A few hours ago, I finished my part of this project I’ve been developing and working on for a few years. Now, other artists are making their contributions to the project, as we move it closer to that terrifying and exhilarating moment when we give it to you.
I just wrote this in an email:
“This feels like I’m tempting Fate, but … I’m optimistic. I feel the way I did when we were working on Tabletop, before anyone had seen it. This just feels good, it feels like it fits into a space that is currently vacant, and even if it doesn’t find a huge audience, I know we made something special for the audience we did find.”
Tabletop is the most recent thing I did that totally belonged to me in every way that mattered (until it didn’t. heavy sigh.) and I didn’t realize how much I missed having something like this in my life until I was doing it again with this thing. Working on my own thing lights me up in a way that working on someone else’s thing can’t, even when I love working on their thing as much as I can possibly love working on anything.
AUGH! I am so excited for this I just want to slap it.
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if this changes my life in anywhere near the same way Tabletop did I’m in for a real treat!
I’m so excited to find out what the thing is! Tabletop was genuinely life changing for me, and if there’s even half as much joy in the new thing, it’s going to be awesome.
I’m excited for you and to see what this thing is. But reading the ongoing gag in Harvey Birdman kept popping into my head: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N_odAms6rQ (Did you get that THING I sent ya?)
My first thought was “more Titansgrave??” Haha
While I’m really excited to see what you’re cooking up, I’m even happier that you found something so thoroughly enjoyable.
You got this
Can’t wait to see what this is!
Slap what now?
I’m really excited to see what’s coming up!
With everything going on right now, working on our own stuff is such a gift. My wife and I are about to make a short film at the end of March, and working steadily on it has been such a balm for the soul. (That being said we’re also waiting for a comic editor to approve an outline and I would very much like to be scripting that soon please).
I’m looking forward to seeing what this amazing thing is! Glad I found your blog. I grew up watching the original Star Trek, then became a Next Gen watcher and then DS9 and Voyager. Kind of fell off after that, but I did see a couple seasons of Picard. STNG was the best. Glad that you got to be part of that, even if acting wasn’t the life you would have chosen for yourself. Saw your interview on “Inside of Me”. Woah. I’m sorry that people (including parents) can be so so awful. Glad you’ve made your own way and are embracing the life you love. Glad that you have such an amazing supportive wife and friends.
Give Star Trek Prodigy a viewing, it’s well worth it. You might even see a certain Mr. Wheaton give an excellent performance…
I think I missed something – what happened to Tabletop? All I know is there wasn’t a 5th season…
I’m curious too. I’m not a tabletop gamer, but I still enjoyed the show.
Having positive things being put out into the universe is so important, especially now – thank you for seeing that and nurturing all that is good in the world.
I know “Titansgrave” is probably done for good at this point, but I really enjoyed watching those episodes. “Tabletop” was a lot of fun, too.
I loved Titansgrave too.
“Busy night! Busy niiight!
Don’t worry about overusing “thing”. You’ve created something that you’re not ready to reveal to the world yet, in any way. What else are you going to call it?
You, sir, are an artist. And as an artist you only need to create for yourself. If you are happy with it, then it is enough.
“Working on my own thing lights me up in a way that working on someone else’s thing can’t”
beavisandbuttheadlaughing.gif
(But seriously, I’m really excited for you and your thing!)
Right? Once I saw it, I couldn’t not see it, and then it was too stupid to change.
My social anxiety grew exponentially during the COVID lockdown (from shyness to paranoia). I rewatched all the TableTop episodes both for comfort and as therapy, as I tried to imagine myself sitting at the table without having a social panic attack, enjoying the experience. A snuggly blanket in video form.
If your new creation even approaches the sheer joy the TableTop world has had for me, well, then, that’ll be truly special. While I do have high hopes, there’s no way you can fail. Even your worst output is still in the top 1% of what’s out there. Be fearless!
Gawd. The anticipation has me recalling when was I was waiting for the first moments of MTV (1 August 1981). But no pressure, Wil.
Having written both original and tie-in fiction, I understand this SOOOO much!
G’day.
You have an audience. Not because of ‘Stand by me’, not because you were on ‘Trek’… but because usually when you say something, it’s either very worth listening to…
Or a lot of fun.
As long as you do projects, I’ll be checking them out.
