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. 137: The One About Getting Critical

It’s been awhile since we really dove headlong into the nature of game reviews and critical thinking (way back in Episode 32!), so we thought it would be a good idea to revisit the topic since things have been a little bit… crazy, lately. Besides, we really didn’t have a choice since the DHM 7th Anniversary grand prize winner Lee McConnell got to come on the podcast AND pick the topic! In the end, though, it turned in a deeply satisfying and timely discussion, so join us and let us know your thoughts. Enjoy! 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

The State of Games, Ep. 133: The One About Letting Go

We’ve covered a lot of ground over the past six years on the podcast, and sometimes it’s nice to look back on a great topic and reintroduce it to a new audience. The topic this time is a somewhat-controversial theory introduced by Cody Jones back in 2012 which states that to have the most compact game collection you should only have one game of each type. We thought it was pretty crazy back then, and the opinion hasn’t changed too much. BUT – we do embrace the madness and practice a little bit of The Jones Theory on the podcast, all for your enjoyment. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 132: The One About Origins 2017

Greetings dear listeners, it’s time to sit back and take a trip with us to Columbus, Ohio for one of our favorite cons of the year – Origins Game Fair! This will be the sixth Origins that we’ve covered on the podcast and we discuss many familiar things like the Three-Legged Mare, late-night gaming, and tons of great unpublished games on the tables. However, this is the first Origins where we had a near-death experience on the podcast! We can laugh about it now, but we thought we had lost Eric Handler there for a minute or two – you’ll just have to hear it to believe it. Read More  Read More

The Ritual Is Complete!

Like a doting father touting his beautiful newborn, I am proud to show off my co-creation with Darrell Louder and Richard Launius. If you didn’t back Fate of the Elder Gods on Kickstarter you can find it at GenCon, and then in finer retail outlets in September! Here I present a video of me unboxing the Mass Production Copy – a proof version of the game that is exactly as it will appear in retail. Enjoy! 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