LeisureGames

The Dice Tower

Tom Vasel, Julie Ahern, and Eric Summerer

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!

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20 episodes
fortnightly
Avg 1 hr 3 min
English

Episodes 20

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S3 · E81
Tuesday · 1 hr 8 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Bursting at The Seams
Tom's been gaming, Julie's been gaming, and Eric will be gaming soon. The topic today is what happens when a game outgrows its original box. What do you do with too much gaming goodness? Plus, we have a double dose of Horror, and a usual quantity of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:00 - Introduction 00:54 - End of Summer: Essen, PAX, Cruise, Dice Tower West 02:47 - Tom at Dice Tower Retreat 03:54 - Julie's Retreat 05:07 - Eric at Tabletop Utopia 05:34 - Outgrowing Boxes 29:17 - Tales of Boardgaming Horror 40:03 - Temple Twist 44:27 - Hell of a Deal 49:10 - Planet Unknown 53:49 - Moon 58:20 - Journeys Afar: Ketsuki 1:01:50 - Brave & Bold
S3 · E80
September 22 · 1 hr 5 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Come One, Come All!
Tom kicks off the show by telling the tale of a church potluck that hid a surprise. We then continue our Game Night discussion by widening the scope to a larger community event at a local community center or library. The mailbag wonders what you should do when a small group at game night plays the same game every time, and we close the show with some new Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:00 - Introduction 00:51 - Dice Tower West Early Bird Ends Soon! 01:22 - A Surprise for Tom 05:46 - Running a Community Event 35:51 - Question: Only Playing One Game? 43:24 - The Secrets of Warden Keene 47:14 - Six-Sided Seas 50:12 - Trinket Trove 53:44 - Avenue 56:15 - Sequence Queens 1:00:33 - Endangered Rescue: Chambered Nautalus - Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com Dice Tower West: dicetowerwest.com
S3 · E79
September 8 · 1 hr 1 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Party Time, Excellent
This time, we discuss the finer points of hosting a game night. From the guest list, to the planned games, to what to do about the food, we attempt to answer what seems like a simple question from the mailbag. Also, we have a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and a healthy dose of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:00 - Introduction 00:49 - It's Vegas Time (Dice Tower West) 01:19 - Tom's Birthday and Personal Talk 03:20 - Game Night 30:15 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 35:40 - Star Wars The Deckbuilding Game: Mandalorian and Empire and Rebels Reinforcements 40:17 - Forbidden Legacy 44:16 - Hercules and the 12 Labors 48:48 - The Pride Pursuit 51:41 - Strange Slot Simulator 56:38 - Tea and Rum Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com Dice Tower West Registration dicetowerwest.com
S3 · E78
August 25 · 1 hr 4 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Mass Appeal
Tom takes a brief respite before the end-of-year events hit, and before we discuss "simple" versions of popular games intended for the Mass Market shelves. Then, we answer a bunch of questions from the mailbag before moving on to a new batch of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:00 - Intro 00:55 - Hottest Days of the Year and Dice Tower West 02:06 - Too Many Games? 04:30 - Future Events: Spiel, PAX Unplugged, Internal Conventions 06:57 - "Simple" Versions 28:40 - Question: Theme or Mechanism? 30:00 - Question: What to Play? 34:34 - Question: Airing of Grievances? 38:29 - Question: Latecomers? 42:45 - Pondscape 45:38 - Sandcastles 51:20 - Miniature Adventures: Adventure 1: Goblin Trouble 55:10 - Dino Racer 57:31 - The Crew: Journeys to the Ends of the Earth Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E77
August 11 · 58 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Whirlwind Trip
