This time, Tom looks forward to the CMON Expo, while Eric and Julie talk about their plans for PAX Unplugged. We discuss best practices for publishers when they know an expansion is coming. We share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and close the show with a Spooky set of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:58 - Announcements: Dice Tower West, PAX Unplugged

02:55 - Tom at CMON Expo

03:52 - Planning for Expansions

32:00 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

40:28 - Flashback: Lucy

44:08 - Ghosts Can't Draw

48:26 - Cat Horror Costumes

53:27 - Vampire Nights

58:06 - The Thing

1:02:58 - 8-Legged Peacock

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Tom and Julie are back from Germany with stories to tell. We talk about the crowds, events, snacks, and games of Spiel before shuffling through a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror. And we close the show with some of our latest Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

01:02 - Back-to-Back WSBG and Spiel

06:10 - Crowds at Spiel

11:23 - Tom and Julie Together (Briefly)

13:33 - New Management Changes

17:28 - First Look Area

21:34 - Games at the Fair

25:24 - Dice and Mystics Meetup

27:07 - Punching Games

27:34 - Hottest Designer and Hot Games

28:47 - Small Games

30:09 - Accessories and Art

31:20 - Snack Draft and Food

33:27 - Joy in Interaction

34:54 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

38:03 - 1 A.M. Jailbreak

41:29 - Aerodome: Rising Horizons

45:39 - Ito

51:14 - Conservas

55:32 - Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle Earth

58:55 - Betakkuma's Fart & Furious

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It's our Essen Preview show for 2024! This time, we look at the various games we're most excited to check out at Spiel in Essen. And when we're done with that, we dash through our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:49 - Asking to Bring Something Back

02:16 - Tabletop Together and BGG's Preview List

03:16 - Priorities

08:58 - Where Will We Be?

12:09 - 7 Empires

12:50 - 365 Adventures

14:01 - Ada's Library

14:50 - Apiary: Expanding the Hive

15:26 - Backstories: Alone Under the Ice

16:23 - Bone Wars

18:16 - Cat Horror Costume

19:11 - Chants for the Old Ones

20:00 - Civolution

21:03 - Conservas

22:32 - Dead Cells

23:38 - Flatiron

25:22 - Galileo Galilei

26:20 - Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle Earth

27:26 - Minos

28:04 - Paella Park

29:58 - Power Grid: Outpost

31:19 - SETI

32:52 - Similo: Jurrassic World, 10th Anniversary, and Games Decks

34:18 - Temple of Horrors

35:50 - Unconscious Mind

37:00 - Vampire Nights

38:01 - Witchcraft: Midnights Expansion

39:19 - Dice Tower Essentials: Floresta, Vegetable Stock, Video Game Champion, Ito

41:58 - Food in Essen

45:25 - Pixies

47:56 - Robo Rally Transformers

51:01 - Mind MGMT

55:37 - Cat and the Tower

59:22 - Dadada

1:01:51 - Stickers

--

Tabletop Together: tabletoptogether.com/tool/

BGG's Essen Preview: boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/68/spiel-essen-24-preview

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This time, Tom, Julie, and Eric tackle the world of print boardgame journalism by listing their favorite gaming magazines, past and present. Our new Tale of Horror only tells half of the story, and we close the show with some Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

01:10 - Announcements: World Series of Boardgaming and Spiel

02:39 - What Was Our First Podcast?

04:39 - Boardgame Magazines: Still a Thing?

06:24 - Is Print Superior?

09:53 - Early Titles: Wargaming, White Dwarf, The General

12:35 - GAMES Magazine

13:04 - Spielbox

13:26 - Game Trade Magazine

16:25 - Knucklebones

17:10 - Promos in Magazines

19:49 - Trade Magazines

20:12 - Casual Game Insider

21:30 - Trades and "Review Ads"

25:32 - Sumo and Counter

26:32 - Senet

28:09 - Snowbright Studios

30:02 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

34:57 - Milkman

40:39 - Wondrous Creatures

43:26 - Parsely: Dangertown Beatdown

47:52 - Xylotar

51:00 - You Gotta Be Kitten Me!