I am really excited to experience whatever it is! I’m always rooting for you!
Dooooo ittttttt!
(I mean both the thing and announcing the thing)
I answered my own question by Googling what happened to Tabletop. Some folks on Reddit a few years back were discussing how you were working on a similar show but different enough. I don’t know if anything came from that, haven’t heard anything, but a thought just hit me: if you were still looking to do a game-teaching show…. why not connect with Dropout.tv? I mean, ok, sure, it would still require membership for viewers to watch it just as they do for things like GameChanger, Dimension 20 and Make Some Noise, but it’s VERY cheap compared to all the other streaming services and it would likely be an excellent home for such a show! Just my 2 cents. I don’t even know if you read these…
I keep hoping Wil will be on D20 some day, and then maybe do more stuff with Dropout.
Antici……………………….pation!
I was just watching an episode of Tabletop (Lords of Vegas). I miss that, and the criminally short-lived Wil Wheaton Project. Can’t wait to see your new thing.
I’m subscribed via RSS. Do I need to sign up for email also?
Can’t wait to find out what this “thing” is!
I just wanted to say that Tabletop was, at the time, my favourite show online. I am very excited to see your new project.
I loved Tabletop, and miss it very much.
Knowing that making this thing makes you as happy as Tabletop did, makes me really excited to find out what this thing is.
Love your commitment to and enthusiasm for your creative process and it’s resulting creative “things”! Can’t wait for their debut!
My curiosity is piqued. Looking forward to the results!
(also, to the B&B comment … huh… huhhuh…)
If you are THAT excited about “IT”, I can’t wait to hear/or see/or both it! I’m on the edge of my seat!
Fuck yeah! Hope it’s awesome.
howmuchlongerhowmuchlongerhowmuchlonger~ runs around in circles in excitement
Whatever it is, if it’s even superficially similar in a vibes sort of way to Tabletop, I’m psyched.
Speaking of Tabletop, I’m curious: have you encountered the YT channel No Rolls Barred, and if so what do you think of it? It’s the only board gaming channel I’ve found since Tabletop that felt like a sincere spiritual successor.
That channel had not come across my event horizon, no. But I just looked and wow that was an insta-subscribe. Thanks for that!
My daughter and I watched a ton of Tabletop together – “I was on the verge of being competent!” is still a family catchphrase – and along with my wife we played a lot of games as a family as a result. That interest in games led my daughter to find No Rolls Barred, which she has shared with the rest of us. So there’s a real legacy that Tabletop helped to kick off, and Wil, I’m glad you get to see it. (And thanks to JD for telling Wil!)
Out of curiosity, which videos have you seen? I was just curious what stage of the show you had seen. Because obviously as a show goes on, it evolves a bit to fit more with what works for them and while there are still very clear parallels (the rules explainer for instance), the early episodes are even more influenced by TableTop. They had talking heads and even their own version of the trophy of awesome with the tape for a little while! The original creator has said that it was deliberate and that he was very much inspired by TableTop as it was one of the things that got him into board gaming.
I’ve been a fan of No Rolls Barred since day 1 (back when they originally tried to call themselves “Phenomenerds” :S) and have kept up with all their phases of evolution. I’m not surprised to hear that TableTop was a conscious inspiration, even if the current product has gone in a somewhat different direction.
Wil, I cannot articulate to you how happy it makes me to have successfully introduced one of my favorite people on the internet to some of my other favorite people on the internet. Cheers!
I kinda thought that this post was going to be about Thing from The Addams Family, but your as yet undisclosed thing is even more exciting!
If you knew how many games we’ve bought because we saw you playing them on Tabletop …
We even used Tabletop to explain the rules to our kids once or twice or to decide which game we want to buy next. Man, you’re not the only one missing that show a lot!
I miss Tabletop. Our family found and loved so many games because of it. I can’t wait to see what this new thing is.
I got the opportunity to tell this to Felicia a few years ago. Tabletop and the International Tabletop Day actually changed my life. Because of what you created I got to know some of my current best friends, met my soon to be wife and we have an amazing daughter.
So thank you!
Can’t wait to see this new project.
I miss Table Top so much! Was one of our favourite things to watch. Very excited for this new “thing”
Heartening! The worse the world gets the more we need things to help us be genuinely entertained in between continuing the fight! Thanks Wil!