We're back from Gen Con with stories to tell! Lots of steps logged, games played, and high fives acquired. What were the big hits of the show, and where were we when the alarms went off? Plus, a completely normal amount of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:00 - Introduction 00:47 - Back from Gen Con 01:19 - Dice Tower West 02:07 - Biggest Gen Con Ever? and Construction 05:21 - What Did Gamers Run For? 08:26 - Artist Alley Has Gotten Crowded 09:00 - Dungeon Crawler Carl 11:34 - Games Played at The Booth: Citadels Duel 13:57 - Open Gaming at JW Marriott 15:48 - Geting Our Steps In 16:38 - Dedicated Publisher Rooms 18:18 - The Dice Tower Awards 19:53 - Loud Parties 21:02 - Light Games, CCGs, and RPGs 23:14 - Non-Game Purchases 26:30 - Paizo's New Boardgames 28:00 - Pins, Ribbons, and Trinkets 31:29 - Memorable Fan Interactions 32:52 - Tornado Warning 38:46 - Uh Oh, Dino 42:33 - Le Chocolat 43:37 - Drillers 46:58 - Panic Lab 50:05 - Invincible Season 2 52:01 - Kronologic Babylon 2500 56:39 - Wrap-Up Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E76
July 28 · 1 hr 3 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Prepping for Gen Con 2026
This time, we're poised for Gen Con 2026 and making plans. Where will we be? What games do we want? What games do others want? Who is good at thumbs? All will be answered along with a sprinkling of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:48 - Busiest Time of the Year 02:01 - Where Can We Be Found? - Booth 249 04:09 - New at Cephalofair - Buttons and Bugs Expansion 06:07 - Getting Steps In 07:19 - Game Bag Giveaway 07:55 - The Dice Tower Awards 09:11 - The Dwarves of Aquilon 10:23 - Meet the Final Girls - Julie on Friday Morning 10:47 - Eric's Gen Con Releases: Gudnak Means War, Mountain Goats Legacy 11:50 - Julie's Releases: Tales of Myth and Legend, Coloring Book 13:02 - BGG Preview List and the Nature of Thumbs 13:58 - Entropy 14:53 - Jason and the Argonauts 16:01 - Container 16:33 - Enchanted Ivy 17:18 - Mountain Goats Legacy 18:30 - Hercules and the 12 Labors 18:43 - Jibber Jabble 19:25 - High Society and 3 Witches 19:56 - Gruntz 20:12 - Torchlit 20:29 - French Toast 21:37 - Piñatas 22:06 - Kokeshi 23:08 - Book Club 24:28 - Fiction: Banned Books 25:07 - Golden Goal 25:24 - Under the Leaves 26:06 - Movie Night 26:17 - Stonk Market 26:26 - Triangulation 27:04 - Phantom Ink and Wordsy 27:21 - Endangered Australia 27:37 - The Game Makers 28:58 - Night at the Zoo 29:54 - Lairs 30:17 - Drillers and Lost Ruins of Arnak: Surprise Shipment 31:47 - Holliday Hijinks Friday Fright and More 32:12 - Orloj: The Prague Astronomical Clock 32:32 - Cascadia Alpine Lakes 33:02 - Nippon 33:49 - Wingspan Pocket 34:30 - The Old King's Crown 34:37 - Railway Boom 36:00 - Glasgow Train Robbery 36:16 - Tag Team: Arthur's Legacy 37:25 - Three Sisters Harvest Edition 37:53 - Forage 39:12 - SETI: Space Agencies, Forest Shuffle: Smoky Mountains, and Rock Hard 1977: Ear Candy 39:42 - Kingdom Crossing 40:19 - Shackleton Base: Below. Within. Above. and Fliptoons Season 2 40:54 - Moytura 41:01 - Tenby 41:20 - Jisogi: Anime Studio Tycoon 42:02 - Faraway: Under Starry Skies and Castle Combo: Out of the Oubliette 42:10 - Gold Country 42:52 - Mythologies 43:11 - Scythe: Duel of Meloch 44:13 - Friendly Fishing 45:50 - Codenames: Critical Role Adventures 46:25 - Trick to the Future 46:45 - Chris Couch Games: Garden Clubs 47:23 - Crime Scene Tamperer 47:52 - Games Played in the Booth 49:31 - Container (Eric) 53:33 - Cthulhu: Death May Die (Julie) 57:55 - Falling (Tom and Julie) 1:02:17 - Stuff to Watch if You Can't Come to Gen Con Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E75
July 14 · 1 hr 6 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Inflatable Ice
The team is back from Dice Tower East with stories to tell. What games were taught? What events ran well? What did Eric find in the library? Plus, we have a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and a particularly pointy collection of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:00 - Introduction 00:46 - Games That Could Have Been Played at East 03:08 - Unloading from Dice Tower East 03:43 - Dice Tower East: General Thoughts 04:51 - Looming Gen Con 07:22 - DTE: Crowd Size 09:04 - DTE: The Top 10 10:09 - DTE: Number of Games Played 13:05 - DTE: Changes to the Library 16:55 - DTE: Eric Finds a Playmat 20:31 - DTE: Inflatable Curling 24:14 - DTE: Parsely 25:50 - DTE: Favorite Games Taught - Dwarves of Aquilon 28:29 - DTE: Favorite Games Taught - Cat Between Us 29:49 - DTE: Favorite Games Taught - Mechs vs. Minions 31:10 - DTE: Most Played Games 32:17 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 38:33 - Wispwood 43:30 - Inkwell 48:25 - Crafting the Cosmos 51:50 - Puppy Pile 56:53 - Wingspan Pocket 1:01:21 - Bunny Kingdom Town Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E74
