Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Mutant Dice Chats

The studio AC is broken, the ice is melting, and the hot weather is officially melting our brains—so this week, we’re leaning into the heat and staging a formal intervention to convince Ian to play Flamecraft.
In Episode 18, Lee and Justine are united by a singular mission: making Ian play Manny Vega’s adorable, cozy game of artisan dragons. While Ian tries to survive the sweltering studio temperatures and resist the charm of "Breadwinning" and "Meat-packing" dragons, the rest of the crew lays out exactly why this town-building, engine-gathering modern classic needs to be on his radar. We talk about the brilliant, accessible gameplay, and why Ian needs to play it.
Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we sweat through the hot takes, try to ignite Ian’s interest, and find out if the cutest dragons in gaming can melt his heart.

Pack your bags and prepare for a fantasy race war—this week, we’re stepping onto the cramped board of Small World, a game Lee absolutely adores, but has literally never won.

In Episode 17, we explore Philippe Keyaerts' classic area-control game where players draft bizarre fantasy combos to conquer a map that is intentionally too small for everyone. While Ian and Justine marvel at the shifting tactical puzzle, Lee is locked in a tragic cycle of unrequited love. We break down the clever "In Decline" mechanic, the brutal joy of wiping your friends off the map, and the psychological toll of loving a game that completely refuses to love you back.

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we watch empires rise, fall, and go into decline—much like Lee’s win-loss record.

The final five are locked in—this week, we are crowning our Top 5 Favourite Board Games of All Time.

In Episode 16, we are finishing what we started and counting all the way down to our absolute number one games. With the lists kept completely secret until the mics started rolling, the stage is set for ultimate surprises, validation, and maybe a little bit of heartbreak. We’re talking about the desert-island games, the flawless designs, and the absolute masterpieces that represent the pinnacle of our tabletop journeys.

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine for the thrilling conclusion of the ultimate countdown. Who takes the crown? Who gets heavily judged by their co-hosts? And which game reigns supreme as the ultimate Mutant Dice favourite?

Lock in your predictions and prepare for the hot takes—this week, we’re kicking off our Top 10 Favourite Board Games of All Time.

In Episode 15, the gloves are off as we count down from number 10 down to number 6 on our personal lists. This is the culmination of every game night, every hard-fought victory, and every crushing defeat we’ve shared. We break down the games that have earned a permanent spot on our shelves, the titles that define our tastes, and the moments that made us fall in love with the hobby all over again. Expect some massive surprises, and defending our choices from each other.

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine for Part 1 of the ultimate showdown as we reveal the first half of our definitive favourites and get ready for the top 5 next week!

Grab your character sheets and polyhedral dice—this week, we’re mapping out our personal histories with Roleplaying Games.

In Episode 14, we’re looking back at our journeys into the world of tabletop RPGs. Justine is in her absolute element, guiding us through her lifelong love for collaborative storytelling. Meanwhile, Lee is forced to answer for his crimes after publicly swearing he would never touch an RPG, only to inevitably succumb to the tabletop dark side. And Ian? Well, Ian is just here because his crippling fear of missing out means he refuses to be left behind at the tavern. We talk about our first ever RPG games, what keeps us hooked, and how our tastes have evolved over the years.

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we recap our tabletop origins, roast Lee for his change of heart, and find out if Ian actually likes dungeons or if he's just scared we'll have fun without him.

Turn up your radio telescopes and point them at the stars—this week, we’re looking for signs of life in SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

In Episode 13, the studio is fundamentally divided. Lee is completely starry-eyed, fully immersed in the heavy, scientific puzzle of launching probes, scanning distant solar systems, and tracking down alien signals. Justine, on the other hand... is ready to abort the mission. We dig into the heavy mechanisms of this sprawling sci-fi euro, debate whether the massive theme actually translates into fun, and ask the ultimate question: is exploring the cosmos an epic tabletop journey, or just a very long, quiet night shift?

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we alienate each other over alien life, signal-jam each other's arguments, and try to survive a deep-space clash of opinions.

In Episode 12, we peel back the shiny, optimistic veneer of this modern engine-building classic. On the surface, the cards promise a glittering high-tech utopia. In reality, we’re strip-mining resources, recycling failed projects for spare materials, and aggressively gatekeeping technologies just to stop our friends from getting ahead. We break down the genius of the game’s sequential production system and explore how quickly noble empire-building devolves into cold, calculating efficiency.

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we attempt to build a better tomorrow through the dark arts of hate-drafting, resource hoarding, and just a touch of corporate mismanagement.

Put your workers to work—this week, we’re talking about Worker Placement games.

In Episode 11, we dive headfirst into the cutthroat world of assigning meeples, gathering resources, and the pure, unadulterated fury of someone taking the exact spot you needed. From cozy classics to heavy strategy, we’re sharing our absolute favourite games in the genre.

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we clock in for a shift of strategic planning, argue over the best spots on the board, and inevitably watch our carefully managed engines completely fall apart.

