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. The first three games that came to mind are Quantum, 7 Wonders, and Suburbia. Of those, Quantum seems to hit all the “Tabletop” requirements the best.

    Could do an epic session and play Terra Mystica. That might take a regular-length episode time just to explain. 🙂

  4. Can’t Stop, Boss Monster, Kingdom Builder, Roll Through the Ages, Splendor, Survive Escape from Atlantis, Via Appia, Zooloretto

  6. So I got ahold of Samurai Spirit! It rocks and is simple to set up and layout and is cooperative! The few cards are laid right on the table. 3 rounds, and if you get wounded you get to flip your character into animal spirit and keep going. Easily within the time frame.

    I thought the sushie go game would fly well!

    Ummm… Although this is biased a fun episode of a giant game woukd be so cool!

    Piece and Boardgames,
    Dave

    1. I’m also chiming in for Survive! It’s published currently by Stronghold Games. I played it as a kid in the 80s with my family so there are plenty of nostalgic feels that go along with this game for me. I was given a new version as a gift a couple years back, and it definitely still holds up. Much like King of Tokyo, Survive appeals to kids because the visuals are great and it’s easy to learn, but the backstabbing can really be cranked up to eleven if you’re playing with adults!

  8. I agree with Dead of Winter without a doubt. Great 4 player game with really good art and components. Our group constantly develops back story for our various characters on the fly and its simple enough to explain and play within the 90 minutes. Plus this game is different than what has been played and has a really good balance between luck and strategy with great player interaction.

  9. Guillotine. Its a pretty quick card game by WotC. Maybe as part of an episode with a few shorter type games.

  10. You’ve done Forbidden Island, but “Forbidden Desert” players differently enough that it could be a fun one for the show.

    If you do another roundup of shorter games, “No Thanks!” is a lot of fun and super-easy to play.

  12. I would love to see Heroes Wanted. Plenty of chances for fun role play during the game with the bizarre heroes and quirks, fun, and plays quickly.

  14. Dead of Winter – the players and the audience will not be disappointed! Story driven survival game with loads of character, great art, and amazing mechanics that would make really, really good tv (er, YouTube – whatever). Watching a play through of Dead of Winter is like watching a really good movie…

  15. Fireball Island! If you do an 80’s retro episode… Did you ever play it? I remember it came out the year before STNG aired and I’ve been a fan of both ever since. I’d loan you guys my copy if you need one

  17. You should play the charming game of GUBS. It’s a fun, family-friendly card game that never gets boring! It requires strategy, wit, and luck. It’s a very enchanting game that both kids and adults can enjoy. It’s requires 2-6 players and about 15-20 minutes each game. I enjoy playing this with my family and friends and I tell everyone I know about it. I love this game!

  20. Greater Than Games’ Sentinels of the Multiverse. Addictive co-op game with stellar artwork and deep replayability. A bit complicated at first blush perhaps, but it’s pretty quick to pick up. Would be great for player interaction.

    Funforge’s Tokaido. Super easy to teach and play, it also has surprising depth and strategy as points start getting scarce. Would be even better with the kick starter expansions/content. Definitely a beautiful one as well.

  21. Would SO love to see Battlestar Galactica. I know it doesn’t play anywhere CLOSE to 90 minutes, but you guys are so great at editing, you shouldn’t need to show each and every turn.

    Other games to consider:

    Space Cadets: Dice Duel
    Aye, Dark Overlord!
    Fortress America
    Fury of Dracula
    Letters from Whitechapel
    Ugg-tect
    Wiz War
    Pandemic
    Pathfinder: Adventure Card Game

  22. I would like to see Heroes Wanted played on the next season. I’ve played it with my family several times and we always have a lot if fun with the quirks for the heroes. It would be very entertaining to watch others play a full game.

  27. Heroes Wanted, from Action Phase games.

    You could do two episodes; one where you play, and one where you just make up heroes and giggle like fifth graders.

  29. I know this game is out of print, but I honestly think that Manila by Rio Grande Games is one of the most amazing games ever. It has a perfect blend of luck and strategy. Plus, maybe if it was featured on Tabletop, Rio Grande would be interested in reprinting this game so that more people could enjoy it. I would gladly let you borrow my copy if you couldn’t find a copy to play on the show.

