TableTop (web series)
| TableTop | |
|---|---|
 TableTop Logo | |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | geekandsundry |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Genre | Gaming |
| Network | Geek & Sundry |
TableTop is a web series about games, directed by Jennifer Arnold. It was created by Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day and is hosted by Wheaton.[1] TableTop is published on Felicia Day's YouTube channel, Geek & Sundry. In each episode, following a brief explanation of one or more tabletop games, Wheaton plays the games with guests, usually web or TV personalities.[2]
A wide range of hobby gaming titles have been played, from classic German-style board games and family games to RPGs and card games.[3] It has been described as "…like Celebrity Poker meets Dinner for Five, where interesting people got together for tabletop games." [4]
As of 2016, TableTop is in its fourth season. Season three was crowdfunded via Indiegogo in May 2014 and was the most successful digital series campaign on that site until Con Man broke its record in March 2015.[5][6][7]
Episodes
Season 1 (2012–13)
| No. | Title | Guests | Winner(s) | Original air date | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Small World " | Grant Imahara, Jenna Busch, Sean Plott | Sean Plott | March 30, 2012 | ||||||||
| 2 | "Settlers of Catan " | Neil Grayston, Jane Espenson, James Kyson Lee | Neil Grayston | April 20, 2012 | ||||||||
| 3 | "Tsuro, Zombie Dice & Get Bit " | Rod Roddenberry, Ryan Higa, Freddie Wong | Ryan Higa | May 4, 2012 | ||||||||
| 4 | "Ticket to Ride " | Colin Ferguson, Anne Wheaton, Amy Dallen | Colin Ferguson | May 18, 2012 | ||||||||
| 5 | "Munchkin " | Steve Jackson, Sandeep Parikh, Felicia Day | Steve Jackson | June 1, 2012 | ||||||||
| 6 | "Castle Panic " | Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, Andre Meadows | Team Win | June 15, 2012 | ||||||||
| 7 | "Gloom " | Amber Benson, Michele Boyd, Meghan Camarena | Amber Benson, Meghan Camarena & Wil Wheaton | June 29, 2012 | ||||||||
| 8 | "Fiasco, Part 1 " | John Rogers, Alison Haislip, Bonnie Burton | N/A | July 13, 2012 | ||||||||
| 9 | "Fiasco, Part 2 " | John Rogers, Alison Haislip, Bonnie Burton | N/A | July 27, 2012 | ||||||||
| 10 | "Say Anything " | Josh A. Cagan, Matt Mira, Jonah Ray | Jonah Ray | August 9, 2012 | ||||||||
| 11 | "Elder Sign " | Mike Morhaime, Bill Prady, Felicia Day | Team Win | August 23, 2012 | ||||||||
| 12 | "Dixit " | Casey McKinnon, Beth Riesgraf, Leo Chu | Beth Riesgraf | September 6, 2012 | ||||||||
| 13 | "Wits & Wagers " | Veronica Belmont, Phil LaMarr, Jimmy Wong | Veronica Belmont & Jimmy Wong | September 21, 2012 | ||||||||
| 14 | "Pandemic " | Morgan Webb, Ed Brubaker, Robert Gifford | Team Loss | October 4, 2012 | ||||||||
| 15 | "Last Night on Earth " | Riki Lindhome, Kate Micucci, Felicia Day | Riki Lindhome & Kate Micucci | October 18, 2012 | ||||||||
| 16 | "Star Fluxx " | Alex Albrecht, Chloe Dykstra, Jordan Mechner | Wil Wheaton | November 1, 2012 | ||||||||
| 17 | "Alhambra " | Ashley Johnson, Shane Nickerson, Dodger Leigh | Dodger Leigh | January 3, 2013 | ||||||||
| 18 | "Chez Geek " | Paul Sabourin, Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo, Andrew Hackard | Andrew Hackard | January 17, 2013 | ||||||||
| 19 | "Dragon Age, Part 1 " | Sam Witwer, Kevin Sussman, Chris Hardwick, Chris Pramas | N/A | January 31, 2013 | ||||||||
| 20 | "Dragon Age, Part 2 " | Sam Witwer, Kevin Sussman, Chris Hardwick, Chris Pramas | N/A | February 14, 2013 | ||||||||
| Extended Editions | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Extended Edition: "Small World" | Grant Imahara, Jenna Busch, Sean Plott | Sean Plott | March 14, 2013 | ||||||||
