TableTop: Wil Wheaton Plays STAR REALMS with Melissa DeTora

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Melissa DeTora is pure awesome, one of the best Magic The Gathering players, and now a full time member of Wizards R&D! If anyone ever tells you MTG players aren't cool, you show them THE Melissa DeTora!

[@ZettoClips]

Tolarian Community College Hey there, Prof!

[@glhfmagic]

We second this!

[@Humstuck]

I always like to see her in videos or anything. She's always happy and so fun to watch.

[@alexlozano5021]

First "Game Knights" now "Tabletop" we need a show where she goes around and beats everyone.

[@Giby86]

All the VIPs are here, what is happening

[@craftedrobot]

"So my fans want me to crush Wil Wheaton, I'm not sure why but they just want him to lose." I think that sums up perfectly why I watch Tabletop, Wil is like a super-villian in a saturday morning cartoon show, constantly being foiled by dice rolling.

[@Unyubaby]

Great, now I need fanart of a dice-headed superhero facing the super-villain Wil.

[@deepseafish257]

Craftedminer Sometimes I wonder if Will has to throw his dice 3 times and only the worst dice roll counts

[@RanMouri82]

ShantupWOG Me too. Wil loses so much and is cool about it, which gives him underdog appeal.

[@Vicioussama]

Wil coulda won if he just killed her outpost. That was a huge mistake.

[@DemonMage]

Yup, I called it the second he attacked her instead of the base. I'm all like "NO!" and he was all like "great turn, I'mma win this thing now."

[@SkyreeXScalabar]

More of Melissa please, her deadpan/serious humor is so hilarious and blends well with Will

[@Meadhands]

I don't really know who Melissa is, but I kind of adore her. Maybe it's because I play nothing but online games with horrific toxic communities, but it was wonderful seeing a pro game player who was just friendly, helpful, and soft-spoken. She was a delight.

[@Pancakes__nl]

aww She is a sweet guest. I like how supportive and honest she is to Wil. Never seen that before on tabletop :') . Normally everyone wants to crush Wil and they show it ;-)

[@global_bystander6029]

This is how a professional TCG player should conduct themselves. I can tell from past experiences that they're not all like her, some can be absolute scumbag. She was professional, calculated, relaxed, polite, humble and absolutely viscous at the right time, all the things that make a pro a pro. Mad respect.

[@andrewharper1609]

Viscous? She's not a liquid!

[@ishtimal]

We talking like 10W30?

[@bobbob465]

@@ishtimal Judging from the way she just slowly crushed his soul, I'd say Boston molasses.

[@Sheriff_K]

Pretty sure she actually works for Wizards of the Coast now.

[@rmcdaniel2424]

@@Sheriff_K she has before this episode

[@riccardozabarella6330]

Came here from the kickstarter page currently going on for star realms expansion box. Already seen the video 6 years ago and bought the game after seeing it but boy I miss TableTop, I started my tabletop games collection seeing these videos and now I have much less money and almost no more space in my room. Thanks Wil ;)

[@Manga_Lloyd]

By the time this video ended I had the biggest grin on my face. Tabletop just makes me so happy.

[@HuntMac21]

HAVOK586 agreed!! Such a great episode.

[@Boskothefirst]

I actually didn't know who Melissa DeTora is, but I found her a delight in this video :)

[@MissKellyBean]

That's exactly how I felt! At the end, when she was giving her speech, I thought, "oh she is just DELIGHTFUL." And her eyes express that perfect mix between, "I'm rather nice and quite clever, " and "I'm not above pummeling the ever loving snot out of you." What a fun personality. She has definitely gained a fan.

[@Boskothefirst]

oh absolutely, seems like it's a lot of fun to hang out with her! Perfect mix of kindness and "trash talk" :)

[@charleslatora5750]

Same. Love it when the guest(s) smack Mr. Wheaton.

[@Knight79334]

Yeah, classy lady.

