Bye Bye Dice Tower

It’s been a wild week, both in the world and in the boardgaming sphere.

I don’t really comment too much on here about social issues, politics, etc, because this is kind of my safe space for getting away from all of that.

However, I am very outspoken about them in other avenues (mainly on Bluesky), so it’s not like I hide my feelings that much.

Sometimes things just go beyond the pale, like last August’s combination of CGE publishing Harry Potter Codenames and the Ace of Spades vile and racist artwork happening as a 1-2 punch.

Sometimes you just have to say something because you have to make your voice heard, even if it’s to a very low number of people. In fact, part of the reason I don’t speak out more on here is just because it feels pointless when so few people will be reading it anyway.

This is one of those times that I feel I have to say something, though.

Last Saturday, US Border Patrol officers brutally murdered Alex Pretti, a Veterans Administration Intensive Care nurse who was just trying to document what has been going on in Minneapolis.

Sam Healey, a part-time contributor to the Dice Tower boardgame review Youtube network, reposted a statement on Facebook from somebody else, essentially blaming Pretti for his own murder because he brought a gun (lawfully) to the protest.

In the comments to that post, Sam continued to support the sentiment.

There was a huge outrage, understandably, and that included a lot of comments on the Dice Tower 2026 Gamefound campaign (they have an annual Support Drive campaign to raise the next year’s funds) because Sam is a paid contributor to the site and is a long-time friend of Tom Vasel. Many of those comments were subsequently deleted, but the controversy continued and more comments were posted.

I was actually weighing doing this post during that controversy, going back and forth on whether I should say something (I was active on Bluesky with it from the outset, though).

While I was debating, Sam posted in numerous places that he was stepping away from the Dice Tower because of the controversy, that it was hurting Tom and his other friends and he didn’t want that to happen because of him.

Has the controversy subsided?

No, it has not.

See, the problem is that while Sam will no longer be associated with the Dice Tower, Tom and the Dice Tower have not said anything about the situation at all.

Not Sam, and certainly not the situation that is happening in Minnesota and in the United States in general.

Hell, he won’t even talk about the extremely harmful tariffs, except in passing.

His stated goal is to keep the channel apolitical, as a place to talk about games and that’s it.

(Yes, I realize that I do kind of echo that feeling above about this blog, though I don’t remain silent about the world situation in general. I just don’t post about it here, much)

The problem is that when true evil is being perpetrated on your fellow citizens by a repressive and racist government that is willing to inflict pain and terror as a method of governing, you can’t really sit on the sidelines anymore.

Especially when one of your own employees publicly appears to agree with that evil.

I haven’t financially backed the Dice Tower for a long while now (I contributed one year, a few years ago), but I’ve watched some of their videos, I’ve enjoyed the DTV Audio podcasts (audio versions of some of their videos) and the Dice Tower podcast with Tom, Eric Summerer, and Julie Ahearn (from Van Ryder Games).

I enjoy a number of the people on the channel. Camila and Chris are two of my favourites.

But this is the straw that broke the camel’s back (sorry for the cliche).

When this first erupted a couple of days ago, I unsubscribed from their Youtube channel, deleted episodes and unsubscribed from their podcasts, and will no longer watch or listen to any of them.

Some would say “what took you so long”, and you would have a good point. I know that the inaction during the Black Lives Matter controversy that happened in 2020 was terrible, but they did end up putting out a statement and Tom had a really nice conversation about racial issues and gaming with game designer Eric Lang (who is black, for those of you who don’t know him) and I thought that was a good thing.

(Sadly, I’ve read that the video and the Dice Tower statement about diversity and inclusion have been taken down at some point, which is outrageous)

There have been other rumblings about other things, and that should have given me pause, though nothing was ever really publicly said about them so it was just…ignored.

That’s on me.

But no more.

We are judged by the values that we profess and the actions that we take.

But we are also judged by who we associate with, who we let into our inner circle, and what they publicly do and say.

Not choosing a side in something as monumental as this is the same as choosing one, and it’s the wrong one.

As an American living abroad, my heart goes out to the people of Minnesota and to those in other cities and states who are undergoing the same treatment, but maybe just not as publicly.

I want to leave you with two statements made by other Boardgame Youtube people. (These are not about the Dice Tower, but about the entire situation in the US)

Zilla Blitz, who I consider a friend and who is a resident of Minnesota, shares his beliefs about this and a lot of other things, which totally echo mine.

This statement cost Zilla some followers, so if you like gaming (especially wargaming), I encourage you to follow him on Youtube.

Beyond Solitaire is also in Minnesota. I don’t know her, but I’ve always respected her and this is also a powerful (and extremely heartfelt) statement.

I’m sure the same is true for Liz and that this cost her some subscribers, so definitely go follow her as well!

Minnesota is a great example of how, if people stand together, they can resist true evil.

The world is in flames right now, but we have to take care of ourselves or we won’t be able to take care of others.

That includes our own mental health.

I admit that I’m one of the worst at doing that.

We have to make room for joy in our lives as well, including boardgames (if that’s your thing, which I assume it is for most of you if you’re reading this blog).

If we don’t allow ourselves joy, then we will sink into a depression that will not only harm us, but will also take us out of the fight.

Please take care of yourself.