What would you like to see us play on Tabletop Season Three?

Posted on By Wil

Anonymous asked:

Second Season of Wil Wheaton Project. Yes or No? I hope SyFy channel has the foresight to keep it going.

So for those of you who don’t know, earlier this summer, I did 12 episodes of a silly comedy show on Syfy called The Wil Wheaton Project. It was basically The Soup for people like me who enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, as well as jokes about those things. If you’d like to see a bunch of clips from the show, they’re right here on my YouTube thing.

We’re officially on hiatus right now, and we don’t know if the network will order more episodes. I know that they liked us in a creative sense, but the ratings weren’t very good (ratings are generally not very good in summer, and while I don’t believe that ratings are as important as they once were, my opinion on the matter isn’t particularly important to the decision makers), but the people who did watch us really liked us. So I won’t know for a few more weeks, but until then, I’m on hiatus, which means I get to write more, play more games, and prep for season three of Tabletop, which goes into production in October.

Part of that preparation includes finding 20 games to play on the show, and as of today, I have eight (maybe nine) that are strong contenders.

What do you want us to play on the show next year? Would you tell me the game, the publisher, and why you like it?

Keep in mind the criteria for Tabletop game selection:

  1. Plays well with 4 people.

  2. Plays in under 90 minutes.

  3. Can be generally explained in about 5 minutes.

  4. Has a high ration of luck to strategy, so everyone has a chance to win the game.

  5. Looks great, has clear graphical design and photographs well.

  6. Is not something we’ve played before.

I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments.

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Comments (2,070)

  1. I really like card games like Dominion but think Quarriors would be fun to see on the show trying to rolling lots of dice on a sloped table
    made by Wiz Kids

  5. My husband and I picked up “Seasons” (published by Libellud) this summer and it has not left our table. We were drawn to it because of the fantastic artwork and beautiful components, and the game is so much fun to play! We had our two friends over to play it with us, and it plays great with 4 people as well (they immediately went and bought it the next day as they loved it as much as we do).

  8. Damage Report by Break From Reality Games. We like it because it’s true cooperative gaming. In order to get things done, you have to talk to your fellow players and discuss strategies, but everyone is taking their turn at the same time so there’s no way for one person who knows the game really well to essentially make every turn “their turn” as sometimes happens in other co-op games. (Do I get bonus points for actually answering all 3 questions?)

  9. Survive:Escape from Atlantis, Galaxy Trucker and Niagara seem like the three obvious choices that haven’t been done.

    Any Days of Wonder game is also a great fit – Mystery of the Abbey, Pirate’s Cove, Cleopatra & the Society of the Architects, Colosseum, and the upcoming Five Tribes.

    Manhattan Project, Libertalia, Chateau Roquefort, Salmon Run, Indigo would be some of my other choices.

    Dead of Winter, Heroes Wanted and Sentinel Tactics all just came out, are all awesome, and the basics of all of them can be grasped quickly even if some specific rules might need a slightly longer explanation to those playing.

    Animal Upon Animal, Rhino Hero and other HABA games for a kid-friendly episode.

    And I think there absolutely needs to be a 2-player episode – Mr. Jack, Mr. Jack Pocket, Lost Cities, Jaipur, Dracula, Marvel Dice Masters, Star Trek: Fleet Captains.

  10. Captain Parks Imaginary Polar Expedition. This is a CheapAss Game (same people who do Kill Dr. Luckyy) and a lot of fun. It also can show your viewers that there are a lot of fine, fine, games out there that don’t need a huge outlay of cash to play. You will need to provide your own meeples. And your own Victorian Era British Explorer Club Member accents.

    2. I’d love to see some of the CheapAss Games in action … good call! (And a +1 for the expensive version of Kill Doctor Lucky)

  12. My suggestions:

    Martin Wallace’s Steam
    A train game. Buy railroad tracks. Link cities, ship goods for cash and victory points.

    A heavier game, conceptually very easy to explain on TV, has enough screwage potential to get some laughs going as players can steal cubes to ship away from other players. It’s also one of the prettiest train games around, imho.

    Ys
    Players are merchants looking to buy gems and manipulate a very simple stock market to maximize the VPs from their gems.

    I’m almost sure you can explain this one in 5m. It looks gorgeous , has a neat partially-blind bidding mechanism that can make for good TV, and plays very well with 4 players in 90m This one is underrated and deserves more love.

    Vasco da Gama
    Buy ship plans. Buy sailors. Buy Captains. Launch ships. Collect VPs.

    A bit derivative (Another Portugal finds the riches game) but this one is VERY accessible for newer gamers, extremely photogenic, can have the basics explained in 5m. I enjoyed playing this game much more than I expected given that it is a bit derivative. And that’s mostly because of a push-your-luck based turn order determination mechanism that’s, frankly, brilliant.