| 2 | Extended Edition: "Castle Panic" | Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, Andre Meadows | Team Win | March 21, 2013 | ||||||||
| 3 | Extended Edition: "Pandemic" | Robert Gifford, Morgan Webb, Ed Brubaker | Team Loss | March 28, 2013 | ||||||||
Season 2 (2013–14)
| No. | Title | Guests | Winner(s) | Original air date | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Formula D " | Grace Helbig, Greg Benson, Hannah Hart | Hannah Hart | April 4, 2013 | ||||||||
| 2 | "The Resistance " | Amy Okuda, Ashley Clements, Allison Scagliotti, Felicia Day | Felicia Day & Allison Scagliotti | April 18, 2013 | ||||||||
| 3 | "Once Upon a Time " | Amy Berg, Mike Phirman, Chris Wyatt | Amy Berg | May 2, 2013 | ||||||||
| 4 | "King of Tokyo " | John Bain, Craig Benzine, Greg Zeschuk | Craig Benzine | May 16, 2013 | ||||||||
| 5 | "Forbidden Island " | John Scalzi, Jason Finn, Bobak Ferdowsi | Team Loss | May 30, 2013 | ||||||||
| 6 | "Smash Up " | Rich Sommer, Cara Santa Maria, Jen Timms | Cara Santa Maria | June 13, 2013 | ||||||||
| 7 | "Star Trek Catan " | Jeri Ryan, Kari Wahlgren, Ryan Wheaton | Kari Wahlgren | July 18, 2013 | ||||||||
| 8 | "Star Wars: X-Wing " | Seth Green, Clare Grant, Mike Lamond | Seth Green & Clare Grant | August 8, 2013 | ||||||||
| 9 | "Lords of Waterdeep " | Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Laatsch, Felicia Day | Patrick Rothfuss | August 22, 2013 | ||||||||
| 10 | "Shadows Over Camelot " | Tara Strong, Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik | Wil Wheaton | October 3, 2013 | ||||||||
| 11 | "Betrayal at House on the Hill, Part 1 " | Ashly Burch, Keahu Kahuanui, Michael Swaim | N/A | October 17, 2013 | ||||||||
| 12 | "Betrayal at House on the Hill, Part 2 " | Ashly Burch, Keahu Kahuanui, Michael Swaim | Wil Wheaton | October 24, 2013 | ||||||||
| 13 | "Takenoko " | Harley Morenstein, Rosanna Pansino, Drew Roy | Harley Morenstein | November 14, 2013 | ||||||||
| 14 | "Unspeakable Words " | Troy Baker, Erin Gray, Felicia Day | Troy Baker | November 28, 2013 | ||||||||
| 15 | "Qwirkle & 12 Days " | Kelly Hu, Meredith Salenger, Nolan Kopp | Meredith Salenger | December 12, 2013 | ||||||||
| 16 | "Carcassonne " | Kumail Nanjiani, Jesse Cox, Nika Harper | Wil Wheaton | December 26, 2013 | ||||||||
| 17 | "Tsuro of the Seas " | Kevin Pereira, Brendan Halloran, Andy Hull | Andy Hull* | January 9, 2014 | ||||||||
| 18 | "Ticket to Ride Europe " | Emma Caulfield, John Kovalic, Anne Wheaton | John Kovalic | January 23, 2014 | ||||||||
| 19 | "Fortune and Glory " | Brandon Routh, Ryon Day, Felicia Day | Wil Wheaton | February 6, 2014 | ||||||||
| 20 | "Lords of Vegas " | Miracle Laurie, Angela Webber, Aubrey Webber | Wil Wheaton | February 20, 2014 | ||||||||
| Extended Editions | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Extended Edition: "Formula D" | Grace Helbig, Greg Benson, Hannah Hart | Hannah Hart | June 27, 2013 | ||||||||
| 2 | Extended Edition: "Star Trek Catan" | Jeri Ryan, Kari Wahlgren, Ryan Wheaton | Kari Wahlgren | September 19, 2013 | ||||||||
| 3 | Extended Edition: "Tsuro of the Seas" | Kevin Pereira, Brendan Halloran, Andy Hull | Andy Hull | March 14, 2014 | ||||||||
| 4 | Extended Edition: "Carcassonne" | Jesse Cox, Nika Harper, Kumail Nanjiani | Wil Wheaton | March 28, 2014 | ||||||||
| 5 | Extended Edition: "Qwirkle and 12 Days" | Kelly Hu, Meredith Salenger, Nolan Kopp | Meredith Salenger | April 17, 2014 | ||||||||
| 6 | Extended Edition: "Star Wars X-Wing" | Seth Green, Clare Grant, Mike Lamond | Seth Green & Clare Grant | June 5, 2014 | ||||||||
