The Dice Tower
Tom Vasel and Eric Summerer take a look at board games, card games, and the people who design, publish, and play them. Top ten lists, Q&A, tales of horror, and more await you!
Episodes
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 ...
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 - Followi...
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 ...
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, Gre...
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 S...
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
...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...
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 o...
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 D...
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.
00:44 - We're on a Ship
01:32 - Holiday Happenings
02:18 - Star Realms Rise of Empire
07:59 - Ito, Jackbox Games
09:28 - Hues and Cues
11:48 - Command of Nature
14:10 - Only Murders in the ...
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 & Cove...
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
03:52 - 2025 Gamefound Campaign
04:27 - Eric's Middle Schoo...
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 Qu...
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 Ch...
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 Boar...
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 Fai...
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 th...
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 - Ea...
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 Hor...
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 Plushie...
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