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
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:...
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...
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, Fl...
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...
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.