The Dice Tower

Eric has been to a local game convention, and Tom and Julie are back from Essen, and we all have stories to tell. We discuss how to reward game teachers, how Spiel's layout has improved, what games people ran for in Germany, and how much Döner Kabab Tom ate. Plus, we returned with a new batch of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:00 - Introduction

00:51 - Jet Lag and Other Ways to be Tired

01:51 - Dice Tower Cruises and Dice Tower West

02:34 - Eric at Tabletop Utopia

04:48 - Railway Porters

06:31 - Rewards for Game Teachers

09:56 - On to Spiel!

13:25 - Press Preview Show

16:56 - The Messe is Full

23:14 - Layout Improvements

27:28 - The Games They Ran For

28:26 - Queen Alice's Line

31:07 - The Spiel Foundation in Hall 4

32:06 - Food Adventures

36:01 - See It in 2 Days and Get Cheap Games

37:14 - Odd Purchases from Julie: Revenge of the Seven Dwarfs, Zombie Days, Sylvans

39:05 - From Tom: Dungeon Cube

40:28 - Closing Thoughts on Spiel

41:42 - Crime Scene Tamperer

46:02 - Dicey Waters

49:36 - Thurn and Taxis

53:28 - Panika

56:00 - Greenwood

59:30 - Queen Alice

1:04:12 - Sign Off

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Today, we look forward to the games being released at Spiel 2026 in Essen, Germany. We'll share insights on the games we've played already, and let you know what's at the top of our wishlists.

00:00 - Introduction

00:52 - Dogs vs. Inflatables

02:00 - Dice Tower Cruises (Plural!), Dice Tower West and East

03:43 - Eric at Tabletop Utopia (and G.I. Joe Deckbuilding Game)

05:39 - Off to Spiel! Dice Tower Booth 3R315, Cephalofair 3R200

08:41 - BGG's Spiel Preview

10:58 - Queen Alice

12:36 - Expansions: Faraway: Beyond the Veil, Lost Ruins of Arnak: Surprise Shipment, Harmonies: Crescendo, The White Castle: Boeki

13:54 - Timespan

15:24 - Sixty Below

17:12 - Endeavor Deep Sea: Uncharted Waters

17:34 - Kingdom Come Deliverance

19:14 - ASHES Blackout Protocol

20:20 - Night at the Zoo

21:43 - Gaudi

23:16 - Entropy

24:12 - Drillers

24:50 - Carl von Linné

26:32 - Harmonies: Pulse

26:50 - Nijar

28:16 - Inferno 1348

29:05 - Wildscape

29:42 - Similo Essen Deck

30:17 - Prague Unseen

31:53 - Diables

32:39 - Chronocritters

33:56 - Greylune

35:03 - Axia: Slayer Combo

35:49 - Inferno: Virgil, Charon, & Lucifer

36:11 - Enchanted Ivy

36:42 - Take Time: Mirage

37:15 - Avalon: The Riven Veil

38:20 - Forest Shuffle: Smokey Mountains

39:16 - Schadenfreude

40:08 - Medico

40:38 - Fishing 2

42:16 - The Glasgow Train Robbery

42:33 - Thessaloniki

44:26 - Greenwood

47:10 - Revenge of the Seven Dwarfs

47:44 - Maleficium: Fall of the Witch Hunters

49:06 - Mechs vs. Minions

49:44 - Carpet Racers

50:24 - Fearsome Floors

50:47 - Class of '89

51:18 - Fragments: Solara

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Tom's been gaming, Julie's been gaming, and Eric will be gaming soon. The topic today is what happens when a game outgrows its original box. What do you do with too much gaming goodness? Plus, we have a double dose of Horror, and a usual quantity of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:00 - Introduction

00:54 - End of Summer: Essen, PAX, Cruise, Dice Tower West

02:47 - Tom at Dice Tower Retreat

03:54 - Julie's Retreat

05:07 - Eric at Tabletop Utopia

05:34 - Outgrowing Boxes

29:17 - Tales of Boardgaming Horror

40:03 - Temple Twist

44:27 - Hell of a Deal

49:10 - Planet Unknown

53:49 - Moon

58:20 - Journeys Afar: Ketsuki

1:01:50 - Brave & Bold

Tom kicks off the show by telling the tale of a church potluck that hid a surprise. We then continue our Game Night discussion by widening the scope to a larger community event at a local community center or library. The mailbag wonders what you should do when a small group at game night plays the same game every time, and we close the show with some new Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:00 - Introduction

00:51 - Dice Tower West Early Bird Ends Soon!