    Vinhos
    Be a Portuguese wine maker! Build vineyards, wineries, cellars, hire enologists, sell wine, export wine, participate in a wine fair, get power-ups from wine experts..

    This one may be stretching it a bit. The board looks STUNNING – very photogenic. But there’s a lot happening. Normal people need 20m to explain the game, but given the TV format there’s a lot you can skip over to get it down to 5m. Also, you can only play in 90m if all players know what they’re doing. And: it’s about making wine. How awesome is that? Oh, wait. you like beer… 😉

  13. K2

    It’s published by rebel.pl (and available on Amazon). There isn’t an English version out, but the instructions are easily available in English and since the pieces/board has no words the language barrier isn’t a problem when it comes to the game appearing on camera.

    I love K2 because its design and simplicity is the essence of what a German style board game is about. It has elegant wooden pieces and a beautifully painted map. It’s a simple to learn game with a very high replayability and can be utterly brutal while totally brilliant at the same time. It really hasn’t made it to the States yet, but it’s only a matter of time before it takes off here.

    1. My apologies, a little bit of a description for those unfamiliar. You’re trying to climb the mountain K2. Weather, time, altitude sickness, and overcrowding of the routes are all factors when trying to ascend the mountain. Additionally, just like real mountaineering, it doesn’t matter if you get it to the top if you don’t survive the descent.

  14. I would love to see a Table Top-created game. Like a 2 parter where you guys create a game from idea to reality and then a 2nd part where it’s actually played. That would be awesome.

  16. If you wanted to do an RPG-light show a la Fiasco, check out Hollowpoint, Monsterhearts or Campfire.

  17. I’m tempted to suggest more complicated games, but I’ll take this seriously:

    Splendor by Asmodee: Plays perfect with four people. My favorite “intro” game right now, it is extremely simple to explain, has a healthy dose of luck involved, has great looking and great feeling components (oh those nice thick chips), and is pretty readily available.

    Ca$h n Gun$ by Asmodee: Just about the perfect tabletop game, lots of yelling and crazy fun with not too much in the way of strategy. Also has a nice action component too which would be fun to work with on film.

    Among the Stars by Stronghold Games: Great 4 player game, essentially this is 7 wonders but the placement of the cards matters. You are building a space station rather than a civilization. Also looks gorgeous. This is now available in the US as of Gen Con!

    Suburbia by Bezier Games: Putting a classic in here because I know you tend to like some older games as well. This plays fantastic with 4, is very simple to explain both in rules and concept, and looks great too.

    Sheriff of Nottingham by Arcane Wonder: Can you tell I just got back from Gen Con? Anyway, if you didn’t play this there it is a fantastic game of lying to your friends in their face and trying to get away with it. Gorgeous components, simple rules, and a GREAT social aspect that I’m sure you would have a ton of fun with on the show.

    There are probably a lot more that work, but those are all solid contenders and are all very simple which I know is a necessary criteria so I’ll leave it there. Have fun with the upcoming season!

  19. I would love to see you guys play Jamaica! It plays quick, has great mechanics for a race game, and is absolutely beautiful to look at.

    Alternatively, Cosmic Encounter would also be great to see you guys play. Tons of player interaction, bluffing, really simple rules… and you all get to lie your fool heads off..:)

  20. Superfight
    Skybound shop
    Really, it’s the ultimate game of “who would win?” The combinations get amazing, especially if you add in the orange nerd deck.

    King of New York
    iello
    ‘Nuff said

    Sewer Pirats (notice the lack of E)
    iello
    A fun, themed game with plenty if strategy and, of course, pirates.

    Red Dragon Inn
    Slugfest Games
    A bit simplistic at first, but I’m sure you’ve spent some days at the Tavern avoiding the wizard’s rabbit.

    Tokaido
    Funforge
    Beautiful to look at, fun to play and a great experience all around

    7Wonders
    Asmodee
    Who hasn’t played this drafting game where each choice can bring epic win or destructive failure!

  21. Mice and Mystics would be wonderful! I watch your show with my daughter, and it would be cool to see something closer to her age range on there.

  22. Robo Rally! (Talk about a luck/strategy game)
    Mansions of Madness
    My wife wants Ninja Burger.

    ST:TNG How to Host a Mystery Party! lol (j/k Wil!)

  24. String railway!!!!
    sushi go!, rumble in the dungeon/house, hanabi!, sentinels of the multiverse, any deck builder, suburbia,

  25. I’d say Ra, published by Rio Grande Games, fits all of your criteria perfectly. The game is refreshing and engaging.

  26. Pirates Ninjas Robots & Zombies by Rather Dashing games. Visually appealing, simple to learn, a good mix of luck versus strategy. Plays quickly. Also Ninjas.

