Podcast appearances and mentions of Tom Vasel

This is a seminar Tom gave at Conjugar, an industry event part of Roll a Game expo in Guadalajara Mexico, in 2025.

Tom Vasel takes a look at his top 10 games released in the 1980s!

Tom Vasel takes a look at 10 Games That Have Been Favorites For Many Years!

This time, Tom shares his adventures in Mexico, and Julie has tales to tell from Greece. Then, we kick of our discussion of video games that feel like board games with Eric's obsession with Blue Prince, before moving on to a bunch of other electronic games, including some that have made the leap to boardgames. We open up the mailbag for a question and Tale of Horror, and break down our Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:57 - Following the Script 01:21 - Announcements: Dice Tower Cruise and East 02:24 - Tom in Mexico 06:27 - Julie in Greece 06:48 - Video Games that Feel Like Board Games 08:05 - Blue Prince 10:42 - Slay the Spire 11:24 - Balatro 16:22 - PS Remote Play 19:26 - Final Fantasy Tactics 21:26 - Citizen Sleeper 22:21 - Sunderfolk 23:35 - Jackbox 24:57 - Telltale Games 26:24 - Making the Jump to Board Games 36:25 - Question/Tale of Boardgaming Horror 44:28 - We Love Cats 46:41 - Ito 49:55 - Donald Duck in Happy Camper 54:51 - The Morrison Game Factory 58:20 - Lynx 59:43 - Camino a Xibabla Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com  

Join Tom Vasel as he answers your questions live!

Tom Vasel shares his top 10 games that feel like an escape room!

Tom Vasel shares his top 10 games to play on a weeknight!

Today, we focus on what designers should do when they've built a design on an existing game. How much borrowing is too much borrowing? We also look ahead to some upcoming events, share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and run through our latest batch of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:49 - Tom's Apology 01:25 - Dice Tower Cruise and Dice Tower East 01:52 - Tom's Catan Update: Seafarers 02:53 - Upcoming: Studio Move, Origins, Greece, College Visits 03:55 - Building Your Game on an Existing Design 32:41 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 39:33 - Roaring 20s 43:42 - Mystery of the Abbey 50:30 - CULTivate 54:42 - Faraway 57:42 - Nocturne 1:01:25 - Wroth Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Tom Vasel takes a look at 7 party games in a rapid-fire manner!

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Chris Yi take a look at their top 10 board games that have an app implementation that perhaps plays better than the physical version or that they'd sooner turn to than playing the physical game.

We kick off this episode with some chit-chat regarding the moving of Dice Tower HQ, some upcoming events, Tom's efforts to impress the chef at a Japanese restaurant, and the most played games at Dice Tower West. A listener question leads us to discuss the layout of rulebooks and how best to do so. We share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, and close the show with a typical wave of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:53 - Moving the Studio 03:14 - Upcoming Events 03:52 - Tom at Dinner 07:26 - Most Played Games at Dice Tower West 12:50 - Dice Tower East and Dice Tower Cruise 13:23 - Rulebook Layout 36:55 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 45:57 - Catan 6th Edition 52:32 - Bad Apples 58:00 - Sentient 1:01:18 - Monkey Labs 1:03:02 - Ostia 1:05:58 - My Favorite Things Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Tune in for a major announcement from The Dice Tower!

Tom Vasel asks people in the board game industry a simple question at GAMA 2025. Check out their responses!

Tom Vasel asks people in the board game industry a simple question at GAMA 2025. Check out their responses!

This time, we are recording in person at Dice Tower West (with some new mics!). We talk specifics about our new-ish venue for DTW, and then get more general with a chat about our convention strategies and planning. The Tale of Boardgaming Horror is one for the ages, and we close the show with some Roses, Thorns, Hula Hoops, and Crossovers. 00:47 - Dice Tower West: Back at the Westgate 04:20 - Julie's Drive West 08:35 - Eric at APAC 09:41 - Tom at GAMA Expo and The Grand Canyon 13:09 - Hot Games 14:16 - Convention Strategy 33:47 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 39:26 - Critter Kitchen 44:29 - Spooktacular 49:03 - Moon Colony Bloodbath 51:42 - Galaxy Children Explorers 56:09 - Lata Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Tom Vasel takes a look at games from 1, 5, 10, and 20 years ago.

Tom Vasel takes a look at 6 games in a rapid-fire format!

Tom Vasel takes a look at 45 games in only 14 minutes! These are rapid snapshots of Tom's impressions of the games. Some of them have been covered in greater detail before, or may get more coverage in the future.

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio take a look at their top 10 game recommendations that YOU should play at least once!

This time, we're talking sports, and how game designers can best emulate them. Plus, Horror, Hula Hoops, Roses, and Thorns. 00:59 - Announcements: Dice Tower West and East 02:04 - Sports Boardgames 20:10 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 25:48 - Charcuterie 30:24 - 1 A.M. Jailbreak 33:07 - Helionox Chronicles 37:47 - Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era 40:38 - Ostia 42:33 - Kingdom Legacy: Feudal Kingdom Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Chris Yi exuberantly explore exciting examples of excellent games. Equestrian. It's the Top 10 games that start with the Letter "E."