| 7 | Extended Edition: "Takenoko" | Harley Morenstein, Rosanna Pansino, Drew Roy | Harley Morenstein | June 12, 2014 | ||||||||
| 8 | Extended Edition: "Lords of Waterdeep" | Felicia Day, Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Laatsch | Patrick Rothfuss | June 20, 2014 | ||||||||
Season 3 (2014–15)
| No. | Title | Guests | Winner(s) | Original air date | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Tōkaidō " | J. August Richards, Chris Kluwe, Jason Wishnov | J. August Richards | November 13, 2014 | ||||||||
| 2 | "Forbidden Desert " | Alan Tudyk, Jon Heder, Felicia Day | Team Win | November 27, 2014 | ||||||||
| 3 | "Catan Junior " | Emily Anderson, Brett Baligrad, Adam Chernick | Adam Chernick | December 11, 2014 | ||||||||
| 4 | "The Hare and the Tortoise & Council of Verona " | David Kwong, Alison Haislip, Jessica Merizan | Jessica Merizan | December 25, 2014 | ||||||||
| 5 | "Stone Age " | Jordan Maron, Nika Harper, Jesse Cox | Jordan Maron | January 8, 2015 | ||||||||
| 6 | "Geek Out " | Clare Kramer, Anne Wheaton, Bonnie Burton | Anne Wheaton & Bonnie Burton | January 22, 2015 | ||||||||
| 7 | "Sheriff of Nottingham " | Derek Mio, Meredith Salenger, Ashley Clements | Ashley Clements | February 5, 2015 | ||||||||
| 8 | "Dead of Winter " | Dodger Leigh, Grant Imahara, Ashley Johnson | Team Loss | February 19, 2015 | ||||||||
| 9 | "Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre " | Emily Gordon, Jonah Ray, Veronica Belmont | Emily Gordon | March 5, 2015 | ||||||||
| 10 | "Cards Against Humanity " | Aisha Tyler, Ali Spagnola, Laina Morris | Aisha Tyler | March 19, 2015 | ||||||||
| 11 | "Five Tribes " | Satine Phoenix, Richard Garriott, Jenna Busch | Wil Wheaton | April 9, 2015 | ||||||||
| 12 | "Concept " | Joseph Scrimshaw, Rhett McLaughlin, Link Neal | Team Win | April 23, 2015 | ||||||||
| 13 | "Dread, Part 1 " | Laura Bailey, Molly Lewis, Ivan Van Norman | N/A | May 7, 2015 | ||||||||
| 14 | "Dread, Part 2 " | Laura Bailey, Molly Lewis, Ivan Van Norman | Laura Bailey | May 14, 2015 | ||||||||
| 15 | "Libertalia " | Karen Gillan, Seth Green, Clare Grant | Wil Wheaton | May 21, 2015 | ||||||||
| 16 | "Love Letter & Coup " | Benny Fine, Rafi Fine, Felicia Day | Benny Fine & Wil Wheaton | June 4, 2015 | ||||||||
| 17 | "Kingdom Builder " | Paul Scheer, Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt | Yuri Lowenthal | June 18, 2015 | ||||||||
| 18 | "Legendary " | Allie Brosh, Mark Fischbach, Brea Grant | Team Win (Allie Brosh) | July 2, 2015 | ||||||||
| 19 | "Roll For It & Sushi Go! " | Jason Ritter, Jennifer Hale, John Ross Bowie | Wil Wheaton | July 16, 2015 | ||||||||
| 20 | "Mice & Mystics Pt. 1 " | Anne Wheaton, Ryan Wheaton, Nolan Kopp | N/A | August 13, 2015 | ||||||||
| 21 | "Mice & Mystics Pt. 2 " | Anne Wheaton, Ryan Wheaton, Nolan Kopp | N/A | August 20, 2015 | ||||||||
| Behind the Scenes | ||||||||||||
| 1 | "Intro" | N/A | N/A | November 20, 2014 | ||||||||
| 2 | "A Producers Mirage" | N/A | N/A | December 4, 2014 | ||||||||
| 3 | "A Camera Made of Stone" | N/A | N/A | January 15, 2015 | ||||||||
| 4 | "Directing Robin Hood" | N/A | N/A | February 12, 2015 | ||||||||
| 5 | "Undead Game Designers" | N/A | N/A | February 26, 2015 | ||||||||
| 6 | "My Kingdom for an Editor!" | N/A | N/A | June 25, 2015 | ||||||||
| 7 | "Delicious Art Designers" | N/A | N/A | July 23, 2015 | ||||||||
Season 4 (2016–17)