[@ijr_1598]

Melissa is my MTG Idol!!! I was surprised to see her here! It's awesome.

[@FortWhenTeaThyme]

I really like Melissa. You can tell she isn't trying to "put on a show" like some of the other guests do. It's always more fun to just watch people being themselves.

[@mafiablokes]

Yeh, a lot of guests do give off strong “theatre kid” vibes

[@leavealoner]

This was one of the funniest Tabletop episodes I've seen. The way Wil and Melissa talk to eachother is exactly how I talk with my opponents during Magic games!

[@kylelantan9220]

The answer to your question at 23:24 Wil was yes take out the hive. By taking it out you prevent it from helping her draw cards until the discards are reshuffled and it comes up in the new draw pile. Bases are free extra resources/cards/helpful effects per round in this game and should always be taken out unless you have enough damage to attack around a non-outpost for lethal damage

[@wepped482]

Not destroying that hive really decimated him.

[@AndradeSamir]

Theo Gehling big mistake

[@Rakshiir]

Yep, already thought so before the end of the game... just because it is pretty good he should have destroyed it...

[@ScarriorIII]

bases/outposts are pretty crucial to the game. underestimating them is a bad move.

[@rolandking640]

I think he threw the game though. Watch it with the idea Wil wants her to win.

[@jurgenvolders6995]

Several tactical mistakes were made by both. ;) But I played the s*** of this and there is more tactic then it seems on first glance

[@xanderman1201]

I love how will is completely comfortable asking his enemies for their advice on how he should try to beat them.

[@PetrSandu]

1on1. Didn't think that those games could be on Tabletop. Neat.

[@PowerFor15]

It was said in the intro that this was the first 1v1 game on TableTop; Wheaton just really liked the game and wanted to make it work.

[@Sandata64RD]

I would not mind if this shifted a whole lot and found my self playing a cowboy theme, ninja, Robot, ect like Fluxx.

[@ayahoo16]

I would hardly call star realms under rated.

[@Hybban]

I love Star Realms. I actually thought you would never run that sort of 2-Players game. I'm happy!

[@jjmeyer74]

Hybban is this just the base game or are they using expansions?

[@Hybban]

Just base game, one deck, two players.

[@evandill]

just the base game

[@cabe_bedlam]

".....and no mercy!"

[@Paehrin]

How would you compare it to Ascencion (if you've played both) ? It kinda seems like a simpler version of it

[@DreamChasr]

I can't get over how baffled she is by his strategy and how bad it is, right before he goes off on how good his turn was. Oh will, you're incredible.

[@EnergyCuddles]

That was really enjoyable to watch. Wil's wild wackiness and Melissa's mellow mood really interacted well with one another. Good dynamic, and interesting game(play)!

[@TuberTugger]

I love DeTora's commentary. She basically says the things I always think when will makes bad board game choices. Clearly she understands resource management. MTG players are best board gamers.

[@DawnfireGalinndan]

I love how genuinely excited she looked when he told her she was getting a trophy.

[@dan_zehner]

And Will did indeed lose, but it was a lot closer than I thought it was going to be.

[@micahpatterson5718]

especially when he got really low and she had like 45 or 47. I was thinking she was going to decimate him but this was probably the best table top this season. Farkle was pretty good too though.

[@The_Mr._Biscuit]

As a Magic player, of course she knows that the most powerful effect in the game is "Draw a card."

[@TheRealBrotherLance]

Yea but star empire is weak.

[@blahblahblah111000]

I have to say, a 1 vs 1 game is a nice change of pace every now and again

[@muthuvigneshmeenakshisunda2755]

The entire game is literally just Wil grinning extremely wide with so much joy at the fact that he's playing with a professional player

[@krisin1834]

Please please bring back this show. It’s so incredibly good for gaming and I miss it so very much.

[@Yous0147]

Didn't for the life of me think you could ever make a 1 on 1 game work on tabletop. I'm gladly surprised to see that you did an outstanding job, you and Melissa. This i actually one of my favourite episodes this far.

