111 thoughts on “Tabletop News: season four starts on November second”

1. I know it’s not exactly how you wanted things, but AT LAST the Legendary Dragons have stopped hoarding ALL of Tabletop. And at this point, I can wait between the second and third episodes because well, I’ve waited this long. 🙂 I rejoice in finding new games I’ll love, so I can grab some friends, go to GameHaus or Geeky Teas, and play more games! 🙂

2. I love the concept of your show and will tune in! Glad to hear the dice have turned in your favor…

3. I just can’t wait till it is released in full.
   And I just can’t wait to hear what you think about this whole deal…

4. Does my watching it on YouTube vs Alpha have any impact on the show itself? Are the ‘ratings’ going to be based on Alpha alone? I don’t particularly want Alpha, but I will get it of it means there is a greater chance of a season 5.

   1. I don’t think it will matter, but even if it did, I don’t care. I want you to see the show however it’s easiest and most convenient for you.

      1. You sir, are a good egg. Thanks for all you do.

      2. Thank you for your hard work. TableTop is a great show that my whole family watches.

      3. Let me put it this way: As a delighted TableTop viewer, I’d like to participate in “incentivizing” TableTop in whatever ways will keep it fun for you, and something you’d like to keep making. (Note: I intentionally did not say “monetizing”, though money is typically fungible into other incentives.)

         So, the following come to mind. Which do you see as desirable, just from your perspective? Which, if any, would work in combination for you?

         YouTube Thumb-Ups
         Adoration of Fans (e.g., video comments and social media posts)
         YouTube advertising
         YouTube Red
         Patreon
         LDN’s Alpha subscription service
         Crowdfunding (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, etc.)

         How many did I miss?

         My personal preference is to “support as I go”, since I tend to binge watch (every cold/flu), and monthly subscriptions are (for me) a waste between binges.

         So I always provide a Thumb-Up to every video I enjoy, and I use Patreon (when available) for videos YouTube has restricted from advertising (such as the important and always awesome Sexplanations), or that simply don’t see significant advertising revenue (such as some indie musicians I enjoy).

         I’ve also participated in multiple crowdfunding campaigns for artists, though the longer time scale involved can be challenging (in the ‘immediate gratification’ sense).

         To which do you relate best?

         1. To which do you relate best?

            Honestly, I just want you to watch the show and get inspired to play more games. At the moment, that’s all I care about. So whatever is easiest for you, please do that.

            1. Interactions like this remind me of why I so love to read/listen/watch just about anything you get involved in. Thank you, for making damn fine show, and for having such an amazing attitude toward your audience and fans. It’s why we keep coming back. ^_^

            2. I’m aware you are not in control over that aspect of the show, but personally hated the whole alpha announcement because it totally feels closed, non-friendly, and anti-tabletop-spirit…

               I think the best option is kickstarter/indiegogo, or more recently patreon, you could ask for per/video subscription. I’m sure a lot of people are willing to pay something for such an incredible show.

               Anyway, about the new season: maximum hype!, can’t wait until tomorrow! The best show ever! congrats!

      4. Regardless how and when I get to see them, I know I will be happy to enjoy, and share the episodes with my wife. I am especially looking forward to Agricola, as I got it a while ago, and haven’t quite had a chance to dive into it.

         I have made many, MANY purchases based on the previews provided on Table Top, and every one I have purchased thus far has been a welcome addition to my collection.

      5. Thank you Wil! I will just wait to watch on YouTube. Please don’t let this … Non ideal situation deter you from making more seasons! Your fans are behind you 100%!

      6. You’re a good man, Charlie Brown. Thanks for looking out for us as best you can. I look forward to this season of TableTop.

5. Hey Wil, can’t wait to see season 4 of table top. I was a backer of season 3, still have the flip coin on my desk. I’m really glad you made this post, because even though I was happy to see that season 4 is coming out, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the way it is being released. At first I was thinking of people taking advantage of the followers and viewers (not sure of a nicer way to say it), but after reading here, I’m genuinely excited to watch it on YouTube and am glad you took the time to make season 4. I’m not trying to be a cheapa** either, I would have happily backed s4, but I can understand the complications of big brother. Hope you had some better luck with the dice :). Take care and thanks again !!