June 30 · 1 hr 2 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Columbus Days
Julie recounts her adventures at Origins 2026 before we delve into questions about Authenticity of Theme, Fan Interactions, and Teaching Race for the Galaxy. And of course, we close the show with a healthy dose of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Middle of the Year 03:59 - Last Minute Dice Tower East 04:32 - Julie at Origins 30:26 - Question: Teaching Race for the Galaxy 33:58 - Question: Taking You Out of The Theme 37:11 - Question: Fan Interactions 43:49 - Shapely 46:59 - Revisiting Mice and Mystics 49:55 - Soothsayers 52:25 - The Friday Fright 55:25 - Flip Voyage 58:18 - Tomatoss Questions? Tale of Horror? Hot Sauce Recipes? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E73
June 16 · 1 hr
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Parallel Design
Tom tells us about his adventures in The Philippines before we spark some discussion from a Tale of Boardgaming Horror: What do you do when you learn your game design is similar to a game that already exists? Plus, we dive into the bag of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops and pull out some winners. 00:00 - Introduction 00:51 - Senior Slacking Revisited 02:05 - Tom's Journey - Travel Woes 04:07 - All aBOARD EXPO 18:35 - Focusing on Dice Tower East 19:36 - Language Issues 20:19 - Discussion of Horror: Parallel Game Design 35:16 - Grow Sky 38:51 - Deep Sea Divers of Jeju 42:21 - Flamenco 47:15 - Stratego Quick Battle 50:41 - My Book Nook 54:38 - Cloud City Flamenco Ad (Dancing Cats): https://youtu.be/mz7Qh79K8GA?si=JpknJaXuh22wgE5J Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E72
June 2 · 1 hr 9 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Play The Book!
Tom is out, so Eric and Julie discuss books that have become games: from public domain classics to the latest multi-million dollar bestseller tie-in. Plus, we approach our latest collection of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:00 - Introduction 00:48 - Where's Tom? 01:38 - Senior Slacking 04:18 - Dice Tower Events: East and Cruise 05:01 - Books Into Boardgames 46:27 - Winter Rabbit 56:08 - Seas of Strife 58:50 - Winnie the Pooh Serious Detective 1:05:34 - Pandemic Rising Tide -- Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E71
May 19 · 1 hr 7 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Legacy Schmegacy
This time, we take a look at Legacy games, and the ways players modify them in order to be less like a legacy game. But is something lost in the translation? Plus, we have a Tale of Horror, Roses, Thorns, and Hoops, and Tom's still grumpy about Stephen Sondheim. 00:00 - Intro 00:50 - Broadway 01:39 - Maycember 02:30 - Summer Cons: Dice Tower East, Gen Con (Booth #249), Dice Tower Cruise 04:38 - Small Games, Little Joy 05:39 - Legacy Games 30:22 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 35:54 - Terraria 43:03 - The Queen's Dilemma 49:53 - Sanctuary 55:15 - The Case of the Curiously Quiet Theater 58:20 - Wool Street 1:02:31 - Colosseum: The Grand Spectacle Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E70
May 5 · 1 hr
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Hype It Up
Julie shares more news about her new position, after which we discuss the finer points of Hype. How does one manage excitement about a product when it's not necessarily playable yet? Then, we have both a question from the mailbag and a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and we close the show with some new Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:00 - Introduction 01:18 - Summer Approaching - Hot Games at Dice Tower East 03:00 - Gamefound Pledge Manager - www.supportdicetower.com 03:55 - Julie's News Continued 06:25 - Hype 28:57 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 34:14 - Question: Card Sizes 37:56 - The Emerald Flame 42:28 - Rollie 46:27 - The Cat Between Us 49:43 - Tag Team 53:08 - "Normal" Human 55:28 - Star Trek Space Hunt Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E69
April 21 · 1 hr 3 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - To Go Order
