#SaveTheBeer!

For weeks, I’ve been a wreck. The stress dreams were relentless, my appetite was unpredictable, and I got massively sick for the first time in years.

My depression and anxiety have been as bad as they’ve been in months, and it’s been a challenge to get to the end of every day.

This is pretty normal for me when I care deeply about something, and I know that all of this has been anticipation about the release of Titansgrave, which is something I’ve been actively working on for about a year, and something I’ve wanted to produce since Tabletop first began.

I feel a responsibility to the cast and crew, to the editors, to the director, to our partners at Green Ronin, and to the thousands of backers who made it possible for us to create the show.

I’ve been making creative decisions every day, watching edits and rewatching edits and giving notes on edits and watching the edits with those notes applies so much, I started to lose perspective on the story. When I’m spending all of my energy focusing on what I can cut and what I need to change, that’s all I can see, and it’s easy for me to forget that there’s all this stuff there that’s genuinely cool.

My deepest fear has been that we wouldn’t be able to share with the audience how we felt while we played, that we couldn’t be able to communicate the fun, the tension, the camaraderie, the anticipation and excitement. I was worried that everything I thought was awesome, because I was there, wouldn’t translate.

By the way, I felt exactly this way before Tabletop was released, so this is nothing new for me.

As I told Ivan yesterday on Twitch: all I could hear was Carrie’s mom in my head, hysterically screaming that they were all going to laugh at me.

Well, it’s about 24 hours later, and contrary to everything I’ve been taught, I’ve been reading the comments. It looks like the hard work of our team from the first few ideas I wrote down in a notebook to the first few steps our party took together to the final edit I signed off on last week was worth it.

So far, everyone seems to love the characters, the players, and the story as much as I do … and that makes me so incredibly excited because I know what the future holds for all of us, and now I wish it was next week as much as you do.

Thanks for watching, everyone, and thank you for your feedback. A very, very special thank you to our backers, and to everyone involved in the creation and production.

Oh, and whoever decided that #SaveTheBeer was going to be a thing? You get +3 to awesome today.

 

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89 thoughts on “#SaveTheBeer!”

  1. I absolutely loved the episode, in fact I watched twice back to back. The editing was spot on, the art was beautiful, the players were fun and the world is right up my alley as a Shadowrun fan. I also enjoyed your GMing and thought it was spot on.

    I’m super excited for the next 9 weeks. Like, Game of Thrones excited.

    I think my favorite part of the episode was when everyone cheers “SAVE THE BEER” and you say, “There’s a guy to save, too.”

  2. I recently started watching tabletop [watched all of the episodes, some several times] and it inspired me to find and join a local gaming group.
    I have been looking forward with great anticipation to Titansgrave, and was both surprised and thrilled with the result.

    Thank you for your hard work [and that of your team/co-stars] for making this fantastic show. I can’t wait for further instalments.

  5. Loving the show! Not only does it have a great “cast,” interesting characters, and a fascinating world and story, but the minutiae of the production adds so much. When Lemley/Laura and S’Lethkk/Yuri high-fived at 31:49 and I heard the metal “clank” from Lemley’s robotic arm, I nearly had a coffee-through-nose incident (which would have been totally worth it). Bravo/a to the entire production staff!

  6. While I am sorry for all the stress you went through leading up to this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your dedication to producing something of such high quality. I watched the first episode and loved it, and cannot wait for next week’s episode. Thank you for bringing so much of what you are passionate about to the storyline (#SAVETHEBEER!).

  8. Congrats Wil! The hard work paid off! You guided a great story to the masses, and now, we’ll get to explore a wonderful and timeless experience.

    As a game from 1982 myself, this is a great thing.

    Play more Games!

  9. It’s really refreshing to read about your emotional and visceral investment in this project. Thank you for sharing this.

  10. You have nothing to worry about whatsoever with Titansgrave. I’ve been anticipating this release ever since you originally posted about it, and have been dancing in my office chair with every single tidbit of information you’ve leaked over the last few months or more. It is very well done, and a pleasure to watch (I was actually bitching last night because it ended too quickly … I WANT IT ALL NOW!!!). It’s actually inspiring me to go back to my roots to develop a campaign based on a story I was writing years ago. I have all the back-story completed (at least in my head), and am slowly getting all the other minutiae in a Word doc so my friends can play without any unnecessary hassle.

