A Tiny Epic Video

The last video I posted was for something huge… and this one is for something tiny! But still epic. In this video, I go on a solo quest in Tiny Epic Quest, the newest release from Gamelyn Games. It’s pretty fun with multiple players, but does the game hold up when you’re all alone? You’ll just have to watch and find out! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Episode 37 – The One About the Ghost Fleet and the Haunted Dungeon

We love this time of year – leaves falling, crazy-faced pumpkins appearing on every doorstep, and lots and lots of new games popping up in our local store, and on Kickstarter! For this episode, we wanted to capture a bit of that October game ghoulishness, as well as talk about the spooky spirit of Halloween. And what better way to do that than to run a little bit long on the podcast talking to four different people? So sit back, admire your finely-crafted Jack-O-Lantern and enjoy this holiday hodgepodge of game designers and publishers, talking up their craft. Read More  Read More

Ye Olde Meat and Potatoes – A Lyssan Guest Review

Today on Dice Hate Me, we’re lucky to have a guest review by the most excellent and always helpful Marc Specter. Marc takes a look at Lyssan – a sprawling boardgame that racked up some nice funding last year on Kickstarter, at about the same time as Carnival. So grab ye some mead, dear readers, and dig into this special feast! The arrival of Lyssan is upon us.  As team leader of the group that was privileged to run Lyssan at Origins this year,  I feel it incumbent upon me to provide you, gentle gamer, a preview of your next great game. We play in a time where few games make it to the table more than a few times, and where the new... Read More

The New ‘Burbs – A Kingdom Builder Review

“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” — Oscar Wilde In all the years spent in this wonderful hobby, I have learned that there are two things that hardcore board game enthusiasts live and die for: Game day, and new board game day. Like most enthusiasts, I am guilty of prowling the forums looking or information on the latest and greatest to be born in cardboard, especially if I find the art or theme intriguing, or if I’ve enjoyed previous works by the designer. And, so, when Kingdom Builder was announced and Queen Games released the generic cover art of a spectacled dude on his horse overlooking... Read More

Give the Gift of Socks on Kickstarter

Although it’s mostly board and card games around these parts on a regular basis, I have been known to periodically delve into the role-playing arena. Just like many of you out there, I cut my teeth on Dungeons & Dragons, then delved deep into the fantasy cyberpunk realm of Shadowrun and weaved stories of vampires & werewolves in the heyday of White Wolf during the ’90s. When it comes to games, whether they be of the paper or cardboard variety, I’ll try just about anything once, especially if it’s unique. Now dear readers, I’m here to tell you that there is unique, and then there is unique. Ben Gerber’s... Read More

Epic Update for Princes of the Dragon Throne

It’s been a few months since dragons have graced the pages at Dice Hate Me, but that doesn’t mean that they have been dormant. I’ve recently received a slew of new art for Clever Mojo Games‘ Princes of the Dragon Throne, and been privy to some designer notes that clear up the new direction for the game. But first – pretty stuff! Read More  Read More

Tequila Sunrise over Clever Mojo Games

Clever Mojo Games (makers of the Dice Hate Me 2010 Game of the Year Alien Frontiers) is on the move! As reported on Dice Hate Me earlier, Clever Mojo has several games in development: the draconian deck-builder Princes of the Dragon Throne, the tile-laying Sunrise City, and the rather quirky, but totally radical Swinging Jivecat Voodoo Lounge. I’ve recently gotten my hands on a prototype of Sunrise City, and some sneak peeks at rules and playtest photos of Swinging Jivecat Voodoo Lounge, so may I present to all you dear readers, a little preview of the mojo ahead. Read More  Read More

Magic: The Gathering, or How I Came to Love the Game and Leave the Addiction

As a nifty online experiment, Ben Gerber – of Troll in the Corner – and I came up with a cunning plan, a sort of blogger exchange program. Once a month, Ben and I plan to share our views and musings with the readers of Troll in the Corner and Dice Hate Me. Look for more cross-pollination each and every month, and let us know what you all would like to see in these columns. It was 1995 and I was more than halfway through my undergraduate degree. Nirvana was on the radio. I was an active participant in my college RPG club and I had just moved in to a new apartment with a new roommate. As it so happened, my roommate was not in to RPGs... Read More

Under the Bridge: An Interview with Alf Seegert

In the world of trolls, Alf Seegert is the man. Wait, let me rephrase that: In the world of troll games, Alf Seegert is the man. Alf is the designer of the outstanding new release Trollhalla (check out my review, if you haven’t done so already), as well as its predecessor and pseudo-prequel, Bridge Troll. Always curious about the names behind the best games, I decided to learn more about this somewhat-unassuming literature professor from Utah – and let me tell you, there’s a lot to learn. You provide a very in-depth look at the creation process behind Trollhalla on Board Game Geek, but for our readers, what was the kernel of... Read More

Great Odin’s Goat! A Trollhalla Review

Ahh, island life. Sipping coconut cocktails by the shore, dreaming of that cheeseburger in paradise, not a care in the world. The skies are a pearlescent blue, and the sea is cascading against the golden sands, while farther out dolphins frolic in the surf, the mammals a beautiful blur of grey that are suddenly driven away by hulking behemoths of wood and metal, pounding through the drink like drunken golems. And carrying trolls! Trolls, of all things! They’ll soon be running off with the women and pigs! If only we had more of their mortal enemy to fling at the approaching juggernauts, those cantankerous billy goats… Intrigued? You should... Read More