The Dice Men Cometh

Tonight, it’s a Spiel-a-thon as Mark and Garth review the Kennerspiel nominated Stefan Feld game, Carpe Diem, before analysing, dissecting and ultimately scoring all of the SdJ nominees (yes, that is L.A.M.A, Werewords and Just One). We crunch the numbers to come up with the one true champion! The game that all other games strive to be! The game that will sell a zillion copies and make their designers and publishers squillionaires! Will we be right? How wrong will we be? Which game do YOU think should be crowned the winner? Let us know!

So you want to be a super sleuth? Or a P.I? How about a gumshoe?

Well you are in luck, as the Dice Men are talking about the Kennerspiel nominated game Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game in all it’s cardboard meets internet glory. This leads nicely to our thoughts on this years Kennerspiel award and the nominees who are fighting it out. Will it be Detective? Will it be Wingspan? Will Mr Feld grab first prize with Carpe Diem? We have our say, tally our votes and our prediction is….

What do we want? BORDERCON!

When do we want it? Well, we just had it and it was AMAZING!! And this week is the week after our favourite 4 days of gaming on the border. But first we need to discuss the gaming soaring over all others; the game using every updraft of hype to its advantage, the game who’s quack doesn’t echo – of course it’s Wingspan and the Dice Men have something to say about it.

And buckle in because Bordercon will be on our lips for a while to come…so lets get this party re-started…

Batman! Batman! Minis! Yes, tonight we poke and prod about with Batman: Gotham City Chronicles. Leon went all in with the KS, so does it live up to the hype? Does it live up to the $500 he spent? We then rattle on about all things pre-Bordercon; games we’re excited to play; games we NEED to play; games we think may be duds, but we’ll still play them; and most importantly, the people we get to play with! And a friendly reminder there will be no show next week as we’ll be AT BORDERCON!!! Woot! See some of you there!

original air date 30/05/2019

It’s time to try again…yes, the Dice Men are going to start another legacy game…and maybe, just maybe, try to finish one…

This week, Leon and Garth (yes, Mark IS alive, just sick still) give you a hint; a taste; a spolier-free tease of Betrayal Legacy from Rob Daviau.

And after that it’s time to celebrate as the awards season kicks off with the Spiel Des Jahres and Dice Tower nominees announced! Hip Hip Hooray!

We discuss the nominees and make our own half-arsed guesses on which games will take home the big wins!

And that fills up the episode – but next week it’s time for some caped crusading….if you know what we mean….

original air date 23/05/2019

And this week it’s out with the old and in with the new!! No, wait, actually the other way around as Mark finally decides to get back behind the buttons (and within 30 seconds breaks something) and Leon decides to make chocolate instead of talk gaming!! And on that note, tonight we talk cars, highways and popsicle sticks with Tokyo Highway featuring as our game this week. We then raise a glass to the dearly departed Aussie games publisher Rule & Make who closed their doors earlier this week. Finally, Mark gives you the inside word on games stores in Hong Kong and Singapore, so when you’re visiting make sure you pop in and tell them a Dice Man sent you!

To celebrate the return of Mark to Australia (but not the show this week as he decided to chuck a sickie), the youth of the show discuss the old, but classic, abstract strategy game Torres! Will Leon understand that games were made last millennium and they may even still be good? Will Garth accept that sometimes games don’t involve negotiation and even betrayal? Leon then moves the chat to a game from the designers of 7th Continent so it will be massive and all consuming, won’t it? Won’t it? I guess you’ll just have to listen in and find out all for yourself!

original air date 09/05/2019

Tonight we head to Spaaaaace! And build a baaaaaaase! As we feature, yes you guessed it, Space Base this week.

And then, oh me oh my, there are ALL THE THINGS on Kickstarter this week and Leon is looking to ursurp Mark and take the Crown of Kickstarting – so of course we talk all about that.

And then, as usual, time is our enemy and we’re done – that is your episode this week.

We’ve loved having no Mark, but we’re excited to have the newly engaged Mr Mark back and ready to talk all things gaming! See you all next week!

original air date 02/05/2019

Tonight the Dice Men are sailing without a rudder (or anchor maybe) as Mark is away travelling the world!

So it’s up to Garth and Leon to talk all things zombies, tiny zombies, epic zombies. Tiny Epic Zombies.

Leon then chats about travelling the USA to watch spandex clad wrestlers, while eating his fill of cheesecake and burgers!

Finally, we end up under the deep blue sea with a little chat about Deep Sea Adventure, a game where everyone dies. Well almost always anyway!

original air date 25/04/2019

Mark had the pleasure of having an extended chat with the President of Stronghold Games, now part of Indie Game Studios. They chatted about Terraforming Mars and the imminent release of the Turmoil expansion, as well as the German wunderkind, Wolfgang Warsch, and a few other upcoming titles.We hope you find it interesting and informative, and feel free to check out Stephen’s own podcast with Ignacy Trzewiczek, Board Games Insider.

Leon ponders the marvels of this amazing game, or maybe he’s just thinking about which expansion to buy next.