01:22 - A Surprise for Tom

05:46 - Running a Community Event

35:51 - Question: Only Playing One Game?

43:24 - The Secrets of Warden Keene

47:14 - Six-Sided Seas

50:12 - Trinket Trove

53:44 - Avenue

56:15 - Sequence Queens

1:00:33 - Endangered Rescue: Chambered Nautalus

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Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Dice Tower West: dicetowerwest.com

This time, we discuss the finer points of hosting a game night. From the guest list, to the planned games, to what to do about the food, we attempt to answer what seems like a simple question from the mailbag. Also, we have a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and a healthy dose of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:00 - Introduction

00:49 - It's Vegas Time (Dice Tower West)

01:19 - Tom's Birthday and Personal Talk

03:20 - Game Night

30:15 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

35:40 - Star Wars The Deckbuilding Game: Mandalorian and Empire and Rebels Reinforcements

40:17 - Forbidden Legacy

44:16 - Hercules and the 12 Labors

48:48 - The Pride Pursuit

51:41 - Strange Slot Simulator

56:38 - Tea and Rum

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Dice Tower West Registration dicetowerwest.com

Tom takes a brief respite before the end-of-year events hit, and before we discuss "simple" versions of popular games intended for the Mass Market shelves. Then, we answer a bunch of questions from the mailbag before moving on to a new batch of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:00 - Intro

00:55 - Hottest Days of the Year and Dice Tower West

02:06 - Too Many Games?

04:30 - Future Events: Spiel, PAX Unplugged, Internal Conventions

06:57 - "Simple" Versions

28:40 - Question: Theme or Mechanism?

30:00 - Question: What to Play?

34:34 - Question: Airing of Grievances?

38:29 - Question: Latecomers?

42:45 - Pondscape

45:38 - Sandcastles

51:20 - Miniature Adventures: Adventure 1: Goblin Trouble

55:10 - Dino Racer

57:31 - The Crew: Journeys to the Ends of the Earth

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

We're back from Gen Con with stories to tell! Lots of steps logged, games played, and high fives acquired. What were the big hits of the show, and where were we when the alarms went off? Plus, a completely normal amount of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:00 - Introduction

00:47 - Back from Gen Con

01:19 - Dice Tower West

02:07 - Biggest Gen Con Ever? and Construction

05:21 - What Did Gamers Run For?

08:26 - Artist Alley Has Gotten Crowded

09:00 - Dungeon Crawler Carl

11:34 - Games Played at The Booth: Citadels Duel

13:57 - Open Gaming at JW Marriott

15:48 - Geting Our Steps In

16:38 - Dedicated Publisher Rooms

18:18 - The Dice Tower Awards

19:53 - Loud Parties

21:02 - Light Games, CCGs, and RPGs

23:14 - Non-Game Purchases

26:30 - Paizo's New Boardgames

28:00 - Pins, Ribbons, and Trinkets

31:29 - Memorable Fan Interactions

32:52 - Tornado Warning

38:46 - Uh Oh, Dino

42:33 - Le Chocolat

43:37 - Drillers

46:58 - Panic Lab

50:05 - Invincible Season 2

52:01 - Kronologic Babylon 2500

56:39 - Wrap-Up

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

This time, we're poised for Gen Con 2026 and making plans. Where will we be? What games do we want? What games do others want? Who is good at thumbs? All will be answered along with a sprinkling of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:48 - Busiest Time of the Year

