Sam Healey leaving The Dice Tower was never going to be as clean or uncomplicated as Tom Vasel may have hoped. Not after Sam’s recent public statements that went far beyond ordinary political disagreement. Not after he openly praised authoritarian force, including saying that the boot of authoritarianism “tastes like freedom.” Not after he defended lethal ICE actions in ways that dismissed the deaths of people killed during enforcement operations, despite the fact that ICE is not actually empowered to carry out extrajudicial killings of American citizens.
That context didn’t evaporate just because Sam stepped away. If anything, it made his departure heavier.
And then Sam chose to post his exit statement directly in the comments section of The Dice Tower’s own crowdfunding campaign, the literal storefront where the channel asks its community for support. In that message, he made some pretty passive‑aggressive declarations in which he refused to apologise for anything he had said. He framed himself as a burden, nobly removing himself “for the good of his friends.” He insisted he had not been let go, but had left voluntarily, as though this were an act of self‑sacrifice rather than the predictable fallout of the fascist rhetoric he chose to amplify.
He also brought religion into it, saying he had prayed over the decision. This also felt crass and self‑absolving. It framed the whole situation as a spiritual weight he had nobly carried, rather than the consequences of his own public statements. For many, it read less like sincerity and more like a rhetorical shield: a way to sanctify his choice while sidestepping any responsibility for the harm his words caused.
Dragging all of this to the doorstep of his coworkers, on their platform, during their campaign, was a massive issue. In any other professional environment, this sort of behaviour in front of customers would require an immediate, clear statement from leadership. Not necessarily a political statement. No sweeping, detailed manifesto. Just the bare minimum of “The opinions of this individual do not reflect those of the organisation.”
That’s it. That’s all it would take. But The Dice Tower said nothing.
Tom Vasel stated that he would not comment on “how I deal with my employees,” and that the situation “has been dealt with”. That framing implies an organisational decision, a managerial process, a resolution behind the scenes. But Sam’s own statement insists he left entirely of his own accord. Both narratives cannot be true simultaneously, and the contradiction only deepened the sense that the channel was trying to tidy up a situation that was never tidy.
Layered on top of this is The Dice Tower’s long‑standing insistence on being “apolitical.” But choosing to be “apolitical” is itself a political choice; one that determines what gets acknowledged, what gets ignored, and whose comfort is prioritised. When a long‑time contributor publicly praises authoritarian force and dismisses the deaths of people killed during enforcement actions, silence isn’t neutrality. It’s avoidance.
And in this case, it wasn’t even effective avoidance. The attempt to stay above the fray didn’t shield the channel; it exposed it. By refusing to address the substance of Sam’s statements, or the harm people felt in response, The Dice Tower created a vacuum that the community filled themselves, with frustration, disappointment, and a sense that the people in charge either didn’t understand the issue or didn’t want to.
The farewell they offered – polite, brief, antiseptic – treated the situation like a scheduling change rather than a moral rupture. It asked viewers to pretend the context didn’t exist, to smooth over the dissonance, to move on quietly.
But the community – the customers – aren’t obligated to participate in that erasure. People are allowed to feel conflicted, disappointed, or even relieved. And they’re allowed to expect more honesty from a channel that has built its brand on trust, transparency, and a sense of shared enthusiasm.
As someone who genuinely enjoys a lot of their content, and who has particularly enjoyed Sam Healey’s contributions to that content, it’s hard not to feel let down. This goodbye was never going to be simple, but the silence that followed has made it far more complicated than it needed to be.
No Rerolls 
Being apolitical in America today implies that someone is ignorant and/or cowardly. Sam has always had the same coarse, wanabee, tough guy image commonly seen in ICE today. He decided to proudly let the world know who he is.
Tom has decided to be silent for the sake of business. He has chosen poorly. The majority of Red Hats aren’t playing many board games (maybe GW stuff). He had little to lose. If Trump is allowed to bleed America dry for his ego, we all lose.
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On the one hand, I get Vasel not wanting to drag his company in. On the other, is it that hard to say “the views of contributors are not the views of the company”?
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I wonder if this will be mentioned in the next Dice Tower News. I am betting, max it’ll be limited to “well, he left”
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I didn’t know about this and all I can say is, “Yikes!”. What a mess that is a reflection of the sad state of the US at the moment. With that said, there had to be a better way for everyone involved to deal with this, surely?
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It just feels such an unforced error on the part of The Dice Tower.
“The views of individual contributors should not be taken as an indication of the view of the company.”
Done. There would still have been issues, but that would have been a good start, y’know?
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Based on various political polls I’ve seen, I would estimate that 30% of the American public (quite possibly less) would be willing to support Sam’s statements so a pretty thin minority. If the Dice Tower had simply said what you suggested, they would have distanced themselves from Sam’s abhorrent comments that have little support and been able to reassure a lot of other people that Dice Tower is worth supporting. To dismiss Sam’s views without stating their own is a perfectly valid way of defusing the situation without making things too political and risking losing more potential fans.
The approach they’re taking is going to make nobody happy and it puts into question “their brand”. They have kids in some content and talk about family games but then apparently, they’re willing to let someone talk about bootlicking and how murder is justified without condemning it whatsoever. That’s very incongruent and there’s almost no chance that it won’t hurt their bottom line in the end.
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Why does everything need commentary? Maybe it just is what it is. Sam realized he was causing damage to TDT by staying on board, and decided that he would rather not sully his friendship with Tom by doing the right thing and bowing out. I think that speaks volumes about his character. If anything, Tom not even acknowledging that Sam left speaks volumes about *his* character.
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I definitely respect your point on commentary, generally. I don’t do a lot of it, unless something particularly interests me. The unforced errors in TDT’s response are what I found interesting.
I disagree that Sam was as selfless as you suggest, based on the post he shared on the way out. I agree with your critique of Tom’s reaction.
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Which post are you referring to? Because if it’s his political opinions, those are what they are and I don’t consider that a source of judgement of his character. You may disagree with what he says, but he’s allowed to an opinion.
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You wouldn’t say character is demonstrated by our words and actions?
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I would say that tense situations lead to unfortunate consequences. However you feel about it, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I can see it from both sides, and both sides have faults. I choose to not judge someone not by their political opinion.
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I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree on that. Political opinions are a huge indication of character, though the interpretation is, as ever, pretty subjective.
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In a world where there are so many different religions, political affiliations, and ideas on how to do everything, I think we can both agree that, at the end of the day, we just want to sit down and play some board games while enjoying each others’ company. I’d wager that the vast majority of us have more in common than we’d like to admit, and just because I don’t agree with someone’s point of view doesn’t make them a bad person in my mind…and that’s the last thing I’ll say on that because I don’t want this to become a political discussion (Not the time or the place for that). I appreciate your insight and your article.
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Sam is continuing to express new controversial opinions and without any ideological distance the Dice Tower now owns them as well. I feel the longer they let this fester the less adequate a typical simple “not the opinions of the Dice Tower” statement will actually work. That window may be closing.
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