The Dice Tower

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
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Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com
Dice Tower West: dicetowerwest.com

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

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

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

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