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 Building

17:55 - How Do You Vacation?

29:31 - My Father's Work

35:00 - Adventureland

39:38 - Cryptic Nature

41:09 - Beats and Cats

43:41 - Lure

46:20 - Bomb Busters

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 & Cover

31:40 - Best Theme: Rock Hard 1977, Mistwind, Kelp: Shark vs. Octopus

34:43 - Most Likely to be Gifted: Muppets Clue, Wicked

38:00 - Best Traveling Game: Seaside, Smug Owl, Ito

40:25 - Best Set Aside a Day For It Game: Tidal Blades 2, El Burro, Wandering Galaxy

45:13 - Easiest Teach/Learn: Cat Horror Costumes, Pixies, Ito

46:50 - Bonus Heavy Euro: Civolution

47:16 - Wanted to Play but Didn't: Power Grid Outpost, Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Duel, Paella Park, Pagan: Fate of Roanoke, Daitoshi

50:18 - Hoopiest Hula Hoop: Ziggurat, Slay the Spire, Panda Panda

53:51 - Sharpest Thorn: I Am Done, Clash of Galiformes, Unlock Kids

57:31 - Rosiest Rose: Star Wars Unlimited, Wyrmspan, The 7th Continent

59:22 - Anticipated for 2025 - Raas, Azul Duel, All My Books, The Elder Scrolls, Galactic Cruise

Next Episode: January 14th, 2025

Tales of Horror? Questions? [email protected]

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 School Game Night

23:58 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

28:28 - Listener Question: Our Changing Review Perspectives

31:11 - I Am Done (Quick Mention)

37:56 - Point of View

41:05 - The Smurfs Hidden Village

45:17 - Cottage Garden

47:19 - Distilled: Africa and Middle East

50:32 - Penguin Party

Questions? Tales of Horror? Send to Tom at [email protected].

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 Quedlinburg, Vegetable Stock)

09:55 - Cooking: Spatial Games (License to Grill)

12:52 - Cooking: Dexterity (A La Carte, Piazza Rabazza)

16:28 - Cooking: Real Time (Wok Star, Kitchen Rush)

19:05 - Cooking: Set Collection (Burger Up, Morels)

21:33 - Cooking: More from Tom (Mamma Mia, Yummy Yummy Monster Tummy, Hibachi, Comsumption: Food and Choices, Sweet Mess, Wok and Roll, Wild Gardens)

27:38 - Cooking: Favorite Mechanisms

29:14 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

34:44 - Witchdom

38:15 - Witchcraft

41:28 - Worms: The Board Game

44:32 - Crossbows & Catapults: Fortress War

47:12 - Refuge

49:09 - Civolution

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 Christmas Videos

04:03 - All the Kickstarters are Delivering At Once

05:53 - Production Trends: Giant Rulebooks

07:33 - Self-Assembled Multi-Layered Boards

11:08 - Puzzle vs. Folded Boards and Other Board Trends

13:23 - Environmentally Friendly Choices: Stickers

15:13 - Bands and Paper Wrap Around Cards

17:18 - Paperboard Inserts

21:09 - Rewood

23:56 - Kallax as a Measure of Size

25:48 - Plastic Inserts

33:56 - Plastic Wrap on Punchboards

35:26 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

41:00 - Lords of Vegas

45:59 - EXIT Advent: The Missing Hollywood Star

48:32 - The Coldest Night

52:26 - Arbolito

55:04 - SETI

58:14 - Kronologic Paris 1920

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 Boardgaming Horror

40:28 - Flashback: Lucy

44:08 - Ghosts Can't Draw

48:26 - Cat Horror Costumes

53:27 - Vampire Nights

58:06 - The Thing

1:02:58 - 8-Legged Peacock

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 Fair

25:24 - Dice and Mystics Meetup

27:07 - Punching Games

27:34 - Hottest Designer and Hot Games

28:47 - Small Games

30:09 - Accessories and Art

31:20 - Snack Draft and Food

33:27 - Joy in Interaction

34:54 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

38:03 - 1 A.M. Jailbreak

41:29 - Aerodome: Rising Horizons

45:39 - Ito

51:14 - Conservas

55:32 - Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle Earth

58:55 - Betakkuma's Fart & Furious

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 the Hive

15:26 - Backstories: Alone Under the Ice

16:23 - Bone Wars

18:16 - Cat Horror Costume

19:11 - Chants for the Old Ones

20:00 - Civolution

21:03 - Conservas

22:32 - Dead Cells

23:38 - Flatiron

25:22 - Galileo Galilei

26:20 - Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle Earth

27:26 - Minos

28:04 - Paella Park

29:58 - Power Grid: Outpost

31:19 - SETI

32:52 - Similo: Jurrassic World, 10th Anniversary, and Games Decks

34:18 - Temple of Horrors

35:50 - Unconscious Mind

37:00 - Vampire Nights

38:01 - Witchcraft: Midnights Expansion

39:19 - Dice Tower Essentials: Floresta, Vegetable Stock, Video Game Champion, Ito

41:58 - Food in Essen

45:25 - Pixies

47:56 - Robo Rally Transformers

51:01 - Mind MGMT

55:37 - Cat and the Tower

59:22 - Dadada

1:01:51 - Stickers

--

Tabletop Together: tabletoptogether.com/tool/

BGG's Essen Preview: boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/68/spiel-essen-24-preview

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 - Early Titles: Wargaming, White Dwarf, The General

12:35 - GAMES Magazine

13:04 - Spielbox

13:26 - Game Trade Magazine

16:25 - Knucklebones

17:10 - Promos in Magazines

19:49 - Trade Magazines

20:12 - Casual Game Insider

21:30 - Trades and "Review Ads"

25:32 - Sumo and Counter

26:32 - Senet

28:09 - Snowbright Studios

30:02 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror

34:57 - Milkman

40:39 - Wondrous Creatures

43:26 - Parsely: Dangertown Beatdown

47:52 - Xylotar

51:00 - You Gotta Be Kitten Me!

54:32 - Coyote

---

BGG's Magazine Wiki: boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Game_Magazines

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 Horror

36:20 - King of Tokyo Duel

40:07 - Spotlight

43:34 - Vampire Village

47:20 - Lure

49:05 - HiFi

51:41 - Gardlings

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 Plushies and Pins

19:03 - Gen Con - Too Many Things to Do

21:59 - Gen Con - Awards Show

24:58 - Gen Con - Julie's Events

30:32 - Gen Con - Tom's Panel

31:25 - Gen Con - Sell-Out Titles

37:43 - Gen Con - Too Much Tea

39:43 - Gen Con - Impulse Buys

41:31 - Gen Con - The Escape

46:06 - Landmarks

49:16 - Warp and Weft

51:16 - Seaside

53:19 - Blood on the Clocktower

57:26 - Zoomies

1:00:16 - Rock Hard 1977