  31. Another great game to play:

    Carson City. It plays in 90 minutes, there’s only four rounds in the game, and it’s all about prospecting in the wild west! The board has really incredible artwork and a unique worker placement mechanic.

    Carson City by Eagle Games

  32. Chicken Caesar by Nevermore Games would be a great fit.

    The game is all about being roosters in the roost, trying to rise above and be civilized like ancient rome. Players take turns taking on specific roles in the game and voting people into office. It’s fun because there is a lot of delegation and argument that can happen but then there’s the fact that everyone is playing a family of roosters.

  34. Safranito by Zoch Verlag is a really neat dexterity game that only takes 30 minutes.

    The artwork on the board is absolutely beautiful. The goal of the game is to create spice blends based by collecting spices from the bowls on the board. It’s a fun game because you throw numbered poker chips onto the board to determine your actions for the round and it’s fun to try to make sure your chip “lands” in a bowl or knocks another player clear across the board.

  35. Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magical Carrot.

    Meets all of the conditions (imo) and is a blast to play. Rules are a little complex when first playing but easy to pick up when watching. I also think it fits your formatting style well with fill-in-as-you-go-rules for the audience. Plus there’s always expansions to upgrade to if you ever want to go back and take it up a notch.

  39. Hereos wanted by action phase games. Plays great with 4 players. Looks great. Fun quirks that players have to initiate. It’s fun easy to learn and really funny to watch

    Dead of winter by plaid hat games. Good 4 player games lots of luck invoked with dice rolling. Exciting betrayer mechanic. Easy to learn

  40. I would love to see the game “Bounty: A game of treasure on the high seas” to be featured! I played it a few times and bought a copy to play with my friends. This game is a lot of fun and I would love for other people to see just how great this game is!

  41. Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre.

    Seriously, that’s the name of the game. It’s put out by Cryptozoic.

    You can play it with four, you could probably bundle it in with another game or two as it’s pretty quick – 20-40 minutes for multiple ’rounds’ in a game. The art is crazy, the spell building mechanic leaves a lot of room for creativity, and with the jokers you usually have on the show, I see nothing but laughter the whole way through.

  42. Galaxy Trucker – it’s really more luck than strategy. Build your ship in real time, watch it gets wrecked by random events drawn from a deck. Good times to be had by all.

    Space Alert – there’s strategy, and with a story unfolding in real time. Ends up having good planning and some luck as you try not to accidentally/purposely block each other.

    Space Cadet – along the same veins as Space Alert, but each person contributes to the entire spaceship via their own section.

    Mice and Mystics – maybe more towards the DND area, but really nice miniatures on a beautiful board and with someone having to narrate a story of heroic fairy tale.

    Dixit – possibly too short, but there’s enough variety that’s only limited by the player’s imagination. The cards are big and colorful, and the core Dixit version has a score tracker right on the box insert with bunny tokens hopping around in a field.

  43. GUBS – One of the most elegant strategy card games I’ve played. Like Magic: The Gathering with a fixed deck that everyone uses. Simple enough for everyone, but still requires a bit of cunning. Great casual game where beginners have just as good a chance at winning as veterans, but not in a frustrating way like UNO. Dramatic reversals of fate make for exciting gameplay!

  44. I think Heroes Wanted by Action Phase Games would be an excellent choice. Play simply, is very humerous, might be a bit strategic but has a easy interface, and is graphically easy to follow. Quirks alone would be very great for the show

    1. I have to second HEROES WANTED. The setup, with players as D-list superheroes and their quirks is simply hysterical. Plus the gameplay is truly strategic and fun.

  45. +1 for Mice & Mystics

    &

    +1 for Dead of Winter

    I know you’ve already got both, and the artwork is AMAZING and that should really pop in the show.

    For DoW, I’d suggest stacking the deck a touch just to keep it a little more family-friendly… Make sure someone gets Sparky & take out any crossroads cards that might be too dark.

  46. These are all games that I enjoy and are in my collection. I feel like the criteria set forth are usually the games I lean towards as well. So here goes:

    Suburbia
    Seasons
    Splendor – might be too short
    Dice Town
    Greed
    Kingdom Builder
    Dominion
    Libertalia
    Stone Age

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