The Dice Tower

We are back from Gen Con, and ready to talk about our adventures! We discuss the crowds, the events, and the games we enjoyed, and maybe a little about the food we ate as well. We also share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and share our latest crop of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:46 - Announcements: Dice Tower West and Dice Tower Cruise 01:40 - Gen Con: Crowds and Fans 10:25 - Gen Con: Sales and Sellouts 12:50 - Gen Con: What Did We Buy? 16:20 - Gen Con: Tom's Trends 20:42 - Gen Con: Dice Tower Awards 23:27 - Gen Con: Food 26:36 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 37:25 - Giraffe Raffe 40:13 - Tag Team 43:24 - Oddland 44:50 - At The Gates of Loyang 47:27 - Fliptoons 49:35 - The Four Doors Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

We're on our way to Gen Con! And here are the games we're most excited about (as well as the ones that are getting the most buzz online). You'll also here where to find us in Indy, where we plan to eat, and how we plan to survive the Best Four Days in Gaming. 00:45 - Releases in the second half of the year. 02:23 - Preparing for Crowds at Gen Con - New Cart Policy 08:15 - Food Trucks 11:15 - Where Will We Be? 19:59 - The Games of Gen Con (BGG Preview: https://boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/77/gen-con-2025-preview) 20:54 - Vantage 23:27 - Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor 23:54 - Lost Ruins of Arnak: Adventure Chest 24:23 - Gwent: The Legendary Card Game 25:26 - Lightning Train 26:32 - Sea Salt and Paper: Extra Pepper 27:11 - Luthier 28:00 - Fliptoons 28:36 - Ruins 30:10 - Nature 30:53 - Rebel Princess Deluxe: Happily Never After 32:00 - Ace of Spades 33:35 - Galactic Cruise 34:31 - Pirates of Maracaibo: Commanders 34:43 - Soda Jerk 36:25 - Point Galaxy 37:04 - Compile Main 2 38:08 - Star Wars Battle of Hoth 38:41 - Gal

It's time to recap our adventures at Dice Tower East 2025. We discuss the games we played and events we ran, and you also get to hear what Eric and Julie got up to when working at the Dice Tower Booth, which includes brainstorming ways to get Tom to remember the difference between Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:46 - We Didn't See Each Other 01:45 - Gen Con is Around The Corner 03:26 - Dice Tower East: New Space 05:40 - Eric and Julie: How Do You Spend Small Amounts of Free Time? 09:28 - Library Checkouts: My Father's Work, Hot Streak, Bomb Busters, So Clover, Cretaceous Rails, Fromage, River Valley Glassworks, Lord of the Rings Duel, Toy Battle, Castle Combo, Sky Team, SETI, Galactic Cruise 16:26 - Eric and Julie: Favorite Old Game To Teach? - Fearsome Floors, Ra 19:05 - Variety of Games Played: Space Base, Ready Set Bet, My Father's Work (again), Merchant of Venus, Cosmic Encounter 25:33 - Missing Deep Regrets 26:16 - Eric and Julie: Game To Make Tom Play? 28:34 - Events: Parsely, Andrew Bosley Can't Draw

Today, we discuss our recent travel adventures. Eric has returned from a Ninja Escort Mission and ran into gaming opportunites at every turn. And Tom and Julie have the full scoop on the 50th Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH. Then, we finish the show with a gathering of our latest Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:48 - Convention Season - Dice Tower East 01:53 - Playing Only Older Games 04:01 - What We're Doing at Dice Tower East: Parsely, Wits and Wagers 06:48 - Dice Tower Awards at Gen Con 08:11 - Eric's Ninja Escort Adventure 13:22 - Origins with Tom and Julie 14:32 - Origins: Special Events for 50th? 18:28 - Origins: Game Debuts and Exhibit Hall 28:31 - Origins: Board Room and Open Gaming 33:59 - Origins: Tom as Special Guest 35:28 - Origins: Julie's Adventures 38:06 - Origins: Lessons Learned 40:02 - TowerBrix 44:29 - Square One 48:57 - Apothebakery 53:48 - Kabob 57:42 - Orbit 58:59 - How Many What? Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

