Unpublished Magic – A Guest Interview with John Moller of Cartrunk Ent.

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 In this interview, Tom talks with John Moller, head of Cartrunk Entertainment and founder of Unpub – the Unpublished Games Festival! Enjoy the interview and be sure to let us know if there are other designers, artists or gaming insiders that you would like to know more about! Tom Gurganus: I am very excited to have John Moller as my guest this time.  John is the founder of Unpub, an organization... Read More

The 2012 Dice Hate Me Holiday Gift Guide

There’s a certain chill in the air at Dice Hate Me HQ, and a bit more hustle to the bustle out in the big city. That’s right, the holidays are upon us and that means it’s time for our grand holiday tradition – the Dice Hate Me Holiday Gift Guide! We love board games and so do you, so what better way to say happy holidays to friends and family than through the gift of cardboard? Remember, all those games that you give will give right back to you because you get to play them! There are a lot of games out there to choose from, many which you’ve heard us mention on The State of Games or here on Dice Hate Me. This gift... Read More

The State of Games, Episode 38 – The One About a Little “Guy Time”

The phrase “Winter Is Coming” can mean many things to many people, but around Dice Hate Me HQ that most commonly means that Monkey238 is up to her eyeballs in ballet duties. During this special time, she is typically holed up in a ballet studio somewhere teaching the best and brightest on how to be the premiere snow queen or sugarplum fairy. For poor old Dice, however, that typically means “fend for yourself” when it comes to games. Luckily, I had a November back-up plan to get in as much gaming as possible – and the gaming was superb. Lucky for all of you, however, is that Monkey still has enough time to play –... Read More

Gamers for Cures 24-hour Marathon Pictorial Recap

It’s been a busy November for gaming here at Dice Hate Me HQ, even though most of that gaming has occurred outside of the primary HQ. This past weekend while Monkey238 was hip-deep in ballet duties (it’s Nutcracker season, after all), I attended the 24-hour gaming marathon at The Gamer’s Armory in Cary, N.C. The 24-hour marathon is held each year to benefit Gamers for Cures, a charity organization dedicated to helping gamers give back to the community and to increase awareness for Turner Syndrome. My gaming buddy Dan Patriss spearheads this effort every year, and the guest of honor is his daughter, Lauren, who has Turner Syndrome.... Read More

SAGCon 2012 Wrap-Up

Every year around this time, it’s been a tradition to head to MACE, a North Carolina gaming convention that used to be held in High Point. This year they decided to expand, but also switched venues, moving the festivities to Charlotte. Instead of making the trek west, five local gaming friends and I gathered together at a Springhill Suites in a grand experiment we called SAGCon – SAG standing for Stay And Game. Although we didn’t have all the grand spectacle and amenities offered at MACE, it was still a great time, and we played 17 games over two days. Here’s a look at some of the more memorable experiences and my thoughts... Read More

Your Own Private Idaho: A Kickstarter Quick-Look at Castle Dice

Hello, dear readers – feast your eyes on the very first Dice Hate Me video impression! Why the sudden introduction of video on your favorite written reviews site? Just hit play and everything will become clear. Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts on this grand experiment. Happy gaming! Chris    Read More

The State of Games, Episode 37 – The One About the Ghost Fleet and the Haunted Dungeon

We love this time of year – leaves falling, crazy-faced pumpkins appearing on every doorstep, and lots and lots of new games popping up in our local store, and on Kickstarter! For this episode, we wanted to capture a bit of that October game ghoulishness, as well as talk about the spooky spirit of Halloween. And what better way to do that than to run a little bit long on the podcast talking to four different people? So sit back, admire your finely-crafted Jack-O-Lantern and enjoy this holiday hodgepodge of game designers and publishers, talking up their craft. Read More  Read More

Not Garden Variety – A Guest Interview with Doug Bass of Meridae Games

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 talks with fellow Carolinian Doug Bass, designer of Garden Dice and founder of Meridae Games. Enjoy the interview and be sure to let us know if there are other designers, artists or gaming insiders that you would like to know more about! Tom: Tell us about yourself. Doug Bass: I’ve lived in the South most of my life, am married, and enjoy playing my banjo and collecting record... Read More

The State of Games, Episode 36 – The One About the Stronghold

From time to time on the podcast we like to just sit down and talk to some of our favorite people in the gaming industry. We’re lucky to have not only met one of our favorites, Stephen Buonocore, but we’ve also gamed, imbibed and worked side-by-side with him. As it turns, out we had a lot to talk about with him this time around, so we decided to break the episode down into a listed timeline of important talking points for your listening convenience. Enjoy! Read More  Read More

Escapist Expo 2012: A Brief Pictorial Wrap-Up

Traditionally, the bulk of gaming con season has ended around the first of September, typically with the party and parade of passioned freaks at Dragon*Con down in Atlanta. Over the past few years, however, a few local cons have started springing up just before or after the string of big shows, extending the seasons for a lucky few. Thankfully, Durhamites are now one of those lucky few as we now have The Escapist Expo in mid-September – a smallish, PAX-like affair with video games, board games and more than a few costumed geeks. This was the Expo’s inaugural year, and it was a rousing success; we gathered together with over 2,000 of... Read More