6. I can’t really share my personal feelings on this whole thing

   This is the most annoying thing in this post. Tabletop is your item, your thing. And the fact that you are somewhat restricted in how to talk about it somehow hurts me more than another 3 months of waiting for the majority of the episodes.

   Still, I’m really looking forward to these videos.

   1. Yeah, I don’t really care about having to wait another 3 months (sure I’d be happy to watch TT every week of the year but it’s okay 🙂 ). But if even half of what I’m reading about what’s going on at Geek & Sundry is true, and based on the above remark by Wil, I’m pretty angry that he has to go through this. You know something has gone wrong (aka corporate) when a creator can’t say whatever he wants about his creation.

      Wil, if you can get TableTop back to where it ought to be, my money will be ready to crowdfund another season. And if you think it’s best to put it out of its misery, I won’t hold it against you. But let’s never get to the point where you hate what you’re doing.

7. And this one of the reasons why you tried avoid corporate backing for those other seasons. I’ll watch the first two, then wait. I can’t afford yet another subscription. I’m disappointed in Legendary.

8. No worries, Wil. I’m just glad it’s finally coming out. I know how hard you worked on this and how much time you put into it. Season will be the best ever!

9. I’m glad that TT4 is finally coming out, even if it’s not exactly the timing or model/format that Wil wanted.

   I won’t be signing up for Alpha, I just feel that the show’s at its best when shared with friends to show them the wonders of gaming – not to hoard episodes away just for the cool kids.

   I backed TT3 and will happily back TT5 if it is ever made – as long as it is made available on YouTube or similar to share.

10. Despite your diplomatic silence, Wil, I have a suspicion how you really feel, and I agree with you. Looking forward to eps 1-2, will gladly wait until January for the rest of S4, and praying to all the gods old and new that Legendary feels the pain of this crap decision in their wallets soon and hard so we can get the show back the way we all came to love it. Play more games.

11. So does that mean I should stop my twitch account since they gets me nothing? Why am I putting money into Geek and Sundry only to find out now I need another service. I know this isn’t your doing Wil, and I don’t blame you for it. But this is getting redonkulous.

    1. They said that those who are subscribed to twitch will get 5/6 months of alpha for free. (And I think the Alpha Beta is 30 days free?) So that “should” cover Table Top’s current early access pay wall.

       If you’re not signing up for Alpha even as a trial because you’re in protest, that’s fine too.

12. I understand Legendary’s business reasons for releasing the show like this. However, I’ll be waiting for the YouTube release. I was happy to support the kickstarter for the last season and I would have done so again.

    My personal thoughts are that Alpha should have been a channel for brand new original content and supplementary shows related to Geek & Sundrys main shows. So, for example, a TableTop behind the scenes and game review program. That way the regular viewers, who don’t want to subscribe, can continue watching their favorite shows and don’t feel like they are losing anything. Then they have the option of paying to see the extra content.

13. I went looking for the Alpha streaming service website. I found a signup screen there…and no indication of what the cost is or what you get for it.

    1. I noticed that too 😠

14. Wil, this show is the reason I play boardgames. To me, before TT, a boardgame was something like monopoly. And you made it so much more. This show is made with dedication and that shows on each episode you guys give us. What I mean to say is “thank you”. Thank you and Felicia for the work/love you guys put into it. And remember we will follow Tabletop until the very last episode. But please don’t give up on it, even if now things are not like we (fans and creators) all want.
    Again, thank you.

    1. So much this. Wil and Tabletop opened my eyes to the world of boardgames beyond Monopoly and Life. It truly is a great series.

    2. I have board games on my shelves that I would have never known about if it weren’t for TT and Wil Wheaton. I’m just bummed that we won’t get to see more games played before the Christmas season to know what to get my family.
       That said, I’m happy we’ll get season 4… just afraid that all this change means the chance of a season 5 is less likely.

15. This show is the reason I signed up to the beta testing of Alpha (to which I got accepted yesterday). Looking forward to seeing its return.

