Last week, in the face of an evident (and still extant, if not as prominent) financial crisis, we talked about ways that you can keep getting new experiences with games you’ve already acquired. This time, we wanted to discuss ways that you can access totally new (to you) games without requiring the kind of investment it takes to be on the cutting edge of releases. While we all have those inner voices (that may or may not sound like our parents) telling us to just be happy with what we already have or that we have games at home, if we have any interest in the way the medium of games develops, we want to at least be aware of what’s new and catching people’s attention. So how do we get our hands on games we don’t own (yet) without handing over much loot? - B B : We’re all gamers here, we’re all used to representing concepts as numerical models and converting values within that model. If we’re trying to cut down on one form of currency (cold, hard cash), we need to make up for it in other ...

The way things are going, it looks like we’re headed straight into the third worldwide economic crisis in less than two decades… and the second since we started this blog. So while it seems likely that things will be very, very bad by the time you read this, even if catastrophe is somehow averted, it should be clear that we’re all living in a world that could melt down at any moment. Gaming, in both electronic and tabletop forms, may not be as expensive as some pastimes (particularly if we limit ourselves to… legal activities), but there’s still some degree of investment if you’re pursuing new and innovative experiences. As well there should be, corporate profits notwithstanding, artists and creators should be paid for their work. But, as COVID isolation reminded us, when you’re stuck with the Old Favorites, they well… get old pretty quick. Going into a future where we can assume we’ll all have less money to work with, how are we able to keep having novel gaming experiences and stay on...

Some five years ago, when it seemed like the world was coming apart, two friends decided to create something together - a space where they could talk about the things they cared about, where they could share their thoughts and maybe a few people might even listen in. And this endeavor was inaugurated, naturally enough for 3/14, with a series of riffs on pie puns. We find ourselves in a similar situation today, with uncertainty, chaos, and cruelty swirling around us. But we’re still putting out this blog, and every year, we’re still putting out another round of terrible pie riffs. (Not about terrible pie, mind you - everyone knows there’s no such thing.) And this year is no different. As the world falls apart around you, take time for each other and make an effort to keep doing the things you care about. Even when it’s a bunch of pie jokes. -  B Save the Twin Pies Mall! For 80s movie-inspired games like Kids on Bikes or Tales from the Loop . The PCs come from a town centered around...

In general, tabletop games are full of competition, from historical dice and card games right up to modern themed board games. There are certainly plenty of tabletop game tournaments out there... something that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, as there are even jigsaw puzzle competitions. One might argue that there are a number of board games out now that unite the players as a team, but they are still competing against the clock, a target score, or some other metric. One tabletop genre where you see significantly less competition is roleplaying games. (By which I don’t mean there's a lack of games... though D&D still tops the charts, even if they’ve started to stumble). Some might argue that competition in RPGs takes the form if "players vs. the GM" (or at least the GM's BBEG), but that's not really the case. As we’ve mentioned numerous times in our posts, the GM is there to help the players tell a story - it isn’t about "competing" with them. ...

For two people who are not very sporty, and not even particularly interested in sports, this blog brings them up quite often . While neither of us were ever experts, and especially when we were younger, video games (and even tabletop games that included sports) have always filled in knowledge gaps and provided opportunities where in-person skills prevented inclusion. Sports do seem to be important though, even if it's a little less so when it comes to tabletop players. There are even annual ritual championships where those at the peak of their games can attempt to gain some sort of…honor? I suppose. This time around, it's the Superb Owl Super Bowl that's brought sports to mind. While it isn’t hard to avoid watching it, even those of us less inclined to partake of sports viewing still find ourselves at watch parties - if not for the game itself, then to catch advertisements that play during such things. Fear not, though, if you do find yourself headed for just such a pred...

Nazis are the Bad Guys. Saying that shouldn’t be considered going out on a limb, and if you disagree then you probably won’t like this one. In fact, it’ll probably make you pretty angry... although, there are seemingly endless ways to make Nazis angry. If you’ve been a regular reader, it should be no surprise, given some of our other posts , what our stance is. Perhaps you just need a reminder, though. Nazis are the Bad Guys. You should have easily figured that out during your school years by reading and learning of the atrocities they’ve performed and the abhorrent things they continue to espouse. Perhaps you didn’t receive the best education, though, or struggled with your studies, so you might need a reminder. Let me assure you, Nazis are the Bad Guys. You don’t have to take it from Never Say Dice, though, or pour over history books, or visit museums - but you probably should, lest history continue to repeat itself. However, you should still be able to find continual reminders v...

