The Table Ahead – Dice Hate Me in 2011
A new year is upon us, dear readers, and with it the promise of a slew of new gaming goodness to grace our tables! 2010 was a fantastic year for gaming – and, indeed, for Dice Hate Me – but 2011 is shaping up to be even better. In this column, I wanted to share a few things with all of you about the upcoming year – the games I’m most looking forward to, those already out that are planned to become part of the Dice Hate Me games library, and some of the things you all can look forward to on the site in the coming months. Think of this less of a “state of the union” and more of a “state of things to come.”... Read More
We Have A Winner!
Yes, folks, there is an official winner of the Alien Frontiers Space Crane giveaway! A big congratulations (and three Space Crane Alien Tech cards) goes out to Richard Bliss! Richard is a long-time gamer and champion of the Play-in-Public campaign, in which I have and will continue to participate. Richard is also the creator of a fine boardgaming blog, The Game Whisperer. His most recent post on keeping a boardgaming journal inspired me to start one for the new year, so you all should definitely check out the site. Again, congrats to Richard and many, many thanks to all of you who have entered the contest and continue to support Dice Hate Me!... Read More
Dice Hate Me at the Bookstore: The Games Bible
I will happily admit that I’m pretty easy to shop for around the holidays. Any amusing trinket will usually bring me extraordinary glee, especially if it is shiny or has pretty pictures on it. However, when it comes to gifting me games or game-related paraphernalia, the gifter may often find themselves in dangerous territory since, well, I have a lot of stuff. Thus, consider my utter shock and surprise glee when my in-laws presented me with a gaming gift that was both new and incredibly thoughtful – The Games Bible. As I thumbed through the pages after the gift wrap had all been torn asunder, I also began to realize that this little gift... Read More
Game of the Year Giveaway!
Well, dear readers, as I promised in this week’s Game of the Year announcement, Dice Hate Me is proud to offer a very special holiday giveaway in celebration of our awards. Since Alien Frontiers has been awarded the medal, we figured what better way to commemorate the occasion than to reward one special gamer with a very rare treat: the Space Crane Alien Tech card! That’s right, Dice Hate Me, in conjunction with Clever Mojo Games, is proud to offer not one but three of these rare Alien Tech cards, unavailable for purchase anywhere. The Space Crane card was produced as a promotional for backers of Alien Frontiers on kickstarter.com... Read More
Addendum: Game of the Year Games List
Yesterday, I announced the Dice Hate Me Game of the Year, and since then we’ve gotten some requests for a list of the games considered for this year’s awards. As Monkey238 mentioned in her awards description, she has played over 38 new games this year – an incredibly impressive number considering she was never really a “gamer” before I convinced her to geek out with me. My list is a bit smaller at 32 new games, but many of the games we played together (and are on her list) were games that I had played in previous years. Here is a look at our list of the games we first experienced in 2010: Dice Hate Me Games... Read More
Dice Hate Me Game of the Year Awards 2010
It has been a great year for board games! For me, personally, it has been a wonderful year as I’ve reconnected with old favorites, discovered some new favorites, and sealed the deal for a lifetime gaming partner that’s almost as geeky as me! For the boardgaming community, 2010 has blessed all of us with some great independent success stories, allowing new ideas from the “little guys” to trickle into the market. We owe a greater depth in variety and fun gameplay because of the efforts of backers on kickstarter.com and the print-on-demand wonders at The Game Crafter. No year – and, truly, no blog – would seem complete without... Read More
Baby, It’s Cold Outside – A Twilight Struggle Review
“Russians don’t take a dump, son, without a plan.” – Admiral Painter, The Hunt For Red October A funny thing happened in the world of board gaming on Dec. 9, 2010; the top-ranked game for the better part of 7 years running on BoardGameGeek was usurped by a very unlikely candidate – Twilight Struggle, a massively strategic, chit-laden, brain-grinding, two-player game about the Cold War, released in 2005. Huh. And this is why I love the board gaming community. This is also why, four hours after learning the news, I walked out of my favorite local game store with Twilight Struggle under my arms and my wife and I proceeded... Read More
Lunchgames! The Inside Scoop
Those loyal and stalwart few who follow the Dice Hate Me Twitter feed regularly know all about #lunchgames – my semi-daily tweet around lunch time that summarizes my office’s epic battles over burgers and baked goods in 140 characters or less. Sometimes I can claim victory, but more often than not I end up spiraling to my oblivion, leaving one of my coworkers – or, typically, the luckiest player on the planet, Clover Leaf – to stand victorious. Michael Fox is one such reader of #lunchgames. Michael (@idlemichael on Twitter) also happens to write reviews and produce an extremely swell podcast for The Little Metal Dog Show... Read More
Alien Frontiers News: All Systems Go for Second Printing
Well, gentle readers, official news has trickled down from Clever Mojo Games – the second printing of the wildly-popular and woefully-understocked Alien Frontiers is a go! Not only will giddy gamers soon be able to grab a copy of this wonderful game, but the second printing promises to be super-deluxe, with rules clarifications and a brand new Alien Tech card available for gamers who pre-order the game! On Wednesday, December 1, Alien Frontiers will be available for pre-order on the Clever Mojo Games website for $39.99. After the pre-order phase is complete, Alien Frontiers will retail for $49.99. Retailers will also be able to pre-order... Read More
The 2010 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 from, and pairing the right box with the correct beloved can sometimes be trying. Worry not, gentle readers – use the Dice Hate Me Holiday Game Guide to aid you in your... Read More
