The State of Games, Ep. 181: The One About the Great Escape

Sometimes you just need a good escape, whether its to a condo on the beach, to a secret island controlled by a mysterious doctor, to the depths of the sea, or just to the kitchen table with a good board game. We’re not taking a deep dive into the sea, but we are going to take a deep dive into escape rooms and board games that adapt that experience. And, as we are wont to do, we are going to ramble quite a bit while we do it. Honestly, you’d be disappointed if we didn’t. 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

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

The State of Games, Ep. 113: The One About All the Questions

I travelled to Delaware to test out several things with Darrell, and TC joined. Although Darrell chose poorly in his pre-podcast dinner (seafood), TC was able to join us for some significant talk about such adventures! Also, thankfully, Jessica joined us to talk about some games that she had been deeply involved with in the meantime, so you’ll have a great time listening! And, hopfully commenting. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 106 – The One About the Here and Now

Since we are a podcast all about boardgames, sometimes we all just like to dig into some good discussion of the best and brightest we’ve played in the here and now. We’ve all done our top 10 of all time in the past, but it’s often good to remember that a top 10 is not necessarily a “hot 10”, and some of those classics we love don’t hit the table nearly as much as some more recent, modern classics that definitely deserve some love! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 93 – The One About Going to Essen

Although summer has passed and that means the end of the big game conventions here in the US, autumn brings even bigger things overseas; that, of course, is Spiel in Essen, Germany, a ginormous show where everyone who is anyone bring their wares to show off and sale. I’ve been wanting to go to Essen for most of my adult life and I’m finally getting my chance – although I have absolutely no idea what’s in store for me – except for beer and brats! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Episode 48 – The One About the Brothers MacKenzie

We manage to pull off an amazing feat on this episode of The State of Games – we coaxed Fred and David MacKenzie out of hiding! Trust us, it’s sort of like snagging an interview with JD Salinger. Two of them! We had a lot of fun on this podcast, and we think you’ll all enjoy hearing about the amazing projects that Clever Mojo Games has coming in the next few months. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Episode 45 — The One About Hobo Pain

After the last beast of a podcast, I figured it was time to just take everything back to formula, give all of you dear listeners a little break, and just chat about some board games. And that’s just what we did. Of course, what was intended as a brief, 30-minute foray into some titles that Darrell, TC and I played during a recent visit soon stretched into an hour. Hey, give us a microphone and just try to stop us. Read More  Read More

The Crowded Table – Spring 2012 Edition

I’m not sure what it is about spring, exactly, but board games tend to multiply in this season like a certain cotton-tailed carrot eater that likes to deliver painted eggs. That usually means that more games start hitting the table and more games need to be reviewed – because hey, it’s what I do, and all of you dear readers deserve it. So let’s ditch the dallying dialogue and hop straight to the heart. Dragon Valley I’ll be completely honest – when designer C.W. Karstens first contacted me about Dragon Valley during its Kickstarter campaign last year, I was a bit trepidatious. The combination of art and main... Read More

The State of Games, Episode 15 – The One About Richard Launius

This time, it’s all about the dice. It can be argued that it’s always about the dice around these parts, but this time we mean it. You see, we have a very special guest on the podcast this week – a certain designer whose happy hallmarks are those rambunctious randomizers.  And although dice may be filled with hate whenever they get in these hands, we’ve got nothing but love for this particular designer – even if he does have cube fever. Read More  Read More