Wil Wheaton - Tabletop

[Blackhawk]

This looks like it has the potential to be an interesting series. Lots of interesting folks playing lots of interesting games.

[Daehawk]

That looks awesome! I'd watch that. Eureka sheriff ftw.

[Blackhawk]

Grant Imahara, Wil Wheaton, Beth Riesgraf (Parker from Leverage) and so on all sitting down and playing board games - it sounds great.

He gives more details on his blog:

"Oh my god," I said, "What if we did something that was like Celebrity Poker meets Dinner for Five, where we got interesting people we know together for tabletop games?!"

...

In season one of the show, we play games like Settlers of Catan, The Last Night on Earth, Munchkin, Small World, and Alhambra. Some of the players include Grant Imahara, Sean Plott (better known as Day[9]), Dodger Leigh, Ryan Higa, Beth Riesgraf, Phil Lamarr, Morgan Webb, Garfunkle and Oats, Veronica Belmont, and Colin Ferguson.

[hepcat]

My man crush on Colin Ferguson continues to grow.

[GreenGoo]

My man crush on Colin Ferguson continues to grow.

I'm guessing this is not him.

[YellowKing]

God help my geeky little heart, but I'm all over that.

[Rip]

My man crush on Colin Ferguson continues to grow.

I'm guessing this is not him.

No it is the one that is a Canadian/British/American citizen.

[Zaxxon]

Definitely looking forward to this, as well as the Sword & Laser show also coming to Geek & Sundry.

[stessier]

I am intrigued. I wonder if I can get my wife to watch.

[El Guapo]

I love board games, but I'm having a hard time getting excited about watching other people play board games.

[Remus West]

I love board games, but I'm having a hard time getting excited about watching other people play board games.

This. If they were playing games I didn't know and wanted to learn I could watch to see what I could pick up regarding the rules but just watching to see them play the games? Nope.

[Anonymous Bosch]

I love board games, but I'm having a hard time getting excited about watching other people play board games.

Ditto. And watching celebrigeeks, many of whom are likely to overdo their attempts to be entertaining/funny while taking part in an activity not exactly known for being a spectator sport, may make it a whole lot less interesting.

[miltonite]

I think it will be interesting to see the strategies they use in these games. I think it will be more interesting to see them play games I am familiar with rather than games I have no interest in.

I think when the later seasons start this show could be bad for me and my bank account. I see myself spending more money than I should on new games.

[baelthazar]

Where have I heard of Grant Imahara? OH... MYTHBUSTERS! Awesome!

I'm not sure watching other people play boardgames is very thrilling, but I'll do it once to find out.

[YellowKing]

I could care less in watching it as a spectator sport. I just want to see how other people play the games I know and learn how to actually play the games I don't know. They could cut out all the celebrity chit-chat for all I care - to me these are going to be training videos.

[GreenGoo]

I could care less in watching it as a spectator sport.

Both my son and I spend too much time watching videos of others playing video games. So all those worries when I was a kid about video games rotting your brains and how it would replace playing outside? They needn't have worried. Sitting completely inert and passively watching others have fun, that's the danger they never anticipated.

Of course I'm doing it because I want to learn stuff. My son is doing it because he's vicariously playing the game through someone who is better at it than he is. It still involves watching someone else play the game though, which is kind of sad on a meta level.

As for this show, it sounds more like a talk show with a board game backdrop. I suspect the game itself will take a back seat to funny anecdotes and interesting questions/answers. A geek version of the tonight show, perhaps. I'd be very surprised if a show that was actually about the board games being played would succeed. Actually, I'll be very surprised if this show succeeds at all, even if I think it's a fun concept.

[baelthazar]

I'm hoping I can just use Wil Wheaton to explain the rules to new players!

[Blackhawk]

What I'm looking forward to is seeing actors whose work I enjoy interacting out of character, and maybe finding out about some games I've never played before.

My kids are getting old enough now that regular board gaming is becoming an option for me.

/edit - gah, I've completely lost my ability to type in the last few months.

[BrooKlYNGuY]

I watch other people play boardgames, not most of the time, doing this once in awhile.

[Zaxxon]

The first episode is out, playing Small World.

-It's not just a static video of people playing games--they have nice overlays and cut-overs where they explain the rules and what's going on as they play.

-Wil Wheaton is really friggin' annoying while playing/leading a game.

I think it has promise, though.

[hentzau]

I enjoyed it quite a bit. I'll be tuning into future episodes. I thought Wil was OK, I assumed he was being slightly over the top for the video. But who knows, maybe he is like that with all the games he plays.

[Zurai]

That seemed like normal Wil to me. He's pretty animated in Penny Arcade's podcast D&D games, too.

EDIT: Link to the video of the PAX2011 D&D game for those who havn't seen it. It's pretty hilarious, IMO.