02:01 - Where Can We Be Found? - Booth 249

04:09 - New at Cephalofair - Buttons and Bugs Expansion

06:07 - Getting Steps In

07:19 - Game Bag Giveaway

07:55 - The Dice Tower Awards

09:11 - The Dwarves of Aquilon

10:23 - Meet the Final Girls - Julie on Friday Morning

10:47 - Eric's Gen Con Releases: Gudnak Means War, Mountain Goats Legacy

11:50 - Julie's Releases: Tales of Myth and Legend, Coloring Book

13:02 - BGG Preview List and the Nature of Thumbs

13:58 - Entropy

14:53 - Jason and the Argonauts

16:01 - Container

16:33 - Enchanted Ivy

17:18 - Mountain Goats Legacy

18:30 - Hercules and the 12 Labors

18:43 - Jibber Jabble

19:25 - High Society and 3 Witches

19:56 - Gruntz

20:12 - Torchlit

20:29 - French Toast

21:37 - Piñatas

22:06 - Kokeshi

23:08 - Book Club

24:28 - Fiction: Banned Books

25:07 - Golden Goal

25:24 - Under the Leaves

26:06 - Movie Night

26:17 - Stonk Market

26:26 - Triangulation

27:04 - Phantom Ink and Wordsy

27:21 - Endangered Australia

27:37 - The Game Makers

28:58 - Night at the Zoo

29:54 - Lairs

30:17 - Drillers and Lost Ruins of Arnak: Surprise Shipment

31:47 - Holliday Hijinks Friday Fright and More

32:12 - Orloj: The Prague Astronomical Clock

32:32 - Cascadia Alpine Lakes

33:02 - Nippon

33:49 - Wingspan Pocket

34:30 - The Old King's Crown

34:37 - Railway Boom

36:00 - Glasgow Train Robbery

36:16 - Tag Team: Arthur's Legacy

37:25 - Three Sisters Harvest Edition

37:53 - Forage

39:12 - SETI: Space Agencies, Forest Shuffle: Smoky Mountains, and Rock Hard 1977: Ear Candy

39:42 - Kingdom Crossing

40:19 - Shackleton Base: Below. Within. Above. and Fliptoons Season 2

40:54 - Moytura

41:01 - Tenby

41:20 - Jisogi: Anime Studio Tycoon

42:02 - Faraway: Under Starry Skies and Castle Combo: Out of the Oubliette

42:10 - Gold Country

42:52 - Mythologies

43:11 - Scythe: Duel of Meloch

44:13 - Friendly Fishing

45:50 - Codenames: Critical Role Adventures

46:25 - Trick to the Future

46:45 - Chris Couch Games: Garden Clubs

47:23 - Crime Scene Tamperer

47:52 - Games Played in the Booth

49:31 - Container (Eric)

53:33 - Cthulhu: Death May Die (Julie)

57:55 - Falling (Tom and Julie)

1:02:17 - Stuff to Watch if You Can't Come to Gen Con

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

The team is back from Dice Tower East with stories to tell. What games were taught? What events ran well? What did Eric find in the library? Plus, we have a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and a particularly pointy collection of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:00 - Introduction

00:46 - Games That Could Have Been Played at East

03:08 - Unloading from Dice Tower East

03:43 - Dice Tower East: General Thoughts

04:51 - Looming Gen Con

07:22 - DTE: Crowd Size

09:04 - DTE: The Top 10

10:09 - DTE: Number of Games Played

13:05 - DTE: Changes to the Library

16:55 - DTE: Eric Finds a Playmat

20:31 - DTE: Inflatable Curling

24:14 - DTE: Parsely

25:50 - DTE: Favorite Games Taught - Dwarves of Aquilon

28:29 - DTE: Favorite Games Taught - Cat Between Us

29:49 - DTE: Favorite Games Taught - Mechs vs. Minions

31:10 - DTE: Most Played Games

32:17 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

38:33 - Wispwood

43:30 - Inkwell

48:25 - Crafting the Cosmos

51:50 - Puppy Pile

56:53 - Wingspan Pocket

1:01:21 - Bunny Kingdom Town

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Julie recounts her adventures at Origins 2026 before we delve into questions about Authenticity of Theme, Fan Interactions, and Teaching Race for the Galaxy. And of course, we close the show with a healthy dose of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:00 - Intro