  27. I’ve been thinking that Tiny Epic Kingdoms would be perfect for your show. It’s fast, smooth, and offers a lot of interesting choices. The only possible downside is that it might be a little bit too small to look good on camera, but I’m sure creative camera work could cover that.

    Other suggestions:
    Witch’s Brew
    Ghost Stories
    Machi Koro
    Revolution!

  29. Firefly – with Nathan Fillion & Alan Tudyk. Would be awesome beyond anything in the ‘verse. Everything we play that hasn’t been on Tabletop takes too long unfortunately (Arkham Horror / Robinson Crusoe / Axis & Allies / RISK), although Horror is an AWESOME game that could be split across 2 eps hint.

  30. Call of Cthulhu: the card game by Fantasy Flight games. it is a two player living card game. However there is multi-player rules that table-top could use for an episode.

  32. Jamaica: light pirate ship racing game with absolutely gorgeous components.
    Cosmic Encounter: so much table talk and backstabbing!
    Galaxy Trucker: rapid ship building would be fun to watch as well as the disaster porn that follows.
    Zombicide: like a full coop Last Night on Earth with better components.
    Eldritch Horror: would be a two parter like Betrayal was but worth it. Plays like a streamlined Arkham Horror with shorter play time.

    Anyway, just a couple off the tip of my head

  34. Tsuro
    Love Letter
    Ascension
    Dixit
    Betrayal at House on the Hill

    I’m going to stop now before it gets too ridiculous!

  36. I would recommend:

    Kill Doctor Lucky
    Pandemic with the Bio-Terrorist, as have others
    Killer Bunnies
    Power Grid
    Red November

  37. Wil, as an LA sports fan, you should consider Strat-O-Matic Baseball or Hockey. It’s a realistic sports simulation based on real life stats. Results are determined by player cards and rolls of the dice.

    If you are interested in more info, feel free to contact me on Twitter @JimBretado or the email address submitted below.

    Good luck!

    Go Kings! Go Dodgers!

  39. Citadels by Fantasy Flight – Definitely meets requirements 1, 2, 3, and 6. Regarding #4, while there’s no dice rolling, successful strategies depend on guesses that may be educated but always ultimately lucky. On #5, while the artwork isn’t the most obvious in making clear what’s happening some standardized card organization among players can make it easier to follow, and besides I think you’ve already played less photogenic games.

    Red November by Fantasy Flight – Meets all requirements. It’s a cooperative game similar to Forbidden Desert and Pandemic, but drunk gnome sailors trying to survive a failing submarine sounds like plenty of comedic opportunities for you and your guests.

  41. Seven Wonders is my current favourite, and I believe it fits all your criteria. Machine of Death, a cooperative game that should work well with four players, was a Kickstarter game a year or two ago. I’d love to see Order of the Stick, but it fails the time limit, and probably the simple enough to explain, even if you added the “Shortening” expansion to reduce the playing time.

  42. I would love to see Guillotine by Wizards of the Coast played in Season.3. The game is great as a filler, and features quirky, easy to interpret artwork as well as simple rules. It is a short game so it would most likely need to be paired up with another short game.

  43. My wife and I, have always enjoyed the cutthroat nature of The Downfall of Pompeii by Mayfair Games. The game is easy to explain, plays fairly quickly, and has a volcano to toss your opponents into.

    We also like Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension. Really easy to learn and fun to play, and replay, and replay… It might be more suitable in a filler episode, like the Get Bit episode, as it can play quickly.

  44. Bring out a few old schools.
    -Robo Rally – I mean that game is built for Tabletop
    -Frag – Basically it’s Quake the board game.
    -Warcraft the board game (NOT world of warcraft)

    or others
    -Castles of Burgundy
    -Evo
    -Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre
    -Last Night on Earth-
    -Cthulhu 500
    -The great space race similar to robo rally

    I am currently playing a lot of Thunderstone Advanced but being a card game I am not sure it would suit the visual tone of the show.
    Ditto with Flux.

  46. The show many want to see: A Tabletop/Spellslingers MTG Commander crossover. You’ll introduce both communities to each other’s shows. Great potential for new audience. The post-production crew has enough experience making MTG visually understandable and appealing. Play relatively basic decks. It would be a smash hit.

  48. I know this goes against your “rules” but i would love to see an episode focused on two players games with you and Anne. My husband and I host game nights but sometimes it is just us and we need a few more options for just two players!

  49. Evil Baby Orphanage (the name says it all).
    It can be really short so it might be a fun one with a couple of other short games.

    Sequence

  50. Sheriff of Nottingham – is a ton of fun. Would play similar to the Resistance episode. Not sure how the hidden nature would play.

    Castles of Burgundy – great fun, it’s all visible, kind of ugly though.

    Zombicide – fun coop Zombie pile on.

    Descent – never played it. But I would love to see you play it.

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