Episodes
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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]
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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].
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Missing episodes?
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Tabletop Together: tabletoptogether.com/tool/
BGG's Essen Preview: boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/68/spiel-essen-24-preview
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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
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BGG's Magazine Wiki: boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Game_Magazines
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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
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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
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Tom, Julie, and Eric start looking forward to their next convention adventures now that Gen Con is done (though, since we're recording before Gen Con, we can't discuss anything that happened there just yet). We focus on the joy of playing older games, especially with players who haven't experienced them before. We delve into the Tale of Horror vault, as well as answer a listener question about how to pick what we play, and what to do when we choose poorly. Finally, we close the show with Roses, Thorns, Hula Hoops, and Advice for Eric.
00:48 - News and Announcements - Dice Tower West and Cruise, Dice Tower District
02:50 - Teaching and Playing Older Games
17:45 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror
22:33 - Listener Question - How to Pick What to Play
32:56 - Cities
36:20 - Clash of Magic Schools
42:11 - Things in Rings
45:14 - Sand
48:37 - AI Space Puzzle
51:14 - The Mandalorian Adventures
56:26 - Eric's Going to Try Blood on the Clocktower
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Tom, Julie, and Eric look back at Dice Tower East, and look forward to Gen Con, including which events they'll be at, and what games they're looking forward to. And, pressed for time, they share a Rose, Thorn, or Hula Hoop that will be available at Gen Con.
00:49 - Who Is Julia Hern?
02:13 - Dice Tower East Recap - Events
10:35 - Dioce Tower East - Library Games
23:19 - Gen Con - Where We'll Be
37:47 - Gen Con - Games to See and/or Buy
38:25 - Rock Hard 1977
40:13 - Horrified: World of Monsters
40:50 - Fromage
41:53 - Cascadia Rolling Hills and Nocturne (Because Foxes)
42:15 - Boop the Halls (Because Boop)
42:42 - Dice Tower Essentials (Aquatica Expansion, Foundations of Metropolis, Comic Hunters)
44:07 - Gateway Island
45:41 - Space Games for Eric: Star Trek: Captain's Chair, Wandering Galaxy, Flickering Stars
48:41 - Hello Kitty Day at the Park
51:41 - Wrath of Fire Mountain
54:00 - Go Cucoo
56:40 - Mistwind
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BGG Gen Con Preview: https://boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/67/gen-con-2024-preview
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Tom, Julie, and Eric discuss the results of the Origins Awards, and share the nominees for The Dice Tower Awards' Game of the Year. Julie tells us about her trip to Origins (and Tom pines for ice cream), and we ponder the dos and don'ts of upgrading your boardgame pieces. Then, we finish the show with our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:17 - Gen Con Plans (Booth 331)
02:29 - Origins Awards and Dice Tower Nominees
11:46 - Julie at the Origins Game Fair
29:33 - Upgrading Pieces
48:50 - Captain Flip
50:28 - Cities
54:02 - Arraial
58:17 - This Game is Killer
1:00:58 - Pandemic Hot Zone: North America
1:03:18 - The Fog: Escape from Paradise
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Tom and Eric congratulate Julie on her successful move, which leads to a discussion on keeping your collection to a reasonable size (so you don't have to move as much). We run through the nominees for the Spiel des Jahres (Germany's Game of the Year awards), answer some questions from the mailbag, and share our recent Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:53 - School Schedules
02:17 - Con Schedules - Gen Con Booth 331
04:46 - Julie's Move: Transport Logistics and Culling Strategy
21:47 - Spiel des Jahres
31:46 - The Dice Tower Awards Show
33:08 - Mailbag: Game unplayed the longest?
38:26 - Mailbag: Unplayed favorites?
