00:01:00 Intro
00:05:00 Let’s Get to the Picks
01:03:00 Draft Time
01:13:00 Outro

Summer 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting movie seasons in years, with big‑name directors, long‑awaited sequels, and the triumphant return of theatrical event‑going. And to celebrate that return, we’ve brought in some familiar voices to help us break down the upcoming releases.

For those new to the show, here’s how we do things. Every movie gets one of three calls. First, if it’s worth your hard‑earned dollars and absolutely demands the full theatrical experience, we’ll tell you to go SCREEN it. If it’s a solid watch but doesn’t need the booming speakers and giant screen, then it’s better to STREAM it at home. And finally, there are those unfortunate titles that miss the mark so badly they’re nothing more than a big, old pile of STEAM — and those should be avoided altogether.

Either way, it’s clear the studios are making a serious push to get us back into theaters, and this summer’s lineup shows they’re not holding anything back.

We’d love to hear from you. So, tell us which movies we missed and what should be on our radar. Jump into the conversation over in our Discord and let us know what you’re planning to SCREEN, STREAM, or is a pile of STEAMing stuff.

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00:01:15 Intro
00:05:15 Ascension: LOTR
00:07:45 Straight to LOTR Stuff
00:11:30 Intro to Harder Games
00:17:15 Round Up Error
00:20:30 New Contest
00:21:30 Taste Buds
00:37:30 Portal Games
00:38:45 Frenzy Falls
00:44:30 Rising Cultures
01:04:00 Miniature Market
01:05:15 Got Five
00:11:15 E-Win Desk
01:15:45 SWU Report Out

Whether you’re in the mood for the high-stakes chaos of a spilling pool, the grand strategy of rising civilizations, or the quiet tension of a deduction puzzle, we got it covered in this lineup of games for this episode. First up is Frenzy Falls where players play cards face-down into “Pools,” trying to raise the water level. Once a pool hits a value of 10, it “spills over.” The player with the most influence in that pool at that exact moment snags the points.

Rising Cultures is next on the table and this asymmetric “Civ-in-a-box” experience is designed specifically for two players. You pick from four civilizations either Rome, Egypt, Persia, or the Abbasid Caliphate. The thing we love in this game is the multi-use cards: every card in your hand can be used for resources, military power, building structures, or deploying leaders. You have to decide which path is worth sacrificing the others in order to gain victory over your opponent. Since each civilization has its own unique deck, the game feels completely different every time you swap roles. It’s a tight, 45-minute battle of wits.

Finally, we got a game that shows the strengths and weaknesses of the RDTN crew. You have five tiles on a rack facing away from you. You can see everyone else’s tiles, but not your own. By asking questions like “Where would this tile fit in my sequence?” or “Do I have a tile with this many dots?”, you narrow down the possibilities. The tension is high because you can guess at any time, but if you’re wrong once, you’re out. It’s incredibly satisfying when the logic finally clicks and you can confidently shout, “Got Five!”, which I never got to experience

Thanks for listening and don’t forget about the contest over in the Discord server.

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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 - 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

Get your SVWAG CON tickets HERE:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/svwag-con-ii-electric-boogaloo-tickets-1986634285627

This weeks guest Tim Dolloff from Board Game Hottakes

https://boardgamehottakes.com/

00:00 INTRO

00:47 Euphoria Essential Edition (Morten Monrad Pedersen, Jamey Stegmaier, David J. Studley Stonemaier Games 2026)

05:56 The Waste of Parts (Evan Duda Sky Kingdom Games 2026)

10:57 Aquaria (Tomáš Holek Delicious Games 2025)

16:19 No Loose Ends (Taiki Shinzawa GameHead 2025)

18:33 Reforest (Sébastien Bernier-Wong Board Game Circus 2024)

24:05 Marshmallow Test (Reiner Knizia Gamewright 2020)

25:50 Nature (Dominic Crapuchettes NorthStar Game Studio 2025)

30:45 Flip 7: With A Vengeance (Eric Olsen, Alyssa Swatek The Op Games 2026)

33:58 Medici: The Dice Game (Reiner Knizia Grail Games 2020)

37:52 Subjective (Andrew Wolf Spin Master Ltd. 2023)

40:40 NEWS

46:05 Moon Colony Bloodbath (Donald X. Vaccarino Rio Grande Games 2025)

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It's a revolution!! Join Dana, Jules and Conor on Episode 360 of the Board Game BBQ Podcast.

On this episode Conor finally gets his epic game of Bitoku played and makes the hottest of hot sauce in Scoville, Dana reminds Conor of his favourite cake when she discusses Black Forest and Jules ventures back into the depths with Aquatica and looks to ruin peoples day in 5 Towers!

Don't forget this weeks Question of the Pod; 'What's your favourite boardgame component and why?