Monday, September 15, 2014

Great Big Table Talk: R&R Games President and CEO Frank DiLorenzo at Gen Con 2014

At Gen Con, we were very fortunate to spend some time with game publishers and designers.

In another of those Gen Con conversations, we spoke with R&R Games' President and CEO, Frank DiLorenzo. R&R Games is known for great gateway games, popular party games (like the Times Up series), and heavier strategy games like Coal Baron and New Haven. They are also the publisher of 2013 Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year) winner, Hanabi. We spent some time talking about a wide swath of games offered by R&R Games and had a great time.

The R&R Games titles that we mentioned or discussed in this episode include:
Times Up

Get a Life
Guess the Mess (Board Game Geek Link)
Strike a Pose
Hearts of Attraction
Plucking Pairs
Hide and Seek Safari
Flea Circus
Spectaculum

Igor: The Monster Making Game
Igor: The Life of the Party
Hanabi
R&R Games' version of Deluxe Hanabi - Coming in October
Coal Baron
New Haven
Qin
Home Stretch
1st & Goal



Download the episode: GBT-EPGEN14-3-RnR-Games.mp3


Subscribe to the podcast: via RSS
Subscribe to the podcast: via iTunes

Send us an Email: podcast@greatbigtable.com
Follow us on Twitter: @greatbigtable
Leave us a voicemail: (401) It is big or (401) 484-7244


This episode of the Great Big Table is released under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives 3.0 license.


The My favorite game console is a table and chairs image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike license by Daniel Solis. If you like the image, head over to Daniel's blog, danielsolis.com, and buy the t-shirt. If you buy a t-shirt, tell Daniel that the Great Big Table podcast sent you. Daniel has an amazing blog with many interesting thoughts about gaming. Check it out.


***Great Big Table is a late-night conversation between two Midwestern geeks with dreams of world domination through board games. It's not a great plan, but it's our plan and we're sticking to it. Join as we plot to put a meeple in every pot- or at least on every table. We slipped the bonds of our robot masters, so the only opinions represented here are our own. We are however in league with Amazon, so a percentage of every purchase made through our links goes into our onshore accounts (thanks!). Some games have been provided by publishers for review while we picked up others for a buck or two at a thrift store or yard sale. Others are from our own collections or games we played with friends and strangers. You should be proud of yourself for reading all this small print- we are!

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Great Big Table Talk: Mindtwister USA National Marketing Director Jesse Den Herder at Gen Con 2014

At Gen Con, we were very fortunate to spend some time with game publishers and designers.

In the second of those conversations, we spoke with Mindtwister USA's National Marketing Director, Jesse Den Herder. Mindtwister is probably best known for its beautifully crafted, five-in-a-row, abstract game, Pentago. We had a great time talking with Jesse about some of Mindtwister's games and really enjoyed hearing his ideas about the possible demographic roots to the recent surge in the popularity of board games.

The Mindtwister USA games that we discussed in this episode include:
Fandooble
Pentago LE
Pentago CE (with travel case)
Pentago (classic wooden design)
Pentago multi player


Download the episode: GBT-EPGEN14-2-MindTwister-USA.mp3


Subscribe to the podcast: via RSS
Subscribe to the podcast: via iTunes

Send us an Email: podcast@greatbigtable.com
Follow us on Twitter: @greatbigtable
Leave us a voicemail: (401) It is big or (401) 484-7244


This episode of the Great Big Table is released under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives 3.0 license.


The My favorite game console is a table and chairs image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike license by Daniel Solis. If you like the image, head over to Daniel's blog, danielsolis.com, and buy the t-shirt. If you buy a t-shirt, tell Daniel that the Great Big Table podcast sent you. Daniel has an amazing blog with many interesting thoughts about gaming. Check it out.


***Great Big Table is a late-night conversation between two Midwestern geeks with dreams of world domination through board games. It's not a great plan, but it's our plan and we're sticking to it. Join as we plot to put a meeple in every pot- or at least on every table. We slipped the bonds of our robot masters, so the only opinions represented here are our own. We are however in league with Amazon, so a percentage of every purchase made through our links goes into our onshore accounts (thanks!). Some games have been provided by publishers for review while we picked up others for a buck or two at a thrift store or yard sale. Others are from our own collections or games we played with friends and strangers. You should be proud of yourself for reading all this small print- we are!

