Wednesday, August 27, 2014

It's a sellout!

For the second year in a row, Sky High Tabletop Play is SOLD OUT! Thank you to everyone who has purchased tickets. This is going to be a fun, high energy, fantastic event.

If you missed the boat, we do have a waitlist here: http://skyhightabletopplay.shindigg.com/. At this point, it is unlikely that we're going to sell any more tickets, though. We'd love to, but the Columbia Tower Club is only so big. We want to make sure everyone has a seat somewhere, and it's not fair to current ticket holders to go beyond what we've already sold. Still, it can't hurt to add yourself to it. Note that if we accept a waitlist request, it's binding (meaning we charge your card right then and there) so make sure you set an expiration time and/or cancel your request right away if you wind up making other plans.

Tickets are also transferable. While we will not be facilitating any ticket transfer requests (we've got too many other things to do in the next 24 hours!), you are welcome to post "needed" or "selling" messages to the "The official "Need Tickets/Selling Tickets" thread" on this page. All ticket transfer requests are between the buyer and the seller, and can be facilitated by the seller via their shindigg.com account. If you do wind up buying tickets from someone, please MAKE SURE you PRINT your ticket. We will be creating the master list sometime tonight or early tomorrow, so if your name doesn't appear on the list, the only way you can prove that you are the owner of a ticket is to have a valid printout with you.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

The dreaded P-word: Parking

Hello again, everyone! We're excited for Thursday evening, and we hope you are as well. We've very near a sellout (only 10 tickets left!), and are busily preparing to make this our best event ever.

Unfortunately, there's one topic that will always cause the blood to boil a little bit in downtown Seattle: Parking. There is no one solution that is best for everyone, but hopefully this will help.

First, obviously, if you're from out of town and staying downtown, the Columbia Tower is walking distance from most hotels. From the Convention Center area, it's about 6-7 blocks, and is mostly a gradual downhill walk on 5th Avenue. If you're worried about getting back to your hotel after the event, we highly recommend using Uber. They're clean, reasonably priced and prompt.

If you are local and absolutely must drive, here are some pointers:

  • The Columbia Tower garage will charge you the day rate for the ENTIRETY of your stay if you arrive even 1 minute prior to 5:00. If you're like many and plan on showing up when the doors open, this might not be the best option for you, because even though you'll be parked in the garage during evening hours, if you arrive before 5:00, you will accrue day rate charges the entire time and will get a nasty shock when leaving. Several people had this problem last year. Avoid this at all costs!
  • If you do arrive after 5:00 and are SURE you'll be leaving before midnight, the Columbia Tower garage, at a flat $9 rate, might not be a bad option for you. Just make sure you do leave before midnight or you will start accruing day charges once the calendar flips.
    • Side note to this: Another strategy, if you're arriving after 5:00 but staying until 2:00, would be to park in the CTC garage, pay the $9, and then move your car to the street before midnight.
  • If you're arriving after 6:00, the open air garage on 4th and Cherry (on the roof of the Arctic Hotel) is a decent option at a flat rate of $8.00.
  • If none of these options fit your schedule, our best suggestion is to park on the street and pay for the first 3 hours of parking. After 8:00, it's free. If you need an escort back to your car, please see one of the hosts. We will make sure you are taken care of.
Keep in mind also that there is a football game at CenturyLink Field on Thursday (Washington State vs. Rutgers), but parking isn't usually impacted as far away as the Columbia Tower for events like this. Nonetheless, there may be some parking areas that are charging premium game rates, and street parking may be a little more difficult to find. If you do decide to park in a garage that is not the Columbia Tower garage, please make sure you read all the signs to ensure that your car won't get locked up overnight!

Finally, as is common sense for any urban area, don't leave valuables in your car where potential thieves can see them! While you can never be 100% sure your car won't be a target, you can reduce the odds of a mishap to pretty darned close to 0 if you follow this one rule.

Oh, and finally finally--DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE! See one of the hosts if you think you've had one too many. We will take care of you.

See you all on Thursday!

Welcome to the #76thFloor

Here is this year's floorplan! Click the image to make it bigger.