This time, Tom gives us an update on his replay of the Catan expansions before we take a big look at small games. What are the pros and cons of games that can fit in your pocket? Also, we share a new Tale of Horror, as well as our latest batch of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 01:03 - Summer: Origins, Dice Tower East, Dice Tower Cruise, Gen Con 05:03 - Catan Update and Chess 07:10 - Small Games 36:41 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 40:06 - Hot Streak 44:22 - Rhymes with Duck 47:08 - Lynx 51:11 - Endeavor: Deep Sea 54:51 - Fate of the Fellowship 58:21 - Tower Up Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Tom, Julie, and Eric run through the nominees for the German Game of the Year awards before focusing on the episode's main topic: box covers. How does what you put on the front of the box attract a particular audience? We also have a tale of horror? as well as a question from the mailbag, and of course our usual assortment of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:50 - Summer is Here? 03:07 - Spiel des Jahres Nominees - Bomb Busters, Flip 7, Krackel Orakel 10:04 - Kennerspiel des Jahres Nominees - Endeavor: Deep Sea, Faraway, Looot 12:03 - Kinderspiel des Jahres Nominees - Cascadia Junior, Le Clan des Souris, Top die Torte 12:53 - Box Covers 31:32 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror? 39:12 - Question: Message to Past Self? 44:11 - Cretaceous Rails 47:59 - Hexpath: Detour Deluxe 50:32 - Fromage 53:44 - Wondrous Creatures 56:33 - Innovation Ultimate 59:46 - Ziggurat Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

This time, Tom gives us an audio tour of the new Dice Tower Studios in Ft. Myers, with tales to tell about the adventurous move. We present a Tale of Amazement and delve into the mailbag, and we close the show with our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 01:09 - Moving to Ft. Myers 04:51 - The New Studio 23:04 - Tale of Amazement 28:55 - Question: What to do with a whiner? 34:16 - Linkx 37:18 - Primates 41:18 - Deep Regrets 46:33 - Cat Crimes 48:49 - The Ministry of Lost Things: Lint Condition 51:39 - Zenith Questions? Tales of Horror or Amazement? tom@dicetower.com

This time, Tom shares his adventures in Mexico, and Julie has tales to tell from Greece. Then, we kick of our discussion of video games that feel like board games with Eric's obsession with Blue Prince, before moving on to a bunch of other electronic games, including some that have made the leap to boardgames. We open up the mailbag for a question and Tale of Horror, and break down our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:57 - Following the Script 01:21 - Announcements: Dice Tower Cruise and East 02:24 - Tom in Mexico 06:27 - Julie in Greece 06:48 - Video Games that Feel Like Board Games 08:05 - Blue Prince 10:42 - Slay the Spire 11:24 - Balatro 16:22 - PS Remote Play 19:26 - Final Fantasy Tactics 21:26 - Citizen Sleeper 22:21 - Sunderfolk 23:35 - Jackbox 24:57 - Telltale Games 26:24 - Making the Jump to Board Games 36:25 - Question/Tale of Boardgaming Horror 44:28 - We Love Cats 46:41 - Ito 49:55 - Donald Duck in Happy Camper 54:51 - The Morrison Game Factory 58:20 - Lynx 59:43 - Camino a Xibabla Questions? Tal

Tom is busy moving the studio, so Julie and Eric invite Robert Geistlinger from Arcane Wonders (and also Julie's husband) to join in a discussion about boardgame production. Where do the materials that go into our games come from? What do you look for in a manufacturer? And why doesn't everybody print their games in Cleveland? And of course, we close the show with some Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:52 - Where's Tom? and Who Is Robert? 03:08 - Announcements: Dice Tower East and Dice Tower Cruise 03:55 - Game Production: Why We're Not Discussing Tariffs 05:27 - Where Does the Material Come From? 11:41 - Where to Start? Price Point or Wish List of Features? 18:35 - How Long Does It Take For The Back-and-forth? 28:05 - What Else Are You Looking For Beyond Price? 37:31 - Why Not Just Make Everything in the US? 49:44 - Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops (a primer) 51:48 - The Case of the Curiously Correct Blueprints 57:23 - Stool Pigeon 1:01:00 - EXIT: The Hunt Through Amsterdam 1:04:26 - Dead Cells 1:06:48 - Stoker

Today, we focus on what designers should do when they've built a design on an existing game. How much borrowing is too much borrowing? We also look ahead to some upcoming events, share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and run through our latest batch of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:49 - Tom's Apology 01:25 - Dice Tower Cruise and Dice Tower East 01:52 - Tom's Catan Update: Seafarers 02:53 - Upcoming: Studio Move, Origins, Greece, College Visits 03:55 - Building Your Game on an Existing Design 32:41 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 39:33 - Roaring 20s 43:42 - Mystery of the Abbey 50:30 - CULTivate 54:42 - Faraway 57:42 - Nocturne 1:01:25 - Wroth Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

