The Crowded Table: Autumn 2011 Edition
The boardgaming world is a lot like Hollywood, sometimes: months can go by with nothing in the theaters but subtitled snorefests or the latest McConaughey/Hudson romantic comedy, and then, suddenly, we get The Avengers vs. JLA, Son of Jaws, and Massive End of the World Movie, Part 3 all in the same weekend. Autumn has been a bit like that for boardgames, with ships heading into port loaded with cardboard goodies on what has seemed like a daily basis. Monkey238 and I have been... Read More
The 2011 Dice Hate Me Holiday Gift Guide
The holidays are upon us and tis the season to be gaming! Friends and family will soon be gathered near, and what better way to celebrate than to grab your dice and pour some cocoa? Every year, I always make it a point to have a few games under the tree for others; not only do they make great and unique gifts, but after they’re unwrapped you get to play them. Bonus! The blessing and curse of giving games as gifts is variety. There are a lot of games out there to choose... Read More
Kickstarter Preview: Kings of Air & Steam
From time to time, one geek-centric genre trend becomes fashionable; subsequently, the masses yearn and, thus, the creators provide – often in bulk. The latest genre du jour seems to be steampunk – that mixture of wild, cog-driven contraptions and Victorian sensibilities. Of this genre I am not only a fan, but a bit of a connoisseur; I spent many a youthful day glued to the TV watching James West foil the bad guys’ plans with the use of one of Artemus Gordon’s... Read More
MACE 2011 Convention Wrap-up
Greetings, dear readers, ’tis the season for gaming! No, not because of the impending holidays (although that’s wonderful, as well), but because it’s the time of the year when we can load up the party wagon and head west – an hour west to our local con, MACE, in High Point. Last year, only three of us made the trek. This year, however, we had a veritable gang of geeky gamers – seven of us in total. The resulting maelstrom of gaming and imbibing manly... Read More
The State of Games, Episode 19 – The One About the Kickstarter Bubble
Kickstarter is getting kinda big. Like, really really big. Huge, even. And since we put Carnival up there it seems like everybody has a project. There are a lot of Chicken Littles running about, saying that the sky is falling. Are the rumors true? Should we all be selling great big digital umbrellas instead of board games? Read More Read More
They Built This City on Solid Gold – A Belfort Review
As Linus van Pelt once so aptly conveyed: “Happiness is a warm blanket.” There’s a lot of subtle, yet strong subtext in that sentiment; we humans often have a base desire to be wrapped tightly in comforting familiarity, and while so wrapped, have no wish to do much more than remain so, content and without need or care of the slipping of time. In certain gaming circles – and, indeed, in the Dice Hate Me household – that emotional conveyance could... Read More
The Art of War: An Interview with Geoff and Brian Engelstein
Dice Hate Me and Go Forth and Game have joined forces to bring you some of the best gaming interviews on the web! That’s right, from time to time here on Dice Hate Me, Tom Gurganus will contribute one of his comprehensive conversations. In this interview, Tom sits down for a detailed chat with Geoff and Brian Engelstein, makers of The Ares Project. Enjoy the interview and be sure to let us know if there are other designers, artists or gaming insiders that you would like... Read More
The State of Games, Episode 18 – The One About Gaming After Dark
Last time on The State of Games, we talked a bit about how not to scare girls away from gaming. Now, we want to talk about how to scare everyone while gaming! Yes, it’s our favorite time of the year here at Dice Hate Me HQ, and we’d love nothing more than to dim the lights, look around nervously, and share some frighteningly good games with all of you. Read More Read More
A Particularly Scottish View of Essen Spiel
Although Monkey238 and I were not able to attend the Big Show in Essen this year, we were lucky enough to have a few friends in which we could live – and game – vicariously. One of those friends was Ian L. Smith, of Glasgow, Scotland. Ian and I don’t always see eye-to-eye on games, but we are always equal in passion and respect. When Ian began recounting his tales from Essen on Twitter, I eagerly interjected and learned about a whole bevy of games I need to sink... Read More
The State of Games, Episode 17 – The One About Girls
Girls. They’re everywhere, you know. Or at least outside the game shop, it seems. Still, there are a few females – those glorious few – who put up with agape jaws and stammering starers to grace the gaming tables with the boys. This episode is dedicated to those lovely ladies who not only ignore us fellow’s warlike tendencies, but embrace it. Here’s to you, oh women of gaming – may we continue to not scare you away. Read More Read More
