Show Notes
We're on our way to Gen Con! And here are the games we're most excited about (as well as the ones that are getting the most buzz online). You'll also here where to find us in Indy, where we plan to eat, and how we plan to survive the Best Four Days in Gaming. 00:45 - Releases in the second half of the year. 02:23 - Preparing for Crowds at Gen Con - New Cart Policy 08:15 - Food Trucks 11:15 - Where Will We Be? 19:59 - The Games of Gen Con (BGG Preview: https://boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/77/gen-con-2025-preview) 20:54 - Vantage 23:27 - Forest Shuffle: Dartmoor 23:54 - Lost Ruins of Arnak: Adventure Chest 24:23 - Gwent: The Legendary Card Game 25:26 - Lightning Train 26:32 - Sea Salt and Paper: Extra Pepper 27:11 - Luthier 28:00 - Fliptoons 28:36 - Ruins 30:10 - Nature 30:53 - Rebel Princess Deluxe: Happily Never After 32:00 - Ace of Spades 33:35 - Galactic Cruise 34:31 - Pirates of Maracaibo: Commanders 34:43 - Soda Jerk 36:25 - Point Galaxy 37:04 - Compile Main 2 38:08 - Star Wars Battle of Hoth 38:41 - Galileo Galilei 39:21 - Propolis 39:48 - Final Girl: Shriek 41:32 - VIVO 42:08 - Spooktacular 43:57 - Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons 45:16 - Evergreen: Cherry Blossoms and Bamboo 45:22 - EXIT Advent Calendar: The Intergalactic Race 46:27 - Suna Valo 47:12 - Kronologic: Cuzco 1450 47:44 - Wine Cellar 49:22 - Shackleton Base 49:58 - Knitting Circle 50:36 - Ra: Traders 51:08 - Iliad 51:26 - Gibberers 51:48 - Cat and the Tower 52:42 - Ham Helsing 53:25 - The Four Doors 54:07 - Raising Chicago 54:24 - High Tide 54:39 - If Then 54:59 - Hyperstar Run 55:20 - Jungo 55:43 - Holiday Hijinks 10, 11, 12, Endangered Rescue 2, Journey to Tir na nOg 56:01 - Above and Below: Haunted 56:20 - The Peak Team 57:17 - Our Advice for Surviving Gen Con Questions? Tales of Horror? [email protected]
More from The Dice Tower
Today, we look forward to the games being released at Spiel 2026 in Essen, Germany. We'll share insights on the games we've played already, and let you know what's at the top of our wishlists. 00:00 - Introduction 00:52 - Dogs vs. Inflatables 02:00 - Dice Tower Cruises (Plural!), Dice Tower West and East 03:43 - Eric at Tabletop Utopia (and G.I. Joe Deckbuilding Game) 05:39 - Off to Spiel! Dice Tower Booth 3R315, Cephalofair 3R200 08:41 - BGG's Spiel Preview 10:58 - Queen Alice 12:36 - Expansions: Faraway: Beyond the Veil, Lost Ruins of Arnak: Surprise Shipment, Harmonies: Crescendo, The White Castle: Boeki 13:54 - Timespan 15:24 - Sixty Below 17:12 - Endeavor Deep Sea: Uncharted Waters 17:34 - Kingdom Come Deliverance 19:14 - ASHES Blackout Protocol 20:20 - Night at the Zoo 21:43 - Gaudi 23:16 - Entropy 24:12 - Drillers 24:50 - Carl von Linné 26:32 - Harmonies: Pulse 26:50 - Nijar 28:16 - Inferno 1348 29:05 - Wildscape 29:42 - Similo Essen Deck 30:17 - Prague Unseen 31:53 - Diables 32:39 - Chronocritters 33:56 - Greylune 35:03 - Axia: Slayer Combo 35:49 - Inferno: Virgil, Charon, & Lucifer 36:11 - Enchanted Ivy 36:42 - Take Time: Mirage 37:15 - Avalon: The Riven Veil 38:20 - Forest Shuffle: Smokey Mountains 39:16 - Schadenfreude 40:08 - Medico 40:38 - Fishing 2 42:16 - The Glasgow Train Robbery 42:33 - Thessaloniki 44:26 - Greenwood 47:10 - Revenge of the Seven Dwarfs 47:44 - Maleficium: Fall of the Witch Hunters 49:06 - Mechs vs. Minions 49:44 - Carpet Racers 50:24 - Fearsome Floors 50:47 - Class of '89 51:18 - Fragments: Solara Questions? Tales of Horror? [email protected]
Tom's been gaming, Julie's been gaming, and Eric will be gaming soon. The topic today is what happens when a game outgrows its original box. What do you do with too much gaming goodness? Plus, we have a double dose of Horror, and a usual quantity of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:00 - Introduction 00:54 - End of Summer: Essen, PAX, Cruise, Dice Tower West 02:47 - Tom at Dice Tower Retreat 03:54 - Julie's Retreat 05:07 - Eric at Tabletop Utopia 05:34 - Outgrowing Boxes 29:17 - Tales of Boardgaming Horror 40:03 - Temple Twist 44:27 - Hell of a Deal 49:10 - Planet Unknown 53:49 - Moon 58:20 - Journeys Afar: Ketsuki 1:01:50 - Brave & Bold
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 - Questions? Tales of Horror? [email protected] 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? [email protected] 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? [email protected]