    I DM’d campaigns alongside you growing up (you’re perhaps a year older than I am). Many were outright failures, and some were nothing short of legendary (I’ll never forget the day one of my players pulled me aside and said, “Dude, I was seriously freaking out!”). But you, sir, figured out everything I did in the beginning: It’s not about the carefully plotted adventure you’ve set up … it’s about the experience the players have, and you being able to play into that and expanding upon it.

    Titansgrave is nothing short of brilliant, and I hope to see the campaign (hopefully for free, but hell, it’s so brilliant I’ll be willing to pay for it as well) available after the season is over. YOU know what it takes to be a good gamemaster, and you play off your players very well from what I can tell from episode 1. You don’t pigeonhole anyone, and you let them push the story where they want to, even if it’s not quite what you wanted.

    Don’t despair … you’re scored, dude, and scored BIG. I’d LOVE to see more TableTop games like this one, intermixed with the regular TT games. You’ve hit a home run with this.

    Or, to put it more succinctly: As your Non-Judgemental Ninja might say: “You got this.”

  11. Watching Titansgrave made me really, really want to get involved in a tabletop RPG. I think it will be my goal for the next several months to find a group, and if our story is even half as amazing as yours I’ll be happy!

  12. As a long time gamer (25 years or so) I am always looking for new ways to experience my “hobby” (rather lifestyle choice!) to enjoy and absorb all of the cool stuff out there and pass it on to my fellow role players and hopefully my children in years to come. My life is better because of it and some of the heroic and horrendous deeds witnessed in the years I have gamed remain with me now (somehow more vivid than what was happening at the time!).

    You’re heartfelt approach and enthusiasm for RPGs is obvious which only enhances the experience. Your concern for the team and commercial partners is a rare trait given today’s corporate culture (being a corporate lawyer I know this world sometimes too well!). For that you should be proud (and though it may not sit well I think those around you will echo this).

    For myself I am grateful that you create such rich, honest and smart content which not only brings to life RPGs in a way which makes me want to get my group together as often as possible despite “playing human” getting in the way but also brings to life a culture that is stereotypically “outside the norm” and may on occasion struggle to be understood. Tabletop has shown quite how accessible gaming is for everyone (thanks to your and your teams efforts) and I am sure Titansgrave will do the same.

    So in all, cheers Mr Wheaton, thank you for your creations and emotions (freely given) which only create more cool stuff for those who love the game!

    PS. Old Chaotic Neutral really needs to exist! I have faith Mr Wheaton and shall be ordering my barrel from the UK and expecting delivery by Uncle Beer himself!

  14. Great job on the pace and the editing. I’ve seen many DnD sessions recorded raw and they get pretty dull. Having a good collective story to tell along with great editing and pacing made this very enjoyable to watch. Looking forward to more sessions.

  15. Thank you – just thank you. It makes such a difference to me and I’m sure to many others also to have somebody about the same age, same life stage, etc, being open and honest about their depression and anxiety, and about how exhausting it can be just reaching the end of each day. After a crappy sleep with the usual nightmares, waking up more tired than I went to bed and dealing with anxious thoughts and feelings on my entire commute – to make it into work (always early so I have time for tea and blogs) and just know somebody else out there gets it? Awesome. Don’t get me wrong – I’d never wish this on my worst enemy – but to know of somebody who is achieving a pretty darned awesome life in spite of it – helps me to remember that I also have a pretty awesome life most of the time, and those Other Things can bend me but not break me – not today, anyway.

  16. You sound like many directors of plays sound the day before a show opens. The “if onlys” can make one nuts. You work hard, you pick ethical projects, you are creative. YOU FOLLOW YOUR OWN CREDO:
    be honest. be kind. be honorable. work hard and always be awesome.
    Thank you.

