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:
- Plays well with 4 people.
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Plays in under 90 minutes.
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Can be generally explained in about 5 minutes.
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Has a high ration of luck to strategy, so everyone has a chance to win the game.
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Looks great, has clear graphical design and photographs well.
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Is not something we’ve played before.
I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments.
I always liked Lunch Money by Atlas Games. It’s very short, so you could do one of those “play a few games in one session” episodes like with Roddenberry and Higa.
Crows and Octopus’ Garden are both easy to teach and playable under 60 minutes. Really good games.
Quarriors! Although I love deck building games, dice building games have a much greater luck to strategy ratio and Quarriors plays in about 30-45 minutes. TONS of fun!
Basically you’re mighty warriors with the ability to capture monsters from the dangerous “Quarry” wilds. Should be explainable in much less than 5 minutes, also has an iPhone app so your guests can “practice” to beat you.
But lets be honest, they probably won’t need any practice, after all, that seat on the cough porn cough loser’s couch is reserved…
Psyched for the new season!
Links below:
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/91536/quarriors
App: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/quarriors!/id685059840?mt=8
Publisher is WizKidsGames.
I love it because it can come down to literally the last roll, one person gets a Questing Wizard… he has the chance to win the game, just before he is about to score the player before him draws a Quake Dragon, he rolls it to try to beat him……. Quiddity, nothing, no monster face, just “money”. worthless. the player with the Questing Wizard wins. AMAZING mechanics…
Yes! Ditto this game – just posted about it, too, after running a “find” on the page and not seeing it mentioned already. Original mention with the title, Quarriors, must’ve been buried in earlier comments so it didn’t show in the “find” search. But it bears repeating, anyway. Do you also feel a temptation to snatch up and eat like candy the little gel-colored green-yellow and ice blue die? Cause I hear I’m not the only one.
My suggestions…
Heroes Wanted
Nothing Personal
Robinson Crusoe. Adventure on the Cursed Island
Five tribes
Sheriff of Nottingham
Schoville
Two games to suggest
First
Fluxx (any variant) by Looney Labs: the game is never the same no mater how many times you play it. rules change, goals change, victory can be in your hands and vanish in a moment.
Second
We Didn’t Playtest This Legacies: One of the fastest games you will ever play, a match can go quick enough that players don’t even get a turn. but the best part of the game is that you add content to the cards as you go, permanently changing the game. and as an added bonus it comes with several expansions built in.
Hi Wil,
I’m a shiny new game designer and have an entirely independently produced card game that I would love to see pop up on the show. It is a perfect fit based on your criteria, and it would be a dream come true to see my game in the hands of one of gaming’s biggest stars.
The game is called Bounty! (yes, with the exclamation mark), and it is best with 3 or 4 players. A single round plays in about 45 minutes. The rules are incredibly simple and could easily be explained in 5 minutes (that might even be more time than necessary). Everyone draws from a common deck and the game is all about how you use the cards you draw (and how political you play!), so there’s a good mix of luck and strategy. It has nice, original art that evoke the game’s theme well, and it definitely has not appeared on TableTop.
You can find more information here:
https://www.facebook.com/Bountygame
Sheriff of Nottingham, Tzolk’in or Last Will.
I think Kill Dr. Lucky not only meets these requirements, but is a perfect game for this show. It is, however, more fun with more people.
Machi Koro is a solid pick.
Have played it 4 times with the same 3 folks and each time a different player has come out on top. Quick game and they just released an English version.
Epic Resort, Floodgate Games
It has a really fun theme. You are building a resort for fantasy heroes and have to make the really funny decision whether to have the heroes defend your resort or let them relax while monsters attack and eat your tourists. It has some really innovative mechanics. There’s deck building, you build a deck of workers to staff your resort, but instead of your deck getting bigger your workers are replaced and just get better. It has some worker placement in that you have to decide how to staff your resort with the workers you drew. There’s two kinds of “currency” in the game that have some interesting interactions. The more tourists you have at your resort the more money you will make (to be able to upgrade your resort and workers) and the fewer tourists you have will give your more “flair” which will allow you to attract more tourists and heroes. Overall the game is really fun, has very cool artwork, and has an interesting combination of mechanics.
It might be considered too complicated but firefly the game would be awesome for you guys to play.
Bounty: A Game of treasure on the High Seas. It is an addictive card game that really only requires the cards and small tokens or dice.
It has a fair amount of luck involved but it also allows for some strategy. Setup takes mere minutes and a couple of rounds can be played fairly quickly. Check out out.
https://facebook.com/Bountygame
Bounty! would be an awesome choice!
More info at: https://www.facebook.com/Bountygame?fref=nf
Bootleggers (Mayday Games)
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12477/bootleggers
Who doesn’t love Speak Easies
PathFinder Adventure Card Game (Paizo)
http://paizo.com/pathfinder/adventureCardGame
Rise of the Runelords quick card based, cooperative, fantasy style game.
