The State of Games, Ep. 187: The One About Unpub 2023

For the first time since 2019, we three were actually at a convention together! It felt like old times. We traveled to Hunt Valley, MD to attend the Unpublished Games Festival and had a blast playtesting ours and others’ prototypes. We saw old friends, played a really massive game of Just One, and got pelted in the privates during a very special game designed by Matt Riddle and Ben Pinchback. Get ready to enjoy the convention coverage, just like back in the day! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 184: The One About Catching Up

It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten together, Dear Listeners, and there’s quite a lot that’s happened. We didn’t intend to wait this long for a recording, but life sometimes gets in the way. But, we’re back, and with lots of cool news, reviews, and more than a few personal stories to share. So kick back, relax, and enjoy – you’re with friends. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 183: The One About Works in Progress

Working in the board game industry isn’t always fun and, well, games. It takes a lot of perseverance, patience, and, most importantly, the ability and willingness to adapt. Everyone on this podcast has had to adapt at least once, whether it was in changing a game design, creating some new art, or just letting go of a project that’s simply not working or selling. We’re kind of all over the place on this one, but everything we talk about has to do with that central... Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 181: The One About the Great Escape

Sometimes you just need a good escape, whether its to a condo on the beach, to a secret island controlled by a mysterious doctor, to the depths of the sea, or just to the kitchen table with a good board game. We’re not taking a deep dive into the sea, but we are going to take a deep dive into escape rooms and board games that adapt that experience. And, as we are wont to do, we are going to ramble quite a bit while we do it. Honestly, you’d be disappointed if we didn’t. ... Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 179: The One About a Return to Camp Launius

Way back before the pandemic, we used to go to a lot of board game conventions. A LOT. And one of our favorite parts of board game conventions was running into and playing games with Richard Launius. You may know him as the designer of the original Arkham Horror, Elder Sign, Defenders of the Realm, and many other titles that often involve a lot of dice chucking. Well, a few years back we decided to circumvent the convention thing and just have our own little mini convention down... Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 178: The One About New Editions

The old saying “sooner or later, everything old is new again” is very true in modern board games. With over 3,000 new titles being produced each year, it’s inevitable that some of them are going to be new editions of older games. And why not? There are tons of great games from the past that deserve a face lift or a chance to beguile a new generation of gamers. We’re here this episode to talk about the good, bad, and ugly of new editions – so settle... Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 176: The One About Boutique Publishing

It’s been awhile since we had guests on the podcast, so we figured it would be best to rectify that. What better way than to revisit that old Dice Hate Me chestnut – boutique publishing – with Daniel Newman and Tony Miller, of New Mill Industries. Their publishing philosophy is pretty punk rock, and TC and I sit down to talk about that with them and ask exactly when they’re going to sell out. Turns out they love the punk rock life, but they’re totally... Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 175 – The One About the Year That Wasn’t

This is the spot where I usually say it’s hard to believe that another year has passed, but this year I truly mean it – mostly because we did absolutely nothing last year and, yet, the whole year is gone. The pandemic lockdown created a true gaming vacuum in which many of us did not escape, which makes creating a year-in-review podcast quite the challenge. And yet, here we are, partly because it’s tradition, and partly because we don’t want Covid and 2020... Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 173: The One About Rockets and Racing

Yes, dear listeners, we’re back on schedule with an episode that not only provides a follow-up to last month’s podcast, it gives you everything you ever wanted to know about racing… with cardboard! We here at Dice Hate Me love racing and we’re here to tell you why you should, too. Plus, we diverge deep into why the Spiel des Jahres nominees this year are a huge return to formula for German voters and give TC even more air time to air his grievances. We... Read More

The State of Games Ep. 172: The One About One Quiet Night

We are truly living in strange times, and, as such, we thought it was time to take a moment to reflect on how things have changed and what we’ve all been through in the past couple of months. Among the three of us, no one has been through more than our own Darrell Louder, whose family has been living in a COVID-positive household, resulting in him, his mother-in-law, and his son dealing directly with the virus. Yes, it’s a heavier episode, but we do take some time... Read More