PrezCon 2014 Pictorial Wrap-up

Hello, dear readers! It’s that time of the year again – time to recap some adventures at one of my favorite “local” gaming conventions, PrezCon in Charlottesville, Virginia. The structure of the convention is similar to that of the World Boardgaming Championships, with week-long gaming competitions for everything from Ticket to Ride to Hammer of the Scots. I arrived at the convention a bit later than previous years but with still enough time to get in some quality gaming and meet up with friends old and new. And, so, I prevent a brief pictorial overview of the festivities – enjoy, and consider coming out next year... Read More

The State of Games, Episode 60 – The One About Women and Games

It was time. The female voice had been missing for far too long on this podcast. And, so, I set forth a challenge to three intrepid women gamers: Come on this podcast and get silly. And they did. And it was awesome. Read More  Read More

The State of Games, Episode 59 – The One About The Hot Games of 2014

We love reserved hyperbole (is that really a thing?) here at Dice Hate Me, so let me just say that, like all the years before, this coming year may just be the Greatest Year For Games Ever. With big titles sporting unique mechanics like Dead of Winter and SeaFall coming from Plaid Hat Games, a whole slew of indie upstarts shaking the establishment, and no fewer than 10 Dice Hate Me Games titles hitting the market, you can see that my hyperbole is warranted. Read More  Read More

Dice Hate Me 54-Card Challenge Finalists!

The call for card games from Dice Hate Me was heeded – in a very big way! We received over 100 entries into the Dice Hate Me 54-Card Challenge, which was far above and beyond expectations. The massive amount of entries meant that the design community was energized and inspired to create something special, but it also meant that the competition was fierce, and judging took a very long time. Originally, the plan was to have six finalists to be judged at Unpub; since there were so many great entries, we’ve decided to narrow the finalists to 15! These 15 games are to be played by independent play testers, designers and various judges during... Read More

The State of Games, Episode 56 – The One About Surprises In My Pocket

Whether you’re about to head out on the open road or find yourself about to be crammed into a crowded airplane, many of us think not only about what to take to wear – we also want to know how many games we can fit in that backpack. And that’s what this podcast is all about, Charlie Brown. Read More  Read More

The Crowded Table – Shmoecon Edition!

Hello, dear Shmoes! Some of you that follow @dicehateme on Twitter or listen to The State of Games and The Geek All-Stars podcasts have heard mysterious mentions of Shmoes and Shmoecon over the past few weeks. What exactly is a Shmoe and what does it have to do with a con? Well, a Shmoe is just a regular gamer who wants to play games with other Shmoes – so if you love playing games, you’re already a Shmoe! More specific to our gaming group here in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, the Shmoes came together for the first official time this past weekend at Shmoecon 0.5. Some Shmoes were invited to a local con while other Shmoes... Read More

The State of Games, Episode 51 – The BGG Top 20 and Future of Unpub

Thanks to most of you, dear listeners, The State of Games has thrived for over 50 episodes. This episode marks the turning point for the state of The State of Games for the next year, for sure – not only in terms of participants, but also in terms of scope and vision. This podcast will most assuredly be a haven for unpublished games news, as well as the spot to hear about the coolest new games to hit the table, both in a refined published view and those that have yet to find a publisher! Read More  Read More

The Dice Hate Me GenCon 2013 Pictorial Wrap-Up

Hello dear readers! The summer’s biggest North American show just wrapped up in Indianapolis and it was, in many ways, better than the previous year. Many pundits were grumbling about the lack of “showcase” releases at the show, but I ended up nabbing three times as many games this year as last, and have – so far – been disappointed with none. Of course, there were a slew of titles only available for demo at the con – their releases are slated for that even bigger show in Essen, Germany – but even those demos made the price of admission worth every penny. Without further ado, here are a few pics of the... Read More

Ships Ahoy! A Special Video Preview of Fleet: Arctic Bounty

In this video preview, I take a look at Fleet: Arctic Bounty, the expansion to the strategic boat-building card game Fleet! Is this successor to the Dice Hate Me Game of the Year for 2012 worth your Kickstarter cash? You bet your barnacles! Happy gaming! Chris  Read More

The State of Games, Episode 49 – The One About Good Friends and Good Games

Do you all remember in the opening to Duck Tales how Scrooge McDuck would open up this great vault, filled to the brim with thousand dollar bills and gold coins, then dive, headfirst into it and swim all around? That’s pretty much how all of us felt when we happened upon the $1 boardgame sale at a local store in Dover, Delaware. Feeding the cardboard addiction never felt so good. Read More  Read More