The State of Games, Ep. 176: The One About Boutique Publishing

It’s been awhile since we had guests on the podcast, so we figured it would be best to rectify that. What better way than to revisit that old Dice Hate Me chestnut – boutique publishing – with Daniel Newman and Tony Miller, of New Mill Industries. Their publishing philosophy is pretty punk rock, and TC and I sit down to talk about that with them and ask exactly when they’re going to sell out. Turns out they love the punk rock life, but they’re totally ready for offers. Give ’em a call, Asmodee. Read More  Read More

The State of Games Ep. 172: The One About One Quiet Night

We are truly living in strange times, and, as such, we thought it was time to take a moment to reflect on how things have changed and what we’ve all been through in the past couple of months. Among the three of us, no one has been through more than our own Darrell Louder, whose family has been living in a COVID-positive household, resulting in him, his mother-in-law, and his son dealing directly with the virus. Yes, it’s a heavier episode, but we do take some time for levity and talk about how we can all deal with our self isolation with some quality gaming, proving that when times get tough we can always count on games to help keep... Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 171: The One About the Cost of Negativity

We love getting mail, especially if that mail can help us pad out an episode with an awesome topic. Although we’ve tackled how board game reviews can be both bad and good for the community in the past – as well as what makes a good review versus just an impression – we haven’t quite tackled a subject like this one from listener Sam Hillier. We delve deep into whether reviewers might actually cost consumers money, and whether that responsibility ultimately lies in the hands of the viewer or the consumer. It’s fairly  heady stuff, but we manage to address it in our usual way – with lots of sarcasm and tangents.... Read More

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

The State of Games, Ep. 166: The One About Spoilers

Spoilers are a huge part of our modern culture, and many of us avoid them at all costs. It’s easy to recognize the aversion in blockbuster screen media, and even in the hottest TV shows, but does that culture automatically translate to the board game hobby? In this episode, we dive deep into what sort of spoilers are accepted, which are not, and how best we all might tackle them as consumers and reviewers. We also spoil a couple of parts of Avengers: Endgame, so maybe make sure you’re up to date on your Marvel movies. That’s an official SPOILER ALERT! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 165 – The One About Grinding Some Gears

Every so often on the podcast we dig a bit deeper and get a bit more serious with our topics. This time around what was going to be a simple rant session evolved into a deep discussion about depression, anxiety, mental health nuances, and online bullying. Don’t worry, we still talk about board games and the hobby, but we didn’t want to pull any punches when it comes to issues that affect not only those of us on the podcast, but our family and friends in the industry and beyond. Settle in and get serious, but don’t worry – as always, we laugh through the tears. You will, too. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 162 – The One About a Promising Future in Sales

From time to time here on the podcast we let TC take over the reins and dip into his ever-growing bag of industry insights and wistful shower thoughts. This time around, we take another look at past subjects like the possible market and Kickstarter bubbles, but also dig a bit deeper into what it means to sell a game and what it means to sell a product. Are board games that are created and marketed solely as products a good or bad thing for our industry? You’ll just have to listen in to find out! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 160 – The One About Unplugging, Again

Sometimes our gaming podcast is less about games and more about experience. We hope you’ll indulge us a bit this time around, Dear Listeners, as we chat about what it was like to attend PAX Unplugged for the second year. Yes, we talk a great deal about the amazing food in Philadelphia, we debate the greatest cheesesteak, and we gripe about metal detectors, but we also try to convey the awesomeness that surrounds a convention that is now quintessential to the hobby. We hope to see you all there next year! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 158 – The One About The Doctor’s Advice

There are certain creative leaders in the game design hobby that pop up from time to time with interesting nuggets of wisdom – Dr. Reiner Knizia is one such creative. With over 600 games and books credited to him over his career, he definitely has the experience and chops to lay down some knowledge, and a lot of that knowledge is extraordinarily valuable. On this particular show we decided to take a couple of his more recent – and infinitely intriguing – statements and break them down for discussion. Should you file them or flush them? Come on in and find out! Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Ep. 157 – The One About Just a Little Filler

Last podcast we pulled out all the intellectual stops and dove head deep into the rabbit hole of Game Theory. Judging from the listener numbers that wasn’t exactly what all you dear listeners wanted to hear. Oh well, at least we had fun discussing it! We wanted to get deep again with a chat about rules, if they’re getting worse in board games, and what we might do to fix them, but we decided to table that one for another time, return a bit to formula, and focus on something a little less… filling. Read More  Read More