[@shanonkallhoff2431]

This was a great video, and I love watching Melissa DeTora play games. "Mech World" is totally Cybertron, and now I think I want this game to throw in my MTG travel bag.

[@PetrSandu]

Shame that the Spellslingers are no longer a thing. I liked Day9.

[@Heseroth]

Really miss spellslingers too. Sean is the best.

[@CharlesLumia]

Agreed. That show was great.

[@matt1104]

Petr Sandu What is Spellslingers not going to be coming back?

[@PewPew_McPewster]

The production values and commentary were great but the decks just weren't fun to watch. If budget was a problem they shoulda jumped into the Pauper format or something, using Limited level decks or precons kind of got stale due to the low power level of the show.

[@ANoBaka]

I think Day9 costs way more than the cards to be completely honest...

[@jmanjoshua1982]

Love this game. Very good 2 player game. Thanks for having a great guest as well. I'm glad she enjoyed a much simpler version of Magic. I enjoyed her personality, she had a lot of fun. It is a favorite for me to pull out with new and experienced players. Fun, quick and easy to take with you.

[@Dkashu]

What Table Top WITH Melissa DeTora?!/!?1? So you're telling me I can have my cake AND eat it too? This made my day, literally.

[@thiscorrosion900]

I just bought Star Realms today, first time, hadn't even heard of it until this past month after seeing it at some retro video gaming store. And then I had no idea Wil Wheaton was so involved with gaming! Learn something new every day.

[@femalefrankenstein]

Omg, I'm so in love with Melissa! So cute and sweet. And watching her beat down Will is an added plus. Best episode ever.

[@PhoenixGravin]

Melissa's Battle Pod is totally her MVP. It took away quite a few cards that Wil could have used (though he could never afford them). GG to both of them! I've been looking forward to this episode. Hopefully soon Wil plays Epic Card Game on the show!

[@StarshipMaximus]

One of my favorite pro Magic players of all time! I'm super happy for her! Go Melissa!

[@DuelistVash]

This might be my favourite episode this season. Makes me want to play more Star Realms, such a good game and so easy to teach.

[@feitur]

This episode was awesome, i was really interested in learning this game (always see it in my local game store) and the actual gameplay turned out really interesting, and that last turn felt staged it was so awesome.

[@voltaireis]

BTW, this was a great episode! It was exciting, especially witnessing Melissa's comeback win. Really funny too.

[@Pyronaut_]

"My fans really want me to crush Wil" It's ok Wil's fans (or at least I) really want you to crush him too.

[@CosmicTavern]

I'm glad this show is still going. I thought I read something on Wil's blog that said he wouldn't be returning to Tabletop.

[@BernicePanders]

WHEN DO WE GET TITANSGRAVE SEASON 2??? BEST RPG SHOW EVER, PLEASE MAKE MORE EPS!! 💜🙏

[@nosoros]

Bernice Panders duuuuude, u r so right

[@thewpbard]

Fabio I think even WITH that episode it rocked. As a workshop on storytelling, that was fantastic. Bernice, I keep wondering how LDN are going to run the game ... especially with how TableTop has been organised by them. Knowing our luck, it's already been aired but on Alpha. Or it will be an Alpha exclusive.

[@crouilla1]

Thumb up for Fabio. It was a dull episode, and they could have done better to scatter that stuff around bit by bit instead of having most of a full episode dedicated to "Storytime with Wil"

[@crouilla1]

Agree with +Bernice Panders. I love Critical Role, but it takes a LOT of dedication. Titansgrave was well done and perfectly-sized.

[@starcrafter13terran]

I am glad you enjoyed it. It wasn't for me, but diversity is a good thing.

[@Eggyism]

I enjoyed all of this immensely, especially the awkward standing at the very end.

[@jdmagtibay]

Oh my God! I totally love Melissa. She is a composed player. Totally a delight specially when I watch her on GameKnights!

