The State Of Games

In this episode of The State of Games, Dice joins forces once again with Dan Patriss of The Geek All-Stars for another crossover episode, this time featuring brothers David and Fred MacKenzie of Clever Mojo Games. The foursome chat about the development and secret origins of Princes of the Dragon Throne currently on Kickstarter, as well as some other awesome (possum) designs that Fred is working on. Then David gives us the scoop on new CMG projects like King's Forge, Magnum Opus, an Alien Frontiers expansion and the one we've all been waiting for: Swinging Jivecat Voodoo Lounge. Come on in and join the party!

In this episode of The State of Games, Dice is joined by regulars Darrell Louder and TC Petty III as well as special guests Matt Riddle and Ben Pinchback of Fleet fame for a roundtable discussion of all the gaming greatness and fantastic fun of Origins Game Fair 2013. The fivesome talk about Spiel des Jahres nominees Augustus, Hanabi and Bruges, how out-of-print titles like Pirates of the Spanish Main are still some of the greatest budget buys at any con, that Time's Up: Title Recall is the greatest party game ever and how networking at a con like Origins can be awesome opportunities for game designers and publishers alike. All this, plus VivaJava: The Coffee Game: The Dice Game, Angry Dice, the upcoming Fleet expansion, Masters of Commerce, Brew Crafters, Compounded, Carnival, The Great Heartland Hauling Co., VivaJava, Club Zen, The New Science, King of Tokyo, Quicksilver, Maximum Throwdown, the Duke of Dice - Richard Launius, and much, much more!

In this very special episode of The State of Games, Dice is joined by five other would-be galactic conquerors around the gaming table as they tackle an epic, twelve-hour-long struggle for space supremacy in Twilight Imperium: Third Edition. Three players are vets, and three are new to the battle of the stars - who will reign supreme? With round-by-round session reports and secretly-recorded individual confessionals that promise a peek behind the curtain of back-stabs and bad plans, this episode promises to be like nothing you've heard before.

In this episode of The State of Games, Dice is joined by Darrell Louder and TC Petty III for a nice, simple chat all about new games and old classics played during a four-day visit. The trio cover the pros and cons of six- and three-player Keyflower, how Tzolk'in might just make you want to flip a table, why Mercante is an underappreciated gem, and why The New Science may give you a new appreciation for spreadsheets. All this, plus X-Wing, BiSikle, VivaJava Dice and, of course, the full story behind Modern Art and how to use hobo pain to create a best-selling masterpiece.

In this special Hulk of an episode of The State of Games, Dice is joined by his Super Friends Darrell Louder, TC Petty III, Dan Patriss and Tom Gurganus for a true Iron Man competition of conversation on comics, Kickstarter and cinematic heroism. The Fearless Five discuss the dangers of mismanaging hope in a Kickstarter campaign, why Man of Steel may either save or curse Superman for movie-goers this summer, how we may never see the true Wolverine of the comics on the big screen, and just exactly how Sentinels of the Multiverse, Marvel Legendary and the DC: Deckbuilding Game stack up against each other in a true round-table smackdown. All this, plus Galactic Strike Force, Pacific Rim, zombies, a talking raccoon, how Ant-Man totally rocks, the magnetic attraction of Chris Hemsley and so much more. Break out the spandex, dear listeners, and prepare to join the fray!

In this episode of The State of Games, Dice is joined by special co-hosts Matt Riddle and Ben Pinchback, the designers of the 2012 Dice Hate Me Game of the Year, Fleet. Matt and Ben turn the tables and enact an inquisition - a question-filled romp that causes the trio to muse on chemistry, themes, Reiner Knizia, Kickstarter anomalies, coffee, Stefan Feld and ants. All this, plus thoughts on The New Science, Kemet, Myrmes, Dungeon Roll, abstracts, Manhattan Project, Glory to Rome, X-Wing and, of course, fishing fun in Fleet and a Dice Hate Me Games contest!

