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)

  2. Dead of Winter by Plaid Hat Games would be a great choice. The game has a traitor aspect which seems to always add good content to episodes. I only got to demo this game at GenCon so it might take longer than 90 minutes.

    Firefly the Board Game by Gale Force Nine. This game is amazing and extremely thematic, and if you could get Nathan Fillion, Joss Whedon and/or any other people involved with Firefly it would be very cool. The problem here would be that it can take longer than 90 minutes, but you could use the shortest scenario and even modify it if required.

    Abyss by Asmodee Games. This game is looks beautiful, has very simple gameplay but is still very fun. Can definitely be played within 90 minutes.

    Stone Age by Rio Grande Games or Village by Tasty Minstrel Games. These are both Worker Placement games, which is my favorite type of game. These could both be explained quickly and played within 90 minutes although they neither involve much luck so they might not be great choices.

  4. I would love to see you and your friends play The Downfall of Pompeii.

    It is published by Mayfair Games. My family of 4 really enjoys playing it. The game takes us about an hour to play. It is visually really interesting with a 3D volcano that you get to throw people into if they get caught by the lava. There are two phases of the game, bringing your people into the city, and then getting them out of the city once the volcano erupts. My kids really liked the historical nature of the game too. There is a great mix of luck and strategy and it is very colorful.

    Here is a link to the publisher’s website for the game: http://mayfairgames.com/game.php?id=407

    Thank you for your consideration of The Downfall of Pompeii!

  5. I would really like to see one of these 2 games:

    Cinque Terre (very similar to Ticket to Ride, it’s a resource gather and trade game with some strategic accounting)
    Corporate America (very very fun negotiation game with a heavy air of sarcasm and cynicism)

    Here are some other great games that I think would make a good episode but might be either too complicated or too long: Eclipse, Dominion, Bang!/Samurai Sword.

  8. I don’t know if you have talk about it already but you should give a shot at “Coup”, it’s from the same company that did “Resistance”. It’s a very short game though but it’s really a lot of fun.

    Someone mentioned it earlier but I’m +1 on the idea of showing Survive: Escape from Atlantis. It’s awesome with 4 players and a game doesn’t last usually more than 30 minutes.

  10. I second this recommendation. We played this during the holidays, and my 80 year old father and my 20 year old kids all enjoyed it.

  13. I would love to see more card games. The new Star Realms is a fantastic deck building game 2-6 players. Also Nightfall has always been a favorite deck builder.

    I haven’t played it yet but the new western themed card game from AEG looks pretty cool, called Doomtown Reloaded combines positional game play with poker hands all in a card game format.

    The reason i like table top is I can link your episodes to my friends who haven’t played a game before and they are less intimidated by the game and are more willing to play it after they have seen it on your show.

    Also Space Alert looks cool.

  16. Legendary (Marvel or Encounters) Deck Building Game or DC Deck Building Game. Both have their own dynamics and are great to play.Legendary is interesting because you are all trying to win together but you still need more points than the other players.

  18. Keltis/Lost Cities: The Board Game

    i don’t think it’s that long… but maybe you’ll do another episode with more then one game…

    i like it a lot…
    .

  19. One-Night Werewolf
    – Quick to play and easy to explain
    – Similar to Resistance (which was a hoot to watch)

    Hanabi
    – Simple to explain, quick playing, lots of player interaction

    Descent 2.0
    – Not sure how easy it is to explain
    – Would be interesting to watch Wil vs. other players

    Seasons
    – Lots of stuff you can do
    – Lots of player interaction

    Ticket to Ride: Europe/Nederlands
    – I think the new rules would make for interesting player interactions

    Galaxy Trucker
    – Stupid, fun, quick to teach, learn, and play

    Love Letter
    – Fast, fun

  21. I help organize game nights for Match.com and this year we ran events with Time’s Up and Hearts of AttrAction from R&R Games. Members loved the games, and I think they’d play out great on your show.

    Party games would be a great way to let viewers see everyone’s wacky side, and could help expand your viewership šŸ™‚

  23. Red Dragon Inn. Absolutely a blast. You are adventurers who just got back from a raid and you’re sitting at the bar trying to take players loot or get other players drunk (in game, their alcohol level must reach their AC). Each character is unique (played through a preconstructed deck). There is also gambling and more.

    Bang the Dice Game
    This is a fast and easy to play game. Much better than the card game. Each player gets a cool character to play as well as a role. Itā€™s all in the dice but everyone has fun.

    Love Letter
    Amazingly simple card game consisting of only 15 cards which balance well. Each player only holds one card and players only interact with one other player on their turn. The idea is to win a set number of rounds.

    And one can dream that you may try Power Grid or Stoneage.

  24. GUBS, Dungeoneer & MORE MUNCHKIN!

    Also, I’d like to say it’s a shame if you are not picked up. The Wil Wheaton Project is one of the few “nerd shows” my wife and I agree on.

    BONUS: Web Cartoonist day on Tabletop. If we believe in the online channel, why not bring in their original “celebs” of digital media.