[@bp9762]

Wil, well done Sir! That episode of Tabletop kempt me on the edge of my seat. I was rooting for you the whole time. You got defeated, sure, but it felt like a win!

[@Atztec1]

YaY a new TableTop Episode on my Birthday

[@halorecon95]

Atztec1 Happy Birthday random person! :)

[@Atztec1]

halorecon95 Well Thank you Random Person! :)

[@guyincognito8043]

Oh, I didn't miss your birthday, thank goodness! Happy B-Day! :)

[@Atztec1]

Silly Internet, but thanks ;)

[@alfredjones2465]

Two gaming Masters at the table, YESSSSSS! These two wonderful people have displayed the true spirit of gaming.

[@dbalotin]

This was a perfectly balanced fight between a solid baseball bat and a pinhata.

[@illusion-xiii]

One thing I love about this episode is that it really demonstrates why people actually follow this kind of gaming. I can imagine that, for some people, the thought of a professional Magic player having fans might seem ridiculous, because how can someone be a "fan" of someone who just plays card games. But when I watched this episode, I could really see how the tension builds and releases, until, by the end, I was at the edge of my seat, the same as one would be with any physical sport. This is why gaming leagues exist, because the effect inside you is the same as a physical sport. Once you're vested in the players and understand enough about the game to know the stakes, the internal effect is identical, and the excitement of victory is exactly the same, whether it's a physical sport, a video game, or a tabletop card game. Thank you Wil for demonstrating why all of these can be so much fun, to play and to watch.

[@SkyreeXScalabar]

11:38 best part and Melissa's "ok" was the kicker

[@coriolis_storm]

This was amazing! As Will mentioned in the intro, he didn't think a 1v1 game would work on TableTop, but that definitely wasn't the case for Star Realms. Here's hoping for more awesome 1v1 games on this channel!

[@notlekon2704]

The more I watch Tabletop the younger Will Weaton looks.

[@simonmunden5046]

Have you not seen the portrait of him on the back wall that gets older with every video? No? That's because he keeps it locked in a secret vault of course!

[@Diogenes2077]

Simon Munden no, wil is far better of than this sad grey guy. i mean when he said he was exceited to play against a professionell, i was like wtf. not only has he been a professionell poker player himself but today he is probably the only professionell player who gets payed for losing games. when you get there you need nothing but the pure joy of being to no longer age :)

[@guyincognito8043]

They're making more money to Photoshop him (but ya look great, Wil!).

[@Cspence1010]

Every loss gives him youth. Even in defeat, he still wins

[@N1blett]

The space Native-Americans must have done something to him...

[@markmalcolmdunthorne-holme7653]

Thanks you two. Wonderfully entertaining to watch.

[@loganbeard9423]

I wish they would play more story or campaign style games. Fury of Dracula and Betrayal were a blast to watch.

[@LuckoftheKevin]

I have played star realms a lot, and absolutely love this game. Happy to see them play this.

[@MrDiscountNinja]

I thought Melissa was super cool. Interesting game, charming guest, good episode.

[@NielsvanAmstel]

I didn't expect it, but that was really fun to watch!

[@josephprozinski9311]

He forgot to have her discard a card near the end of the game when he had the Mech World and the Royal Redoubt in play. He should have taken out The Hive that same turn. Things could have went much better for him.

[@dunitmills]

Agreed. He also should have kept the Battlestation alive towards the end of the game instead of scrapping it. At that point, he wasn't going to kill her anyway, so it's better for it to draw fire and allow him hang on for another turn to draw more cards.

[@BenThorp]

I agree with you both. Was virtually yelling at the screen telling him to kill that Hive, and then when he scrapped the battlestation I knew it was over. Letting her keep a blob base when he knew her deck was full of blobs was just ridiculous. :( Still - love Star Realms

[@KarlEller]

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is kinda Wil's M.O. :P

[@OzixiThrill]

When Will decided that he was going to let the Blob Hive live, I just nodded to myself that he was going to lose by less than 9 damage (I estimated that it was going for about 3 more rounds)...