In this episode of The State of Games, Dice goes on the road to Charlottesville, Virginia to the underrated gem of a gaming event, Prezcon. He's joined on the podcast by new regulars Darrell Louder and TC Petty III, and special guest Benjamin Rosset, designer of Mars Needs Mechanics. The quartet talk about their gaming experiences during the con, including looks at the dinosaur-filled Triassic Terror, Skyline, Space Cadets, Glory to Rome, Coup and some unpublished fun with Brewmasters, VivaJava Dice and Belle of the Ball. All this plus epic Pitchcar, the Avalon experience in The Resistance and Mr. Bacon's Big Adventure. There's a lot of gaming to go around!

In this episode of The State of Games, Dice is joined once again by Darrell Louder and TC Petty III for a special interview with Greater Than Games co-founder Christopher Badell. The quartet talk about the secret origins of the smash hit Sentinels of the Multiverse card game, the just-announced, brand-spanking new, ship-building, universe-protecting game Galactic Strike Force, and how blacksmithing can make for some awesome project names. All this, plus Spartacus, Love Letter, Myrmes, Compounded and VivaJava: The Coffee Game: The Dice Game!

In this appropriately-titled episode of The State of Games, Dice travels to Magnolia, Delaware for the third annual Unpublished Games Festival - otherwise known as Unpub 3 - for some prototype testing, a few interviews, to drum up support for Darrell Louder's Compounded and to get a sneak peek at TC Petty III's VivaJava Dice! Full of interviews with designers Paul Owen (East India Company), Ben Rosset (Brewmasters), Garrett Herdter (Rolling for Amusement) and a roundtable discussion of everything cool at the show with tons of designers and publishers, this episode is packed with unpublished gaming goodness!

In this, sadly, Monkey-less episode of The State of Games, Dice fills an empty co-host seat with designers TC Petty III (of VivaJava fame) and Darrell Louder (creator of Compounded). The trio talk a bit about the upcoming Unpub 3 and the over 60 unpublished games that will descend on Dover Delaware, then turn their attention to a long look back at the best games and memories of 2012, including Fleet, Myrmes, X-Wing Miniatures Game, Maya, Seasons, DC Deckbuilding Game, Vegas and much, much more. Come on in and start this new year off the Dice Hate Me way!

In this offbeat episode of The State of Games, Monkey238 takes a little break from the usual banter to do her ballet thing while Dice spends some quality "bro" time with his guys in a weekend-long local con. Dice and the boys talk about their experience with over 17 different games - both classics and current favorites - including Dungeon!, Fantastiqa, Ugg-Tect, Cosmic Encounter, Rockbabies, and Legacy: Gears of Time. And speaking of Legacy, Monkey spares some of her precious time to talk briefly with Dice about the joys of quantum theory, paradoxes and the ubiquitous influence cube!

In this special Halloween episode of The State of Games, Monkey and Dice sit down with two pairs of guests to talk about their present and future projects, as well as the games they love that go bump in the night. First up is Fleet creators Matt Riddle and Ben Pinchback who reminisce on the origins of Fleet, the fun of Origins, the dangers of Cards with Words and how Matt's just not that into spooky things. Then Patrick Nickell and Michael Coe of Crash Games dive into the depths of their Kickstarter release Dungeon Heroes, and the dangers and drawbacks of planning for a fledgling publisher. All this plus future plans, VivaJava, Cthulhu, dangerous dice, and more. It's a scream!

In this episode of The State of Games, Monkey and Dice are joined by friend of the podcast Stephen Buonocore of Stronghold Games. The trio discuss the keys to Stronghold's huge growth and success, the difference between GenCon and Essen, and the 11 titles being released this fall including Milestones, CO2, Article 27: The UN Security Council Game, Crude: The Oil Game and Little Devils. All this, plus a special State of Games segment with Compounded designer Darrell Louder in which we discuss a weekend playing 23 different games like Defenders of the Realm, Rumble in the House, Viticulture, Jungle Ascent and, of course, Compounded. It's a big one, folks - but it's full of fun!

