The Dice Tower
Society & Culture
About
Tom Vasel and Eric Summerer take a look at board games, card games, and the people who design, publish, and play them.Top ten lists, Q&A, tales of horror, and more await you!
Episodes
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Hype It Up
The episode discusses managing product hype and excitement when a product is not yet playable. It also features Julie's news, a boardgaming horror story, mailbag questions, and a segment on "Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops".
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - To Go Order
Julie has news, Tom is looking forward to summer, and Eric wants to play games on vacation. The hosts discuss games suitable for travel and bags, a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and their segment Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Julie and The Giant Teach
The Dice Tower reviews board games including The King
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Dice Tower West 2026
Tom, Julie, and Eric broadcast live from Dice Tower West in Las Vegas, taking audience questions and discussing games they have played. An interlude features Eric and Julie discussing various gaming-related topics.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Dude That's Heavy
The Dice Tower discusses Julie's recent trips to a castle and the GAMA Expo. The episode then delves into the topic of game weight, questioning how heavy is too heavy, and includes a mailbag question and the regular Roses, Thorns, and Hula…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Crowd Control
Tom and Eric discuss past convention gaming events, what worked and what did not. They also answer a mailbag question about digital versus in-person gaming and present their Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - All Ashore!
Tom and Eric discuss their experiences on the Dice Tower Cruise, covering games played, destinations, and travel disruptions. The episode also includes listener questions and segments like "Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops."
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - When It All Goes Wrong
The Dice Tower episode "When It All Goes Wrong" addresses how game producers should respond to production errors discovered after release. It also features a Tale of Boardgaming Horror and reviews several board games, including Wingspan: A…
- At The Table With The Dice Tower - Party Like It's 2006
In this episode of "At The Table With The Dice Tower," the hosts reflect on the year 2006, twenty years after the fact. They discuss where they were in 2006, the games they were playing then, and which of those games are still in play. The…
- At The Table With The Dice Tower - Looking Back at 2025
The Dice Tower reviews the board games of 2025, discussing highs and lows across various categories including convention games, best themes, guilty pleasures, favorite classics, and standout games in specific genres.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Re-Role
The Dice Tower episode "Re-Role" explores RPGs with board game mechanics, provides tips for starting RPGs, features a horror story, and discusses various board and role-playing games.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Role Call
The Dice Tower episode "Role Call" discusses the intersection of RPGs and board games, covering aspects like character building, story progression, and exploration. It also includes a "Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops" segment.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Essen Adventures 2025
Tom, Julie, and Eric share their adventures from Spiel 2025 in Germany. They discuss games, food, crowd flow, travel, and personal highlights including Eric's birthday and Julie's author signing.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower: The Games of Essen 2025
Tom, Julie, and Eric outline their strategy for Essen Spiel 2025, detailing their presence at the event and the board games on their radar. They cover event logistics, including Dice Tower East, West, and Cruise, and discuss specific games…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Essen Prep
Julie and Eric discuss the logistics of setting up a booth at Essen, covering shipping and minimizing returns. The episode also includes segments on the Dice Tower Cruise, Dice Tower West, and game reviews.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Where There's a Will There's a Way
Tom recaps his Dice Tower Retreat experience and looks forward to the World Series of Boardgaming. The episode also covers planning for your board game collection's future, shares a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and addresses listener questi…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Where You Least Expect
The Dice Tower episode "At The Table with The Dice Tower - Where You Least Expect" covers boardgames found in surprising locations like cruises and college. The hosts also address listener mailbag questions and provide reviews for games su…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Paint Me A Picture
The Dice Tower episode "Paint Me A Picture" features Eric discussing his European travels and upcoming Spiel plans. The hosts also delve into the process of commissioning art for games, including finding artists and project timelines, and…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Escaping Gen Con 2025
The Dice Tower podcast recounts their Gen Con 2025 experience, covering crowds, events, games, and food. The episode features a 'Tale of Boardgaming Horror' and a 'Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops' segment, alongside discussions on various ga…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Gen Con Bound 2025
The Dice Tower discusses their excitement for Gen Con 2025, highlighting games with significant online buzz and sharing their plans for the event in Indianapolis. They cover topics such as game releases, crowd preparation, dining options,…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Going East 2025
The Dice Tower podcast recaps their 2025 Dice Tower East convention, detailing games played, events hosted, and personal anecdotes from the convention floor, including efforts to help Tom remember game details.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Road Trip
The Dice Tower episode "Road Trip" covers travel adventures, including gaming opportunities encountered by Eric during a Ninja Escort Mission. Tom and Julie provide details about the 50th Origins Game Fair, discussing special events, game…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Small Wonder
The Dice Tower episode "Small Wonder" covers Tom's Catan expansion replay, the advantages and disadvantages of small board games, and includes segments on board gaming horror and other game reviews.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Judging The Book
The Dice Tower discusses the nominees for the German Game of the Year awards, including Spiel des Jahres, Kennerspiel des Jahres, and Kinderspiel des Jahres. The episode also examines the role of box art in attracting players and features…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Home Base
The Dice Tower episode "Home Base" features Tom providing an audio tour of the new Dice Tower Studios in Ft. Myers, discussing the move. It also includes a Tale of Amazement, mailbag questions, and other segments.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Plugging In
In this episode of The Dice Tower, hosts Tom and Julie share travel stories from Mexico and Greece, respectively. They delve into video games that mimic board game experiences, discussing titles like Blue Prince, Slay the Spire, and Balatr…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Where Do Boardgames Come From?
