Society describe themselves from their web site as "a group of people devoted to extending the knowledge and experience of the musical form known as Filk throughout the region of the Greater Puget Sound (Oregon, Washington, and parts of British Columbia). "

  • DenverFilk is a closed yahoo group for Denver Filkers.
All Things Anime

General or Online Anime Resources
  • Anime Checklist (a comprehensive listing of Japanese Animation since 1917)

  • Anime News Network Most trustworthy anime & manga news source on the net. Also, the encyclopedia is one of the largest collection of anime & manga on the world wide web.

  • NAAPAC is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Anime Conventions throughout the United States (including offshore territories) and Canada. NAAPAC is not a convention, nor is it a legislative body. NAAPAC does not determine policy. NAAPAC exists to offer financial (through grants), material, and advisory support to Anime Conventions in an effort to help them grow and prosper. NAAPAC functions as "guild" of anime conventions in order to promote the sharing of ideas and create a spirit of unity among anime fans.

  • Gaiaonline is an online anime community forum and fan site that I list with some cautionary notes noted. In checking reviews it is indicated that though an extensive community site it is in the words of reviewers a PG-13 site.
Canadian Anime Resources
Northwest US and Alaska clubs and Anime Resources
Science Related Fannish Clubs
  • The Oregon L5 Society is a northwest Portland based group with the goal of educating the public on the uses of space and establishing a spacefaring civilization.

  • NSS Seattle or the western Washington chapter of the National Space Society is a Seattle based group with the focus of educating the public about space and getting us into space.

  • The Vancouver Robotics Club is based in BC and among other things sponsors a Robotics Competition. Check their web site and details for time and place.
Artist Clubs and Organizations
  • The Portland Graphic Artists Guild describe themselvess as being "a national union of art professionals who have come together to pursue common goals, share experiences, raise industry standards, and improve the ability of visual creators toachieve satisfying and rewarding careers.The Guild is made up of individuals who work in many disciplines including: illustration, graphic design, photography, cartooning, web design, multimedia, surface design and others. The experience, wisdom, and activism of our members, accumulated over 32 years, is by far our greatest resource."

  • The Seattle Graphic Artists Guild describe themselves as promoting and protecting "the economic interests of its members. It is committed to improving conditions for all creators of graphic art and raising standards for the entire industry. The Guild is a national union that embraces creators at all level of skill and expertise who produce graphic art intended for presentation as originals or reproduction."

  • Vancouver 3D Club This group describe themslves as bringing " together professionals, hobbyists and those with general interest to exchange ideas/techniques and to promote/host functions related to 3D imaging processes.'
Comic Book Clubs and Organizations
  • Cartoonists Northwest describe themselves as " An Association of professional and amateur cartoonists, animators, and illustrators based in the Pacific Northwest."

  • Comic Book Legal Defense Fund describe themselves as being "founded in 1986 as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community." Although they have a northeast base, this should be of interest to northwest comic artist, writers and others as well.

  • Friends of Lulu describe themselves as being "a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote and encourage female readership and participation in the comic book industry." They have an active group in New York with dormant groups formerly in LA and San Francisco.

  • National Association of Comics Art Educators(NACEA) This Vermont based group describes themselves as follows "The National Association of Comic Art Educators is an organization committed to helping facilitate the teaching of comics in higher education. The increasing numbers of young artists who have chosen comics as their medium of expression continues to grow rapidly. Colleges and universities have been slow to acknowledge and engage these students."

  • Sasquad Comicbook Club is another group of comic lovers in the Spokane area with a facebook presence. You will need to join the group to find out more.

  • Spokane Comicsmiths' Guild is a Spokane based descrbing themselves " The Comicsmiths' Guild is a group of artists and writers who live in or around Spokane, WA. We're all fans of comic books, and share a passion for creating comics and hope to encourage the growth of the local comics community."
Readers, Writers, Artists or Literary Genre Groups
  • Tai Pan: Tales of the Tai Pan Universe is a fanzine with an emphasis on furry fandom or anthopomorphic art and fiction. They also have several social events during the year including at least one on an SF theme that does not relate to their own project. Check their web site out and contact them via email for details.
Costuming and Props Clubs and Organizations
  • Beyond Reality Costuming Guild cover Oregon, Washington and a bit of British Columbia. They are a local affiliate of the International Costumer's Guild as well. They are located out of Auburn, Washington and have among others members as far away as Colorado. Check out their facebook page for addition information.

  • The Greater Portland Costumers Guild is a Portland, Oregon, organization centered around an endeavor near and dear to any and all attendees of a science fiction convention, namely costuming. Check out this local organization.

  • Northwest Propmasters is 's a club for prop makers of all skill levels looking to share knowledge and improve their skills in all aspects of prop design and construction. Electronics, casting, model making, working with plastics, metal, wood and wax in prototype construction.' Check out their web site or their mailing lists for contact information

Zombies and Vampire Groups
  • Kitsapp Camarilla is a vampire live action role playing group for the Kitsapp Domain.

  • The Seattle Zombie Hunters banded together to combat an outbreak of zombies in Fremont in July 2010. They may come together again if there is another outbreak or you can just touch bases with them via this facebook page.
Live Action Role Playing
&
Role Playing in General

  • The Kingdom of An Tir Infoscroll is the local Kingdom's information source for our particular niche of the known universe. If you are not aware of the Society of Creative Anacronisms and its status as the originator of what it is to do live action role playing then you are in for an interesting experience. For more information about the SCA in general check out their Web Site

  • Legacies LARP is a fantasy themed Live Action Role Playing game based in Western Washington. Weekend long games occur once a month, at Washington State Park ELC's, or Boyscout campgrounds. Combat is full contact using boffer weapons usually constructed of foam and latex and is completely safe.

