International Tabletop Day at Uncle’s Games in Bellevue

I had a very busy International Tabletop Day! I’m in Seattle at the moment, and headed over to Uncle’s Games in Bellevue, WA. At noon, the crew at Flying Frog were there showing off a lot of games, as were some guys showing off a game about AI taking over the world, which I didn’t catch the name of.

I got to sit down with Ray Wehrs, the president of Calliope Games who had a couple of games that have not yet been released. First, we played Shutterbug, where you’re racing across the US taking photos of various cryptids to sell to the tabloids. It was really entertaining, requiring time management and set matching. It’s part of the Titans series, and is coming out at some point. No idea when. For anyone who backed the KS for it, you’ll be pleased with it despite the wait.

We then got to play Dicey Peaks. The copy we played was a playtest copy, but the final art was in place, the game is ready to go, coming out in August. You’re climbing an immense mountain, trying to manage your oxygen while pushing your luck, rolling dice to determine how long you’ll climb. It was a really fantastic game, where we could feel the suspense growing as we rolled the dice, hoping to not bust and leave us stuck where we were. You can check out the Kickstarter to see what the final game will look like.

The other guy I was playing with, I learned, is a game designer. Robert Huss, from CounterClockwork Games. He showed me a game he’s been working on The Last Bastion, a cooperative game, which is still in early stages of development. It was a fantastic game, and I really look forward to seeing it complete.

I also played The Shadow over Westminster with Robert as well, a game he Kickstarted that is available to purchase on his website by contacting him. I’ll be writing a review of the game soon.

I also played Betabotz, where you’re cranking up the power and upgrades of little robots while merging your robot together with other players to overcome obstacles. It was entertaining, but I felt like there could have been more to the game.

Finally, I played Castles of Mad King Ludwig for the first time. It was really great! I’m definitely going to be picking this up to play in the future. I’m always a big fan of games where you build things, so this is right up my alley.

After all the game playing, the big designers showed up to hang out. Paul Peterson of Guillotine and Smash Up, and James Ernest, of Cheapass Games. I lurked around for a bit before approaching James, where I froze up, and just kept repeating “I’m a big fan. I’m a big fan.”

It was awkward, and I felt like an idiot. So, I slunk away, heading back to my hotel room.

Overall, though, it was great Tabletop Day. I look forward to next year. Hopefully, there will be more support from Geek and Sundry, because it didn’t feel like there was much support this year.