The State of Games, Ep. 97 – The One About Location, Location, Location

Sometimes a podcast member goes AWOL – this time it was TC Petty, even though we told him where and when we’d be recording. That’s ok, because Darrell, Jessica and I had even more opportunity to get a word in edgewise! This was a fun one with a rapid fire session, and lots of discussion about time and space. It’s almost as if we had a Time Lord present! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 94 – The One About What’s In a Name

We love it when fans of the podcast send us topic ideas, and this time around Nat Levan took over the show with a fantastic outline about game names. We may have gotten a little carried away, but we think you’ll all have fun, nonetheless. Keep sending us those ideas! After all, this is your show, too, dear listeners. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 92 – The One About Taking Care of Business

We typically do a good job of podcasting via Skype, but the best results come from when we are all in person. Thankfully we had the opportunity while taking care of business in St. Louis this past weekend. If I had my druthers, we’d record in person all the time, but that could only happen if we managed to organize that board game compound we’ve talked about for the longest time. One day, maybe – but, for now, we’ll settle for the joy of looking each other in the eye while we record for special occasions, even if they are few and far between. We hope you all enjoy one of those special times like this. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 89 – The One About So Here’s The Thing

We weren’t even supposed to be here today. We all blame TC; he just wanted to quickly talk about a few random things on his mind. As is our custom, though, a few quick, random things turned into an hour and a half of weird awesomeness and lots of rants. So settle in, pop some popcorn, get ready to tell the kids to put their earmuffs on, and enjoy! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 88 – The One About Do-Overs

If there’s one thing we like to do on The State of Games, it’s be timely, and we aim to please once again. Since New Bedford is set to relaunch on July 21st, we asked designer Nat Levan to join us for a close look at how being given a second chance can be important for all aspects of the board gaming hobby, especially on Kickstarter. Read More  Read More

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. 85: The One About Gaming Potpourri

We typically like to keep our format pretty consistent on The State of Games, but from time to time we have so much to talk about that we just have to throw convention out the window. Speaking of conventions, we give a good overview of what to expect in booth #703 at Origins Game Fair, so give this a listen and we hope to see all of you in Columbus, Ohio from June 3-7! Be there or be square. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 84: The One About Ever-Expanding Games

Everyone has a favorite game, and, with that, the desire for that game to deliver more than just what’s inside the box. That’s where expansions come in. Some love them, some ignore them, but no matter the case they are an existing and sometimes-essential part of the board game hobby. Since they are so prevalent we thought it would be a good idea to discuss the best, brightest and downright bad that we’ve experienced. And, yes, we’ve experienced a lot. 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