  • SynPlanSyndicated Planets is an economics based, science-fiction genre, live action role-playing group. In their universe the government is run by the MAFIA and piracy can be legal, but in all fairness, just having fun is the accepted norm.

  • SCA Community is an online portal that describes itself as its goal " to centralize a location for those in the SCA to interact, learn different trades and be able to buy and sell period goods online." As such it is community, vendor and more. For those interested in the Society of Creative Anacronisms this could be a good connection.

  • Wizards.com's Dungeons and Dragons Events page gives those into D&D the pre-eminent search site to find a store near you where you can find eveything you need as well as resources to get started as a player or DM and just games to play in. And for just find out about D&D itself go to their home page.
General Gaming
  • Dragonflight is the organization side of the Seattle based gaming group that has three main activities designed 'to promote gaming in the area, sponsor a gaming club called the Metro Seattle Gamers, and to put on an annual gaming convention called Dragonflight'

  • Denver Gaming Society Web Site ( (This is the sponsor of Genghiscon and other gaming gaming events in the Rocky Mountain Region. You can also find more by visiting the Denver Gaming Society facebook page )

  • MegaGamers Club at Pacific State University - This is a Portland, Oregon based group with a gaming emphasis. Check them out and see if they are right for you.

  • nwgamers.org describes itself as being 'Portal to gaming in the greater Spokane area.' It certainly is a virtual community from which you can probably find more info about what is happening in the Spokane area.

  • Oregon State Univeristy's gaming club. They describe themselves as follows: "Every Friday during the term, we gather to socialize and play a muliltude of board games, card games, role playing games, cheap-ass games, home-brewed games, and many others. All level players are welcome, and we provide instructions for all the games that we play! Check out the schedule page for every meeting location and time, and also take a look at our links section for resources to many of the games we play"

  • The University of Oregon Gaming Club describe themselves as being "a student-run organization for gaming enthusiasts of all kinds. We play board games, role-playing games, CCGs, large group games, and just about everything else under the sun, and we are always open to new games and new people! Just bring yourself, your friends, and your games to us, and we'll give it a try. "

  • Seattle Sputnik also known as International Game Developers Association is a Seattle based group for game developers that meets monthly. Check their web site for details about their mailing list and information about their group.

  • Greater Oregon Mayhem Committee - This Wilamette Valley gaming group describes themselves as follows: 'We are a group of Gamers, part of the Willamette Valley Gaming Society. Along with a wide ranging interest in all things Gaming, we enjoy demonstrating our favorite Games at Conventions, Game Stores, Comic Shops, Gaming Club meetings, pretty much anywhere that will have us…. '

  • Willamette Valley Gaming Society. They describe themselves as " A meeting place for members of the Willamette Valley Gaming Society. Open to all, meet people, discuss games and stuff, set up game times, talk about game stores, etc,"


PC and Video Gamers

  • Party Northwest describe themselves as follows and let me emphasize that they are a LAN group " I will start off with "LAN". L.A.N. Local Area Network. With that said, it is bascily a bunch of gamers who come together, hook their computers, plug into the network, and play games until their eyes bleed. Both men and women attend LANs, some LANs include tournaments inwhich the winners may win computer products sent to the LAN by sponsors. Usally there is food provided... Pizza and POP... and a cool drink call BAWLS." Check out their web site and see if this is a group for you.

  • Northwest Classic Games Entusiasts indicate on their web site that if it has pixels they are for it. They also have a NorthWest Classic Gaming Weekend you might want to check their web site for.

  • SpokLAN is a Spokane based LAN gaming group. They describe themselves as follows: 'SpokLAN is a non-religious (and pretty much no-profit) online and  physical organization devoted to computers, the things we do with computers, gamers, their social interaction and multi-player gaming. On a regular basis, usually monthly, SpokLAN holds an event called a SMo-g. The name SMo-g was born during a January morning via several IM sessions between the ones who got all of this going. Rather than call our event a "LAN Party", which in essence they are, we thought we needed some kind of name that stood for something. Thus, SMo-g was born
Models, Miniatures and Legos
Service and Volunteer Organizations
  • AOV or Association of Operations Volunteers is a 501C3 organization with a stated goal to assist other events and organizations. Their focus stretches far beyond fannish events but they are actively involved in training throughout the northwest, providing equipment, personnel and technical support and producing specialized equipment.

  • Reading For the Future Northwest - Reading for the Future is a volunteer organization whose aim is to increase the readership of speculative fiction by K-12 students. RFF Northwest is the Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Pacific Northwest Canada chapter of RFF. Working with teachers, libraries, writers and readers, RFF provides books, booklists and curriculum materials that use and promote science fiction.


Online Communities of interest to Fandom
  • Gaiaonline is an online anime community forum and fan site that I list with some cautionary notes noted. In checking reviews it is indicated that though an extensive community site it is in the words of reviewers a PG-13 site.

  • I include MyOuterspace.com with some caution in order. Apparently a William Shatner project, it cites itself as The SciFi Industry Community. This almost is an indictment by itself, but I include it here for those so interested.

  • Myscifi describes itself as "Myscify gives you exclusivity. The ability to connect and share with people that have the same interests as you, scify: Movies, TV, Video Games, Blogs, Info and new friends." Since I have not joined I cannot say one way or another what this community's strengths or weaknesses are, but I leave it to others to test.

  • SyFySocial is where you can get it touch with your favorite science fiction channel about its programming via twitter, facebook and more.

  • Trek Passions describes itself as "100% free online community site for singles with a passion for Sci Fi." I take no opinion for or against, but include as a site of possible interest to some.