Nerd Fight!

A dispute between rival science fiction fan clubs brought the police on the scene at a convention being held in England.

Apparently, the disagreement was sparked because members of one club had felt the other club was attempting to disparage its event and reduce attendance. When a leader of the rival club showed up to get an autograph, he was asked to leave and then the traditional offer to settle matters outside was apparently given and accepted. Police were called, and they intervened before any (more) eyeglasses needed fixing and everyone went home uninjured. No one, it seems, could agree on whether to use a d12 or d20 die to roll for damage, and participants faced the daunting prospect of having to both give and receive actual blows, which no one was in favor of. A suggestion to engage in mutual swirlies was tabled, as there did not seem anyone present to receive the lunch money that such activity normally extorted.

The dispute was between two general science fiction fan clubs rather than between fans of different shows or genres within science fiction. Those, of course, can only be settled with blood. Or they would be, if things like phasers and lightsabers really worked. Star Trek and Star Wars fans in particular are known to see red at what they believe are unwonted claims of superiority made by those who follow the other show or movie -- the exception being J.J. Abrams, who sees only green these days when he looks at either franchise.