42:40 - Ticket to Ride Legacy
47:15 - Fish & Katz
49:20 - Super Kawaii Pets
51:08 - Shobu
54:14 - Windmill Valley
57:06 - Invincible: The Hero-Building Game
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This time, Tom recounts his trip to BGG Spring, and Eric reviews the Dungeons and Dragons show in New York City. We act out a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, attempt to help answer a listener question, and close the show with our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:47 - Summer Events
05:26 - Dice Tower District
06:09 - Tom at BGG Spring
13:22 - Eric at Dungeons and Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern
18:23 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror
26:53 - Listener Question: Unexpected Children
41:40 - Agueda
44:00 - The Almost Gone
47:18 - Dumb Ways to Die
50:31 - License to Grill
55:15 - Endangered Rescue: Galapagos Penguins
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Tom, Julie and Eric run through some of their plans for Dice Tower East and Gen Con later this summer before taking a look at the year that was 2004, which was inexplicably 20 years ago. We share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, answer a question from the mailbag, and round up our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:48 - Events at Dice Tower East
03:04 - Gen Con Plans
05:36 - Looking back at 2004 - 20 Years Ago
21:23 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror
28:52 - Listener Question: Digital Game Implementations
36:27 - Splendor
39:51 - Bus & Stop
42:44 - Clash of Galiformes
46:48 - BOG
50:02 - The Morrison Game Factory
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Tom and Eric quiz Julie about her recent trip to the Tokyo Game Market, including some of the games she brought home, before moving on to a Tale of Boardgaming Horror and our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:49 - Dice Tower East and Large Dexterity Games
02:27 - The World Series of Boardgaming
03:49 - The Universe Explained with a Cookie
04:42 - Julie at the Tokyo Game Market
30:48 - Acorns
32:38 - Shiki no Tabi
34:06 - Space Macho
37:25 - Do You Need To Go?
38:57 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror
43:18 - An Age Contrived
47:45 - Kinfire Delve
51:30 - Onitama
54:45 - Pickleball Blast!
59:17 - Slay the Spire
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Tom, Julie and Eric begin by recapping their recent travels, including Julie's trip to The Gathering of Friends and Eric's family trip to Washington DC and Philadelphia. Tom recalls the recent 36-hour marathon on the video chanel, which leads us into tips for playing several games in a row. We have a pretty darn horrific Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and finish the show with our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:43 - Playing Games All The Time?
02:40 - Jack Vasel Memorial Fund Auction (link below)
04:11 - Julie at The Gathering of Friends
14:32 - Eric in DC and Philly
16:23 - Marathons, Cons, and Playing Lots of Games in a Row
39:07 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror
46:04 - El Burro (La Granja)
51:20 - Kohaku
53:48 - Cubitos: Fowl Play
55:45 - Expressions
57:51 - Agemonia
1:01:42 - Spinball
Link to the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund Auction (Ends May 12th, 2024):
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/333009/the-jack-vasel-memorial-fund-auction-2024-through
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This time, Tom, Julie, and Eric discuss the pitfalls of April Fools gags before highlighting the highs and lows of bargain hunting. We confront a listener-submitted dilemma from the mailbag, and we share some Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
00:45 - Cruise Hype and an Unexpected Musical Rant
02:21 - April Fools Annoyance
12:12 - Bargain Hunting
29:25 - Question: Avoid the Game or the Person?
36:05 - Spark Riders 3000
42:36 - Primal: The Awakening
45:56 - Blueprints
48:30 - Cryptid Cafe
50:49 - Eppi
57:36 - Flashback: Zombie Kids
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Tom, Julie, and Eric revisit last episode's question about auction games by looking at their favorite auction mechanisms, and look forward to Julie's and Eric's events at Dice Tower East. We share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and run through our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
01:23 - Staying Up Late and Dice Tower West
03:29 - Looking Forward to Dice Tower East
07:00 - 36-Hour Marathon
08:07 - Auction Mechanisms
33:32 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror
37:52 - Xylotar
41:17 - The 7th Citadel
49:39 - Cleocatra
53:40 - Expressions
57:25 - Hissy Fit
59:53 - My Parents Might Be Martians
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