54:32 - Coyote

---

BGG's Magazine Wiki: boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Game_Magazines

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Tom and Eric learn that they've known Julie longer than they remember. Then, we discuss the ways local game stores recoup the cost of the play space they provide. We delve into a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and we close the show with our latest Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:44 - Announcements: Dice Tower West

03:06 - Tom, Julie, and Eric's First Meeting

03:56 - Table Space at Your Local Store

27:06 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

36:20 - King of Tokyo Duel

40:07 - Spotlight

43:34 - Vampire Village

47:20 - Lure

49:05 - HiFi

51:41 - Gardlings

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Tom, Julie, and Eric remember their various Gen Con adventures, as well as looking back at some recent Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

01:00 - Announcements: Dice Tower West, Dice Tower District

02:43 - Gen Con - Keeping Your Voice vs. Getting Sick

04:04 - Gen Con - Attendence and Crowds

06:34 - Gen Con - Sprawling Events

09:58 - Gen Con - Games at the Zoo?

12:05 - Gen Con - Small Vendor Hallway

14:42 - Gen Con - Artwork and Plushies and Pins

19:03 - Gen Con - Too Many Things to Do

21:59 - Gen Con - Awards Show

24:58 - Gen Con - Julie's Events

30:32 - Gen Con - Tom's Panel

31:25 - Gen Con - Sell-Out Titles

37:43 - Gen Con - Too Much Tea

39:43 - Gen Con - Impulse Buys

41:31 - Gen Con - The Escape

46:06 - Landmarks

49:16 - Warp and Weft

51:16 - Seaside

53:19 - Blood on the Clocktower

57:26 - Zoomies

1:00:16 - Rock Hard 1977

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Tom, Julie, and Eric start looking forward to their next convention adventures now that Gen Con is done (though, since we're recording before Gen Con, we can't discuss anything that happened there just yet). We focus on the joy of playing older games, especially with players who haven't experienced them before. We delve into the Tale of Horror vault, as well as answer a listener question about how to pick what we play, and what to do when we choose poorly. Finally, we close the show with Roses, Thorns, Hula Hoops, and Advice for Eric.

00:48 - News and Announcements - Dice Tower West and Cruise, Dice Tower District

02:50 - Teaching and Playing Older Games

17:45 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

22:33 - Listener Question - How to Pick What to Play

32:56 - Cities

36:20 - Clash of Magic Schools

42:11 - Things in Rings

45:14 - Sand

48:37 - AI Space Puzzle

51:14 - The Mandalorian Adventures

56:26 - Eric's Going to Try Blood on the Clocktower

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Tom, Julie, and Eric look back at Dice Tower East, and look forward to Gen Con, including which events they'll be at, and what games they're looking forward to. And, pressed for time, they share a Rose, Thorn, or Hula Hoop that will be available at Gen Con.

00:49 - Who Is Julia Hern?

02:13 - Dice Tower East Recap - Events

10:35 - Dioce Tower East - Library Games

23:19 - Gen Con - Where We'll Be

37:47 - Gen Con - Games to See and/or Buy

38:25 - Rock Hard 1977

40:13 - Horrified: World of Monsters

40:50 - Fromage

41:53 - Cascadia Rolling Hills and Nocturne (Because Foxes)

42:15 - Boop the Halls (Because Boop)

42:42 - Dice Tower Essentials (Aquatica Expansion, Foundations of Metropolis, Comic Hunters)

44:07 - Gateway Island

45:41 - Space Games for Eric: Star Trek: Captain's Chair, Wandering Galaxy, Flickering Stars

48:41 - Hello Kitty Day at the Park

51:41 - Wrath of Fire Mountain

54:00 - Go Cucoo

56:40 - Mistwind

---

BGG Gen Con Preview: https://boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/67/gen-con-2024-preview

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Tom, Julie, and Eric discuss the results of the Origins Awards, and share the nominees for The Dice Tower Awards' Game of the Year. Julie tells us about her trip to Origins (and Tom pines for ice cream), and we ponder the dos and don'ts of upgrading your boardgame pieces. Then, we finish the show with our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:17 - Gen Con Plans (Booth 331)