It seems like, at the end of things, we tend to get introspective. Certainly, even here at Never Say Dice we have a history of posting our New Years' resolutions - and this year was no different. We seem to have a need for chances to reflect on what has been and pontificate about what the future could be. It even happens in the video game world. We talk about what we loved and hated in the games we've played, and, from there, make wild predictions about what potential sequels might contain. While they’re often hilariously wrong, it's a common activity we all gravitate towards when it comes to the media we collectively love. It shouldn’t be any different for tabletop games. We all need some time to think about what we did wrong (and right!) in our previous sessions and how we might change things the next time an opportunity appears. So, sit back and get organized with Never Say Dice for some post-adventure postmortem. Feedback You’re probably going to get feedback from a nu...

It seems the New Year has once again caught us off guard. 2024 has been a tumultuous year, for the Never Say Dice crew and the rest of the world, to be honest. We don’t need to go into specifics of the things we’ve gone through in the past year (feel free to insert your own), but the short version is that our other responsibilities have meant less time: less time for gaming, less time for media, less time for storytelling. As we go into the new year, there’s no sign that any of this is going to be slowing down, and will likely get much worse. None of this will keep us from our annual New Year’s Resolutions post, however - it’s simply a factor to consider, for us and for yourselves. It’s going to be tough out there, dear reader, and we all need to remember that every little thing is a victory. Here are some of the little things we’re going to try to do in 2025. - B A : There really isn’t a need to go into what's held us back, or what we’ve accomplished, and certainly I don’t expect ...

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. Comet, Cupid, Donner…ah, you probably recall all of them including Rudolph - the most famous department store mascot reindeer of all. If you're a regular reader of the blog, it shouldn’t be any surprise we’re bringing up a Rankin-Bass Special yet again . Previously, we've dissected Mad Monster Party , frequently referenced their animated Tolkien adaptations , and taken inspiration from both Santa Claus is Coming to Town and, yes, Rudolph .  This time though, especially after having just passed the 60th anniversary of the original airing, we revisit Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and take a look through the lens of a classic tabletop adventure. So pull up your ice blocks, lend your ears, and keep an open mind about treating this holiday classic as an adventure. Peppermint! The story itself works best as a starting point, or even backstory followed by a shorter truncated adventure. You get introduced to a few of the main cha...

In the United States, the time has come once more to hunt down a turkey and fixin's, throw on the telly, and eat yourself into a food-induced coma. Though the holiday is particularly late this year, a food coma is one thing that seems like it can’t come quick enough. But before we gorge ourselves with stuffing (or tell our families to get stuffed over political differences), let's take a few quick moments to figure out how we could stuff some gaming into our already-packed schedules. Sure, we have meals to cook and roads to travel, but you can always get little time in for gaming, right? There and back again… at an Expected Party Travel has to be the biggest obstacle to fitting in quality game time, no matter if you’re headed to or from your event, or whether we're talking about video or tabletop formats. While I might have been found on long car trips with a Game Gear in my youth, cell phones and other mobile gaming devices bring plenty of opportunities today. However, as ...

We’ve written a few times on the blog about using commonly shared media to get people into gaming and developing your group's games . Finding common ground can be key in getting your group to coalesce just right. You can’t stick to just that, though. While you can find plenty of shared humor and excitement by walking the same ground you know you all love, you need to expand your horizons to keep games fresh and interesting. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go digging, though, inspiration can be found in any sort of media or event if you consider it long enough and apply it well. So, this week, let's take a look at some unconventional media that could inspire our tabletop gaming stories. A Novel Idea Television shows and movies do it all the time: steal from classic literature and folklore and make it your own. Would the Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror episodes be the same if they hadn’t reused classic episodes of The Twilight Zone ? Would Gargoyles have been as enj...

While we here at Never Say Dice try to bring you our own creations every week, be they on storytelling, video games, tabletop games, or any number of other nerdly topics, we thought it'd be good to talk to some other creators so you, dear readers, can hear from others right here on our blog. We haven’t included an interview since our popular MDRF posts , and thought now would be the perfect time to start including them again. One creator I’ve personally backed in the past has developed a risqué game series called Lewd Dungeon Adventures: An Adult Tabletop Role-Playing Game for Couples . So this week, here at Never Say Dice you’ll get some background on that series from the creator herself, Phoenix Gray. - A We should point out that, like the game itself, this conversation will involve sexual topics, so if the subject of sex and gaming (in this case, both in-universe and among the participants themselves) doesn't interest you, you may want to move on to another post. I've be...