The State of Games, Ep. 167: The One About What We Did This Summer

We love recording The State of Games, but there are times when our hectic schedules don’t make it easy to make time for the podcast. This summer has definitely been one of those times. We’ve all been stretched thin by new jobs, heavy projects, and just a little bit of board game burn out. But we’re finally back and re-energized after seeing so many people and playing so many games over four conventions. So settle in and get comfy – we’ve got a lot of catching up to do with you, Dear Listeners. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 166: The One About Spoilers

Spoilers are a huge part of our modern culture, and many of us avoid them at all costs. It’s easy to recognize the aversion in blockbuster screen media, and even in the hottest TV shows, but does that culture automatically translate to the board game hobby? In this episode, we dive deep into what sort of spoilers are accepted, which are not, and how best we all might tackle them as consumers and reviewers. We also spoil a couple of parts of Avengers: Endgame, so maybe make sure you’re up to date on your Marvel movies. That’s an official SPOILER ALERT! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 165 – The One About Grinding Some Gears

Every so often on the podcast we dig a bit deeper and get a bit more serious with our topics. This time around what was going to be a simple rant session evolved into a deep discussion about depression, anxiety, mental health nuances, and online bullying. Don’t worry, we still talk about board games and the hobby, but we didn’t want to pull any punches when it comes to issues that affect not only those of us on the podcast, but our family and friends in the industry and beyond. Settle in and get serious, but don’t worry – as always, we laugh through the tears. You will, too. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 164 – The One About Unpub 9

It’s hard to believe that for nine years now, game designers have been gathering to bravely put their unpublished prototypes in front of total strangers and asking for them to help make everything better. It seems like just yesterday that I was traveling to Dover, Delaware to attend Unpub 2 at a small Fraternal Order of Police Lodge where there was just a handful of designers and attendees huddled around some beat-up tables, freezing half to death. And, now, over 2,000 people descended upon Hunts Valley, Maryland to do the exact same thing on an exponentially larger scale. It’s nothing short of awesome. I hope you enjoy just our tiny... Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 163 – The One About Telling Stories

Sometimes we play games that have a certain synergy that set our podcasting minds in motion. Recently that was Arkham Horror and Modern Art. Both games allow for fantastic storytelling but produce that environment in very different ways. We love games that tell stories, but we love telling stories about those games on the podcast even more. And, so, we present to you our discussion about what types of games that tell stories, which are the most successful, and whether we ultimately think it matters. Enjoy! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 161 – The One About the Year That Was

Another year of gaming has passed, and it was bigger than ever! The hobby saw a record number of new releases in 2018 numbering in the thousands, and we’re here to honor some of the best and brightest of those. Bear in mind, of course, that there are only so many hours in a day and days in a year, so we weren’t able to play all the games. Just the best ones – you can trust us. So sit back and enjoy the year that was, and maybe you’ll even get some sneak peeks at a few games that will make up the year ahead! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 160 – The One About Unplugging, Again

Sometimes our gaming podcast is less about games and more about experience. We hope you’ll indulge us a bit this time around, Dear Listeners, as we chat about what it was like to attend PAX Unplugged for the second year. Yes, we talk a great deal about the amazing food in Philadelphia, we debate the greatest cheesesteak, and we gripe about metal detectors, but we also try to convey the awesomeness that surrounds a convention that is now quintessential to the hobby. We hope to see you all there next year! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 159 – The One About Played Out Games

Although the meat of this podcast might apply more to those gamers who have been punching cardboard for a few years, it’s still pretty clear that plenty of us have some games that – while they are still really great designs – we’d rather not hit the table as much anymore. And if you truly can’t relate to that we still have almost two hours of impressions for a ton of new hotness that you’ll want to know more about. It’s a big one to be sure, but we promise it won’t disappoint. Happy listening! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 158 – The One About The Doctor’s Advice

There are certain creative leaders in the game design hobby that pop up from time to time with interesting nuggets of wisdom – Dr. Reiner Knizia is one such creative. With over 600 games and books credited to him over his career, he definitely has the experience and chops to lay down some knowledge, and a lot of that knowledge is extraordinarily valuable. On this particular show we decided to take a couple of his more recent – and infinitely intriguing – statements and break them down for discussion. Should you file them or flush them? Come on in and find out! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 157 – The One About Just a Little Filler

Last podcast we pulled out all the intellectual stops and dove head deep into the rabbit hole of Game Theory. Judging from the listener numbers that wasn’t exactly what all you dear listeners wanted to hear. Oh well, at least we had fun discussing it! We wanted to get deep again with a chat about rules, if they’re getting worse in board games, and what we might do to fix them, but we decided to table that one for another time, return a bit to formula, and focus on something a little less… filling. Read More  Read More