In this show, we talk about Great Western Trail, Deep Sea Adventure, No Siesta, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past, Gooseberry, and the  Pokemon trading card game.  We also here a tale of Horror, a tale of Sadness, and a tale of Amazement!  Finally, we completely clear out our question queue!

Tom, Eric, and a host of contributors take a look at 2016 and talk about the best and worst games of the year!

Show Notes:

1:14 - Intro

4:43 - Year as a whole

15:55 - Biggest Surprises

22:56 - Biggest Disappointments

28:25 - Best Components

32:40 - Best Art

38:05 - Worst Games

41:42 - Best Card Games

47:57 - Best Family Games

53:11 - Best Party Games

56:26 - Best Cooperative Games

1:03:07 - Best Children's Games

1:07:54 - Most Innovative Games

1:13:56 - Strangest Games

1:16:56 - Best Expansions

1:20:58 - Best Reprints

1:24:01 - Biggest Brainburners

1:27:10 - Favorite Game Events

1:33:47 - Top 10

2:02:26 - Other Categories

2:07:00 - Looking at 2017

It's our live show from the Dice Tower Cruise 2016!  Sam, Jason, and Zee join us as we talk about some of the games we played and enjoyed, the cruise itself, a Tale of Treachery, and questions from the audience!

You can see the video version here:

https://youtu.be/Ahk2bEX5vP8

In this show, we take a look at Saloon Tycoon, Habitats, Morpheus,  and Dale of Merchants 2.  We hear a different type of Tale of Awkwardness, here from Board Game Gumbo, Bonus Action, GameTek, Cult of the Old, Board Game Biopsy, and Sweet Spot.  We answer a pile of questions including breaking into a new game group, and end the show discussing how we can get others to play the games we want.

In this show, we talk about Escape Room: the Game, Glux, Honshu, Arkham Horror: the Card Game, Escape from Colditz, and Hanamikoji.  We talk about BGG.con, hear a very awkward Tale, and end the show with our top ten games that it seems everyone has forgotten but us.

Folks, this is a special episode, one I didn't put together.  It's from Nights at the Game Table, which can be found here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/65262

It's about the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund, and one person that we were able to help and their story.  I hope you find it interesting.

In this show, we talk about Mechs vs Minions, Not Alone, OctoDice, Ghostbusters: Protect the Barrier, 4 Gods, Seafall, Star Wars Destiny, and Blood Bowl.  Geoff talks about the electoral college, we hear a tale of Horror and about worker placement, and end the show answering a pile of your questions!

In this episode, we talk about Conan, Aeon’s End, Pandemic The Cure: Experimental Meds, DrachenTurm, and Scythe.  There is a Board Game Gumbo, Cult of the Old, and a Tale of Amazement.  Finally, we end the show with our favorite "Next Step" Games, games after the introductory games to the hobby.

Also, at the beginning of the show, we talk about the future of the Dice Tower!

In this episode, we talk about Hamsterbande, JurassAttack, Animals on Board, Warquest, the Dominion Upgrades, and Grand Prix.   We also hear from some contributors, answer a pile of questions, and end the show with our thoughts on sports vs. games!

In this show, we talk about Great Western Trail, Adrenaline, Islebound, Power Grid: The Card Game, Chromosome, and Terraforming Mars.  We also hear the history of Acquire, talk about our Essen 2016 experiences, and end with our top ten games to use to entice video gamers into the hobby.  Again.

Note:  We recorded in a room with a lot of echo, thus you'll notice that in the recording.  Not much we could do about it, sorry!

Tom, Eric, Sam, Zee, and more join together to talk about some interesting games we saw at the Spiel Fair at Essen.  We then do a rousing game of Stronghold vs. Iello Family Feud, then answer some questions live.

Thanks to IELLO for sponsoring the room!

In this show, we talk about Onarim, Biohazard Containment Unit, Empires: Galactic Rebellion, and the Castles of Burgundy card game.  We also hear a tale of Treachery, about a VCR game, and answer a pile of questions.

Then, AFTER THE END CREDITS, we have a detailed discussion of Pandemic Legacy, including spoilers.  Don't worry, we'll give you heads up before we do!