02:29 - Origins Awards and Dice Tower Nominees

11:46 - Julie at the Origins Game Fair

29:33 - Upgrading Pieces

48:50 - Captain Flip

50:28 - Cities

54:02 - Arraial

58:17 - This Game is Killer

1:00:58 - Pandemic Hot Zone: North America

1:03:18 - The Fog: Escape from Paradise

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Tom and Eric congratulate Julie on her successful move, which leads to a discussion on keeping your collection to a reasonable size (so you don't have to move as much). We run through the nominees for the Spiel des Jahres (Germany's Game of the Year awards), answer some questions from the mailbag, and share our recent Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:53 - School Schedules

02:17 - Con Schedules - Gen Con Booth 331

04:46 - Julie's Move: Transport Logistics and Culling Strategy

21:47 - Spiel des Jahres

31:46 - The Dice Tower Awards Show

33:08 - Mailbag: Game unplayed the longest?

38:26 - Mailbag: Unplayed favorites?

42:40 - Ticket to Ride Legacy

47:15 - Fish & Katz

49:20 - Super Kawaii Pets

51:08 - Shobu

54:14 - Windmill Valley

57:06 - Invincible: The Hero-Building Game

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This time, Tom recounts his trip to BGG Spring, and Eric reviews the Dungeons and Dragons show in New York City. We act out a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, attempt to help answer a listener question, and close the show with our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:47 - Summer Events

05:26 - Dice Tower District

06:09 - Tom at BGG Spring

13:22 - Eric at Dungeons and Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern

18:23 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

26:53 - Listener Question: Unexpected Children

41:40 - Agueda

44:00 - The Almost Gone

47:18 - Dumb Ways to Die

50:31 - License to Grill

55:15 - Endangered Rescue: Galapagos Penguins

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Tom, Julie and Eric run through some of their plans for Dice Tower East and Gen Con later this summer before taking a look at the year that was 2004, which was inexplicably 20 years ago. We share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, answer a question from the mailbag, and round up our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:48 - Events at Dice Tower East

03:04 - Gen Con Plans

05:36 - Looking back at 2004 - 20 Years Ago

21:23 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

28:52 - Listener Question: Digital Game Implementations

36:27 - Splendor

39:51 - Bus & Stop

42:44 - Clash of Galiformes

46:48 - BOG

50:02 - The Morrison Game Factory

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Tom and Eric quiz Julie about her recent trip to the Tokyo Game Market, including some of the games she brought home, before moving on to a Tale of Boardgaming Horror and our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:49 - Dice Tower East and Large Dexterity Games

02:27 - The World Series of Boardgaming

03:49 - The Universe Explained with a Cookie

04:42 - Julie at the Tokyo Game Market

30:48 - Acorns

32:38 - Shiki no Tabi

34:06 - Space Macho

37:25 - Do You Need To Go?

38:57 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

43:18 - An Age Contrived

47:45 - Kinfire Delve

51:30 - Onitama

54:45 - Pickleball Blast!

59:17 - Slay the Spire

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Tom, Julie and Eric begin by recapping their recent travels, including Julie's trip to The Gathering of Friends and Eric's family trip to Washington DC and Philadelphia. Tom recalls the recent 36-hour marathon on the video chanel, which leads us into tips for playing several games in a row. We have a pretty darn horrific Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and finish the show with our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:43 - Playing Games All The Time?

02:40 - Jack Vasel Memorial Fund Auction (link below)

04:11 - Julie at The Gathering of Friends

14:32 - Eric in DC and Philly

16:23 - Marathons, Cons, and Playing Lots of Games in a Row

39:07 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

46:04 - El Burro (La Granja)

51:20 - Kohaku

53:48 - Cubitos: Fowl Play

55:45 - Expressions

57:51 - Agemonia

1:01:42 - Spinball

Link to the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund Auction (Ends May 12th, 2024):

https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/333009/the-jack-vasel-memorial-fund-auction-2024-through

💾

This time, Tom, Julie, and Eric discuss the pitfalls of April Fools gags before highlighting the highs and lows of bargain hunting. We confront a listener-submitted dilemma from the mailbag, and we share some Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:45 - Cruise Hype and an Unexpected Musical Rant

02:21 - April Fools Annoyance

12:12 - Bargain Hunting

29:25 - Question: Avoid the Game or the Person?