We kick off this episode with some chit-chat regarding the moving of Dice Tower HQ, some upcoming events, Tom's efforts to impress the chef at a Japanese restaurant, and the most played games at Dice Tower West. A listener question leads us to discuss the layout of rulebooks and how best to do so. We share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and close the show with a typical wave of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:53 - Moving the Studio 03:14 - Upcoming Events 03:52 - Tom at Dinner 07:26 - Most Played Games at Dice Tower West 12:50 - Dice Tower East and Dice Tower Cruise 13:23 - Rulebook Layout 36:55 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 45:57 - Catan 6th Edition 52:32 - Bad Apples 58:00 - Sentient 1:01:18 - Monkey Labs 1:03:02 - Ostia 1:05:58 - My Favorite Things Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

This time, we are recording in person at Dice Tower West (with some new mics!). We talk specifics about our new-ish venue for DTW, and then get more general with a chat about our convention strategies and planning. The Tale of Boardgaming Horror is one for the ages, and we close the show with some Roses, Thorns, Hula Hoops, and Crossovers. 00:47 - Dice Tower West: Back at the Westgate 04:20 - Julie's Drive West 08:35 - Eric at APAC 09:41 - Tom at GAMA Expo and The Grand Canyon 13:09 - Hot Games 14:16 - Convention Strategy 33:47 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 39:26 - Critter Kitchen 44:29 - Spooktacular 49:03 - Moon Colony Bloodbath 51:42 - Galaxy Children Explorers 56:09 - Lata Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

This time, we're talking sports, and how game designers can best emulate them. Plus, Horror, Hula Hoops, Roses, and Thorns. 00:59 - Announcements: Dice Tower West and East 02:04 - Sports Boardgames 20:10 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 25:48 - Charcuterie 30:24 - 1 A.M. Jailbreak 33:07 - Helionox Chronicles 37:47 - Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era 40:38 - Ostia 42:33 - Kingdom Legacy: Feudal Kingdom Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

This time, Eric gives an update on his Middle School Game Night before the gang launches into a discussion of how playing games for tangible prizes changes the vibe at the table. Then, we move on to a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, check the mailbag, and share some Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:48 - Announcements: Gamefound, Dice Tower West 02:33 - Update on Eric's Middle School Game Night 03:54 - Raising the Stakes 25:08 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 31:54 - Question: Boardgaming's Golden Age? 36:24 - Question: Collecting from a Single Franchise? 38:30 - Endeavor Deep Sea 41:45 - Portmanteau 45:21 - Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game 48:58 - The Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game 51:19 - Jekyll & Hyde vs. Scotland Yard 54:54 - Stomp the Plank --- Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Tom complains about the cold before we all discuss forms of Table Talk. What just bends the rules, and what breaks the game? We share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, a couple of questions from the mailbag, and some new Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:40 - It's cold in Florida 01:41 - Gamefound - SupportDicetower.com 02:11 - Dice Tower East and West 03:00 - Table Talk 25:07 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 31:31 - Question: Social Deduction Games (Where Am I, Blood on the Clocktower) 38:38 - Question: Screen Printed Meeples 44:49 - Little Alchemists 46:50 - Star Realms Academy 48:34 - Azul Duel 50:50 - Dr Jeckyl & Mr Hyde vs. Scotland Yard 53:28 - Rajas of the Ganges: Cards and Karma 56:47 - Unstoppable 1:00:07 - Catch the Moon

On board the Dice Tower Cruise 2025, Tom, Julie, and Eric run through their holiday gaming opportunities. Julie asks how we prefer to to vacation, and we end the show with a bunch of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops that we encountered on the ship. 00:44 - We're on a Ship 01:32 - Holiday Happenings 02:18 - Star Realms Rise of Empire 07:59 - Ito, Jackbox Games 09:28 - Hues and Cues 11:48 - Command of Nature 14:10 - Only Murders in the Building 17:55 - How Do You Vacation? 29:31 - My Father's Work 35:00 - Adventureland 39:38 - Cryptic Nature 41:09 - Beats and Cats 43:41 - Lure 46:20 - Bomb Busters

