(Editor’s Note: A�Depending on the demographics of our audience, that might be a severely bad reference. A�Either way, it’s a bit of a stretch, I admit.)

I went to Wal*Mart a couple of days ago. A�By itself, that isn’t newsworthy. A�I go to Wal*Mart several times a week. A�Sometimes I go there twice or three times in the same day. A�In fact, I think that I’ve been to “Big Blue” at least once a day for the past week. A�The trips aren’t usually worth mentioning. A�During this trip, I checked their game aisle. A�Again, not really out of the ordinary. A�I check the aisle almost every time I’m there, even though it rarely changes in any significant way. A�However, I went there for Aiden and Quinn, who had $10 each of birthday money burning a hole in their pockets. A�Aiden wanted Pokemon cards and Quinn wanted a Pokeball with a miniature Pokemon. A�I found both things, but initially nothing for me. A�I had just bought 15 packs of Magic a couple of days earlier, so you can argue that I didn’t need anything. A�Then again, does anyone ever “need” more collectibles?

So, why am I wasting your time with this story about my trip to Wal*Mart? A�You must be new here. A�In that case, welcome! A�(If not, skip to the next paragraph.) I hope you enjoy the page and podcast. A�I do things a bit less conventionally than other gaming sites. A�I wander off on tangents. A�I abuse parenthetical phrases. A�Luckily, I often warn you when I lose focus and I (almost) always wind up back on topic eventually.

Oh, what’s this? A�I notice that Wal*Mart now carries Dice Masters. A�I’ve heard of the game through my research into Heroclix. A�Also, for some reason, I am in a Dice Masters community on Google+. A�Yeah, I know, but I don’t have a phone and it lets me text using my tablet. A�I never considered the game–not seriously, at least–until Free Comic Book Day.

The actual day turned out to be less about free comics and more about riding bikes, but that’s okay. A�The best days are often those that do go according to plan. A�We eventually made it to the store for the books, but it was too late and there wasn’t much of a selection. A�As he often does, since he is under the impression that money is limitless, Aiden asked me to buy him everything from new Pokemon cards to a keychain for keys that he doesn’t own. A�While dodging his persistent demands, I saw that the store offered Dice Masters.

“That’s a fun game”. A�The store owner offered. A�Unsure whether he meant it or was just trying to make a sale, I forced a nod, pretended to admire the packaging a little longer, and escaped with my uninspiring free comics and unmolested wallet. A�That’s how I learned about Dice Masters.

The story does not end there, loyal readers! A�Oh, no! A�As I have said, our main mission at 2 Guys Gaming is to make games fun. A�Part of that fun is discovering new games. A�Another part of that fun, for me, is playing those new games with my sons. A�You can, of course, see where this incredibly obvious plot twist is taking us. A�Please, though, no spoilers. A�Allow this frustrated story teller a moment of intrigue and surprise.

The shop owner’s comment stayed with me. A�I mentioned it to Chris, who showed some interest in playing. A�I put the game on our tentative schedule for discussion on the podcast later in the year. A�I let the comment “That’s a fun game” marinate in my brain stew until it reached the proper level of roasted succulence. A�Well, now, that was a weird metaphor. A�I must be hungry.

No matter how I ended up in the gaming aisle at the local Wal*Mart looking at the Dice Masters and thinking back on my brief history with the game, there I was. A�It didn’t take long to make the decision to get the Avengers v. X-Men Starter Pack. A�They also had the DC Justice League Starter, but I am an unabashed Marvel zombie.

I brought the boys home their spoils. A�Aiden immediately broke open his packs and they have gotten him back into the Pokemon mood. A�We played two games this afternoon and he kicked my butt severely. A�I got away from my comfort zone of darkness and psychic type and tried to build a fighting and water deck. A�Unfortunately, Quinn got a hold of my deck and the Blastoise EX never made it back. A�The replacement EX got buried in my prize cards and he handled my Pokemon pretty well with one of his. A�After I KO’d his first Pokemon, he used a great strategy to get a strong one off of his bench to destroy me.

Quinn, since he is 4, absolutely loved his Pokeball and Pokemon. A�I found the other figures that they previously owned and he played with them for a day or two. A�It now sits forgotten somewhere in the house. A�Sad and lonely, it waits to be played again. A�Hopefully, Quinn finds it before something drastic happens. A�I will spare you the dark depths of my mind and tales of toy suicide. A�Just pray with me for the poor Dusk Ball. A�It has a family (possibly) and friends (presumably) that love and care about it.

Well, despite my better intentions, that got dark. A�Let’s get back to having fun. A�After giving them their stuff, I sat at the dining room table to learn the game. A�Christine made fun of me for playing with myself. A�That one is for you, perverts. A�I wanted to make sure that I understood the game before trying to teach the boys.

The starter set rule book illustrated a very helpful tutorial game. A�I played through that solo and got a much better grasp of the game than I have even for Heroclix after playing a full game. A�That might have more to do with Heroclix being a more complex game, but it was nice to have the tutorial as an introduction. A�They also wrote a more complication explanation of a turn, but I didn’t read that. A�I don’t have infinite time. A�The tutorial is more than enough to learn the basics of the game and it is not nearly as complex as Magic or Heroclix. A�There is still strategy and decision making, but it is an easy game to pick up and play right away. A�I taught both of the boys how to play in less than a half an hour total.

They both took to the game like a fish in water. A�Is that even a saying? A�Probably not, but they did love the game. A�We had plans for Memorial Day weekend with the in-laws and they asked to bring the game to the cookout. A�We played many more games over the next few days. A�It has gotten busy with school, Tae Kwon Do, field trips, and soccer, so we haven’t played much recently.

Even so, I ended up buying the Justice League starter set, too. A�While the one starter offers a wide variety of teams and games possible, I also wanted to play as Batman and maybe Superman. A�Little did I know that Aiden would discover Deathstroke as one of the most OP characters we’ve played. A�I want to keep expanding into other sets and buy more dice for the sets that we have. A�While each game has been different due to the variety, you can never have too many cards or dice. A�My wife, of course, would disagree, but I don’t take her advice in these matters.

The game is fun to play. A�It is easy to pick up and learn strategy as you play. A�My kids, especially Aiden, love it. A�Even with a limited collection (one starter set for around 15 dollars) the games are virtually limitless in their possibilities. A�Booster packs are cheaper than Magic or Heroclix. A�The game isn’t as collectible as those other games, but that’s a minor consideration. A�I would definitely recommend this game to any gamer who is looking to expand into something new, fun, and quick.