The State of Games, Episode 14 – The One About The Kickstarter Experience

Have you ever prepared for a recital, or warmed up for a big game and had so many butterflies flitting about in your stomach that you thought you’d probably end up barfing on the ump or the entire first row? That’s kinda what it feels like right before you hit the GO button on your very first Kickstarter project. Thankfully for Monkey238 and me, those jitters disappeared real quick when all of you wonderful people made our dreams come true in just 17 short hours. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Episode 13 – The One About GenCon and the WBC

Phew. Gaming can sometimes be hard. Like when there are tons of cool conventions going on all summer long and you just can’t seem to get to all of them. Lucky for us, we have clones. That’s right, clones. Right now, there are hundreds of little Monkey238s running amok, possibly in your neighborhood. It’s true! Don’t be alarmed, though – they’re mostly harmless. Just have some Doritos and ice cream at the ready. You may need it. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Episode 12 – The One About Stronghold Games

Shhhh… someone out there is watching, and listening. We can’t give away too much about Episode 12 of The State of Games except to warn you that it seems as though someone is on the line. Who? We can’t say, but if you listen to the podcast, you’ll see what we mean. Just do yourself a favor – pretend it never happened. You’re safer that way. Read More  Read More

A Sweet Science: An Interview with JAB Designer Gavan Brown

For generations, “the sweet science” has always referred to the manly art of fisticuffs; you know, boxing. When I was but a wee lad, I heard the term and immediately imagined a man in a big, white lab coat mixing up ice cream flavors in the lab – such are the machinations of the five-year-old mind. Regardless, for many years of my youth, whenever I would draw I would draw ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream. Looking back now on all those drawings of ice cream cones, I guess I truly associated art with my personal “sweet science.” All of this is to say that I now have the perfect storm of interpersonal connections*... Read More

The State of Games, Episode 10 – The One About Origins

The State of Games, Episode 10 is geared up and ready for gaming – convention style! I’ll bet all you board gamers and grognards know what we’re talking about with the title of this one, and it ain’t about Darwin (although he was a clue in a game of Time’s Up this past week). So grab your dice bag and jump on board, because it’s convention time! Read More  Read More

Origins Game Fair 2011: Day 3

I’m happy to report that on Day 3 of Origins, The Great Banana Quest was finally fulfilled. With my system unable to sustain another morning of breakfast sandwiches, I scoured the convention center for something remotely healthy. Thankfully, I was able to bribe a smoothie attendant out of a banana, no doubt depriving some poor convention-goer of some frozen fruit goodness later that day. But I digress. First order of business for the day: Leviathans. For those not in the know, Leviathans is a miniatures game of aerial combat between huge fleets of heavily armored airships – giant, floating flotillas held aloft by giant Tesla coils.... Read More

Origins Game Fair 2011: Day 2

It’s late. Very late. Like so late that it’s almost time to get up again. That’s convention life for you, though. And thus, day 2 in pictures (I’ll elaborate later!). The day began in the dealer exhibition room. I beelined straight to Stronghold Games‘ booth, met Stephen Buonocore, and promptly purchased Confusion: Espionage and Deception in the Cold War. Yes, it is mine. Yes, it is beautiful. Next up: Meeting Cristina Ramos at the Moosetache Games booth, and getting a look at their new game, Hike. We love Rowboat; it looks like we’ll love this one, too. I’ve been promised a demo game tomorrow, so I’ll... Read More

Ahead in the Clouds – An Interview with Chris James of Stratus Games

Last year at Dice Hate Me headquarters, we received a review copy of a very unassuming little card game called Launch Pad. The box exterior seemed innocuous enough, but once we cracked the seal and started to play, we soon realized that this little card game was anything but innocent – this was filled with more punk factor than Monopoly Deal and Bang! combined. Of course, that meant that we liked it. As a result, I’ve kept a close eye on the developments at Stratus Games – the makers of Launch Pad, Gold Mine and the upcoming Eruption – and I figured it was just about time to talk to Chris James and share the full Dice Hate... Read More

Dice On The Road

Greetings dear readers – and listeners! Below you’ll find a link to the nifty new audio player for the Dice Hate Me mini-cast. You’ll be seeing many more posts like this one starting on Wednesday as I head to Origins Game Fair to get some good gaming and plenty of interview time with a bevy of board game builders and heads of the biz. Listen to the mini-cast below to hear about everything I’ll be up to while at the big show, and be sure to comment or email with suggestions or things you’d like me to cover on Dice Hate Me! Dice On The Road mini-cast, Episode 1 – The Grand Experiment Keep your eyes glued to Dice... Read More

A New Springboard for Board Games

As all you dear readers know by now, Dice Hate Me fully supports the efforts of fledgling and independent board and card game designers. After the recent series on notable Kickstarter projects and our last State of Games podcast all about how to succeed on that platform, it felt prudent to take a closer look at an up-and-coming alternative for raising funds: Springboard, from GameSalute.com. And, so, Dan Yarrington – the CEO of Game Salute – was kind enough to answer a few questions about the whole thing for the full Dice Hate Me treatment. Before we get to Springboard, can you tell those who may not be familiar with Game Salute what... Read More