Julie and Eric spend some time recapping PAX Unplugged before all of us take a look at the year that was 2024. What was the easiest game to teach? The game that you'd best set aside a day to play? The Hoopiest Hula Hoop? All will be revealed, dear listener! 01:00 - PAX Unplugged Recap 14:03 - The Quiet House 16:49 - Star Trek TNG VCR Game 20:41 - 2024 as a Whole 29:25 - Best to Play at a Convention: Ito, Rock Hard 1977, Duck & Cover 31:40 - Best Theme: Rock Hard 1977, Mistwind, Kelp: Shark vs. Octopus 34:43 - Most Likely to be Gifted: Muppets Clue, Wicked 38:00 - Best Traveling Game: Seaside, Smug Owl, Ito 40:25 - Best Set Aside a Day For It Game: Tidal Blades 2, El Burro, Wandering Galaxy 45:13 - Easiest Teach/Learn: Cat Horror Costumes, Pixies, Ito 46:50 - Bonus Heavy Euro: Civolution 47:16 - Wanted to Play but Didn't: Power Grid Outpost, Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Duel, Paella Park, Pagan: Fate of Roanoke, Daitoshi 50:18 - Hoopiest Hula Hoop: Ziggurat, Slay the Spire, Panda Panda 53:51 - Sharpest Thorn

This time, Eric is looking for advice from Julie and Tom about running a game night at his son's Middle School. How deep a hole has he dug for himself? Plus, a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, a question from the Listener Mailbag, and a bouquet of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 01:47 - Dice Tower Winter Spectacular 02:24 - Tom's Anniversary Cruise, Audiobooks, and Subtitles 03:52 - 2025 Gamefound Campaign 04:27 - Eric's Middle School Game Night 23:58 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 28:28 - Listener Question: Our Changing Review Perspectives 31:11 - I Am Done (Quick Mention) 37:56 - Point of View 41:05 - The Smurfs Hidden Village 45:17 - Cottage Garden 47:19 - Distilled: Africa and Middle East 50:32 - Penguin Party Questions? Tales of Horror? Send to Tom at tom@dicetower.com.

Tom, Julie, and Eric share some Thanksgiving recipes before launching into a discussion of how designers tackle the theme of cooking in games. We have a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror that pushes our Angry Button, and we close the show with a Thorn-heavy set of games played. 00:57 - Announcements: Dice Tower East, West, and Cruise 2026 02:22 - Thanksgiving Recipes 05:17 - Cooking Games 07:41 - Cooking: Press Your Luck (Quacks of Quedlinburg, Vegetable Stock) 09:55 - Cooking: Spatial Games (License to Grill) 12:52 - Cooking: Dexterity (A La Carte, Piazza Rabazza) 16:28 - Cooking: Real Time (Wok Star, Kitchen Rush) 19:05 - Cooking: Set Collection (Burger Up, Morels) 21:33 - Cooking: More from Tom (Mamma Mia, Yummy Yummy Monster Tummy, Hibachi, Comsumption: Food and Choices, Sweet Mess, Wok and Roll, Wild Gardens) 27:38 - Cooking: Favorite Mechanisms 29:14 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 34:44 - Witchdom 38:15 - Witchcraft 41:28 - Worms: The Board Game 44:32 - Crossbows & Catapults: Fortress War 47:12 - Refuge

Tom, Julie, and Eric discuss some Thanksgiving plans before reacting to some recent manufacturing trends in the boardgame industry, from environmentally friendly choices, to the insistance that every game have a custom insert. Our Tale of Boardgaming Horror is a case of mistaken identity, and we close the show with some Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 01:02 - Shipping in the Game Box 01:45 - Thanksgiving 03:22 - PAX Unplugged and Christmas Videos 04:03 - All the Kickstarters are Delivering At Once 05:53 - Production Trends: Giant Rulebooks 07:33 - Self-Assembled Multi-Layered Boards 11:08 - Puzzle vs. Folded Boards and Other Board Trends 13:23 - Environmentally Friendly Choices: Stickers 15:13 - Bands and Paper Wrap Around Cards 17:18 - Paperboard Inserts 21:09 - Rewood 23:56 - Kallax as a Measure of Size 25:48 - Plastic Inserts 33:56 - Plastic Wrap on Punchboards 35:26 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 41:00 - Lords of Vegas 45:59 - EXIT Advent: The Missing Hollywood Star 48:32 - The Coldest Night 52:26 - Arbolito