In this episode of The State of Games, Monkey and Dice delver further into "cards with words" - a new game category term that sprang up in the last podcast to describe something Monkey doesn't care for and that has been a talking point among some gamers. The duo talk about why Magic: The Gathering qualifies, Seasons doesn't, and "cards with icons" are just dandy. All this plus The Escapist Expo, Compounded, the joys of bad Reverse Charade guessers, pizza noodles, bunny-piles, and how not to pick your taxi driver at GenCon.

In this episode of The State of Games, Monkey and Dice take a look back on their past month of constant on-the-road adventures at various cons, such as WBC and GenCon, and special gaming events like a Celebration of Gaming at Labyrinth Games in Washington, DC. The duo share tales of unpublished prototypes like Paul Owens' meaty and fulfilling East India Company, getting to see how Ben Rosset's The Market has morphed into Nevermore Games' Mars Needs Mechanics, and how far Clever Mojo Games' Princes of the Dragon Throne has come since Origins. All this, plus Dice's constant name-dropping from GenCon, how Monkey has a vendetta against games that feature "cards with words," the joys of sharing brownie sundaes, VivaJava demos, Jason Kotarski's joys of hauling, and a look at Smash Up, Seasons, Morels, and Vegas!

In this episode of The State of Games, Monkey and Dice gear up and get ready to put the hammer down on Dice Hate Me Games' newest Kickstarter project, The Great Heartland Hauling Co! Game designer Jason Kotarski drops in for some chatter about his life from punk rock to pastorship, how a trucker changed his gaming destiny, and how you should never underestimate the design tool of a standard deck of cards. All this, plus a chat about why you shouldn't swear on your marriage when playing The Resistance, going retro with HeroQuest and Fireball Island, and how Monkey238 doomed the Earth just to spite Dice in The Omega Virus. So come on in and let's ride!

In this episode of The State of Games, Monkey and Dice take the show back to formula with some straight talk about the possible joys and pitfalls of culling a game collection according to The Jones Theory, as well as a discussion on game criticism, positivity and a call for some revised semantics. All this, plus wild west brutality in Revolver, some honest-to-meeple goodness in Tournay, a trip to Vegas, and how one Omega Virus doesn't necessarily equal a Dragonheart.

This episode of The State of Games is jam-packed with gaming goodness, as Monkey and Dice sit down with John Moller of Cartrunk Entertainment and Compounded designer Darrell Louder to talk about their experiences at Origins Game Fair 2012, the wonderful things happening in the realm of unpublished games, and the history of Compounded and how it wound its way into the heart of Dice Hate Me Games. All this plus talk of Sentinels of the Multiverse, Take the Bait, Princes of the Dragon Throne, Forge, Awesome Possum, an amazing new trucking game from Jason Kotarski, the joys of Felicia Day, and how John almost put out Wil Wheaton's eye with a poker chip. It's a long one, but if the big blue noodle has taught us anything it's that size doesn't matter.

In this episode of The State of Games, Monkey and Dice have a nice chat - again! - with favorite guest Richard Launius, designer of the classics Arkham Horror, Elder Sign and Defenders of the Realm. The trio discuss Richard's current design in Defenders of the Realm: Battlefields, his involvement with the latest Sentinels of the Multiverse expansion, his feelings on Kickstarter, and some future projects in pulp and pirates. All this, plus talk of Origins plans, some morbidly humorous gameplay in Village and Infarkt, the fan-favorite Hawaii, Darrell Louder's chemistry brainchild Compounded, and progress on our very own Take the Bait, Soapbox Derby and VivaJava. Come on in, the water's packed!

In this very special episode of The State of Games, Monkey and Dice get the exclusive scoop on the identity of the mysterious Mr. White mentioned in Episode 28, plus some exciting new developments that may change the future scope of the board gaming hobby. With guests Richard Bliss and Erik Dahlman, some deep discussions of Amazon game fulfillment, the coming "tsunami" of board games on Kickstarter, and what this all has to do with Mr. White, dragons, the Borg, espionage and the dichotomy of epic scale versus boutique service, this promises to be one of our biggest episodes yet!