On December 31, 2015, Wil Wheaton announced the fourth season of Tabletop would begin production in April 2016. Wheaton estimated early June 2016 for the release of the first episode but did not provide a firm release date.[8] After filming ended in May 2016, Wheaton revised the estimated release to July 2016, but mentioned that he actually has no say over the release date. The list of games was released April 22, 2016 but not the final order or release dates.[9] On July 28, 2016, Wheaton announced that release of season 4 was delayed, saying "Legendary has decided to delay the release of season four until later this year. As soon as we know exactly when it is, I'll make a big old announcement."[10] On October 15, 2016, it was announced on Twitter that Season 4 of TableTop would premiere on November 2, with the first two episodes released on both YouTube and Legendary Digital Networks' subscription streaming service, Alpha, and the rest of the season initially only on Alpha but to be released on YouTube in early 2017.[11]
| No. | Title | Guests | Winner(s) | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Lanterns " | Ivan Van Norman, Becca Scott, Zac Eubank | Becca Scott | November 2, 2016 |
| 2 | "Champions of Midgard " | Chris Kluwe, Marisha Ray, Alison Haislip | Chris Kluwe | November 9, 2016 |
| 3 | "Monarch" | Satine Phoenix, Ashley Clements, Brea Grant | Satine Phoenix | November 24, 2016 |
| TBA | "Fury of Dracula" | Amy Okuda, Grant Imahara, Ify Nwadiwe | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Mysterium" | Shannon Woodward, David Kwong, Laura Bailey | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Codenames" | Travis Willingham, Jackie Kashian, Michelle Morrow, Ashley Esqueda, John Ross Bowie | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Dragon Farkle" | Derek Mio, Neil Grayston, Brandon Routh | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Star Trek: Five-Year Mission" | Jaime King, Jessica Chobot, Jesse Cox | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Star Realms" | Melissa DeTora | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Flash Point: Fire Rescue" | Clare Grant, Seth Green, Kelly Hu | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Misspent Youth" | Matt Fraction, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Amy Dallen | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Eldritch Horror, Part 1" | Patrick Rothfuss, Stef Woodburn, Jessica Merizan | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Eldritch Horror, Part 2" | Patrick Rothfuss, Stef Woodburn, Jessica Merizan | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Tiny Epic Galaxies" | Andy Weir, Mayim Bialik, Tim Schafer | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "FATE Core RPG" | Ryan Macklin, John Rogers, Felicia Day | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Steam Park" | Jonathan Coulton, Paul Sabourin, Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Welcome To The Dungeon" | Janet Varney, Rhea Butcher, Hector Navarro | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | "Harbour" | Kyle Newman, Matt Mercer, Nika Harper | TBA | TBA |
Funding campaign
On April 5, 2014, Wil Wheaton announced the launch of a campaign on Indiegogo to fund the creation of a third season. The target amount was $500,000 to produce 15 episodes, with additional targets of $750,000 to produce a full season of 20 episodes, and $1,000,000 to film a spin-off RPG series.[12] The campaign exceeded its goals, eventually closing with $1,414,159.[12]
Impact
Evidence presented by a Canadian online game retailer showed that games featured in TableTop received a boost in sales after the episode aired: this was dubbed "The Wheaton Effect".[13][14] Game publisher Days of Wonder has said that having titles featured on the show had significant boost on sales.[15]
After the game Tsuro was featured, demand was so high, that the publisher exhausted all stock reserves. The game was, for a time, unavailable in Europe as production tried to cope with US demand.
