The Dice Tower

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

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

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

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
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Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

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