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 - Than…

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 Hoop…

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 Un…

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 (Bri…

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 …

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 Podca…

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 …

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 …

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 vaul…

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 -…

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 …

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.…

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 …

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…

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 - J…

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,…

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…