Puerto Rico (Rio Grande Games)
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3076/puerto-rico
Nice Euro style game, its not ranked number 5 for no reason!
Fish Cook (Cheap Ass Games)
http://www.cheapass.com/node/132
They do free games, their stuff is awesome.
Bounty! A game of treasure on the high seas is a beautiful game recently made possible on indiegogo. It fits all of your criteria, with the added bonus of being a very indie game. You’d be supporting and promoting small business as well as getting a gorgeously illustrated, fun game to play!
Cash ‘n’ Guns! Might need to do a few rounds, or have it be part of a 3-game episode, but there’s a new version out, and ’tis glorious.
Cooperative games: Scotland Yard (Bonaparte) and Wok Star (GameSalute) are big favorites in our family. We played Scotland Yard with my husband’s grandfather and found out that beneath his gruff stoic crusty outer layer is a sneaky sly Mister X who gleefully confounded all our efforts to corner him. Wok Star is a game my husband found through someone bringing it to the game room at Icon on Long Island. He loved it so much he searched high and low online until he found it. Might be a good one to play for the kids if you do end up doing a kids episode. Easy to learn and fun, rapid gameplay make it a regular of our family game nights.
ditto on Scotland Yard. Easy to pick up, and fun to be fiendish!
Galaxy Trucker and Dominion. You’re welcome world.
Rather Dashing Games’s “Four Taverns”, “Dwarven Miner”, or “Pirates, Ninjas, Robots & Zombies.”
What The Food?!? by Squirmy Beast: food fight fun
Machi Koro by Pandasaurus or Japon Brand: cool, light city-building, dice-rolling game
Wiz-War by Fantasy Flight Games: wizard battle in a maze
Mr. Wheaton,
First of all, let me say that I love Tabletop. As a gaming enthusiast for many years, I think it’s a fantastic way to get gamers exposed to new games as well as non-gamers introduced to the hobby. I worked at a board game store for several months and I can’t tell you how many times customers came in looking for games they had seen on Tabletop.
Anyway, here are my suggestions:
1) Quarriors (publisher: WizKids) a fast paced dice game that is really easy to learn and plays quickly. It has a deck-building aspect to it ala Dominion and Ascension, but with dice instead of cards.
2) 7 Wonders (publisher: Asmodee) a pass-and-play drafting system, 7 Wonders would work really well for Tabletop. Very, very easy to learn as well.
3) Letters from Whitechapel/Fury of Dracula (publisher: Fantasy Flight Games) very cool 3 vs. 1 type games where Jack the Ripper/Dracula is running around the board and the others have to track him down.
Those are my suggestions, hope I didn’t repeat too many that others had already posted.
Keep being awesome and nerdy,
-Billy
Cosmic Encounter, Sheriff of Nottingham, Doomtown: Reloaded, Mage Wars, Roll for it would be good for a mini game episode.
Totally recommend heroes wanted. It is a great, super silly, and pretty light super hero game. You play the wannabe heroes as you all try to make the A-team superheroes. You have a quirk that has been holding you back your whole life, and you are trying to overcome this to beat the villain and get famous enough to join the crime fighting team.
Check it out, Action Phase Games is the publisher.
I would like to see eldritch horror on table top, however it is a fantasy flight game so I am not sure it qualifies for points 2 and 3. It is like Arkham horror and elder sign a cooperative game. Also despite rule 6, is there a chance of replaying fortune and glory with out the glitches?
I’d love to see them play Eldritch Horror! But, yeah, cramming it into 30 minutes would be close to impossible, and they’ve already played Elder Signs.
Boss Monster, Killer Bunnies, Cards Against Humanity, Hero Quest…
Cornish smuggler by grublin games. Small games company based in south west England.
Steam Park by iello! colorful, frantic, photographic, robots pooping (well leaving coal to clean up)!
Wiz-War – who doesn’t love pac-man style capture the flag that involves spells that let you eat walls and turn into ooze!?
cosmic encounter – just baffling that this hasn’t been done already
Nuns on the Run or Letters from Whitechapel – I think a hide and seek style game would really work well with clips of personal insight from each cast member.
Kill Doctor Lucky – a really fun game that I think might bring in those who generally think of clue as the board games we would play.
red dragon inn – for a wink wink nudge nudge episode of skullduggery
kickstart the funding to get the crew of bsg to play bsg and the crew of firefly to play firefly…extended feature we can purchase on demand. Donate any leftover money to charity or add goals of extended play/what have you. if you kick start it, it will be done!
Forbidden Desert! After Pandemic and Forbidden Island it’s only fair.
You should play this amazing game called Bounty! Here’s a link to its FB page: https://www.facebook.com/Bountygame?fref=nf
I would love to see you do Sheriff of Nottingham or Mage Wars.