16. Just glad Tabletop is coming back, no matter which way we choose to watch it!

17. I love how Legendary is promoting this as being on Alpha, as if it were a household name. I hadn’t heard of Alpha until earlier this week… and when I went to go and try and find more information about it, I found Google was absolutely no help. I couldn’t even find any easy-to-find information on Geek and Sundry. After more searching, I finally found their webpage… which has absolutely no information about what Alpha even is. All it has is a form for you to enter your email address into, which I’m not about to do without some clue as to what It is.

    I guess I’m just going to wait until January.

    1. I hadn’t heard of Alpha until this very post. I’d never heard of Legendary either! And yet TT is one of the best things I’ve seen in recent years. It feels like someone’s trying to ride your coat-tails, Wil 🙁

18. I’m wayyyyy behind on episodes, and I don’t know why because I’ve watched the ticket to ride, and now have that on my iPad. Watched 12 days and bought and played that, um… watched quirkle and bought that. Oh. My wallet can’t handle it.
    I am loving this though. This weekend we had a long stay at a cabin with friends and played quirkle, CAH, & say anything but skipped Skulls and exploding kittens…. too many rules to figure out and keep track of while drinking.
    Good times!!!!

    1. QWIRKLE. I can’t spell.

19. My husband (who got me into gaming!) and I love to curl up and watch Tabletop together. So excited for the full release and we’ll put the dates in our calendar!

20. Hey, Will, how many episodes will be launched on Alpha before Janaury 30? Will we get the entire season on Alpha by then or just so many of them?

    1. If they follow the same schedule we’ve always followed, it will be every other week, so that’s… Four? I think? Episodes 3 through 7?

21. If only there was a reddit forum where we could bash you…but I digress, I guess I’ll just suck it up and continue to think you’re awesome anyway. Haha, worry not my friend, when the trolls come out to play over this latest development, just watch Black Mirror, it is an excellent distraction…now I’m rambling. Final thought, don’t eat grapefruit on certain meds.

22. Excited that new TableTops (Tables Top?) will be available soon. TT is my favorite way to get an introduction to a game. Even if it’s a game that doesn’t interest me per se, the interactions of the players still makes the episode entertaining. I wish I had a gaming group as wide and varied and fun as yours, Wil 🙂 Peace to all!

23. Glad to have another season!

24. Hooray, more Tabletop! This might be the happiest I’ve ever been to be several months behind on my G&S watching. I tend to get way behind during the TV season, then catch up partially during hiatus.

25. Yeah, can’t support any projects with Wil in them (and potentially profiting from them). He lost all support when he decided to personally shill for a war criminal to get the presidential office.

    1. But you’ll read and comment on his blog (and probably Twitter, Instagram, and all other social media where he has a presence)? Very effective “protest”. /s

26. Thank you for creating Tabletop Wil, you are the reason I have spent endless hours playing new and interesting board games with my family. I will be watching on YouTube at the end of January I suppose (though I am excited for at least 2 episodes sooner).

27. I’m sooo emotionally excited!!111oneone

28. It’s november 2nd in Europe, so now I just have to wait untill you on the other side of the big pond wake up so I can see TT!

    I have never heard of alpha, so I have to wait untill januari to see everything beyond show 2. To bad! Maybe next year we can do the crowdfunding thing again, I would happily show my appreciation by paying again for you to make the show (which is a bit contradictionary because I do not want to pay for the platform).

    In the meantime I will play my fresh Spiel looth to pass the time (Fabled Fruit might be a good game for your next season if there will be one).

29. I watched the entirety of S1 of TT on my computer, faithfully, as each episode was released. Then a little thing called “life” got in the way of my G&S consumption schedule, and I fell behind. Now that we stream YouTube on our television, Oh Happy Day! I’ll be able to add ALL seasons of TT to the queue and catch up, Just In Time for those “hijacked by Alpha” episodes!