00:45 - Middle of the Year

03:59 - Last Minute Dice Tower East

04:32 - Julie at Origins

30:26 - Question: Teaching Race for the Galaxy

33:58 - Question: Taking You Out of The Theme

37:11 - Question: Fan Interactions

43:49 - Shapely

46:59 - Revisiting Mice and Mystics

49:55 - Soothsayers

52:25 - The Friday Fright

55:25 - Flip Voyage

58:18 - Tomatoss

Questions? Tale of Horror? Hot Sauce Recipes? tom@dicetower.com

Tom tells us about his adventures in The Philippines before we spark some discussion from a Tale of Boardgaming Horror: What do you do when you learn your game design is similar to a game that already exists? Plus, we dive into the bag of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops and pull out some winners.

00:00 - Introduction

00:51 - Senior Slacking Revisited

02:05 - Tom's Journey - Travel Woes

04:07 - All aBOARD EXPO

18:35 - Focusing on Dice Tower East

19:36 - Language Issues

20:19 - Discussion of Horror: Parallel Game Design

35:16 - Grow Sky

38:51 - Deep Sea Divers of Jeju

42:21 - Flamenco

47:15 - Stratego Quick Battle

50:41 - My Book Nook

54:38 - Cloud City

Flamenco Ad (Dancing Cats): https://youtu.be/mz7Qh79K8GA?si=JpknJaXuh22wgE5J

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Tom is out, so Eric and Julie discuss books that have become games: from public domain classics to the latest multi-million dollar bestseller tie-in. Plus, we approach our latest collection of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:00 - Introduction

00:48 - Where's Tom?

01:38 - Senior Slacking

04:18 - Dice Tower Events: East and Cruise

05:01 - Books Into Boardgames

46:27 - Winter Rabbit

56:08 - Seas of Strife

58:50 - Winnie the Pooh Serious Detective

1:05:34 - Pandemic Rising Tide

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Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

This time, we take a look at Legacy games, and the ways players modify them in order to be less like a legacy game. But is something lost in the translation? Plus, we have a Tale of Horror, Roses, Thorns, and Hoops, and Tom's still grumpy about Stephen Sondheim.

00:00 - Intro

00:50 - Broadway

01:39 - Maycember

02:30 - Summer Cons: Dice Tower East, Gen Con (Booth #249), Dice Tower Cruise

04:38 - Small Games, Little Joy

05:39 - Legacy Games

30:22 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

35:54 - Terraria

43:03 - The Queen's Dilemma

49:53 - Sanctuary

55:15 - The Case of the Curiously Quiet Theater

58:20 - Wool Street

1:02:31 - Colosseum: The Grand Spectacle

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Julie shares more news about her new position, after which we discuss the finer points of Hype. How does one manage excitement about a product when it's not necessarily playable yet? Then, we have both a question from the mailbag and a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and we close the show with some new Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:00 - Introduction

01:18 - Summer Approaching - Hot Games at Dice Tower East

03:00 - Gamefound Pledge Manager - https://www.supportdicetower.com

03:55 - Julie's News Continued

06:25 - Hype

28:57 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

34:14 - Question: Card Sizes

37:56 - The Emerald Flame

42:28 - Rollie

46:27 - The Cat Between Us

49:43 - Tag Team

53:08 - "Normal" Human

55:28 - Star Trek Space Hunt

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

This time, Julie has some news, Tom's excited for Summer, and Eric wants to play games on vacation. We discuss the various games that live in our bags, just in case there's a chance to play them. Plus, we have a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and a heaping helping of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:50 - Spring and The Christmas of Boardgames

01:51 - Dice Tower East and Library Changes

03:04 - Cruise is Live

03:42 - A Mythical Game Bag

05:09 - Julie's Big News

06:45 - Traveling With Games - Game Bags

09:02 - Wandering Merchants at Gen Con

10:15 - Stashing Games In Non-Gaming Bags

13:51 - Why Button Shy?

16:11 - Making Play Seamless

17:16 - Trying to Make Friends on Trips

19:20 - Footprint/Table Space

21:42 - Any Lost Games, Rules, Boxes?

22:25 - Eric Is Quivering Wrong

24:15 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror?

