Tabletop Fest - Gateway Gaming Panel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CBvJojs53w

Join tabletop impresario, Ray Wehrs, and prolific board game designer, Chris Leder, for a delve into "gateway" games - those quick, fun titles that you can use to lure even more of your friends to the table. Thunderbox's designer, Dan Taylor, will be popping by to challenge them to a game or two of Tsuro, while Suzanne Sheldon from The Dice Tower hosts the proceedings as they chat about what makes a great gateway game, the best ones to try, and how to go about designing and pitching them.

The team will be live on Steam chat to answer your questions, and offer tips for finding the best gateway titles for your games night!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1397470/Tsuro__The_Game_of_The_Path/

About the Panelists

[speaker steamid="76561199059856524" name="Ray Wehrs" title="President" company="Calliope Games" photo="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38805444/753a52bd08478a4ddb365ec36f66c7fbcc33639c.png"]While working at WizKids, Ray realized that board games, for many people, were more than entertainment, and effected them in very powerful ways. In 2009 he launched Calliope Games, focusing on pulling people together around the table to share a memorable experience. Currently, he is the President there, and oversees all aspects of the company. In 2015 Ray created The Titan Series - a set of fun, family games each crafted by a legendary tabletop designer. When he’s not spending time with family or working, Ray can be found walking his dog Buddy or riding his motorcycle in search of good pizza and craft beer.[/speaker]

[speaker steamid="76561198007257612" name="Chris Leder" title="Director of Fun™" company="Calliope Games" photo="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38805444/6a3868c4c39360568fb08f8be779af9371cf8c2d.png"]A game designer, content creator, and overall familiar face in the gaming industry, Chris' designs include Roll For It! by Calliope Games and Back to the Future: Dice Through Time by Ravensburger, as well as collaborations on City of Gears (with Daryl Andrews) and Imagineers (with Ken Franklin). Chris serves as the Director of Fun™ at Calliope Games, the publisher of the Tsuro series.[/speaker]

[speaker name="Dan Taylor" title="Design Director" company="Thunderbox Entertainment" photo="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38805444/feb2f7427ce4cacba81dde75f27b195496d62a8a.png"]With over twenty years of game-making experience, Dan has brought his design and leadership expertise to countless games, including Killzone, Medal of Honor, Hitman, Deus Ex and Tomb Raider. In 2015, Dan founded Thunderbox Entertainment, a small studio dedicated to taking the great, family-friendly gameplay of the world’s best board games, and turning it into digital experiences of unparalleled quality. Their first title, Tsuro has been the #1 board game app in over 100 countries, and, in 2020, the VR edition of Tsuro was the first digital game ever to win an Origins Award from the Academy of Adventure Gaming and Arts.[/speaker]

With host...

[speaker name="Suzanne Sheldon" title="Host and Presenter " company="The Dice Tower" photo="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38805444/710b6e5f5007238295e9d804df17d6a39b0c6776.png"]Suzanne is a member of The Dice Tower Team where she co-hosts the bi-weekly Dice Tower podcast with Mandi Hutchinson. Suzanne is an omnigamer who enjoys games of all sorts from party games to heavier Euros; she's known for being really loud at the game table, and sad that pie and fries aren’t more board game friendly foods. You can find her on Twitter as @425suzanne if you ever want to chat about games or get news on board game app sales.[/speaker]

...and special thanks to Mandi Hutchinson and Ashley Gariepy for their excellent behind-the-scenes work!