The State of Games, Episode 33 – The One About The Heartland
Alright, all you good buddies out there – we hope you’ve got your ears on. Or your eyes peeled. Or whatever will get your attention, because it’s time to load up and roll out another great Dice Hate Me Games release! Today is the big day – the opening day of pledging for The Great Heartland Hauling Co. Just before the clock strikes midnight on July 31, we thought it would be fitting to sit down with designer Jason Kotarski and figure out what makes him – and this great game – keep on trucking. Read More Read More
The State of Games, Episode 32 – The One About Culling and Critics
Sometimes it’s just nice to be able to sit and talk to your best friend about board games and having fun – and that’s precisely what Monkey and I did on this episode of the State of Games. No guests, no retelling of adventures at the last convention, just the two of us spending an hour of quality time chatting about the good stuff and reaffirming our love for this great hobby. Join us – we’ve missed you. Read More Read More
The State of Games, Episode 31 – The One About Origins, Chemistry and The Big Blue Noodle
This is a really big show about a Really Big Show – namely, Origins Game Fair. Ok, so it wasn’t as Really Big as it usually is because of a date change and gamer malaise and rampaging pomeranians… but we’ll get to all that. Regardless, we had a blast at Origins, and it was awesome getting to meet and play with a whole bunch of you. At any rate, get comfortable – we’ve got a whole lotta podcast for ya! Read More Read More
Feeding Frenzy – A Kickstarter Quick-look at My Happy Farm
When I first joined the ranks of the hardcore gamers lo so many years ago, if someone had asked me what the most prolific theme in gaming would be in 20 years my answer would not have been farming. War, maybe. Space travel, most certainly. But raising pigs, picking radishes/squash/bok choy, and figuring out the best price I could get out of my bundle of hay at the county market would not have been the first things that popped to mind. And, yet, here we are, in the future, and farming is everywhere. I can’t fully explain the allure, and robots do most of the harvesting these days, but we all flock to farm-themed games like a murder of crows... Read More
Reason to Rhyme – A Kickstarter Quick-look at Goblins Drool, Fairies Rule!
Dear readers, I’m here to report, On a game of mysterious sort, It’s more magical than strange, Fairies, goblins may change, The way you lay cards down for sport! Yes, yes, my poetry may be atrocious, but I choose to rhyme without reason simply to express how Goblins Drool, Fairies Rule is far superior to my lame limerick. Goblins Drool, Fairies Rule (hereby to be known as GDFR), is a game by David Sanhueza of Game-O-Gami, recently released on Kickstarter. I was lucky enough to be involved in the development of the Kickstarter campaign and, so, have been privy to a lot of the hard work that David has put into bringing GDFR to gaming... Read More
Harvesting Fun – A Kickstarter Quick-look at Garden Dice
In the world of board games – particularly those with a certain European flair – there is seemingly no theme more rich, more explored, more involved, more epic than… farming. It’s true. Enter a hobby store anywhere and you’ll find more vegetables – albeit tiny wooden ones – than at your local supermarket. This does not mean, however, that there cannot and, indeed, should not be more rich and engaging games that allow players to get their inner gardener involved. With that said, let me introduce all of you dear readers to Garden Dice, a game about vegetables, vermin and my favorite vexing vice – dice. I... Read More
The State of Games, Episode 27 – The Short One About PAX East 2012
It’s been a little longer than expected between podcasts for us here at Dice Hate Me HQ, but we have a good excuse – we’ve been on the road, bringing boardgaming to the masses! We got an invite to the really big show up in Beantown – PAX East – and we couldn’t say no. We’re certainly glad we made the trip, getting the chance to meet so many wonderful people and share some boardgaming love. So come on in and sit a spell while we spin a yarn of our wonderful adventures. Read More Read More
PAX East in Pictures: A Publisher’s View
The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind at Dice Hate Me HQ, as Monkey238 and I made some last-minute arrangements to work the Game Salute booth at PAX East. This was to be Monkey’s first big con, and I wasn’t sure how much of it we would get to see as we met with gamers, introduced them to Carnival, VivaJava and many other great games. We did get to take a few breaks and wander the massive halls and if there’s one thing we learned – we’re sure glad we only had to set up for boardgaming because the electronic games displays were massive! Here’s a brief pictorial glimpse into our trip to PAX East –... Read More
Come say hello to Dice Hate Me Games at PAX East!
A Fresh Catch – A Kickstarter Quick-Look at Fleet
At sea a fellow comes out. Salt water is like wine, in that respect. – Herman Melville I’m fairly certain that I was a sailor at some point in a previous life. I have always faintly heard the siren’s call of the open sea, and boats hold a particular fascination. As a matter of fact, monkey238 and I were married on a traditional three-masted schooner, and that made the day all the more special. And, so, I was filled with great glee when the opportunity arose to take an advanced look at Fleet, a game all about boats, the open sea and fishing. Well, that and daft cunning. And engine building. And bidding. But I’m putting the... Read More