    Keep doing what makes you happy, Wil. It seems to be working. 🙂

30. This whole Alpha thing sucks. Can’t imagine how frustrated you must be feeling about it.
    But here’s the thing… YOUR SHOW ROCKS!! So fret not young sir, we – your loyal subjects – are behind you and your show. I will wait with patience to see what you have produced for us till January.
    Your show is great and I’m just glad it’s back, I was worried there for a moment (when I say moment I mean a few months!). You are the reason I now have over 110 awesome games in my collection – that my kids have developed a love for tabletop gaming, and why a friend and I now run a monthly Board Game Night.
    I’d like to share something with you. We were recently on holiday with family, Normally in the evenings we just either sit chatting or watching tv/films. This year I took along Funemployed, One Night Ultimate Werewolf and Codenames Pictures. For as long as I can remember we have never laughed so much together! Our sides were hurting – there were tears of joy and SOOO many memories of the evenings. One job we were applying for in Funemployed was ‘Psychic’ which was going great until it reached my wife who gave us her pitch…. she started talking about Spandex and we realised she was applying for the post of ‘Sidekick’! She then had to shoehorn in her other cards for the real job! It was hilarious.
    This all began with a random click on one of your videos about 2 years ago.
    Thank you sir – you are a legend. tips hat
    🙂

31. I can just repeat what many many people have written here so far: Thank you for creating Table Top Wil, and don’t worry, we will continue to watch and support the show, because it is about the love for table top gaming. And very few people have the ability to embody this love as much as you do. I also really appreciate your openness and honesty (as much as you can be open about things at the moment). That will help the show survive, no matter what will happen to platforms and subscription services in the future. You are an inspiration, not just regarding Table Top, but also in your personal and professional life! I hope the support and love you receive from the internet makes it easier to a) ignore the trolls and b) keep doing your thing no matter what comes in your way!

32. First of all, thank you for your hard work. I can’t imagine how you must really feel being restricted like this.

    How much will it take to buy Tabletop off Legendary? Can you crowdfund the money and get it back to the team who originally owned it when it was just on Geek and Sundry (Felicia and you?)? I don’t know the subscription numbers but it can hardly be very lucrative for Legendary compared to other commercial properties.
    I hope you’ll be able to find a way around this. At the moment this sounds like a recording artist who is stuck in a really shitty label contract.

33. I think I, like many people here, will be waiting till January to see the new show so. Putting the season behind a paywall is surely a poor business decision which depends on the loyal fans paying to watch the show. But that flies in the face of what I see as the central ethos of Tabletop: To encourage n00bs to play board games. Randomers aren’t going to pay to watch a random show on a subscription service. I have no problem with paying to support your show (proud Season 3 backer) and would happily use Patreon or something similar to support you and the show in future if you wish. But I don’t watch much TV at all and I will not pay for a subscription service for one show. Sorry.

    But Yay New Tabletop!!! 🙂

    1. Molly, I agree so much.

34. If that is what it takes to finance TableTop, then so be it.
    I’ll see if there’s anything else on Alpha which might entice me to subscribe, bu if not, I’ll wait until January.

    Personally I loved the Kickstarter model for season 3, and would happily have backed another season…

35. ok- I will wait til January then. I’m so glad they are eventually making it available on YouTube. I’m impatient to see it but it’s definitely something that’s worth the wait!

    1. I don’t think Wil was all too enthused about the crowd funded season. I get it, too. It’s tough to please everyone. Unfortunately, I just don’t think he will be interested in future seasons. TT has a punishing schedule and right when Wil starts enjoying it again Legendary pulls this stunt. Time will tell I guess. For now my family and I will enjoy the heck out of Season 4. (in January… That is…). Thanks for your hard work Wil!

36. I’ll see ya in January

    Cheers!

37. So… do what I’ve done anyway. Procrastinate and forget to watch episodes until 3 months after it hits youtube. I’d wind up seeing all of them straight through on youtube regardless. Alpha delaying things won’t affect me lol

38. Just in time for Extra Life this weekend! I will take the 2 episodes, and savor them all week. Thank you Wil for all you do.

39. All those monthly subscriptions add up. TT is the only show I care to watch on the G&S channel anymore. I’ve tried Critical Roll but can’t get into it, even though I want to.

    I hate how Legendary/Wanda are handling this. Maybe by February I won’t feel bitter anymore and will watch.

