The State of Games, Ep. 169: The One About Toyetics

It’s a Christmas miracle – we’re back before the holidays with a new episode! The topic of toys as games and games as toys is one we’ve touched on a bit in the past on the podcast, but we thought it would be fun to dig a bit deeper. Plus, it’s particularly timely since ol’ Saint Nick will be dropping tons of toys down chimneys in a few days. So relax and get ready to reminisce about some of your favorite playthings from the past – and where toy factor in board games may be headed in the future. Read More  Read More

Dice Hate Me Game of the Year Awards 2017

Happy New Year, dear readers! It’s been an amazing year in the board game industry for for publishers and gamers alike, with tons of new titles to explore including some awesome Greater Than Games hits like Fate of the Elder Gods, Spirit Island, Lazer Ryderz, and the Bottom of the 9th: Clubhouse Expansion. And there’s even more to look forward to in 2018 as our gargantuan project Legends of Sleepy Hollow and the Sentinels of the Multiverse RPG will be released! But before we look forward to next year, it’s time on Dice Hate Me to look back at some of the best and brightest board games from 2017. The categories are always tough... Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 144: The One About The Best Games of 2017

Whether 2017 was great or terrible for you, there’s no denying that there were a ton of new game releases last year – more than any year on record, in fact. Add those to the already hugemongous collection of quality game titles from the past few years and gamers had a cornucopia of gaming goodness from which to choose. Now, there’s no way for everyone to play every single title that comes out, but we do pride ourselves on playing as many as we possibly can here on the podcast and we love sharing those experiences with all of you, dear listeners. So sit back and enjoy our takes on our absolute favorites of the past year, straight... Read More

Fast Train to Funville – A First Class Review

Unexpectedly discovering something precious among the mundane must be one of life’s universal joys. It can happen anywhere – wandering into an unknown restaurant and being served a delicious meal without once checking Yelp, randomly popping into a thrift store to find a complete mint set of Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew comics, or, even more rare, strolling into your friendly local game store and buying a mystery game without once checking BoardGameGeek. The latter is what happened to me one Saturday this January in Atomic Empire. I spied a non-descript box spine that I didn’t recognize, pulled it from the shelf, and looked... Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 127: The One About Intelligent Design

Completely rudderless without our podcast editor, Jessica, Darrell, TC, and I decide to go completely off the rails and talk some inside baseball about game design. Don’t worry, though, it’s not too dark down that rabbit hole, and you may just find a wonderland of marvelous fun and information! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 124: The One About PrezCon 2017

Many of us on podcast attend a ton of conventions during the year, but none are as relaxing or as enjoyable as PrezCon. There are no work duties, no meetings, no networking – nothing but kicking back, playing games, and spending some quality time with old friends. This year’s con was a bit sleepier than most, but all the usual suspects were still around to make sure it was just as memorable a tradition, as always. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 122: The One About Bits & Pieces

We love having special guests on The State of Games, and this time around we get to talk to the always awesome Chris Matthew of Panda Game Manufacturing. We take a big look behind the green curtain of game production and all the decisions that go into which components are the best for a game, and how to keep costs down while making sure the production is awesome. We also talk in-depth about some of the changes in the industry over the past couple of years in terms of component quality escalation and how it can affect the board game market. Oh, we also talk about awesome games we’ve played, so there’s that. Read More  Read More

Kickstarter Preview: Kings of Air & Steam

From time to time, one geek-centric genre trend becomes fashionable; subsequently, the masses yearn and, thus, the creators provide – often in bulk. The latest genre du jour seems to be steampunk – that mixture of wild, cog-driven contraptions and Victorian sensibilities. Of this genre I am not only a fan, but a bit of a connoisseur; I spent many a youthful day glued to the TV watching James West foil the bad guys’ plans with the use of one of Artemus Gordon’s goofy gadgets long before anyone had ever coined the term steampunk. All you dear readers also know by now that I am a sucker for zeppelins, as well. And, so, it... Read More