In this episode, we talk about Heroes of Kaskaria, the Castles of Burgundy Card Game, Marvel Legendary: Guardians of the Galaxy, and Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle.  We hear from the Sweet Spot and Boardgame Biopsy, hear a sad tale of Horror, and finish the show with our top ten "real time" games!

In this show, we record live from the Portal store in Manchester, Connecticut.  We talk about A Feast for Odin, Stealing Mona Lisa, Arcane Academy, Automania, Mechs vs. Minions, and Take the A Train.  We also answer some live questions, and finish up letting you listen to part of a live Wits and Wagers game!

In this show, we talk about City of Spies, Bluffalo, Rock Paper Poker, Agricola Family, AssassinCon, and Mythe.  We answer several questions - as well as ask the audience a question, and hear a sad tale of shame.  Geoff and the Sweet Spot show up, and we end the show talking about the person most responsible for getting us into board gaming.

In this episode, we talk about Masmorra, New Bedford, Let them Eat Cake, Flag Dash, Dungeon Busters, and Backyard Builders Treehouse.  We hear from Board Game Gumbo and Mark Zielinski, and answer more from our pile of questions.  Finally, we end the show with our top ten Push-Your-Luck Games!

In this show, we talk about Agamemnon, Junk Art, Back to the Future, Terraforming Mars, Codex, and Great Dinosaur Rush.  We answer questions about teaching kids to lie and more, hear a tale of betrayal, test out a new segment Biopsy of a Game, and hear about Geoff's Ghostbuster adventures.  Finally, we end the show talking about games that would make a great game show!

In this episode, we talk about The Others, Hit Z Road, Energy Empire, The Pursuit of Happiness, The King’s Men, and The Ravens of Thri Sahashri.  We hear a board game biopsy, hit the sweet spot, answer a pile of questions, and end the show with our top ten games to get role players into the board gaming hobby.

In this episode, we talk about 

The Networks, Play Me, (The King’s Men), Exposed, Ticket to Ride: Rails and Sails, Klank,  and Tavurua.  Mr. Counter takes a look at Emerald, Eric tries to guess favorite games of college students, a tale of Treachery is spun, and we talk about press-your-luck games.  Finally, we end the show talking about what our go-to game is when traveling.

In this episode, we take a look at Seafall, Mansions of Madness, Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu,  and Fantahzee.  We hear a tale of Horror, from several of our contributor, and then end the show with our top ten stressful games!

In this show, we are LIVE in Indianapolis, IN, in front of our largest convention audience yet, for Gen Con 2016. Tom, Eric, Sam, and Zee discuss their thoughts on the convention. We present a live Tale of Horror. Publishers announce new releases live on stage. Jason live tweets from the Fantasy Flight InFlight report. The Secret Cabal invades to run a game show. We take questions from the audience. And oh yes the singing. There is singing.

In this show, we take a look at Cry Havoc, Arcane Academy, Bring Your Own Book, Oh my Goods, Tiny Epic Western, Mad Science Foundation, Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space, Hide the Kids, and Dino Race.  We hear from Mark, have some gumbo, hit the sweet spot, and end the show with a pile of listener questions.  It's Question Palapalooza # who knows what!

In this episode, part two of our GenCon special, we invite Tony Topper and Jamie Keagy from the Secret Cabal and talk about the upcoming GenCon 2016 convention!  We go over tips for the convention, and then go over our top ten most anticipated games!

Hey now, it's part one of our two part episode in which we preview GenCon 2016!  We answer questions about the convention, and go over a huge pile of games releasing at the fair!  

You aren't seeing things, we decided to put the Cabal's show on our feed for convenience!

In this episode, we talk about Cry Havoc, Arcane Academy, Bring Your Own Book, Oh my Goods, Tiny Epic Western, Mad Science Foundation, Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space, Hide the Kids, and Dino Race!  We hear from Mark at Origins, a tale of horror, and finally end the show with our top ten overrated games.  Prepare the knives!

We are joined by a host of contributors to present the best games of 2015!  With fourteen awards, and recorded live at Dice Tower Con 2016, we congratulate the winners of most innovative game, best artwork, best family game, and more!  We end the show taking questions from the audience to Eric, Tom, Sam, and Zee.

NOTE:  Due to some file transfer issues, this episode is a week late, AFTER Dice Tower Con.  Sorry about that!