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Great Big Table Talk: HABA USA President Lea Culliton at Gen Con 2014

At Gen Con, we were very fortunate to spend some time with game publishers and designers.

In the first of those conversations, we meet HABA USA President Lea Culliton. This year's Gen Con is HABA USA's first time as an exhibitor. We were delighted to see this iconic family and children's game publisher joining the Family Pavillion.

Join us as we discuss some of the newest games in HABA USA's lineup.

The HABA games that we discussed in this episode include:


Shiver-stone Castle
Animal Upon Animal
My Very First Games: Animal Upon Animal
Animal Upon Animal: Small and Yet Great! (Travel game)
Pizzeria Allegro (Link to HABA USA)
Pirate’s Blast 
My Very First Games: Feeling and Touching 
My Very First Games: First Orchard 
Dancing Eggs 
Plucky Pilots

A surprise hit for HABA USA at Gen Con, that we actually didn't cover in our interview with Lea, was Rhino Hero. Rhino Hero is a dexterity game where you build a skyscraper out of cards while moving a rhinoceros superhero up the levels. You are trying to be the player with the fewest cards left in your hand when the whole thing comes tumbling down. Jim has played this in public on a couple of occasions now and it always garners a lot of interest. (Board Game Geek link

Download the episode: GBT-EPGEN14-1-Haba-USA.mp3


Subscribe to the podcast: via RSS
Subscribe to the podcast: via iTunes


Send us an Email: podcast@greatbigtable.com
Follow us on Twitter: @greatbigtable
Leave us a voicemail: (401) It is big or (401) 484-7244


This episode of the Great Big Table is released under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives 3.0 license.


The My favorite game console is a table and chairs image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike license by Daniel Solis. If you like the image, head over to Daniel's blog, danielsolis.com, and buy the t-shirt. If you buy a t-shirt, tell Daniel that the Great Big Table podcast sent you. Daniel has an amazing blog with many interesting thoughts about gaming. Check it out.


***Great Big Table is a late-night conversation between two Midwestern geeks with dreams of world domination through board games. It's not a great plan, but it's our plan and we're sticking to it. Join as we plot to put a meeple in every pot- or at least on every table. We slipped the bonds of our robot masters, so the only opinions represented here are our own. We are however in league with Amazon, so a percentage of every purchase made through our links goes into our onshore accounts (thanks!). Some games have been provided by publishers for review while we picked up others for a buck or two at a thrift store or yard sale. Others are from our own collections or games we played with friends and strangers. You should be proud of yourself for reading all this small print- we are!

Friday, May 23, 2014

Gen Con 2014: Gaming For Good

Come chat with us about charitable gaming during Gen Con 2014 in beautiful Indianapolis! There are only 9(!) tickets left [out of 50, I'm as surprised as you are], so reserve yours today.

Gaming for Good: An Insider's Guide to Playing Games for Charity  [SEM1459505]
Friday, August 15   10 AM
Crowne Plaza : Pennsylvania Stn C
Turn your gaming hobby into a force for good. Veteran charity gaming event organizers share their secrets for joining, organizing, promoting & hosting successful fundraisers.
Panelists will include Jim & Adrienne Jones, organizers of an Extra Life weekend for Riley Children's Hospital, Dan Patriss, organizer of Gamers for Cures, and Jamey Stegmaier, co-founder of Stonemaier Games. [We regret that Bill Corey, Gaming Hoopla organizer, is unable to attend this Gen Con.]
You know how much we love Gen Con from the podcast, but you may not know about their great partnerships with Indiana charities.

Gen Con, though housed in Seattle, is a great community partner with Indianapolis. Each year Gen Con and its attendees support a local non-profit in the Circle City.  This year's charity partner is Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana which "serves more than 350 hunger relief agencies and 250 schools throughout 21 counties in central and southeastern Indiana, providing emergency food and grocery products to thousands of Hoosiers in need."[Gen Con]

Very specifically, the money will go to the BackSacks program which "provides healthy food for school children over the weekend. BackSacks serves over 10,000 children at 230 schools in 21 Indiana counties." [Gen Con]

These generous efforts will help feed kids in urban, suburban, and rural communities. As Hoosiers, we thank Gen Con and its attendees for their consistent attentions to the needs of Hoosier families, especially Indiana's kids in need.

We've talked about the family experience at Gen Con on Baby Toolkit, so swing by if you want to take an AMAZING family gaming vacation this August!