Robert Geistlinger joins Julie and Eric to discuss boardgame production, covering material origins, manufacturer selection, and the reasons behind printing locations. The episode also includes segments like Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops an…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Where Credit is Due
The Dice Tower episode "At The Table" discusses the ethics of building game designs on existing mechanics and covers upcoming events and recent board game reviews including Roaring 20s and Mystery of the Abbey.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Life, The Universe, and Everything in the Rulebook
This episode of The Dice Tower covers the relocation of Dice Tower HQ, upcoming events, and popular games from Dice Tower West. The discussion also includes listener questions about rulebook layout, a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and brief…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Western Expansion
The Dice Tower podcast recorded in person at Dice Tower West discusses specifics about the venue, their convention strategies and planning. The episode also features a segment on The Tale of Boardgaming Horror and closes with Roses, Thorns…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - GOOOOOOAL!
At The Table with The Dice Tower discusses sports boardgames and how designers can emulate sports. The episode also covers Tale of Boardgaming Horror, Charcuterie, Helionox Chronicles, Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era, Ostia, and…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Upping the Ante
In this episode of "At The Table with The Dice Tower," the hosts discuss how playing games for tangible prizes alters the table atmosphere. They also share a "Tale of Boardgaming Horror," address mailbag questions, and present "Roses, Thor…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Talk At The Table
The Dice Tower episode discusses "Table Talk" in board games, distinguishing between bending and breaking rules. It includes a "Tale of Boardgaming Horror" and addresses listener questions about social deduction games and screen-printed me…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Buoyant Breakfast 2025
Tom, Julie, and Eric discuss holiday gaming on the Dice Tower Cruise 2025, covering games and vacation preferences. They conclude with a Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops segment about their experiences on the ship.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Looking Back at 2024
Julie and Eric recap PAX Unplugged and review the year 2024, discussing various board game categories such as easiest to teach, best for conventions, and most anticipated games for 2025.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Mission: Middle School
Eric asks Julie and Tom for advice about organizing a game night at a middle school. The episode includes a boardgaming horror story, a listener question about changing review perspectives, and mentions of various games.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Delicious Cardboard
The Dice Tower episode "Delicious Cardboard" features hosts Tom, Julie, and Eric sharing Thanksgiving recipes and discussing the theme of cooking in board games. The episode covers games with cooking themes, favorite mechanisms, and a segm…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Trendy
The Dice Tower discusses Thanksgiving plans and recent board game manufacturing trends, such as eco-friendly options and custom inserts. The episode also includes a Tale of Boardgaming Horror and a segment called Roses, Thorns, and Hula Ho…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Future Proof
The Dice Tower episode "Future Proof" covers upcoming conventions and publisher strategies for expansions. It includes a "Tale of Boardgaming Horror" segment and other discussions.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Best and Wurst of Essen 2024
Tom and Julie share their experiences from Essen 2024, discussing the event's atmosphere, games, and food. They also explore a "Tale of Boardgaming Horror" and review recent board game releases.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Essen Anticipation 2024
The Dice Tower hosts preview games for Spiel Essen 2024, covering highly anticipated titles and a segment on Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Fit To Print
Tom, Julie, and Eric discuss print boardgame journalism and their favorite magazines. They also share announcements, discuss podcasts, and close the show with Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Table For Three
In "Table For Three," Tom and Eric explore the economics of local game store play spaces and share a Tale of Boardgaming Horror. The episode also covers announcements, personal anecdotes, and reviews of various board games.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Storm Chasers
Tom, Julie, and Eric of The Dice Tower discuss their experiences at Gen Con, covering topics such as managing health at large events, navigating crowds, and specific convention activities. They also briefly mention several board games.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Playin' the Classics
Tom, Julie, and Eric discuss the enjoyment of playing classic board games, particularly with new players. The episode also addresses a listener question on selecting games and includes a segment with personal updates.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Two Steps Forward Two Steps Back
Hosts Tom, Julie, and Eric recap Dice Tower East events and library games. They then look ahead to Gen Con, sharing where they will be, games they are looking forward to playing or buying, and personal highlights like Rock Hard 1977, Horri…
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Better Than The Original
Tom, Julie, and Eric discuss Origins Awards results and Dice Tower Awards nominees. Julie shares her Origins Game Fair experience, and the group discusses board game upgrades and specific games including Captain Flip and Cities.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - I Pick Things Up I Put Them Down
Tom and Eric discuss managing board game collection size, review Spiel des Jahres nominees, and answer listener questions on topics like unplayed games and recent board game acquisitions.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - Places Please
Tom recounts his trip to BGG Spring, and Eric reviews Dungeons and Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern. The hosts also present a boardgaming horror story, answer a listener question, and conclude with their usual segment.
- At The Table with The Dice Tower - In The Year Two Thousand... Four
The Dice Tower episode covers upcoming events like Dice Tower East and Gen Con, reflects on the year 2004, includes a boardgaming horror story, answers a listener question about digital game implementations, and reviews several games.