In this show, we take a look at 

Guildhall Fantasy Trio, Burano, Ghost-Fightin’ Treasure Hunters, Fool’s Gold, Garbage Day, and Dead Last.  A plethora of contributors join us, from law cases to DnD horror stories!  We start a quick contest, answer a few quesions, and finally end the show with our top ten ancient era games!

In this show, Sam Healey and Zee Garcia join as hosts and we talk about some of the games we saw at Origins, including Tyrants of the Underdark, Captain Sonar, and more!  Chaz Marler gives his impressions, we play a live version of the Match Game, and we end the show answering questions including how we would die in an RPG.

Huzzah!  In this pre-Origins 2016 episode, Eric and Tom talk about Guilds of London, Council of Four, IceCool, and Box of Rocks.  We hear from a TON of our contributors, from Takenoko to Um Reifenbreite to Imperial Settlers.  A harrowing tale of treachery is told, and we talk about our favorite ten medieval themed games.  But we don't end there, and finish with a question of the week IN THE SAME EPISODE.

In this show, recorded live at the UK Gaming Expo, Tom and Sam take a look at games they played before and during the fair, talk about our trip to London and Nottingham, and banter with a few Dice Tower contributors.  We also give a preview of Skythe.

In this show, we discuss Coffee Roaster, Dream Factory, My First Carcassonne, Bear Valley, Magecraft, Bad Medicine, and Dwarves, Inc. The Sweet Spot looks at tense games, Luke introduces to to some racing games, The Solo Game Corner explores Healthy Heart Hospital, and we hear the Biography of Hive. Plus, a Tale of Boardgaming Horror, letters from the mailbag, and our tips on how to deal with obnoxious gamers.

In this episode, we talk about Star Trek: Frontiers, Linkee, Happy Pigs, Legends of Draxia, Tichu, Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space, and Ladies and Gentlemen.  We are joined by special guest Jorge Garcia (Lost, Hawaii 5-0) and talk about his gaming past and treacheries.  We finally hear from Greg about the Gathering, listen to Geoff stir up a ruckuss, hear a tale of Amazement, and more!  Finally, we end this extra-long show with our top ten games with amazing card art.

In this episode, we are taking a look at Isle of Skye, Stratos, Exodus Expansion, Magic duel deck, Stratos, and more!  We hear about a pig race, the history of Carcassonne, GameTek, and how to deal with horrible boxes.  And a pile of questions and answers!

In this show, we talk about Alan’s Adventureland, Shadow over Westminster, Histrio, The Palaces of Carrara, Ravenous River, and Dice City.  We also hear about an annoying gamer, Friday, bashing Monopoly, and a report on Tabletop Day at the F2Z headquarters.  Finally, we end the show with our top ten Creepy Crawlies games - games that feature bugs, spiders, worms, and more!

In this show, we talk about Dungeon!, FreshFish, T’Zolkin: Tribes and Prophecies, Bastian, Spheres of Influence, DilluviaProject, and Greedy Greedy Goblins.  Tom talks about thesights and sounds of the Gathering of Friends, Eric goes through agamut of emotions with a bunch of Tales, and we hear from a greatnumber of great contributors!  Finally, we end the showtalking about how to pitch your game to apublisher.

In this episode, we talk about Rockwell, Animal on Board, Meeple War,Prime Time, Medici, and Eric gives us a Pandemic Legacy Update.  We also answer questions about local game stores, Dicemasters, legacy games, and more!  Finally, we end the show with our top ten games for teaching math!

In this show, we talk about Avalanche on Yeti Mountain, Mad Libs: The Game, Tigris and Euphrates, Conquest Stratego, Apotheca, Time Stories: Prophecy of Dragons, Thunder and Lightning.  We also hear from a variety of contributors, incluing Game Tech, History of Board Games, and more!  After a few tales, we finish up the show with thoughts on the retheming of games.

In this show we talk about Mombasa, Smash Up Expansions, Scoundrel Society, Flip City: Reuse, Loot n Run, and Firefly Fluxx.  We also answer questions about gaming outside, "min-maxing" and more!  Finally, we end the show with our top ten politically themed games.