Sheriff is a good one.
Braggart! Simple card game that works well with 4 players. Looks great too! š
SUPERFIGHT!
Livestock uprising, heroes wanted, kaosball, and run, fight or die
Deadwood Studios would a be a great choice as well.
The new edition from Cheapass Games is beautiful (illustrated by Phil and Kaja Foglio), the game takes place in studio making B Westerns with each actor trying to get the most Fame and/or Money in 3 days of shooting. Each player is encouraged to perform their line for the scene while rolling for success.
Space Cadets from Stronghold games would meet all of your criteria. Space Cadets gives each player a role on a Star Trek themed ship working cooperatively. Each role has its own mini game that has very clear graphics for filming and playing. This game has provided some of my favorite gaming memories with my friends.
Puerto Rico! The publisher is Rio Grande Games. I like it because it has elements similar to Catan without the trading — my least favorite part of Catan. There are a few different strategies, and gameplay changes based on who is playing. There’s always something new!
I’ve always been curious about Race For The Galaxy. Says 2-4 players, 60 minute games.
Hollywood: Make your own blockbuster
Cosmic Encounter
Wiz-War
Dominion
7 Wonders.
Cosmic and 7 Wonders are excellent!
Another vote for 7 wonders!!!
I would suggest the Great Space Race from Kenzer, and Bang from Bang from Da Vinci.
I would love to see you play Coup, my new favourite game. It’s published by Indie Boards & Cards. It’s short, easy to explain and basically a game in which you get to call bullshit a lot.
My second nomination is Lords of Waterdeep. It’s by Wizards of the Coast. It’s slightly more complicated to explain, but it’s lots of fun to play.
Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game (a short scenario should be possible, length-wise), by Plaid Hat Games – tells a story, lots of player interaction, secret objectives and paranoia should make for good humor value – all the pluses of BSG, with a shorter playing time.
Libertalia, by Asmodee: Pirates!
Galaxy Trucker, by Czech Games Edition: Tons of randomness, chaos, and schadenfreude!
Coup, by Indie Boards and Gards: Secret identities, bluffing, and killing each other! Downside: player elimination, but short enough to play in part of a multi-game episode (like the Tsuro/Zombie Dice/Get Bit episode)
7 Wonders
Tokaido
Power Grid
If it has not been suggested yet… Daytrader: Strike it Rich.
1) It suited for 2-6 players and worked well paying with 4.
2) Play time starts at 30 minutes and can go for a couple of hours. Our first pay through lasted close to 3 hours and by the end of the game the strategy was clicking in. If you get a couple of people on their second pay through of the game you should have no trouble hitting around the 90 minute mark.
3) The basic rules are simple enough to grasp. antidotally speaking this game was easier for my regular game group to wrap their heads around than Takenoko.
4) There is a good balance of luck and strategy. You have plenty of strategy opportunities such as deciding when to buy or sell stock, when and where to work etc. In addition there are a number of mechanisms to simulate the volatility of the stock market.
5) The graphic design is awesome. It was one of the common praises from the press when it was released. It even made it on Fast Company’s gift guide for type lovers. http://bit.ly/1qs9nGv.
Available online at playdaytrader.com.
-Tiny Epic Kingoms (I haven’t played it yet, but it looks increadible, and would fit in with a crowd funded season)
-Through the Ages
-Agricola (Everyone love animeeples. Everyone. I’ve checked)
-Tales of the Ariabian Nights
-Eldritch Horror (a bit long, but a ton of fun! A great feat considing how often you get devoured by old ones)
-The Coup
-Eclipse (again a bit long, but my favorite game ever. My boyfriend and I have played this with people who thought they didn’t like board games and had them coming back for more!)
-Castles of Burgandy
-Cosmic Encounter
-7 Wonders
-Suburbia
-Rune Wars
-Ghost Stories
-Monty Python Fluxx
-Tzolk’in
-Seasons
-The Village
Tokaido – beautiful game, plays up to 5
VivaJava: The Coffee Game: The Dice Game – die-rolling/press-your-luck but also a lot of strategy w/ different abilities to unlock; like a coffee-themed Euro game
Salmon Run – A silly game about swimming upstream š
I also vote for Race for the Galaxy; super addicting, but it’s hard to wrap your head around all the hieroglyphics on the cards at first
Can’t wait to see what you end up picking! š
Dead of Winter. Zombie Co-op with betrayer mechanic. A combination of Robinson Crusoe, BSG, and Mall of Horrors.
Tokaido. Strategy is involved, but with 3 other players playing haphazardly blocking you from certain places, I always feel winning is luck based.
Revolution by Steve Jackson Games
7 Wonders by Repos Productions
Both are very different and great fun.
Sheriff of Nottingham fits your parameters perfectly — and its hilarious to watch.
You guys should play Bounty! https://www.facebook.com/Bountygame?fref=nf Its awesome!