To celebrate reaching double digits and a fancy new studio setup, Episode 10 is all about looking forward. We’re breaking down the brand-new releases hitting our tables right now and the upcoming games that have our hype meters fully maxed out. From well-known games to hidden indie gems we can't wait to unbox, we're giving you our ultimate wishlists.

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we revel in our high-def glory, debate which upcoming titles are actually worth the money, and—as always—let the conversation derail into beautiful, crystal-clear chaos.

Grab your favourite eraser—this week, we’re talking about Roll and Writes.

In Episode 9, we dive into the addictive world of games that swap heavy boards for a simple pad of paper and a handful of dice. From the satisfaction of filling in the perfect combo to the frustration of needing just one specific result that never shows up, we discuss why these games often end up stealing the spotlight on game night. We also take a look at their "Flip and Write" cousins, even if Ian can’t seem to remember that he's playing with cards instead of dice!

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we share our top picks for the genre and—true to form—get completely sidetracked by our own strategic blunders. It’s time to sharpen those pencils and see if we can draw a winning line (without going off the rails)!

Is your tablet just another component, or is it a party pooper?

In Episode 8, we’re logging on to discuss the rise of app-assisted board games. From digital dungeon masters to atmospheric soundscapes, we dive into the tech that’s changing how we play. We share our experiences with high-tech hits and the big question: do these apps enhance the magic or just distract us from the people across the table?

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we debate whether we’re embracing the future or if we’d rather just leave the screens in the other room. Whether you love the automation or find the "forced updates" a bit much, come along as we try to find a connection—hopefully without the Wi-Fi dropping!

Lock and load! This week, we intended to discuss the broad world of Wargaming, from historical battlefields to sci-fi skirmishes. However, the mission parameters changed almost immediately.

Justine completely hijacks the conversation to talk about her obsession with Corvus Belli’s Infinity—and predictably, the lads are quick to dive into the Human Sphere right along with her.

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine for a "general" wargaming episode that quickly becomes a deep dive into cyberpunk tactics and metal miniatures. It’s a total tactical takeover, but would you really expect anything else from this crew?

This week, we’re venturing into Middle-earth as we discuss our first play-through of The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship.

Spoiler alert: It didn't go well. In fact, we lost. Badly. Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we recap our (very) brief journey toward Mordor, where we went wrong, and whether the fellowship actually stood a chance with us at the helm. We might have failed the mission, but we definitely didn't fail to find things to laugh about along the way.

Grab your lembas bread and settle in for a tale of tactical errors, questionable decisions, and the inevitable tangents that make our quest even longer than the walk to Mount Doom!

Can a great movie or book actually make for a great board game?

In Episode 5, we’re talking about Intellectual Properties—the movies, TV shows, and books we love that have made the jump to our gaming tables. Whether it’s exploring a galaxy far, far away or trying to survive a mission where no one can hear you scream, we discuss the games that successfully captured the magic of their source material (and the ones that missed the mark).

Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we geek out over our favourite franchises, debate the best adaptations, and inevitably wander off into a few unrelated fandoms. If you’ve ever bought a game just because your favourite character was on the box, this one’s for you!

Can a board game's "bits" make the game better?

In Episode 4, we celebrate the parts of board games that make us go “wow!” — the components. From beautifully sculpted miniatures to stunning boards, from clever tokens to luxurious cards, we dive into the games that win our hearts through tactile delight.

Join us as we share our favourite board game components and why they make gameplay so much more enjoyable.

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but what about a board game? In this episode, we dive into some of our favourite games that we almost ignored because their box art just didn’t grab us. Whether it’s dull design, confusing visuals, or just plain forgettable packaging, these games prove that looks can be deceiving.

Join us as we uncover the hidden gems hiding behind boring boxes, and chat about why great gameplay doesn’t always come with great presentation.

This week, we’re diving into our obsession with the Arkham Horror universe. We talk about our favourite (and most frustrating) sessions, why we keep coming back to the Madness, and our personal experiences with the games.

We might get a little off-track along the way, but that’s all part of the fun. Grab a drink and join us for a laugh as we try to survive the Mythos!

Welcome to the very first episode! Get to know your hosts, Ian, Lee, and Justine, as we attempt to talk about the games we love.

Warning: We get distracted. A lot. Between the games that bring us joy and the ones that absolutely frustrate us, we managed to fit in plenty of laughs, a few jokes, and a whole lot of tangents. If you love board games and don't mind a conversation that goes off the rails, you’re in the right place!

Welcome to the chaos! Mutant Dice Chats is the new home for board game geeks, RPG fans, and anyone who loves a good tabletop showdown. Join Ian, Lee, and Justine as we recap the stories, the laughs, and the inevitable rage over that one impossible rule.  From heavy strategy to casual party games, we’re celebrating everything that makes game night great (including the beer and the critical fumbles). Hit follow to join the table—our first full episodes are launching soon!