In this show, we talk about Thunderbirds, Pied Piper, Northern Pacific, Millenium Blades, Knit-Wit, Monstrous, and Pecunia non olet.  We have a pile of contributions, including both old and new!  We end the show talking about power creep, and how it affects games.

In this show, we talk about World’s Fair 1893, Epic Roll, Escape the Room, Valeria: Card Kingdoms, Latice, and Mission to Mars 2049.  We also answer questions about sleeving cards, contacting companies, falling asleep, and more!  Finally, we end the show with our favorite ten long games - games that are 3 hours or more!

In this show, we delve live into the GAMA trade show, talking from there with Chaz Marler, Suzanne Sheldon, Jason Levine and more!  We are also joined by our regular contributors to make a real hodge podge of an episode, talking about both new and old games.  Finally, we end the show talking about going back in time to stop a game from being made!

In this show, we discuss Crown and Kingdom, Concordia: Salsa, Carson City: Deluxe, Paradox, Steampunk Rally, Circus Flohcati and Odin’s Ravens.  We also answer a pile of questions and realize just how far behind we are!  Finally, we end the show talking about the best reprints or board games.

Do you like Eric?  Well, this is the episode for you! Here, we talk about Food Chain Magnate, Dino Twist, Worm Up!, and Jivecat Voodoo Lounge.  Brian talks about Pick Picknic, we have another history tale, more psychology, hear several tales, and end the show talking about what we would do if we found a time machine!

In this episode, we talk about Walled City, Through the Ages, Council of Four, Valley of the Kings: Afterlife, Bomb Squad Academy, and La Citta.  We answer questions about silly gamers, Dice Masters, Merchant of Venus, player colors, and more!  Finally, we end the show with our favorite ten games for six players.

In this show, we talk about Through the Ages: A New Tale of Civilization (online), Hocus, Concept, Steam Works, Gruff, Trap!, and Space Yogurt.  We hear a tale of Amazement, Outrage, and Hilarity, as well as discuss the sweet spot in gaming, psychology in gaming, the alpha gamer, and more!  We end the show talking about if we could only play one game the rest of our life, what would it be?

In this episode, we take a look at Stinker, One Night Ultimate Vampire, Sly Dice, Epic Roll, Mexica, and Fantasy Stables.  We also answer a pile of questions, and finish off the episode with our favorite dexterity games.

In this episode, we take a look at A Study in Emerald (2nd Edition), Stick to Colours, Vye, Viticulture Essential Edition, Steam Time, Cat Tower, Nautilus Industries, and Casting.   We are joined by a host of contributors, including a couple of new segments!  We also answer a pile of questions, as well as talk about when to play with the maximum number of players.

In this show, we talk about Dark Age Z, Mangrovia, Star Wars: Rebellion, Skyway Robbery, Healthy Heart Hospital, and the Splendor iOS.  We also answer a pile of questions, and finish the show taking a look back 15 years ago at the best games from 2001.

In this show, we talk about Above and Below, Roll for the Galaxy Expansion, Maharaja, Outfoxed, Treasure Hunter, Ninja All Stars, Piratoons, and VuDu.  We also hear a few tales of Horror, Amazement, and Treachery - and talk about tales in general and our reaction to them.  Finally, we talk about how to deal with kids who have a hard time when they lose.

In this show, we discuss Epic PVP, Siege of Faerun, Grand Austria Hotel, Apollo XIII, Zombicide: Black Plague, Colosseum, Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, and Ultimate Warriorz.  We answer questions about pirating and making your own copies of games, and finish the show taking a look back ten years ago - at 2006's best games.

In this episode, we talk about The King is Dead, Cat Tube Famous, But Wait, There’s More!, Splash!, the Magic Board Game Expansion, Game of Gnomes, Mess Machine, andTelepathy (Magic Minds and Brain Freeze).  We have three tales - one of horror, one of treachery, and one of outrage!  Brian, Dan, and Mary join us, and the whole group discusses the latest announcement from Asmodee North America.

In this episode, we introduce our 2016 DT Kickstarter, and talk about Dojo Kun, Mod X, Spirits of the Rice Paddy, Best Treehouse Ever, and Burgle Brothers.  We also answer questions including why we like Caverna better than Agricola, and finally end the show with our favorite games from five years ago - 2011!