Rolling Dice & Taking Names

Have you ever been playing a game and wished that they people you were playing with would just get a clue and have better manners? Of course you have, Marty and I discuss some of the things that we believe should be just common knowledge among us gamers when it comes to courtesy. Now we know that we are generally preaching to the choir here, but I know we have all been guilty of this from time to time. I know that I did a major faux pas by leaving a game near the end, but time just ran out and I should have realized that this game would not end by the time I needed to leave. To quote Gomer Pyle "Shame! Shame! Shame!", I should have known better. We also spend time talking about Marty's adventures at Origins, the games we are playing (Tzolk'in, Pillars Expansion, The Duke), and a brand new segment called At The Table. Origins Report 3:05Games we are playing 13:00Gamer Etiquette 20:48Ask before touching 25:08Put things where they belong 28:01Take time to learn the rules 30:30Rules Lawyer - I object!! 34:10Lose the Cell 36:30Finish what you started 38:10Analysis Paralysis 39:15Credit the Player, don't blame dumb luck 42:45RSVP 45:25At the Table (New Segment) 47:50Closeout 52:10 Download

Episode 16: Love is a Battlefield

For this 5 Minute Initiative, Marty and I discuss a new game from Catalyst Game Labs, The Duke. This was a Kickstarter from last year that Marty bought into and I am jealous that I didn't. It is a fabulous game. It is a mix of Chess and Checkers with the right amount of luck tossed in to keep the game always fresh and never the same. Some may not like the luck that is around which tile will come out of the bag, that is understandable, but for me, it works and works well. And I don't see analysis paralysis ever coming into play with this game. It is fast, but strategy is key from do I move a piece or add a piece to the board. In the picture below, it looks like I am winning, but it changes quickly. Order the game, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by it. But just to be clear, we are talking about The Duke from Catalyst Game Labs, not... And definitely not...but I do enjoy that movie. Download

What?! Two episodes in one week? Yes, with Origins still fresh on everyone's mind, we wanted to get the last of our interviews released as quickly as possible. This episode includes interviews with Stronghold Games, Catalyst Game Labs and Victory Points Games. In addition, my family gives their first impression of Darkest Night from Victory Points Games. And we have a post-Origins wrap-up discussion where talk about memorable moments of Origins and how it compares to other gaming conventions. Enjoy! Episode 15 Segments - Voluspa, Vampire Empire, Time & Space 01:11 - Stronghold Games 06:25 - Catalyst Game Labs - The Duke, Leviathan, Battletech 21:02 - Victory Points Games 24:30 - Darkest Night - First Impressions 43:03 - Origins post-con family discussion Download

This is going to be an interesting podcast because I am not on it. Why do you ask my one fan, my niece, because Marty had an incredible time at Origins and got lots of interviews and we don't want to sit on this too long. We had always planned to do an Origins show when Marty and his family returned, but it was going to come out in July. Well, some of this material is just so good it can't wait till July. Matter of fact, I will get to listen to it at the same time as everyone else. Enjoy! Episode 14 Segments: 01:37 - Catalyst Games Labs - Shadowrun Products 09:50 - Adventures on the Tabletop Documentary 27:20 - Cool Mini Or Not - Kaosball, Zombicide, Dark Age 34:45 - Break From Reality - Damage Report, Disaster Looms 44:35 - Wizkids Games - Star Trek: Attack Wing, The Hobbit Strategy Game, Trains &Stations Download

First, we want to say apologize about the length of this episode. We know it is a bit long, by almost 45 minutes, but it was so stuffed with good information on Game Convention planning, we had a tough time cutting it down. Another way to look at it is, you can spend 4 to 5 hours surfing the web, looking at forum posts, and reading multiple articles or just listend to us for about 2 hours and get good info. We already did the work for you. You are welcome :) We also had a guest on the show, Ron McClung, and we thought the interview would be 30 minutes long because he is such a busy guy, but it turned into one hour and we really hated cutting his information. Ron, as you will find out from the podcast, helps organizes RPG/Gaming conventions in the North and South Carolina area. We were very lucky to get him on the show and glad he joined us. So, instead of reading a whole bunch of words on the screen and thus cutting your time to listen to the show down, just going to leave you with a Table of Contents to help you along. Initial Yuck it up 3:30Lodging at cons 5:50Driving, got to park 11:00Event Scheduling 13:30SWAG, Convention Bonus 20:00Daily survival guide 24:00Survival Bag 27:00Let's get funky 30:00What is Justus Productions 38:00Picking your first convention 50:00Location, Location, Location 1:00:00Scoop!!! RDTN first ever!!! 1:05:00Gamerscodex website 1:24:00Final thoughts 1:33:00 As always, please leave us any comments here or at Boardgamegeek or send us a Tweet. If you would like to be on the show or have something you would like us to include, please let us know. Download

In this episode, Marty and I explore our various dives into Role Playing Games (RPGs), what we enjoy, and why have they seem to be gaining popularity again. I will be the first to admit that RPGs were not top on my list of games to play through the years and mainly because of the experience I had with my first adventure in AD&D. But times have changed and many RPG systems have made some great additions to a genre that would often scare the average gamer away. Plus, the Internet and technology have really made an RPG session into more of a tabletop game at times with miniatures terrain and other components to help those, such as myself, become more engaged in the adventure. - RPGs have changed over time 08:00 (Mazes and Monsters)- What RPGs have we tried or hope to try 35:00 - Savage Worlds- Dragon Age*- Pathfinder- Star Wars - Edge of the Empire- Dark Heresy- Shadowrun - Iron Kingdom Role Playing System 54:45 Don't forget to check out Free RPG Day *I screwed up when talking about Dragon Age when I was talking about what happens when you roll doubles and the stunt points you get. When you roll doubles, your Dragon Dice determines the number of stunt points you get. Sorry about that. Download