36:05 - Spark Riders 3000

42:36 - Primal: The Awakening

45:56 - Blueprints

48:30 - Cryptid Cafe

50:49 - Eppi

57:36 - Flashback: Zombie Kids

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Tom, Julie, and Eric revisit last episode's question about auction games by looking at their favorite auction mechanisms, and look forward to Julie's and Eric's events at Dice Tower East. We share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and run through our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

01:23 - Staying Up Late and Dice Tower West

03:29 - Looking Forward to Dice Tower East

07:00 - 36-Hour Marathon

08:07 - Auction Mechanisms

33:32 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

37:52 - Xylotar

41:17 - The 7th Citadel

49:39 - Cleocatra

53:40 - Expressions

57:25 - Hissy Fit

59:53 - My Parents Might Be Martians

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This time, we are LIVE at Dice Tower West 2024 in Las Vegas in front of a convention audience to discuss our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops, pit three games in a Vegas-themed Showdown, share a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and take questions from the audience.

01:04 - News for Dice Tower West 2025

03:17 - Games Tom Taught

04:26 - Eric Plays Wyrmspan

05:52 - What's Julie Been Doing?

07:33 - Way Too Many Cats

11:38 - Shipwrights of the North Sea: Redux

13:45 - Paris: La Cité de la Lumière

17:27 - Mr. Jack

19:54 - Challengers: Beach Cup

22:47 - Video Game Champion

29:36 - Showdown Intro

30:27 - Vegas Showdown

31:19 - Lords of Vegas

33:52 - Vabanque

36:22 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

41:12 - What is our favorite Stonemaier Game?

41:58 - Where does Tom keep his hats?

42:39 - What are our favorite Auction Games?

44:23 - What was our favorite non-gaming Vegas experience?

47:41 - What game surprised us after having low expectations?

50:24 - Do we implement house rules/post-release fixes?

54:54 - What is a good travel-sized deck-building game?

57:28 - What are our spouses' favorite games?

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Tom, Julie, and Eric share their excitement for Dice Tower West. Tom and Eric have been playing Collectable Card Games with their kids, while Julie played games in a castle. We share some industry news about the former designers at Prospero Hall, as well as a Tale of Horror that leads to a discussion about Math Trades. And we close the show with our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

00:45 - Dice Tower West and our Live Show

04:34 - Hot Games at DTW

09:51 - Tempest Workshop

13:19 - Playing CCGs with Our Kids

22:44 - Hoop and Stick at Ravenwood Castle

32:20 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror - Math Trades

43:18 - Hecken Good Dogs

50:51 - Wyrmspan

55:34 - Unlock: Legendary Adventures

59:46 - Mythic Mischief

1:02:47 - Spectral

1:05:04 - Penny Dreadfuls of Victorian London

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This time, Tom, Julie, and Eric remember their gaming habits in college. Also, we look at the motivation for a publisher to "rescue" a failed crowdfunding campaign. Eric gets worked up with a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and we share some Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

01:33 - Dice Tower West and Live At The Table (Saturday 3/9 at 1pm)

04:33 - "Rescuing" a Crowdfunding Campaign

27:01 - Our Gaming in College

40:25 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

45:26 - Wordcraft

49:21 - Expressions

52:54 - Maps of Misterra

56:27 - Doctor Who Magic the Gathering

1:03:37 - ...and then we held hands

1:05:20 - Sky Team

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This time, Tom, Julie, and Eric look back at the work of the Prospero Hall design studio, as well as answering a question about travel games, and presenting a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror. Plus, those Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.

01:31 - Popular Games on the Dice Tower Cruise

03:31 - Waiting to Get New Games

06:35 - The Work of Prospero Hall

27:05 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

32:08 - Question: Travel Games

39:20 - Dominion (app)

42:11 - Santa's Workshop

42:36 - Anotheer Christmas Romance Movie

45:52 - Light in the Mist

47:57 - Super Kawaii Pets

49:30 - Wandering Towers

52:58 - The Cathedral of Orleans

55:29 - Reprint News: Comic Hunters and Video Game Champion

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