The State of Games, Ep. 147: The One About the Pros and Woes of Cons

Every year we travel to Charlottesville, Va. to visit one of our favorite board game conventions, PrezCon. Although we had just as much fun as we usually do we also played fewer games, so we had the idea to extend our conversation on this podcast to talk about our feelings about other shows we attend throughout the year. Over three hours later, and completely exhausted after talks of GenCon housing woes, body odor attacks, registration nightmares at Origins and such, we realized that might have been a tad ambitious. Our mistake is your gain, though – this episode is bursting at the seams. Enjoy! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 146: The One About Expanding Your World

Love ’em or hate ’em, board game expansions are a huge part of the industry. Some companies survive just on expansions for their most popular titles, which can sometimes lead to consumer fatigue. They can often feel like cash grabs, but on occasion an expansion is released that not only provides more content for a game – it also makes that game better. So settle in Dear Listeners – we’re here to separate the suck from the essentials, all just for you. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 145: The One About One-Hour Wonders

If there’s one thing that’s awesome about board gaming it’s that we are spoiled for choice when it comes to variety. There are great card games that play in about 15 minutes, meaty Euros that burn your brain for 2 hours, or Ameritrash juggernauts that might take you a full day to play. But there’s also this super sweet spot in gaming where a certain type of game exists – one that plays in about an hour, isn’t overly-taxing, and yet makes you feel smart, fulfilled, and like you’ve just experienced something truly magical. These are the one-hour wonders, and herein we craft our ode. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 141: The One About Perception of Value

We love it when listeners send in podcast topic suggestions; not only does it mean that there are actually people out there paying attention to what we have to say, it also means that we don’t have to wrack our brains thinking of something interesting to talk about! This podcast topic comes to us from long-time listener Neil Biggs. He asked us to dig really deep into the retail and Kickstarter sides of what makes certain games hold a high value both for gamers & publishers. You’ll also get to hear about Darrell’s adventures at Essen Spiel, how TC designed a whole Euro about a boring city in 5 hours, and how I just had to... Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 140: The One About Getting in the Spirit

I LOVE HALLOWEEN. I almost celebrate Halloween more than I celebrate Christmas. Which is why it’s a bit of a shock that we haven’t done more Halloween-centric State of Games in the past few years. Well, all that obviously needed to change, so we drafted a little help from Keith Ferguson to really dig into the spirit of the holiday. I’ll just say that this is in my top 5 episodes that we’ve ever done; I hope you all have as much fun listening to it as we did recording it. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 138: The One About Trendsetting

It’s great to have guests on the podcasts, especially when one of our regulars has other business. In this instance, we were lucky enough to have Fleet and Wasteland Express Delivery Service co-designer Ben Pinchback on to talk all about WEDS, Sleepy Hollow, Ladder 29, and the boardgaming trends we’ve seen over the years! We planned for about an hour of podcast but you know you want two. Yep, it’s two. Enjoy! Read More  Read More

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 game really, really wants to get the mayor fired. Boy, do we have stories to tell. Read More  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 her first Gen Con ever. Read More  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  Read More

Thanks for 7 Wonderful Years!

Greetings, dear readers! It’s been awhile. I’ve missed you. I’ve gathered you here to celebrate the anniversary of Dice Hate Me. Exactly seven years ago today, I posted my first game review on dicehateme.com – and since then what a long, strange trip it’s been. Over the past three years, this site has been mostly a repository and rally point for The State of Games podcast. The podcast has evolved over the past few years and I still enjoy gathering to talk and laugh about boardgames, but I miss sharing my passion for games and the hobby through written journalism. So, from this point forward, consider the old Dice Hate Me back in... Read More