Tom Vasel and Timm Metivier take your questions and dish out the answers! Want to learn a little more about coming out to a Dice Tower event? Here's your chance! Learn more at https://dicetowerwest.com and join us March 5-9, 2025 in Las Vegas!

Tom Vasel looks at some of the big movers, shakers, precipitous droppers, and more that happened during the Top 100 games of all time in January of 2025.

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio take a look at their Top 100 games of all time. And now the end is here, and so we face the final curtain. My friends, they'll say it clear, they'll state their cases, of which they're certain. These are the best 10 games out there (for themselves)!

This time, Eric gives an update on his Middle School Game Night before the gang launches into a discussion of how playing games for tangible prizes changes the vibe at the table. Then, we move on to a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, check the mailbag, and share some Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:48 - Announcements: Gamefound, Dice Tower West 02:33 - Update on Eric's Middle School Game Night 03:54 - Raising the Stakes 25:08 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 31:54 - Question: Boardgaming's Golden Age? 36:24 - Question: Collecting from a Single Franchise? 38:30 - Endeavor Deep Sea 41:45 - Portmanteau 45:21 - Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game 48:58 - The Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game 51:19 - Jekyll & Hyde vs. Scotland Yard 54:54 - Stomp the Plank --- Questions? Tales of Horror? tom@dicetower.com

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio take a look at their Top 100 games of all time, and this time, they almost are at the best of the best with honors, sir. This time, it's just the best of the best!

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio take a look at their Top 100 games of all time. And in a surprising move, they're continuing along with their 30 through 21 picks! It's not much of a surprise, but they're still at it!

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio take a look at their Top 100 games of all time. Never before has this been attempted! Never before has this been done! Welcome to the 20th annual Top 100s of all time.

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio take a look at their Top 100 games of all time and probably argue over perfectly cromulent choices. Because ultimately, there's no wrong answer besides Viking See-Saw. Right?

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio take a look at their Top 100 games of all time, and come right to the middle! What will happen? Will everything go perfectly smooth? Will we finally have a 4 way crossover on the same number?! Only time will tell!

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio take a look at their Top 100 games of all time, as of this moment in time, which was actually a little while ago when they finalized the lists. Has stuff changed since then? Possibly! Will they live with it? I guess they'll have to!

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio go through their Top 100 games of all time. This time, there's no telling what games could show up. Maybe even some good ones!

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio go through their top 100 games of all time. This time, their 90th through 81st favorite games.

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Mike DiLisio take a look at their top 100 games of all time! Come check out what their favorite games are as of this moment.

Tom complains about the cold before we all discuss forms of Table Talk. What just bends the rules, and what breaks the game? We share a new Tale of Boardgaming Horror, a couple of questions from the mailbag, and some new Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops. 00:40 - It's cold in Florida 01:41 - Gamefound - SupportDicetower.com 02:11 - Dice Tower East and West 03:00 - Table Talk 25:07 - Tale of Boardgaming Horror 31:31 - Question: Social Deduction Games (Where Am I, Blood on the Clocktower) 38:38 - Question: Screen Printed Meeples 44:49 - Little Alchemists 46:50 - Star Realms Academy 48:34 - Azul Duel 50:50 - Dr Jeckyl & Mr Hyde vs. Scotland Yard 53:28 - Rajas of the Ganges: Cards and Karma 56:47 - Unstoppable 1:00:07 - Catch the Moon

You have questions, Tom has answers. It's meant to be!

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Sam Healey are back in the saddle together to bring you a Top 10 list! It's time for a good ol' rootin' tootin', dice chuckin' time!

Tom Vasel, Zee Garcia, and Joey Evans take a look at their 10 most anticipated games of 2025!

Tom Vasel takes a look at the best selling games of last month, using data from our sponsor, Board Game Bliss.

On board the Dice Tower Cruise 2025, Tom, Julie, and Eric run through their holiday gaming opportunities. Julie asks how we prefer to to vacation, and we end the show with a bunch of Roses, Thorns, and Hula Hoops that we encountered on the ship. 00:44 - We're on a Ship 01:32 - Holiday Happenings 02:18 - Star Realms Rise of Empire 07:59 - Ito, Jackbox Games 09:28 - Hues and Cues 11:48 - Command of Nature 14:10 - Only Murders in the Building 17:55 - How Do You Vacation? 29:31 - My Father's Work 35:00 - Adventureland 39:38 - Cryptic Nature 41:09 - Beats and Cats 43:41 - Lure 46:20 - Bomb Busters

Tom Vasel presents 10 games that didn't make his top ten, but are still great!

Tom Vasel presents the best board game productions of 2024!

Tom Vasel presents his top 10 game expansions for 2024!

Tom Vasel takes a look at the best Board Game Reprints of 2024!

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? tom@dicetower.com

Tom Vasel takes a look at his favorite artwork in games from 2024!

Joey Evans, Jason Levine, and Tom Vasel playing the role of The People, go over the Top 10 Games of 2024!

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 tom@dicetower.com.

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

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