[@CrimWorld9]

I doubt that the 1 discard would have been significant, but Scrapping the Battlestation was the dumbest thing I've seen. Melissa's deck has basically no healing, meaning any damage on her would have sticked. Melissa should have scrapped her Explorers as well for basically the opposite reason. Wil had a TON of healing in this deck, she needed to apply as much as possible every single turn, not to mention would have cleared her deck for her high damage/draw cards.

[@KipKrusty]

I love this game for a lot of reasons. I've played over 2,000 games between the cards and app. I can say that I have never had any two matches that have played out the same way in that time. This is a testament to how well balanced and how well designed the game is. However, the best part of this game is the community that has developed around it. There are multiple leagues and tournaments available in person and many more that use the app. There's a real sense within the community of helping new players learn the game and better their strategies.

[@dirkwalker9686]

This was one of my favorite episodes. I want to be a professional card gamer now. Is there a pro yugioh tour because I'd kill at that.

[@muthuvigneshmeenakshisunda2755]

I bought Star Realms about a week ago and was saddened when I saw that you hadn't made a video playing and expertly and humorsly explaining it. With this video, you did just that!

[@webjaker]

Just finished READY PLAYER ONE audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton - Highly recommended!

[@webjaker]

If only audiobooks could be purchased in some sort of physical medium - like on some sort of compacted disk ... oh well....

[@TheRebelGM56]

Another fantastic episode of Table Top! Star Realms is such an awesome looking game as well

[@au_z3736]

see thats sportsmanship if wil had not mentioned the hive draw card on that last hand he would have survived that hand and won against a pro deck builder props to a great player

[@mikechan1894]

Love the speed with which you seem to be able to get into this game. Looks like minimal set up time too. Art looks great and it looks like a great game to try. Will definitely have to try it. Thanks Tabletop! Will's last hand was so bad...

[@doombybbr]

12:00 yes you did, because recycling statiion is completly OP even when you AREN'T running yellow

[@reafdfsagassg]

+1. Always buy recycling station.

[@kaalesrex2933]

+1 *Always* buy recycling station ^^

[@ASFalcon13]

+1 ALWAYS buy Recycling Station. Also, Missile Bot and Trade Pod stayed in the trade row for way too long. Just sayin'.

[@SkythekidRIS]

Red is a needed color always. It's never too early to start scrapping your scouts and viper am i right?

[@dippitydoinit]

Many kudos to the people involved in the production of TableTop. I imagine it's not fast or easy.

[@Kalecommando]

Some suggestions for upcoming episodes. (2 vs 2 Iliad) Or... ASHES - RISE OF THE PHOENIXBORN Or... DICE MASTERS - DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS!!!

[@Basik123456]

This was great. Loved the 1v1. Great episode Wil and everybody else who worked on it.

[@boardgamebrews9821]

I bet they will have multiplayer Hero Realms (w/ campain when it comes out) in a future episode of TableTop.

[@reafdfsagassg]

Yes, please!

[@Trevin_Taylor]

Randy Kinney tabletop is over. the remaining episodes have already been filmed. there will be no more.

[@Samuel-jt6tr]

I was not sure how good a 1V1 episode would be but I think this is one of the best episodes so far. I felt actual excitement when the match got close, good job all involved

[@Froggy711]

After the whole "porn couch" thing, I have to say I felt iffy about Wil rubbing his face on that seat. Are you SURE you want to do that Wil?

[@kimstolz8880]

Froggy711 a little pink eye never killed anyone.

[@rearly62]

Yeah, but Owlbear porn is a little on the dry side until you throw in a Beholder or two and then things start to get messy!

[@guyincognito8043]

I think he might've had it in mind.

[@MeMe-ww3sw]

Well he did say he felt like he had "some come back in me" so....there's that.

[@evergreen_monster]

yeah that ending was a little bit too much cringe-worthy. Luckily the rest of the ep well makes up for it though.

