We figure you feel the same, and that’s why we wanted to show you these great Lego dice towers…

Now for those of you are new to dice towers, the concept is simple: a vertical prism with angled interior walls allows the dice to spin and tumble as gravity spits them out of the base.

The result is about as random as…well…just rolling the dice normally, but some of the designs are pretty cool – especially when they’re made from Lego bricks!

The king of dice towers, the self-loader! (More on this one later.)

This tower with a space theme might be a bit overkill for Battlestar Galactica's solitary dice.

This Arkham Horror themed dice tower looks fantastic!

Nothing to do with board gaming, but a very impressive Harry Potter design nonetheless.

This Arabian themed tower makes one wish for more dice in Tales Of The Arabian Nights.

Now, back to the self-loading dice tower:

Does anyone else suddenly fancy a game of Dice Town?

The concept was simple: purchase Power Grid or Power Grid: Factory Manager and go into the draw to win one of the cards.

Simple, right?

But what if some people are such dedicated fans of the Power Grid enterprise that they already own both games?

This question was posed to us, and so in response we’re expanding which titles apply to the full range of available expansions, too, meaning the full list is:

• Power Grid ($79)
• Power Grid: Factory Manager ($79)
• Power Grid: Brazil/Spain and Portugal ($48)
• Power Grid: Benelux/Central Europe ($36)
• Power Grid: China/Korea ($36)
• Power Grid: France/Italy ($36)
• Power Grid Power Plant Deck 2 ($18)

The newly added expansions are not currently in stock, but we can bring them in, so if you’re after one, just contact us to arrange payment.  All Power Grid payments received in March will go into the draw.

So to summarise, if you purchase any of the above titles, you’ll go into the draw to win one of the cards.  Buy two titles, and you’ll go into the draw twice, and so on.

Plus, if you’re a SeriouslyBoard fan on our Facebook page, you won’t just go into the draw – you’ll get a discount, to boot!

If that’s so, the wait is finally over!

Every once in a while, we at SeriouslyBoard come across something so special that we can’t keep it to ourselves.  In fact, this time it’s literal – we want to give something away!

In October 2008, at the Spiel expo in Essen, (the German town considered the spiritual home of modern board gaming), two limited edition Power Grid power plant cards were released.  More than a year later, we’ve managed to get our hands on one of each:

You may have noticed that someone has scribbled on them with a marker pen.  Those “scribbles” are in fact the autographs of Friedemann Friese, designer of Power Grid, and the game’s artist Maura Kalusky!

So how do you get one of these gems?

Well, we aren’t going to sell them.  For two lucky customers, each card will be given away free of charge!

Here’s how it works: simply buy Power Grid or Power Grid: Factory Manager in the month of March, and you’re in the draw!  It’s as simple as that!  Plus, if you’re already a fan on our Facebook page, you’ll get an even better offer!

(Note: these cards can’t be used with Power Grid: Factory Manager, but we’ve included that game in our special for those of you who already own Power Grid, and because the newer game features the same designer and artist.)

So if you went to Kapcon or the Wellycon Warmdown, you only have a few days to make the most of your discount on all games!

The same applies to those of you who were our first 50 fans on our Facebook page.

The clock is ticking, so get clicking!

Oh, and did we mention that it’s free?

Thru-the-portal is a quarterly digital magazine that covers what the editor calls “social games” – board games, card games, and role playing games.

It features some great articles, game reviews, and interviews, as well as professional quality artwork, and it’s bound to get better and better as the number of contributors and readers grow.

As thru-the-portal is an unashamedly international project, we at SeriouslyBoard encourage all Kiwis to check the magazine out.  We’ll be sure to let you know when the next issue is available.

And remember – it’s free!

Want in on the action?

Our FaceBook page is a great way of keeping updated with what we’re up to, as well as providing discussion and adding photos and videos.  Our FaceBook fans also get exclusive offers as a thank you for their dedicated support.

If you’re already a fan of SeriouslyBoard on our FaceBook page, you should have received a code to get 5% off any purchase during the month of February.  The new FaceBook is a bit different to navigate, but you can find the special by clicking on ‘Messages’ from the main page, followed by ‘Updates’.  Or, to save time, you can just click here.

And if you’re not already a fan, make sure you become one, because we’re working to grow and nurture the national board gaming community one gamer at a time, and it just wouldn’t be the same without you!

You can find our FaceBook page here.  Happy gaming!

I can hear the uproar already.

“Madness!” you cry. “Ludicrous!  A game of Carcassonne shouldn’t take an entire work day to play!”

Normally, yes.  But not when you put numerous sets of Carcassonne along with Carcassonne: The Tower, Carcassonne: The Princess & The Dragon, and other expansions together for a mega-game of the tile laying classic.

Just like these people, who spent a whopping 9 hours playing the game:

As for who won?  Well, by the time the game finally reach its conclusion, it was 3am, and everybody was too exhausted to care!

You’ll find references to Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Power Grid, and Agricola, (as well as a couple of other recogniseable old school titles), from Zazzle, GameInk, and BustedTees.

SeriouslyBoard.co.nz is no different, so we’ve been working on an expansion of our own.

Okay, so we’re not talking about a literal board game expansion, but we are experiencing some growth at the moment – primarily in the case of Angie’s stomach!

Yes, she’s pregnant, and our new ‘expansion’ is a tiny human form growing inside her stomach!

The new SeriouslyBoard.co.nz expansion is scheduled for a June 16th release.

But that isn’t all that’s going on, especially if you live in the North Island.

If you find yourself in the windy city this weekend, or in the central North Island, there’s a board gaming event going on nearby, and chances are that SeriouslyBoard is somehow involved.

Wellington folk are especially spoiled with two events happening over the weekend. There’s the Wellycon Warmdown, a follow up to the main Wellycon event back in August. And, just like last time, SeriouslyBoard is lending a helping hand by offering games as spot prizes and a special discount to all attendees.

Likewise around the corner at Kapcon, a predominantly roleplaying event that has its fair share of board gaming thrown in. SeriouslyBoard has donated games and a special rate there, too.

And in Matamata this Sunday, we’re having another get together.  It’ll be at the same time and place as our last gathering, and we will again have a special price for everyone who comes along.

So if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, and you’re in the bottom half of the North Island, make sure you get to one of these fantastic events!