So how do you respond to the question "Whatcha' playing?" Do you take time out to explain the game in simple terms or even invite the people to sit down and watch? If it is in your local game store, you probably have no issue with this question and welcome the inquiry. What about when you are in a more public place like a fast food location, how do you respond? Marty and I discuss our responses in this 5 Minute Initiative. Download

In this episode, we step back and as a gift to them for Mother's Day, we let them take over the mic. Ok, we begged and pleaded with them to do the show because Marty and I thought it would be a great addition to our normal podcast. We were lucky to have Todd join us again and his wife Casey was more than happy to join in the party. It is always fun to hear others perspective about the board gaming hobby, but when it is your spouse, you might cringe at first to hear what they think. Luckily for us, we have three great wives that support our hobby and participate when the chance presents itself, so there is no battle of the sexes going on here. In this episode, the ladies really get into the family side of gaming and how it grows the family, and teaches children social skills. - Introductions - Kids and gaming - Effects of the gaming lifestyle on the family We hope that they make their way back to the show, but any kind words will help us in our begging in the future. Download

How do you know if it is a good game or not? What is your "I like it" criteria? Well, in this 5 Minute Initiative, Marty and I discuss one of our criteria for determining if we like a game or not, how long we talk about it after we play it. We all know what the Watercooler Effect is, where you stand around and discuss the latest ballgame, or last night's The Walking Dead with friends. Well for games, it is how long we talk about a game after we play, how long we keep bring it up at future gatherings and so forth. So what are some of your ways to measure if you like a game or not? Download

10 D10 for 10th Episode We have achieved double digits in our number of podcasts!!! I know it doesn't seem like much being only #10, but hey, when you set goals and you achieve them, you got to celebrate them. The next goal is to make it to #26 which will mean we have achieved a full year of podcasting. That is right, we have a full year planned and already working on year two. So in this episode, we discuss how to hold a game night. Marty and I know that a bunch of this stuff is common sense, but it might not be something you think of right away. Of course you are going to have drinks out, of course you will have game appropriate snacks, but did you plan enough room for all that stuff and the game? It is the little things that can really make the night enjoyable for all and make it so it is more than a one shot. - Atlanta: Nerdiest city in America (01:30) - The Hostess with the Mostess (03:52) - Filler Games (27:00) - Casual Games for Game Night (31:30) - Wrap it up (41:00) Download

Just watched the Dice Tower Video on the 10 games not to play with angry people and it got us thinking, what games get under our skin especially when we lose. Now, we love playing games and generally don't have an issue when we lose, because it is all about how you play the game that matters. Yeah, right, losing stinks and you can't help but feel a little anger, it is natural. So, what games get under your skin? Download

In Episode 9, we talk about worker placement games. Next to card games, these have become some of my favorite games to play. They provide the strategy that I enjoy in a game as well as just enough luck to keep the game interesting. And more importantly, they tend to drip with theme. And it is the theme that will help you decide on the type of worker placement game because there are a bunch out there. - What is Worker Placement 8:26- Casual Corner: Lords of Waterdeep 15:16- Entry, Casual, and OMG Worker Placement Games 33:11- Closing thoughts 47:00 Enjoy the show and until next time, keep rolling dice and taking names. Download We've Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://feeds.feedblitz.com/rolldicetakenamesUpdate your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us.

In this short segment, Marty and I discuss our opinions on whether or not social deductions games like Resistance, Resistance: Avalon, Ultimate Werewolf are good games or not. This discussion came about from our recent interview with Alex on how to form a game club and how he liked to finish the night with this type of game. I am not a big fan of these games, where Marty does enjoy them. Give it a listen, post your opinions, especially those that help me win this discussion. Download

In Episode 8, Marty and I invited to the show the founder and leader of The Queen City Gaming Club, Alex. We had always planned to bring Alex on the show for without his commitment to get this club going, Marty and I may not have discovered some of the games we have grown to love nor discovered this incredible community of gamers that goes beyond those playing trading card games. But what makes this show even more appropriate this week is that Saturday, March 30 is International Tabletop Day. So with this day getting so much notice, you might be able to actually get a game club going and we hope this show can give you some advice and things to avoid as you get started. - The first segment is all about the history of the club and what it takes to get going (2:16) - We then talk about some of the tough decisions you have to make (21:17) - Finally, we discuss the future of our club and how community service is becoming part of the club (38:00) - International Tabletop Day (01:01:30) As I listened to the finally version of the show, which Marty went beyond the call of editing, I did walk away with a few key items that I will go ahead and share: - Use Meetup as your means to get it started - Expect drama because we are people, but deal with it when it happens - You need to be willing to ask for volunteers and be willing to take it when given - This is a club for social enjoyment, not a club to make money. Enjoy the show Download We've Moved! Update your Reader Now. This feed has moved to: http://feeds.feedblitz.com/rolldicetakenames Update your reader now with this changed subscription address to get your latest updates from us.