  25. Red Dragon Inn by Slugfest Games. It’s hilarious! There are several expansions, but they mainly just add additional character choices. The basic game is easy to understand, & great fun – especially if you read your cards “in character.” šŸ™‚
    My all-time favorite game is the classic (out of print) Minion Hunter. It’s more complicated, but equally silly. It is a cooperative game, players have to work together to win, but you can still be goofy playing it.

  26. Fluxx, in various forms: regular, Monty Python, Zombie, Stoner, etc. You would probably have to play more than one game because the rules change with every turn. I’ve played a game of Fluxx that ended in five turns.

  30. Gravwell: Escape From the 9th Dimension – gorgeous, clean graphic design & really interesting gameplay

    Belle of the Ball – would photograph beautifully and the guest names are hilarious when announced

    Survive: Escape From Atlantis – great for generating banter at the table

  31. Pack the Pack by Games By Playdate! It’s a mix of dominoes, tetris, and poker; and plays with a lot of fast-paced tile flipping and shouting. Maybe think Gem Fighters mixed with Diablo inventory management?

    The average game takes only a few minutes at most, and it’s designed to fit up to 10 people. It was just funded on Kickstarter, too, with a little over a week left on the campaign!

  34. I would definitely second BANG! or from the same makers, Samurai Sword.

    Then there’s always Kill Dr. Lucky – a nicely designed game and alternative to Cluedo, family friendly! šŸ™‚

  37. A year or so ago my husband and I discovered a Kickstarted (Kickstarter’d? Kickstarterded?) game called “Miskatonic School for Girls,” which is all about being a plucky schoolgirl surviving classes with VERY strange (and possibly tentacled) teachers, who are – of course – trying to make you go mad.

    Although it is a deck-building game, and I know those tend to not play well for the show (I completely understand why you would rule out Dominion), I think THIS one is simple enough that it might actually work. Plus it has huge theatrical potential – when you reach certain levels of insanity, you are required to laugh madly.

    It’s the most fun for Lovecraft lovers, of course – lots of in-jokes – but we’ve played it with friends not familiar with the Cthulhu Mythos and they still had a lot of fun.

    It appears it can be bought here:

    http://www.funto11.com/MSFG_main.html

  38. While you did Castle Panic, I feel that the wizard’s tower expansion made a very different (and even more awesome) game!

  39. Epic Resort by Floodgate Games. Superheroes on vacation. Lazy peons being thrown at monsters. Luring in tourists with attractions like the Slaughter Coaster. What could be better? And it fits the criteria.

  40. I recommend The Cave by Rebel Games. It fits your requirements perfectly (4 players is ideal and games take about an hour). I really enjoy playing it. The biggest negative I hear from others is that the game can be too random… But that gives you the luck factor you are looking for.

  41. Mice & Mystics for sure.

    One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Love Letter and perhaps 1 other quick playing filler would make a good show. I’d like to see those 2, but not sure either would fill an entire episode alone.

  43. I know, Arkham Horror cannot be on Tabletop.
    I propose you something different: a radio dramatization of a Arkham Horror game.
    Record it, write a short story based on that, then you and the other players, or just you (ah, the perks of being a great voice actor), could make the voices and narration.
    Lot of work little reward?

  44. Hanabi (last years Spiel winner, cooperative memory/deduction card game)
    Sentinels of the Multiverse (Cooperative superhero card game)
    La Boca (team block building game)
    Camel Up (this years Spiel winner, a betting racing game)
    Gravwell (spaceship movement game)
    Survive Escape from Atlantis (Take that survival game)
    Dead of Winter (semi cooperative zombie horror story telling game)
    Mice & Mystics (cooperative story telling dungeon crawl)
    Libertalia (pirate themed role selection game)

  45. “Around the world in 80 days” by Rio Grande Games… The theme is taken from the Verne novel of course. It gives a very good narrative because of the theme, the luck factor is high because of the cards you get to move, the graphic is very good and of course you can put in some great image for exotic places all around the world as you reach these places, there is some little nastiness in the placement of detective Fix, and there is a lot of tension in the final stage because not always the first one to arrive in London is the winner… it depends from the plaayers “real” number of journey days…!
    http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12005/around-world-80-days

  48. My suggestions:

    Flashpoint: Fire Rescue http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/100901/flash-point-fire-rescue (Cooperative fire fighting game by Kevin Lanzing, published by Indie Board & Cards)

    Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129437/legendary-marvel-deck-building-game (Marvel super hero deck building game published by Upper Deck)

    If you’re going to do another set of short games, I would suggest:

    Chupacabra: Survive the Night http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/120515/chupacabra-survive-night (Dice game published by Steve Jackson Games)

    Castellan http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/114903/castellan (Area enclosure game published by Steve Jackson Games. Yes, it’s a 2 player game, but if you use both the Blue/red and green/yellow sets together, it works very well as a 4 player.)

  49. Holy fan base, Batman – that’s a lot of comments!

    (sorry, I’ve got nothing to add, but just had to say that. Other than to say: if you’re stuck, play CAH twice – I’m really looking forward to watching that episode…)

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