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.
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
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.
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.
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.
This time, we look at what happens when a production error is found in a game after it has reached the wild. What should producers do to make it right, and can they do anything at all? Also, a new dramatic Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and a new collection of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:50 - Storytime from Tom: Loading the Cruise Library
We kick off 2026 by looking back 20 years to 2006. What were we up to, and what were we playing? Plus, a question from the mailbag, and a new collection of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
This time, we continue our discussion of RPGs by suggesting Role Playing Games that share popular boardgaming mechanisms, as well as giving Tom tips for getting a game started. Plus, we have a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and we close the show with some Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:50 - A Story About Mail
02:22 - Eric at PAX Unplugged (inc. Hot Streak)
06:50 - Gift Guides, Dice Tower West and East
08:02 - RPGs for Boardgame Fans (detailed notes below)
This time, we go fishing for Role Players, linking some popular aspects of RPGs to our favorite boardgames. Plus, our latest collection of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
Tom, Julie, and Eric run through their game plan for Essen Spiel 2025, including where they'll be, and what games are on the internet's radar, as well as trying to narrow down what three games are of the most interest to them personally.
Tom is stuck in traffic, so Julie and Eric take control to discuss what it takes to setup a booth at Essen. How do you get all that stuff overseas, and how do you minimize what has to come back? And of course, there are Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
Tom begins by recapping his adventures at the Dice Tower Retreat, and looks forward to the World Series of Boardgaming, before turning to the topic of figuring out what to do with your game collection after you're gone, and why it might be a good idea to make some choices sooner rather than later. Later, we share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, peek into the mailbag, and gather a collection of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:51 - Tom at the Dice Tower Retreat
02:25 - The World Series of Boardgaming
04:58 - Dice Tower Cruise, Dice Tower West, Spiel
06:03 - Planning for the Future of your Collection
Tom sits at the small table. Eric's parents make friends on a cruise. Julie travels the country spreading boardgames wherever she goes. We also talk about what surprises await in those little pockets of games in places where you don't expect to find them. We delve into the mailbag for some pertinent questions, and we gather a new crop of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:50 - School Has Started, Dice Tower West, Cruise
Eric starts the show by sharing tales of his European adventures, which leads Tom to share some of our plans for Spiel in October. Then, we discuss the process for adding art to your game. How do you find an artist? How long does it take to draw a picture of a horse? What if the horse is holding a corn dog? Later, we share a tale of horror and a question, and move on to our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
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
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
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, The Hobby
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
Anmelden
