There are a handful of titles that are classified as gateway games, those that many gamers can point to as games that are wonderfully easy and fun to play and have led a huge number of gamers deeper into the boardgaming hobby. While everyone’s list of gateway games is probably a little different, there’s one that is likely on more lists than any other: Carcassonne, a tile-laying game where players try to build cities, roads, and connect fields to score the most points.
It’s also the focus of this week’s episode of TableTop. Wil and friends Kumail Nanjiani, Nika Harper, and Jesse Cox see who can outbuild each other in this funny and enjoyable installment.
See if this subplot sounds familiar: Wil is an outstanding Carcassonne player. He’s highly rated and “really, really, really good at this game,” according to the show’s associate producer, Boyan Radakovich, “but we’ve heard this before with other games like Takenoko and Lords of Waterdeep, where Wil didn’t win.”
So far, over the 35 episodes of TableTop, Wheaton’s only victories have come as a result of co-op play (Castle Panic, Elder Sign, Gloom), as a defector (Shadows Over Camelot, Betrayal at House on the Hill), or by virtue of an accident (Star Fluxx). He’s never straight-out won a game. Can Wil finally secure a victory in a game that he has mastered? You’ll have to watch to find out!
And don’t forget to watch on January 9th, when TableTop returns with an episode featuring Tsuro of the Seas.
