Stu’s Web Wednesday: Tabletop

Usually with Web Wednesday I promote shows that I enjoy that are either smaller or generally doesn't seem to have as big a promotional net as others. Though I watch the occasional big market online show or channel, I usually think "They don't really need my help in promotion. My little bit won't do much." So I tend to avoid putting shows with big established names or promotional machines behind them unless it's one shot, goofy individual videos. Ironically in the post I linked, I say pretty much the exact same thing that I just said. However, this week is different.  This week, it's both, because this week's show is on Felicia Day's Geek and Sundry YouTube network and hosted by one of the Lords of the Nerds Wil Wheaton. So why am I writing about it? Because Tabletop is so good, so engaging, and so well produced that it makes me wish it was on mass market television, but makes me so glad it's not.

Boiled down, Tabletop is a blending of Celebrity Poker Showdown and Dinner for Five, using designer board games as the means of getting the party together. I know it seems silly that watching people be a board game as entertainingly gripping viewing, but it really hooks you. There's the table talk, of course, but also strategy and reaction off-shots and a cool board game in the middle of it. What's really fun is that you really get a sense of the guest's personalities. I don't want to say they're disarmed, but when board games are in play, the guests seem to be more at ease and, though competitive, the banter is fun. It really has the vibe of a game night at some friend's house. Even better, before the game begins, Wil gives an overview of the game du jour and there are regular graphical updates to show where the standings in the game currently lie, as to not have the viewer lost.

The sheer number of games and different types are also a big draw to this. I'm sure the board game designers and makers love it because there's already starting to be a "Tabletop bump" when a game is featured on the show. For example, I had no idea there was, esentally, a tower defense board co-op game. Apparently there is and it's pretty tense and awesome

On that video, I gotta say one thing as an aside. (as in ), you were freaking everywhere the past week or so! Good on you dude! That's impressive to be on a bunch of shows at the same time while being somewhere in the LA Convention Center across the room from Lisa waiting for the next E3. Ok, so that was a long way for a joke, but I think it was worth it. But that also starts up something for the show at hand too. If you actually watched the videos (which if you're reading this I hope you do otherwise why the hell am I writing all these words), you'll note the guests are actually pretty big guests branching from actors, like Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt, to television personalities, like , to  internet personalities and bloggers, like Andre, Jenna Busch and Sean "Day[9]" Plott. Some of the guests even include Wil's wife Anne. Seriously.

Outside of the gameplay and standard show, there's also some extra content as well that is produced for each episode, including extended interviews of all the guests and even a gag reel done every other week.

Tabletop appears every other Friday on the , which you should subscribe to anyway because the whole network is pretty awesome. You can follow Geek and Sundry on , , and even . Conversely, you can also follow Wil primarily on and , as long as you follow the legendary Wil Wheaton creed of "Don't be a dick". Oh, and in the most recent episodes, I get, and very much appreciate, the MST3K reference after the credits. Consider this my way of circulating the tapes. Hopefully Tabletop's success could mean the video adventures of Acquisitions Incorporated. Also, I'm all for finding a way to get Lisa on the show as well. I'm down with both really.