The State of Games, Ep. 136: The One About Gen Con 50
The end of August has come ’round again, and that can only mean that it’s time to talk about Gen Con. The biggest show in North America just keeps getting bigger, and with it so does all the excitement, spectacle, and adventures. Although working duties keep the three of us from spending as much time gaming and hanging out as we used to, we did manage to have a lot of fun, play quite a few games, and listen to Richard Launius talk about how the shark in his newest... Read More
Gen Con 2017 Pictorial Recap!
Greetings, dear readers! I’m back from Gen Con with most of my sanity and some of my health, so it’s time for a big ol’ pictorial recap. This year’s show was the 50th anniversary, and it was huge! Every badge was sold out, and there was a record 207,000 visitors. It was truly a legendary show, and I did my best to capture some of that in the pics below. As usual, we had a car full as we set off for Indianapolis! Lillian made the trip with us this year for... Read More
The State of Games, Ep. 135: The One About Tactics vs. Strategy
It’s always awesome to have a long-time friend and podcast listener on the show, and it’s even better when that guest throws down with TC on a serious game topic! I’ve known Van Ryder Games founder AJ Porfirio for almost as long as Kickstarter has been around, and yet he’s never been on the show. After a controversial tweet last week, I figured he was due, if only to give us all an amazing opportunity to talk all this tactics and strategy kerfluffle through! ... Read More
The State of Games, Ep. 133: The One About Letting Go
We’ve covered a lot of ground over the past six years on the podcast, and sometimes it’s nice to look back on a great topic and reintroduce it to a new audience. The topic this time is a somewhat-controversial theory introduced by Cody Jones back in 2012 which states that to have the most compact game collection you should only have one game of each type. We thought it was pretty crazy back then, and the opinion hasn’t changed too much. BUT – we do embrace... Read More
The State of Games, Ep. 132: The One About Origins 2017
Greetings dear listeners, it’s time to sit back and take a trip with us to Columbus, Ohio for one of our favorite cons of the year – Origins Game Fair! This will be the sixth Origins that we’ve covered on the podcast and we discuss many familiar things like the Three-Legged Mare, late-night gaming, and tons of great unpublished games on the tables. However, this is the first Origins where we had a near-death experience on the podcast! We can laugh about it now,... Read More
The State of Games, Ep. 131: The One About Getting Nasty
Sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug – I’m talking about games with a little bit of spite in them! Whether you love ’em or hate ’em, mean games have been around for a long, long time (heck, Sorry has been around since the 1920s) so we thought it would be fun to take a look at the dark side of gaming. Don’t worry, we won’t be mean, and I promise you lots of fun! Read More Read More
The State of Games, Ep. 126: The One About Unpub Prime
For seven years now, game designers and plucky playtesters alike have gathered together at the Unpublished Games Festival. Once a small affair held in Dover, Delaware, Unpub has grown exponentially in the last three years, expanding to the Baltimore Convention Center and drawing huge crowds. The fundamentals and fun have not changed over the years, though; Unpub is still the best place for designers to make their unpublished creations the best they can be, and for playtesters... Read More
The State of Games, Ep. 125: The One About the Absolute Essentials
From time to time it’s good for us to reflect on those games that are a cornerstone of our hobby or our personal collections. Even though many of you dear readers are experienced gamers, there may be a few great designs that you’ve missed over the years. We’re here to set that straight! Read More Read More
The State of Games, Ep. 124: The One About PrezCon 2017
Many of us on podcast attend a ton of conventions during the year, but none are as relaxing or as enjoyable as PrezCon. There are no work duties, no meetings, no networking – nothing but kicking back, playing games, and spending some quality time with old friends. This year’s con was a bit sleepier than most, but all the usual suspects were still around to make sure it was just as memorable a tradition, as always. Read More Read More
The State of Games, Ep. 118: The One About the Good Ol’ Days
Ahhh, the good ol’ days. Many of us look back with great nostalgia on those events, items, shows, and such that bring us warm, fuzzy feelings and help us to combat the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune in our daily lives. The board game space is rife with nostalgia nowadays, with many designers and publishers banking on the selling power of happy memories from yesteryear. So pour yourself some Nesquick, put on your superhero jammies, and kick back as we look back on... Read More