This time, Julie has some news, Tom's excited for Summer, and Eric wants to play games on vacation. We discuss the various games that live in our bags, just in case there's a chance to play them. Plus, we have a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and a heaping helping of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:50 - Spring and The Christmas of Boardgames 01:51 - Dice Tower East and Library Changes 03:04 - Cruise is Live 03:42 - A Mythical Game Bag 05:09 - Julie's Big News 06:45 - Traveling With Games - Game Bags 09:02 - Wandering Merchants at Gen Con 10:15 - Stashing Games In Non-Gaming Bags 13:51 - Why Button Shy? 16:11 - Making Play Seamless 17:16 - Trying to Make Friends on Trips 19:20 - Footprint/Table Space 21:42 - Any Lost Games, Rules, Boxes? 22:25 - Eric Is Quivering Wrong 24:15 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror? 34:22 - Bare Bones 39:00 - Coming of Age 45:20 - Jewel Box 47:55 - Sanibel 51:07 - For Northwood! 44:49 - Rising Cultures Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E68
April 7 · 1 hr 3 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Julie and The Giant Teach
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. 00:47 - Back from Dice Tower West 02:20 - Dice Tower East and Cruise 06:37 - The King's Gambit and Vasel's Law 26:57 - Julie's Tale of Boardgaming Horror 37:43 - Pirate Borg 43:06 - Finspan 45:52 - First Giants 49:41 - Art Decko 52:49 - The Winds of Numa Sera 57:12 - Catan on the Road Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E67
March 24 · 1 hr 1 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Dice Tower West 2026
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 52:58 - Question: Art for Prototypes 56:31 - Question: Deluxe Editions 58:37 - Question: Less or More of a Genre Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E66
March 10 · 58 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Dude That's Heavy
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. 00:54 - Winter Woes and Dice Tower West 05:42 - Julie and Hoop and Stick 11:25 - GAMA Expo 14:21 - Heavy Games 33:08 - Question: What Is the Soup of Games? 41:04 - Lairs 43:34 - Chicago Grand Slam 46:50 - Hot Streak 48:18 - Wilmot's Warehouse 52:08 - A Place for All My Books 54:35 - Regicide Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E65
February 24 · 1 hr 6 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - Crowd Control
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. 00:47 - No Julie, February Lull 01:35 - Live Show at Dice Tower West (Friday 3pm) 02:42 - Groundhogs and Polka Interlude 03:21 - Dice Tower East and Curling 06:14 - Epic Game Events 36:37 - Question: Live vs. BGA? 42:33 - Age of Galaxy 46:05 - A Message from the Stars 50:06 - Trasteros/Storeroom Inc. 52:56 - Nuns on the Run (2nd Edition) 56:05 - Suds and Malone 1:00:49 - Lords of Worlds Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E64
February 10 · 1 hr 3 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - All Ashore!
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. 00:54 - Dice Tower West and The Library 02:33 - Merchant of Venus in The Library 04:26 - Dice Tower Cruise - Pre-Cruise 10:50 - Cruise: Most Checked-Out Games 21:57 - Cruise: St. Thomas Game Day 25:02 - Eric's Travel Woes 27:26 - Jibber Jabble 29:44 - Julie's Cruise Contribution 30:47 - Question: Too Social? 38:33 - JiSoGi: Anime Studio Tycoon 46:07 - Eternal Decks 49:44 - Ham Helsing 55:11 - Cosy Stickerville 59:03 - Fest Season Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E63
January 29 · 1 hr 5 min
At The Table with The Dice Tower - When It All Goes Wrong
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 04:16 - Announcements: Gamefound (supportdicetower.com), Dice Tower West, East, and Vacation 06:33 - Dealing with Production Errors 39:14 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 47:55 - Wingspan: Americas 50:19 - Sanibel 52:44 - Harmonies 55:27 - Nocturnis 57:43 - Lairs 1:00:45 - Cookie Run Braverse TCG Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
S3 · E62
January 13 · 1 hr 5 min
At The Table With The Dice Tower - Party Like It's 2006
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. 00:50 - Busy January - SupportDiceTower.com 03:07 - 2006 Memories 05:09 - Where Were We In 2006? 18:50 - The Games of 2006 27:44 - Which Games Are We Still Playing? 31:30 - Listener Question: Game Replacement 42:07 - Add to Playlist 47:06 - Galactic Cruise 48:06 - Zooloretto 50:47 - Merry Murdle 53:52 - Unmatched Adventures: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 57:10 - Heroes of Timeline Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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