Some highlights:
  • There are 246 chairs in the 2 main conference areas. We are capping GA tickets at 185, so with the vendors, it'll be cozy, but we should have enough room for everyone. Please obey Wheaton's Law and don't be a (table hog).
  • The Circus Maximus game in the Blake Island conference room (far left, adjacent to the corner room) is something to behold. Please stop by and play!
  • VIP rooms consist of all of the small conference rooms in the northeast corner (lower right side on the map), as well as the Board Room on the south side (small corner room in lower left). The Circus Maximus game is open to everyone. Incidentally, the club is going to renovate the northeast corner and make that area one big room, so that will be a huge help for us next year.
  • The game store and lending library will be in the Columbia room (large conference room on the right). We will also have our prize table in there.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Beverages! Oh, and we're over 90% sold out.

We only have 20 15 tickets left!  Get them while they last at http://SkyHighTabletopPlay.shindigg.com.

To celebrate PAX, why not have a drink? Here are the signature drinks that you will be able to get at the event. We're working on one more as well--stay tuned!

GALLIFREY DOUBLE SUNRISE
A sweet and tart cocktail with a cherry kick to it that rounds it out very nicely.

Gallifrey Double Sunrise

Ingredients for Gallifrey Double Sunrise:
  • 1 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • Orange Juice
  • Grenadine


THE TICK BLUEBERRY LEMONADE
Either have the bartender hand the person a spoon when they hand them the drink or put a tall spoon in the glass for them to walk around with. It’s sort of a “thing” with the Tick.

The Tick Blueberry Lemonade

Ingredients for The Tick Blueberry Lemonade:
  • 12 oz. bottle of Jones Soda Berry Lemonade
  • 1 oz. Blueberry liqueur
  • 1 oz. Vodka
  • 1 Blue Twizzler


The Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver
Ah! Big, flashy, lighty thing, that’s what brought me here! Big, flashy, lighty things have got me written all over them! Not actually, but give me time. And a crayon.

The Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver

Ingredients for The Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver:
  • 1 shot vodka
  • 1 shot blue curacao
  • 1 splash Rose Blue Raspberry Mix
  • Fill glass with orange juice (to color)


Love Potion #8.5
Inspired by the drink of the same name in The Sims 2

Love Potion #8.5

Ingredients for Love Potion #8.5:
  • 8 Raspberries
  • Crushed Ice
  • 10ml / 0.33oz. Chambord Raspberry Liqueur (Or Raspberry Juice)
  • 50ml / 1.5oz. Raspberry Lemonade
  • 100ml / 3.3oz Champagne (Or Tonic Water)
  • Top Up with Lychee Juice
  • Mint Sprigs
  • Fresh Lemon Juice

Monday, August 18, 2014

Event Update: 10 days to go!

Our event is only 10 days away!  We have sold our entire allotment of Tier 1 and Tier 2 tickets, and only a limited number of Tier 3 tickets remain.  Get them while they last at http://SkyHighTabletopPlay.shindigg.com.

MENUS:

The VIP menu is still having the finer points of it fleshed out - there will be 4-5 options for each course this year as opposed to the 3 last year (will be themed to feature Washington's local bounty). We will be reaching out to VIP guests in the next few days regarding their meal orders. 

Chef Tyler and our food guru worked out a lot of details for the menu. We're presenting a luau theme with the general meal this year. General admission dinner will be (subject to changes, of course, but unlikely to do so):


  • Whole roasted Kalua pig (no, you won't see the whole animal on display) served 2 ways - shredded and loins. Served w/ a tropical slaw and w/ or w/out buns for sandwich style
  • Whole sides of fish - what type of fish is TBD depending on what looks good at the fishmonger when the purchase is made. Given what's good end of August, we're likely looking at either steelhead or mahi mahi. Preparation style TBD depending on type of fish
  • A tropical salad w/ fruits both local and exotic, mixed with peppered greens (likely mizuna) and tossed with a lime white balsamic and orange olive oil vinaigrette (gluten-free menu choice, though the above may qualify as well)
  • Tropical rice pilaf, specifics TBD


SPONSORS AND DEMOS:

The following companies will be physically in attendance showing off games and providing prizes and instructionals:

  • Japanime Games, who will be demoing ‘Krosmaster Arena’, with a giant Krosmaster board and figures
  • Eagle-Gryphon, which will be showing off games such as ‘Francis Drake’, ‘Fleet’, ‘Games of Art’, and possibly the new ‘Defenders of the Realm’
  • Frog the What, who is demoing their upcoming Kickstarter ‘Slaughterball’
  • Privateer Press, makers of games such as Level 7 (Omega Protocol), ‘Zombies Keep Out’, and ‘Bodgers’ (pending final confirmation)
  • Harebrained Schemes, demoing ‘Golem Arcana’
  • Calliope Games, likely again be bringing the life-size ‘Tsuro’ game board
  • Volunteers will be on-hand demoing games from various publishers who support the event in various ways but cannot physically attend, including Plaid Hat Games (‘Bioshock Infinite’, ‘Mice & Mystics’), GMT (‘Dominant Species’, ‘Command & Colors’), Stronghold Games (‘Space Cadets’) and numerous others.