  17. Dr. Wil Wheaton, I very much enjoyed Titasgrave. As a TTS3 backer, I was excited to see the RPG get unlocked, probably the most exciting aspect of backing S3. Everyone seems to be slipping into their characters very well. I was glad to see you take the players aside and set up a secret and think about and develop their characters. Perhaps that was something lacking in the Dragon Age session from TT. A lot of the more serious RPGers weren’t hot on the Fonze showing up in Thedas. I saw it more of a one-shot, so lets have fun. Titansgrave so far is great!!!
    One thing that jumped out at me as a player and DM was going to the Pegasus. There was an opportunity for you to set the stage a bit better, you could tell the players had blank slates in their minds as they spoke to the person at the bar and then you say the place is crowded. That was maybe that got cut or something, but giving a solid base of context for your players will really kick up their engagement with the setting. Im sure as everyone gets comfortable that improves. I couldn’t imagine doing this on camera!
    Also, when Hank Green rolled three 6s for his Keggie repair. I present this as a Ret-Con: Aankia, rushes over to Keggie, quickly checks a few of his joints and an exposed circuit board. Over the din of the crowd she yells “Gimme sixteen…no SEVENteen beers!” As concerned patrons bring forth the trays of sloshing pints, Aankia already has Keggies rear access panel unhinged and is elbow deep up the robots ass. “Now pour them in the hatch!” a hatch near the center of his shoulders opens with a POP. After much pouring, wrenching and tweaking and perhaps (too much) drinking Aankia orders an empty keg be set in the middle of the makeshift dance floor. “I have to reboot him. Everyone step back!” the crowd gives the robot and Aankia room, the empty keg resting a few meters away. Aankia takes a deep drink from a pint glass “Here goes” and flips a hidden switch near the robot’s left “ear”. Theres an audible BANG! from the robot and smoke poofs from his lower quadrant. The crowd sighs disappointedly “Wait for it!!” yells Ankia and just as she does Keggies eye diodes shimmer to electric blue life. The robot shifts it body as it regains its proper footing. “Bzzt. Hardware upgrade detected.” his voice buzzes. A short pipe spins from his body, protruding only a few inches straight in from of him. A gun barrel perhaps? “Target detected.” Keggies buzzes. His eyes shift slowly from electric blue to pure red and he leaps towards the keg on the dance floor, landing fully on it. The new hardware spins to life and buries itself into the keg. Aankia addresses the crowd “Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the Keg F@cker 9000!” The crowd cheers. “Keggie! Order up!” Aankia commands Keggie and he begins refilling patrons glasses with his store of beer. “The Keg F@cker 9000 can auto tap a keg, serve beer from the keg at perfect temperature, frost glasses and provide a colorful commentary on the type and flavor of the beer.” and she looks to Keggie expectantly. Keggie’s voice whirs to life as a hush falls over the crowd “Its beer. F@cking drink it.” Keggies says humorlessly. The crowd goes crazy.
    Aankia’s innovation in beer serving technology gave rise to the Keg F@cker Wars of 856-TG and got several pieces of legislation passed outlawing the integration of a pickled egg launcher accessory after several unintentional decapitations.

    I share because I care, and this is what lunch breaks are for. thank you and your players! Amazingly fun show!

    PS: Alison Hayslip has the perfect nose. Perfect!

  18. I’m counting on you to make these beers to go along side your w00tStout. I desperately want to try that Toasted Wheat.

  19. That was wicked slick! Eagerly anticipating the further adventures of the Frumious Four!

  20. Posts like this are why I come to your blog every day, because despite your anxieties it’s always nice to hear from you when your efforts and hard work make something that you are genuinely happy with, and Titansgrave is worth being happy about! I was absorbed for every moment of both episode zero and the first proper chapter. I knew I would be interested in the lore of Valkana, but now I’m just chomping at the bit for next week’s episode! I feel like if Valkana had a series of novels about it, I would be scouring bookstores for hardback copies and diving into every nook and cranny of this fascinating world.

    And the characters! Holy crap, you have put together an incredible group of people with some fantastic ideas for their characters! I’m going to have a hard time focusing on work every Monday until I can get my Titansgrave fix (well, considering I fly planes for a living that part is a pure lie, but you get the idea).

    I know what it’s like to put your soul into a thing and hope that other people see its worth, and I’m glad that everyone sees the worth behind Titansgrave.

    #SaveTheBeer

  21. Loving it so far! Is there a resource webpage that you’ll keep Titansgrave art, maps, character sheets of your players, any campaign documents you show the players, etc. that we can look at while watching the episodes?

    1. That’s a good idea. I’ll talk with the team and figure out what makes sense for us to put on the homepage.

      1. It can also transfer to comic book form. Role playing is basically group storytelling.

  22. I watched Titansgrave episodes zero and one, and wow, I just loved the details and the storyline so far. I really want to attempt some game like this now.