    I stumbled upon TT and it really changed how my family spends our quality time – and our entertainment budget. It opened up a whole new world of gaming possibilities for us and gave my son and I one more thing to bond over.

    Very unfortunate that it’s come to this.

40. My daughter will be very happy to hear that there are (at last) some new episodes. Sorry to hear about the trouble with Legendary. Having looked at their current offerings TableTop is probably the only thing we’d watch offered through Alpha anyway, making it an unnecessary expense for us. With YouTube Red, Netflix, et al. we’ve already got more content available than we could ever sensibly watch, and it really sucks (IMHO) that Legendary chose to go yet another route. Personally, I’d be much happier to see a “purchase early access via Google/iTunes/Amazon/Patreon” for a specific series instead of a subscription with yet another content provider that mixes lots of “noise” in with the “signal” I want. (For what it’s worth, I have exactly the same problem with traditional Cable providers and the 95% of channels I never watch there, but my father-in-law doesn’t understand streaming technology and would freak out if he couldn’t just turn on the TV and find his soccer games! :-))

41. You know, good on Legendary for being willing to release to YouTube ever. I notice Netflix and Amazon haven’t announced any plan to release old seasons of their shows to free channels. If it’s a good partnership (meaning one where investors and creators get a reasonably equitable split), I wish Alpha all the best. I’ll be interested to see what the pricing looks like.

    It does sound like the ground under this project has shifted a lot over the years. I’m glad you can still be proud of the work, and thank you.

    Meantime… YAY two new episodes!

42. Hey Wil–THANKS SO MUCH for season 4!!! Also you look so healthy and happy in the trailer–am a total stranger but know that tons of us are out here rooting for your health and happiness:)

43. Love TT. I recommend the game Code 777 for a later season if it is filmable. In my collection, I haven’t found a game like it that can get gamers and non-gamers excited to play it. My in-laws love it and my gaming group loves it.

44. That’s rough. I like watching Table Top. I like Critical Roll, too. And I can afford $5 a month. All that said, it seems like everyone is trying to make their own paid streaming service now, and I’m not going to sign up for all of them. So, the line has to be drawn, and will probably be drawn right where I’m already standing. If I had to guess (and I don’t), I’d say I’ll be waiting for the YouTube release, and then dumping money into the next crowdfunding campaign, if you do one. Or some other way I can offer support for the show.

45. I just can’t wait for that Fate episode.

    Speaking of RPG episodes, any news of Titansgrave shooting?

    1. I would assume it’s going to be a while. Hank Green and Katherine (his wife) just has their first baby Monday.

46. I’m glad they finally decided to release it, even if I disagree with their method of releasing it. It’s a shame they’re holding your baby hostage for ransom, but I guess I understand that making the show costs money.

    No matter what, I’m sure I will enjoy the show, even if I wait until January for episode 3.

47. So excited for this new season! That said, congrats to Wil for sticking to his life reboot! It really struck me (while watching the trailer) how much weight he’d lost. Well done dude!

48. Just ping me when it comes to my radiator a la Eraserhead.

    1. In the basement of a Tulsa Red Lion, a Paraguayan woman folds laundry while Legendary Alpha Red Deluxe Black plays silently on the digital display of a Mr. Coffee.

       1. Enter Sam Spade: “Hey, doll. You got my socks?”

49. Your show helped me get my wife to try some new games and she liked a couple of them, so you have my gratitude. I backed Season Three (show off my TT dice every time I open my dice bag) and am sorry to hear you have lost control of something you care deeply about. Nope not paying the subscription. So I guess I will wait until January to see the rest. Thanks for doing this and I look forward to seeing the rest of the season in January. This in all things is about the dollar. If the company doesn’t see the revenue, they will change their model. So we will just have to wait and see what happens with Season Five.

50. Thank you for putting TT together in the first place. There are not many tabletop gamers near where I live so this show helps me feel more of a part of the community. I know the handling by Legendary leaves much to be desired, but I am happy to continue to patiently wait for more shows. I hope the joy is still there for you so that more episodes can be made and it does not become a chore.

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