In this show, we talk about Lord of the Rings: Journeys in the Middle-Earth, Silver & Gold, New Frontiers, and Fire Tower.  We answer questions about modifying games, what to do when playing a game with a wrong player count, and more!  Geoff shows up, and Tom talks about going to a Magic the Gathering prerelease event.  Finally, we end the show talking about games that got us interested in exploring a topic further.

TDT #605 - Games that Light a Spark

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!

Games

Leisure

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

At The Table with The Dice Tower - Back to Back

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

At The Table with The Dice Tower - Bargain Basement

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

At The Table with The Dice Tower - This Is Seventeen

This time, we are LIVE at Dice Tower West 2024 in Las Vegas in front of a convention audience to discuss our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops, pit three games in a Vegas-themed Showdown, share a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and take questions from the audience. 01:04 - News for Dice Tower West 2025 03:17 - Games Tom Taught 04:26 - Eric Plays Wyrmspan 05:52 - What's Julie Been Doing? 07:33 - Way Too Many Cats 11:38 - Shipwrights of the North Sea: Redux 13:45 - Paris: La Cité de la Lumière 17:27 - Mr. Jack 19:54 - Challengers: Beach Cup 22:47 - Video Game Champion 29:36 - Showdown Intro 30:27 - Vegas Showdown 31:19 - Lords of Vegas 33:52 - Vabanque 36:22 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 41:12 - What is our favorite Stonemaier Game? 41:58 - Where does Tom keep his hats? 42:39 - What are our favorite Auction Games? 44:23 - What was our favorite non-gaming Vegas experience? 47:41 - What game surprised us after having low expectations? 50:24 - Do we implement house rules/post-release fixes? 54:54 - What is a good travel-sized deck-building game? 57:28 - What are our spouses' favorite games?

At The Table with The Dice Tower - Vegas Baby!

Tom, Julie, and Eric share their excitement for Dice Tower West. Tom and Eric have been playing Collectable Card Games with their kids, while Julie played games in a castle. We share some industry news about the former designers at Prospero Hall, as well as a Tale of Horror that leads to a discussion about Math Trades. And we close the show with our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:45 - Dice Tower West and our Live Show 04:34 - Hot Games at DTW 09:51 - Tempest Workshop 13:19 - Playing CCGs with Our Kids 22:44 - Hoop and Stick at Ravenwood Castle 32:20 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror - Math Trades 43:18 - Hecken Good Dogs 50:51 - Wyrmspan 55:34 - Unlock: Legendary Adventures 59:46 - Mythic Mischief 1:02:47 - Spectral 1:05:04 - Penny Dreadfuls of Victorian London

TDT #605 - Games that Light a Spark

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