[miltonite]

Although Wil is over the top I enjoyed the hell out of it. I will surely continue watching.

[Daehawk]

Just watched. that is a GREAT show. Enjoyed it very much. I'd love to be on there just to talk STTNG the whole time we're playing.

It's almost enough to make me wish for friends ...Almost.

They should also do a game of champions sometime in the future.

[YellowKing]

I enjoyed it as well. I was already familiar with Small World so found the interaction among the players more entertaining than the game itself, but I can see how with unfamiliar games this would be a fun way to learn and discover new titles. Wil does seem a little domineering but he wasn't a prick about it - you could tell he just really enjoyed gaming and wanted others to share his enthusiasm.

[Zaxxon]

Yeah, I didn't intend my Wil comment to come off so strongly. He's just a bit too into it for my tastes. Nothing horrible about it.

[YellowKing]

If Wil didn't come off too strongly, then he wouldn't be a proper nemesis for Sheldon Cooper. I have to give him credit though. He somehow turned a short stint as an annoying character on Star Trek:TNG into a career.

[Isgrimnur]

I enjoyed getting a look at the game. It wasn't quite enough to know how to play and strategize, but enough to whet the appetite and see if I would enjoy it as much in the first person.

I like Wil, follow his Twitter, and read his blog, and yeah, even I considered him to be a bit too "on" for my liking. But then, pilots are never truly polished objects. There's still a happy medium to be found.

[stessier]

I finished watching this last night. I thought it was pretty good. I've watched Day[9] videos and while I like his StarCraft casting, I really was annoyed by him during the show. I thought Wil was very good and was just playing the host - making sure the rules were explained and having fun with the game.

I've never played the game but thought they did a good job explaining the rules and what was going on. I've subscribed and am looking forward to this week's episode...which I'll probably get to late next week or something.

[Kelric]

I enjoyed it. Wil didn't bug me, he just seemed like he was trying to be the outgoing host to try and make the viewers be slightly more entertained by what is essentially a few people moving cardboard cutouts on a cardboard map. There were a lot of things in the game that got missed, but I do have a general idea of how to play the game now. I may not remember it in the long run but if I were to play the game in the next few weeks or months I wouldn't be walking into it completely blind.

Since my fiancee's account was logged into YouTube at the time, she is now subscribed to it for me to watch next time.

[YellowKing]

I own Small World, but it doesn't get a lot of play because it is soooo competitive (my gaming group tends to prefer co-op games, Memoir '44 and Ticket to Ride being two exceptions). I don't think it came across quite so well in the video, but the game is called Small World for a reason - there is simply not enough freaking room for all the players and it is MADDENING! The result is an all out tug of war over territory and it can get really cut throat.

It's an excellent game in terms of design and replayability, but it definitely caters to a more competitive audience. Way too many egos in my gaming group for this one to be "entertaining" rather than ending in tears and overturned chairs.

[Kelric]

I own Small World, but it doesn't get a lot of play because it is soooo competitive (my gaming group tends to prefer co-op games, Memoir '44 and Ticket to Ride being two exceptions). I don't think it came across quite so well in the video, but the game is called Small World for a reason - there is simply not enough freaking room for all the players and it is MADDENING! The result is an all out tug of war over territory and it can get really cut throat.

It's an excellent game in terms of design and replayability, but it definitely caters to a more competitive audience. Way too many egos in my gaming group for this one to be "entertaining" rather than ending in tears and overturned chairs.

I wish I had a gaming group. (working on it, though!)

[theohall]

Wesley Crusher is a god, afterall, so he can do whatever he wants.

[Kelric]

Episode 2 is Settlers of Catan with a writer / producer from Buffy, Game of Thrones and BSG, plus the geeky actor guy from Eureka and some actor I vaguely recognize. Definitely going to watch it, since I love Settlers but have only played it thrice.

[Daehawk]

Colin Ferguson? I love that guy!

[Isgrimnur]

Geeky actor. Most likely Fargo, not the sheriff.

[Daveman]

As much as I enjoy Settlers of Catan, I didn't enjoy watching other people play it in that episode. Does everyone trade that much in their games? I'm guessing they were just playing up the trading/social aspect of the game... either that or the people I play with are just really stingy.

[Kelric]

The group I've played in tries to do quite a bit of trading, it just doesn't always happen.

[Zurai]

The group I've played in tries to do quite a bit of trading, it just doesn't always happen.

This. Trying to solo Settlers (ie, being really stingy with trades) is just boring.

[KiloOhm]

I wish I had a gaming group. (working on it, though!)

Are you actually *in* boston? I'm in central MA (Shirley).

As for the show - I really enjoyed it. It's a great way to get introduced to a board game you haven't played. If I wasn't at work I would link another video series - It was called Gaming with Jim(?) or something like that. Just a guy who did a great job explaining how the board game mechanics work and some basic strategies.