[@Schlippittz]

I love this game and play it almost daily. I would highly recommend downloading a score keeping app on a phone or tablet instead of using the authority cards to keep track of score.

[@jcmap]

Das_Schlippo I agree but do you have the new hero realms style authority counter? Pretty rad

[@bangboom123]

Melissa is great!

[@JacobMinger]

Star Realms is one of my favorite games. I play it on my phone all the time. I love that it's on Tabletop.

[@paconotaco]

I love the Monty Python reference in the credits.

[@Kalecommando]

Great episode. I love that you are doing 2 player games now!

[@TheHobbit28]

cool game, cool guest, cool show

[@IanWorris]

Ok, it's always really amazing seeing Melissa DeTora playing card games, she is really fantastic with them (yeah, almost like she's a professional, I know, but it's both good and wonderful to see).

[@andrewappleman4177]

SPELLSLINGERS NEEDS TO COME BACK PLEASE

[@LordoftheTabletop]

Oh so exciting! A new episode! Loved the One vs One.

[@unsound000]

she is kind of awkwardly awesome

[@madwiebe]

Star Realms is a really fun game. I like how Red and Green factions synergize together, but it always comes down to what is available in the Trade Row.

[@NormalTheBand]

6:00 I'm *willing* to go ahead and endure all the jokes

[@balrogz5093]

LOVED this episode... so much funny - ness and endearingly awkward moments

[@UnluggyUce]

Anyone sacrifice their lives waiting for the release of TableTop videos?

[@andyway2101]

DAGaming Noobz2 me

[@jakehays9030]

DAGaming Noobz2 same here!

[@Joliie]

Goat and cattle as well.

[@bagrym]

well, not my own lives. but blood sacrifice might be involved

[@ChimneyCrab737]

I sacrificed everything one day after the last episode :(

[@dawnwilloughby8603]

This is exciting. She is EASILY one of the top players in her field. Wonderful woman.

[@VisibleNinja5674]

I did that thing where you see a picture and think to yourself "isn't that so and so?" Didn't expect to see Melissa today, but she's super cool! It was fun to watch a very mtg thought process in another card game.

[@JacobMinger]

I come back to this playthrough alot. Also I'm really happy they changed the Athority Counters in the new Star Realms: Frontiers stand-alone expansion

[@captgundam00]

this ep made me fall in love with melissa :3

[@eph51912]

thanks for this video! I was wanting to know how to play this one and it looks really great. this show is a great service!

[@sloo6425]

I'm in love with Melissa :)

[@optimusWII]

I loved this episode. The game looks great and Melissa is always super entertaining to watch.

[@1776Ares]

22:23 after this turn Melissa should discard one due to yellow base + mech world did they miss that?

[@reafdfsagassg]

You're right.

[@ouwezeeman1]

Braden Blackwell and she couldn't have bought the recycling station then. In the final turn she plays a recycling station (she has 2 of them) so it could have been a gamechanging mistake.

[@hangeles1]

Braden Blackwell mistakes were made, but fun was had

[@nogitsune4452]

That was fun to watch! And Star Realms looks fun.

[@dkyzar]

If he had taken out that Hive when he could have, he would have won.

[@jcmap]

dkyzar Preach! you almost always kill bases and outposts

[@AdamBacchus01]

Those ending credits were um... "I don't know"... AWESOME!!

[@Manga_Lloyd]

I'm digging Wil's mid-life crisis hair.

[@foreng3095]

He looks like someone who failed to be an artist.

[@chaddejong3942]

He looks like emo Peter Parker from Spider-Man 3

[@markfrellips5633]

That was an awesome game! I'm glad you guys changed it up to feature a 1v1. It's awesome to see a professional player and game developer!

[@chartreusemire7131]

Her eyes are magical.

[@SlowDaddie]

Her eyes are MAGICal. AMIRITE?!

[@zekel787]

I look forward to this every week!