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
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.
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.
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: I Am Done, Clash of Galiformes, Unlock Kids
57:31 - Rosiest Rose: Star Wars Unlimited, Wyrmspan, The 7th Continent
59:22 - Anticipated for 2025 - Raas, Azul Duel, All My Books, The Elder Scrolls, Galactic Cruise
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
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)
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
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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)
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.
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
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
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
Anmelden
