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.

00:59 - Bookkeeping: Dice Tower East, West, Cruise

01:57 - The Weather in Germany

03:12 - Eric's First Time Back Since 2019, What's Changed?

07:18 - Where Will We Be?

Dice Tower Booth: 3 R315

Van Ryder Booth: 2 E280

Live Show, Sunday 1:30pm: Hall 4

09:30 - Dice Tower Essentials Interlude: Aquatica Duel, On Stage, Raas

11:44 - Live Plays

13:47 - Warning from Julie

14:38 - Sunday's Live Show

16:35 - Eric's Growing Wishlist and Shipping Woes

22:20 - The Games of Essen - So Many

28:20 - Orloj

29:27 - Recall

30:07 - SETI: Space Agencies

30:32 - Feya's Swamp

31:51 - Nature

33:15 - Covenant

35:00 - Ada's Dream

35:43 - Sanctuary

37:16 - Coming of Age

38:55 - Castle Combo: Out of the Oubliette!

39:08 - Echoes of Time

40:52 - White Castle Duel

41:33 - The Voynich Puzzle

42:15 - Underwater Cities: Data Era and LOTR Duel: Allies

42:38 - Luthier

43:12 - Aquaria

44:14 - Julie: Use Up All Your Sick Days

45:32 - Eric: Severton

45:56 - Tom: Cereal Killer

46:52 - Julie: The Stalker

47:30 - Eric: Leylines

48:35 - Tom: Kronologic Cuzco 1450

50:22 - Julie: Parks and Potions

51:29 - Eric: Winnie the Pooh: Serious Detective

52:47 - Tom: A Carnivore Did It

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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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.

00:45 - Where is Tom? and Julie's Work Trip

03:56 - Dice Tower Cruise and Dice Tower West

05:07 - Moving a Booth to Essen

35:50 - Tiletum: Prospect for Silver

41:20 - I Made You a Mixtape

45:12 - High Tide

50:00 - The Yellow House

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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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

24:58 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

31:22 - Question: Co-Designer Credit

38:16 - A Place for All My Books

44:04 - Knitting Circle

48:18 - Endangered Rescue: Lemur Leaf Frog

51:21 - The New Year's Nightmare

54:55 - Firefighters on Duty

57:07 - Blood on the Clocktower

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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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

02:40 - Eric's Parents on Alaskan Cruise

03:19 - Spiel Plans (Booth 3R315)

05:02 - Game Shelves in Unusual Spots

20:43 - Question: Playing With Bob

29:30 - Question: Storing Games While At College

34:30 - Tag Team

36:52 - Journey to Tir na nOg

41:50 - Cat Sudoku: Summer Festival

44:18 - The Four Doors

47:22 - Regicide Legacy

52:43 - Tenby

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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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.

00:48 - Middle of the Year? - School Starting

02:23 - Eric's European Adventure

09:25 - Spiel Plans

12:14 - Art in Games

34:56 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror/Question

46:32 - Sancturary

48:42 - Vantage

56:21 - Bomb Busters

58:37 - Menagerie

1:01:44 - This Game is Killer: Frozen Horror

1:05:12 - Potion Explosion: The 6th Student

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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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

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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 - Galileo Galilei

39:21 - Propolis

39:48 - Final Girl: Shriek

41:32 - VIVO

42:08 - Spooktacular

43:57 - Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons

45:16 - Evergreen: Cherry Blossoms and Bamboo

45:22 - EXIT Advent Calendar: The Intergalactic Race

46:27 - Suna Valo

47:12 - Kronologic: Cuzco 1450

47:44 - Wine Cellar

49:22 - Shackleton Base

49:58 - Knitting Circle

50:36 - Ra: Traders

51:08 - Iliad

51:26 - Gibberers

51:48 - Cat and the Tower

52:42 - Ham Helsing

53:25 - The Four Doors

54:07 - Raising Chicago

54:24 - High Tide

54:39 - If Then

54:59 - Hyperstar Run

55:20 - Jungo

55:43 - Holiday Hijinks 10, 11, 12, Endangered Rescue 2, Journey to Tir na nOg

56:01 - Above and Below: Haunted

56:20 - The Peak Team

57:17 - Our Advice for Surviving Gen Con

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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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

33:28 - Dexterity and Pitchcar

35:51 - Eric and Julie: Helping Tom Remember

37:59 - Giant Jenga and Thank Yous

41:06 - Positano

44:32 - Diatoms

46:41 - Horrified: World of Monsters

50:24 - Peaks

53:02 - Radioactive Bees

55:50 - 13 Leaves

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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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 - Stokerverse

1:12:53 - Saw: The Jigsaw Trials

Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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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

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