34:22 - Bare Bones

39:00 - Coming of Age

45:20 - Jewel Box

47:55 - Sanibel

51:07 - For Northwood!

44:49 - Rising Cultures

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

This time, Tom crows about another victory for Vasel's Law with the announcement of The King's Gambit. Then, Julie pens her own Tale of Boardgaming Horror (but she makes Eric read it), and we move on to a field of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:47 - Back from Dice Tower West

02:20 - Dice Tower East and Cruise

06:37 - The King's Gambit and Vasel's Law

26:57 - Julie's Tale of Boardgaming Horror

37:43 - Pirate Borg

43:06 - Finspan

45:52 - First Giants

49:41 - Art Decko

52:49 - The Winds of Numa Sera

57:12 - Catan on the Road

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

On this episode, Tom, Julie and Eric are live at Dice Tower West in Las Vegas taking questions from the audience and talking about the games they've played (with a brief Tom-less interlude from Eric and Julie).

01:01 - Dice Tower West Library and Most Played

03:59 - Julie in Demoville and Escape Rooms

06:06 - Julie Came With a List

08:24 - Star Wars: Battle of Hoth

09:28 - Tea Garden

11:01 - Orloj: The Prague Astronomical Clock

12:55 - Feierabend

15:21 - Merchant of Venus #100

16:47 - Fathom

18:38 - Shapely

21:03 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

28:28 - Eric and Julie Interlude

29:10 - E&J: Stuff on Tables

31:39 - E&J: Strange Things to Carry

34:05 - E&J: What Shouldn't Stay in Vegas

36:51 - E&J: Drawing a Crowd

39:34 - Question: Game Opening Disasters

44:42 - Question: Escaping Jail

46:44 - Question: Comprehensive Rulebooks

52:01 - Minor Tom Rant: Authority to Answer Questions

52:58 - Question: Art for Prototypes

56:31 - Question: Deluxe Editions

58:37 - Question: Less or More of a Genre

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Julie's been to a castle! And GAMA Expo! We chat about those adventures for a bit before moving on to the topic of physical weight of our games. How heavy is too heavy? We also share a question from the mailbag, and collect some Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:54 - Winter Woes and Dice Tower West

05:42 - Julie and Hoop and Stick

11:25 - GAMA Expo

14:21 - Heavy Games

33:08 - Question: What Is the Soup of Games?

41:04 - Lairs

43:34 - Chicago Grand Slam

46:50 - Hot Streak

48:18 - Wilmot's Warehouse

52:08 - A Place for All My Books

54:35 - Regicide

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Julie's out this time, so Tom and Eric spend time looking back at Epic Game Events that they've been involved with at conventions over the years. What worked well, and what did not? Plus, a question from the mailbag about digital vs. in-person gaming, and Tom and Eric each present a full set of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:47 - No Julie, February Lull

01:35 - Live Show at Dice Tower West (Friday 3pm)

02:42 - Groundhogs and Polka Interlude

03:21 - Dice Tower East and Curling

06:14 - Epic Game Events

36:37 - Question: Live vs. BGA?

42:33 - Age of Galaxy

46:05 - A Message from the Stars

50:06 - Trasteros/Storeroom Inc.

52:56 - Nuns on the Run (2nd Edition)

56:05 - Suds and Malone

1:00:49 - Lords of Worlds

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Tom and Eric are back from the Dice Tower Cruise, trying not to make Julie jealous, but failing miserably. We talk about games played, ports visited, and flights cancelled. Plus, we dive into the listener mailbag, and gather a new round of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:54 - Dice Tower West and The Library

02:33 - Merchant of Venus in The Library

04:26 - Dice Tower Cruise - Pre-Cruise

10:50 - Cruise: Most Checked-Out Games

21:57 - Cruise: St. Thomas Game Day

25:02 - Eric's Travel Woes

27:26 - Jibber Jabble

29:44 - Julie's Cruise Contribution

30:47 - Question: Too Social?

38:33 - JiSoGi: Anime Studio Tycoon

46:07 - Eternal Decks

49:44 - Ham Helsing

55:11 - Cosy Stickerville

59:03 - Fest Season

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com