International TableTop Day 2014

Note: this article was also published on Annenberg Radio News (link no longer active).

Clue. Monopoly. Risk. Most everyone knows the names of these board games. But what about Gloom or Pandemic or Smash Up? I found a new way not to be bored on a Saturday afternoon.

Saturday, April 5, was International TableTop Day. A one-day celebration for friends and family to spend time together playing tabletop games, thousands of private and public events worldwide were registered on the TableTop Day website.

The LA event was hosted by Geek & Sundry, a digital entertainment company featuring geek content, including the web series TableTop. Described as Celebrity Poker but with board games, the show is hosted by geek icon Wil Wheaton and has finished it’s second season.

During the event, Wheaton announced a crowdfunding campaign toward season 3 of the web series.

International Tabletop Day is geared toward having people meet new friends and try new games. The event had a wide range of games available for attendees to play, including a life-size version of Tsuro, a tile-based game where the goal is to make a path from one end of the gameboard to the other.

Attendees ranged in age and ethnicity, and the Geek & Sundry staff made sure to keep an eye out for those looking for something to play. I managed to play six different games during the day, and learned that I particularly like card games: specifically Star Fluxx and Loonacy.

The TableTop Day website had a list of places participating, as well as downloads such as a paper trophy that people could give out to the winners. In the end, though, the goal is for everyone to have fun. And doesn’t that make all of us winners?