    Oh, and I find your stress and depression completely understandable.

    I realize I haven’t really said anything you haven’t already said, I just felt the need to reiterate, because, well, when one writes one’s impression of things, and it seems to me so dead-on accurate, I think it deserves acknowledgement. You aren’t fooling yourself. You’ve done a pretty good job.

    1. And by pretty good, I mean… awesome. Literally, I ame in awe of this.

      I’ve never been good at appropriate scaling of complements… for me “pretty good” is, let’s say it this way, my favorite movies and anime are pretty good, in my normal, non-adjusted complement nomenclature. I know some use that phrase for just “ok”—I wasn’t using it that way.

      You’ve done a fantastic job Wil.

  23. I finally got a chance to watch episodes 0 and 1, and they were PHENOMENAL. So much fun! I loved everything, from the PCs’ secrets to the little flourishes with Jeremy and the NPCs’ mannerisms. I really appreciated all the detail that went into the world and character creation, and the episodes were edited beautifully and felt lively. Thank you (and your cast and crew, too!) for making and sharing something awesome.

  25. Episode 1 rocked. Characters and storyline are off to a great start. Can’t wait until Episode 2

    Well done, Sirs and Madams. Especially you, Wil. Well done.

  26. I watched episode 0 and 1 a couple of days ago. Top notch and very entertaining.

  27. It really was a great first episode (and episode 0 was very helpful to understand the show). I am really curious to see where the show goes. Congrats Wil!

  29. Thanks to Titansgrave, my kids (6 & 8) want me to run a game for them. Thank you. (ummm . . . are there any episodes I shouldn’t let them watch because of adult content?)

  30. Titansgrave is awesome! I love the show, the players, and the setting. I instantly subscribed and I’ll definitely be buying the material from Green Ronin when it comes out. You guys did a great job.

  31. The game group I am with has been playing together for the past ten years(we’ve played everything RPG from all versions of D&D ,Rifts, Warhammer to name a few). We all got together and watched the episodes back to back. Great stuff we cant wait to see more!!

  32. I completely understand wanting a product you put out to be perfect, caring about the quality enough that it keeps you up at night, and being anxious about the details. From someone who shares those feelings, I think Titansgrave is great.

    To further sing your worldly praises: My family has always been one for tabletop gaming. I started playing D&D in 2nd ed when you needed an advanced math degree to figure out whether or not you had hit someone. I currently game, RPG game, with the same group as I have since my freshmen year of college (15 years ago now). We’ve played D&D and Shadowrun pretty regularly and have introduced a few other systems to distract us when our years long campaigns have gotten a bit long and dramatic. We’ve played the Serenity RPG, and just started A Song of Ice & Fire campaign; there’s been talk of using some cortex system games and such games as Spycraft or GRUPS. The only point to all this rambling is that I saw the first two episodes of Titan’s Grave, and between the simplicity of the AGE system and the quality of the world, I want to go there.

    Also as an avid gamer but someone who has only been a middling game master at best, it’s nice to see an easy to understand system with a right enough history and background to make character options varied and exciting, and you absolutely can see the enjoyment your players and you get from the world of Titan’s Grave.

    On another note, I am also a fan of Tabletop (and have my pin and sticker proudly displayed). My wife and I do not have any children, but we regularly have friends over for dinner and game night. Tabletop has been a wonderful source of recommendations for games which would fit our various group of gamer friends; we got weird looks at one of the department stores when we completed our wedding registry because the department we had the most items from was “Toys.” Thank you for playing Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, Fortune and Glory, and all of your other games. The show has always been a win, even if we didn’t think the specific games were a good fit for us.

    Now I have one more thank you…thank you for Titan’s Grave. Put me on the list of people who will gladly pick up a copy of source material. I hope it’s a gateway to get my wife into RPGs.

    Keep up the good work. It’s appreciated.

  33. Will, You are very brave to share your journey to manage your depression. I have been on anti-depressants for many years and my psychiatrist suggested that I might be Bipolar Type II. I now have what I think are normal feelings that come and then go. I hope you find some inner peace. When it seems appropriate I do share my experiences. I consider it a gift to those who might need to hear it.
    As far as any of your new gaming/programs I think if you follow your inner voice/heart in your creations you can’t go wrong. That is the only way we can be true to ourselves and express ourselves in our works.

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