The State of Games, Ep. 87 – The One About Growing New Gamers

One of the many benefits of our recent survey was to ask listeners what they’d really like for us to talk about, and plenty of you requested tips for getting new gamers into the hobby. We’ve responded with a great episode on how experienced gamers can best evangelize to those new gamers, either in your Friendly Local Game Store, or amongst your less-experienced friends and family. Hopefully you’ll all find this guide to growing new gamers helpful as we all work to build upon this great hobby! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 83: The One About the Nature of Fun

Some podcasts are random, and then some podcasts are random. The one you’re about to listen to is definitely of the latter ilk. It was a lot of fun, but all you dear listeners need to keep one thing in mind: If you don’t particularly care for a certain section you’re listening to, just wait a minute. I can almost guarantee you we’ll start talking about something else pretty soon. Hey, random is fun, right? And speaking of fun, click play and here how we try and discover the source… Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 81: The One About Unpopular Mechanics

Some State of Games podcasts are influenced by the whimsy of the industry and some are just filled with our own internal discussions. This one has it all. From TC’s struggle with overused mechanics in games to what might cause a company to declare bankruptcy, we cover the gamut. It’s a big community out there, after all, and we care about it. Come listen to us ramble and rant about every little corner – and stick around for our love for all of it. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Episode 59 – The One About The Hot Games of 2014

We love reserved hyperbole (is that really a thing?) here at Dice Hate Me, so let me just say that, like all the years before, this coming year may just be the Greatest Year For Games Ever. With big titles sporting unique mechanics like Dead of Winter and SeaFall coming from Plaid Hat Games, a whole slew of indie upstarts shaking the establishment, and no fewer than 10 Dice Hate Me Games titles hitting the market, you can see that my hyperbole is warranted. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Episode 58 – The One About Unpub 4

It seems like just yesterday that I was heading up to Delaware for the second annual Unpublished Games Festival. That was way back when VivaJava was launching on Kickstarter, I didn’t even know that The Great Heartland Hauling Co. or Jason Kotarski existed just yet, and Compounded was still unofficially signed – but still kicking total butt in play testing. Dice Hate Me Games and Unpub has come a long way in these last couple of years. But as Darrell, TC and I settled in for Unpub 4 this past weekend, one thing remained unchanged: The event is still a big pile of awesome. Read More  Read More

Dice Hate Me 54-Card Challenge Finalists!

The call for card games from Dice Hate Me was heeded – in a very big way! We received over 100 entries into the Dice Hate Me 54-Card Challenge, which was far above and beyond expectations. The massive amount of entries meant that the design community was energized and inspired to create something special, but it also meant that the competition was fierce, and judging took a very long time. Originally, the plan was to have six finalists to be judged at Unpub; since there were so many great entries, we’ve decided to narrow the finalists to 15! These 15 games are to be played by independent play testers, designers and various judges during... Read More

Dice Hate Me Game of the Year Awards 2013

Happy New Year, dear readers! 2014 is now upon us – and it’s almost hard to believe, as 2013 went by like a flash! It was a great year both for the board game community and Dice Hate Me Games, as we added four more titles to the library with successful Kickstarter campaigns for Compounded, VivaJava: The Coffee Game: The Dice Game, Belle of the Ball, and Brew Crafters. With Unpub 4 just around the corner, the Dice Hate Me 54 Card Challenge in full swing, and a few secret projects in the works, this year has the potential to be even greater for games! But first, as is the custom each year around this time on Dice Hate Me, it’s time to... Read More

The 2013 Dice Hate Me Holiday Gift Guide

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – and it’s time again for my favorite annual tradition, the Dice Hate Me Holiday Gift Guide! This guide comes to you a bit late in the season this time around, what with all the traveling to cons and wrapping up Kickstarter campaigns and whatnot. But there’s nothing I love more – and nothing that gets me more into the holiday spirit – than sharing some of my favorite easiest-to-recommend games to all of you, Dear Readers! This guide will be great for those of you who are still looking for that special gift of cardboard for the hard-to-shop-for significant other, friend... Read More

The State of Games, Episode 49 – The One About Good Friends and Good Games

Do you all remember in the opening to Duck Tales how Scrooge McDuck would open up this great vault, filled to the brim with thousand dollar bills and gold coins, then dive, headfirst into it and swim all around? That’s pretty much how all of us felt when we happened upon the $1 boardgame sale at a local store in Dover, Delaware. Feeding the cardboard addiction never felt so good. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Episode 46 – The One About the Fate of the Galaxy

And now for something completely different. In a fit of momentary madness, myself and five other brave boardgamers – Dan Patriss of The Geek All-Stars, Paul Hetrick, Shawn Purtell, Michael Harrison and Daniel Solis – decided we wanted to settle once and for all who would rule the galaxy. And, so, we set out on a half-day mission to get a full six-player experience of Twilight Imperium on the Dice Hate Me table. This is our story. Read More  Read More