In 2013 the web series won the Diana Jones Award,[16] citing that 'Tabletop has brought a new energy and humour to the board-game field: its blend of good humour and gameplay is pitch-perfect and has introduced a range of titles from modern classics to indie RPGs to thousands of new players.'.
TableTop won the gold ENnie for Best Podcast at the 2013 Gen Con EN World RPG Awards for its Dragon Age episodes. The award was accepted by Chris Pramas on behalf of Wil Wheaton.
International TableTop Day
The first International TableTop Day, founded by Boyan Radakovich, was held on March 30, 2013[17] and was live-streamed on the Geek & Sundry channel on YouTube. Games included Takenoko, Ticket to Ride, 7 Wonders, Smash Up, and Star Trek Catan; with several of the first season guests returning to play. It aired in two segments hosted by Felicia Day[18] and Wil Wheaton,[19] with an extra wrap-up segment uploaded later.[20] Events were held in 64 countries.[21]
The second International TableTop Day was held on April 5, 2014.[22] The event was again live-streamed on YouTube, and the games shown were KrosMaster: Arena, Tanto Cuore, Rampage, and Love Letter.[23] Events were held in over 80 countries.[24]
The third International TableTop Day was held on April 11, 2015.[25]
The fourth International TableTop Day was held on April 30, 2016.[26]
References
- ↑ Biggs, John (April 3, 2012). "Join Wil Wheaton And Friends In A Rousing Tabletop Gaming Session". TechCrunch. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ↑ Banks, Dave (April 20, 2012). "Tabletop Returns With Settlers of Catan". GeekDad. Wired. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ↑ Morgan, Matt (March 20, 2012). "Details Emerge on Wheaton-Hosted "Tabletop" Gaming Web Series". MTV Geek. MTV. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ↑ Doctorow, Cory (March 20, 2012). "Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day team up for Tabletop, a show about tabletop games". Boing Boing. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ↑ Season 2 announcement: Schneider, Mark (March 25, 2013). "Announcing Tabletop Season Two!". WIL WHEATON dot NET. Wil Wheaton. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
- ↑ "Tabletop Season 3 With Wil Wheaton". Indiegogo.com. May 10, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ↑ Sandwell, Ian (March 13, 2015). "Alan Tudyk & Nathan Fillion's 'Con Man' breaks crowdfunding record". ScreenDaily.com. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Tabletop Season 4: Status Update". WilWheaton.com. December 31, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
- ↑ "Here's The Game Lineup for Tabletop Season Four -". WilWheaton.net. April 22, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Tabletop Season 4". Reddit.com. July 28, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ↑ https://mobile.twitter.com/ToxDrawace/status/786825576363339776
- 1 2 "Tabletop Season 3 - With Wil Wheaton!". Indiegogo. April 5, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ↑ Wong, Tao (May 8, 2012). "The Wheaton Effect". Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- ↑ Wong, Tao (August 16, 2012). "The Wheaton Effect – A Follow Up". Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- ↑ "TableTop Impact on DoW's Games". ICV2. August 30, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- ↑ "Wheaton Announces Tabletop as Winner of Award". Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ↑ Clark, Noelene (March 7, 2013). "International TableTop Day: Wil Wheaton wants you to play board games". Hero Complex. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ↑ International TableTop Day Livestream - Pt. 1 on March 30th! on YouTube
- ↑ International TableTop Day Live Stream - pt. 2 on March 30th! on YouTube
- ↑ International TableTop Day Live Stream - pt. 3 on March 30th! on YouTube
- ↑ "About TableTopDay.com". Geek & Sundry. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Geek & Sundry announces date of International TableTop Day for 2014". Retrieved January 20, 2014.
- ↑ International TableTop Day 2014 Live Stream on YouTube
- ↑ "About TableTopDay.com". Geek & Sundry. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Geek & Sundry announces International TableTop Day for 2015". Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ↑ "International TableTop Day for 2016". Retrieved May 1, 2016.
External links
- Official website
- TableTop at the Internet Movie Database
- Geek and Sundry's channel on YouTube
- G2V Podcast Interview with TableTop Producer Boyan Radakovich