Behind the scenes, we’re currently working on having some special guests hosting the games they’ve designed. This is of particular interest to those who are into the ‘King of Tokyo’, ‘Werewolf’, 'Pathfinder: Adventure Card Game' and ‘Smash Up’ titles to use as examples. We’ve already secured the confirmation on some of these, but not sure if they want us pre-announcing their specific attendance or not.

PRIZES:

So this list is going to evolve as things roll in. Last year, most of our donors and supporters didn't get things to us until about a week before the event, which will likely be the case again this year. We will update the status of these periodically as things show up. What is presently a known commodity to be given away at the drawing:

GAMES:

Note: Many of our donors are providing or have provided multiple copies of certain games. The exact amount that will be given away is either the total they've provided or the total minus 1 in case we don't have a copy of the game to demo or put in the lending library. This is per the publisher's requests, as part of the reason they support this event is so that people will be exposed to their games. So if we publish a picture of the prize table with 4 copies of Bioshock Infinite on it and give away 3, the 4th one is at a demo table; it didn't "fall off the truck".


FOOD GIFT CERTIFICATES & MORE:


  • John Howie (of John Howie Steak, Seastar, Sport, and the new Wildwood Spirits Co. & Beardslee Public House) has once again gone completely over the top with donations. We still don't have everything in-hand yet, but he's giving away an immense amount of stuff, including the first item at our event that is worth so much, it's necessitating a silent auction. For those traveling, John has what is considered by many to be the finest steakhouse in the Northwest, and what is arguably the best seafood restaurant in the entire nation.
  • Calozzi's Cheesesteaks on 4th & Union (best, realistically only, authentic cheesesteaks in town) has put in 2 $25 gift cards.
  • Tom Douglas restaurants (multiple James Beard awards, including the James Beard award for best restaurateur in the world last year) has donated lunch for 2 at his famous Dahlia Lounge along with an autographed copy of one of his books
  • The Miller's Guild, a nose-to-tail themed homage to all things meat & James Beard award winning chef Jason Wilson's latest endeavor located on 6th and Stewart has donated 2 gift cards

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Event now 75% sold out -- Less than 10 Tier 2 tickets remain!

UPDATE -- Tier 2 is now sold out.

We are more than 3/4th of the way sold out, and a very limited number of Tier 2 tickets remain.  After that, procrastination tax applies once again and ticket prices rise by $10.  Get 'em while they're left!

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Food buffet options for this year's party!

We met with the Executive Chef at the Columbia Tower Club today and came up with this year's menu.  It is significantly upgraded compared to last year's spread.  You're paying more this year, so you should expect more.  The theme is Tropical Luau, and here's what we will have:

  • Roast Kalua pig, shredded up with a nice pineapple-citrus slaw and buns
  • Whole sides of fish, TBD depending on what looks freshest when the chef makes the order
  • Tropical fruit salad w/ pepper greens and a lime balsamic/orange olive oil vinaigrette
  • Tropical rice pilaf

For VIP guests, we will be contacting each of you individually regarding your meal choices.  Suffice to say, it will be a similar step up from last year as well--and we will make sure that the pacing is such that you don't waste 2 hours eating/waiting between courses when you'd rather be playing games!

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Update - July 30th

Here's an update on the event as of today:

  • We have sold out of the Tier 1 General Admission tickets and are well into Tier II.  Overall, we are a little over 60% sold out at this point.
  • A list of our gaming sponsors can be found in the right-hand column.  These are the companies that have pledged to donate to our drawing, and we will also have plenty of games from them on hand for you to check out and play.
  • We also have commitments from several local restaurants, including a TON of stuff from Chef John Howie (more on his contributions in the very near future).
  • Finally, we received an autographed Russell Wilson football today, and expect to get a few more goodies from the Seahawks that you can win.
If you're local, come to our monthly game night this coming Monday, August 4th, 6-10PM at the Columbia Tower Club.  Admission is free!

Monday, July 21, 2014

Tier I General Admission almost sold out!

As of this morning, there are less than 20 Tier 1 General Admission tickets remaining.  If you're sure you will be able to attend this year and don't have tickets yet, you may wish to consider getting in now.  The price will go up by $10 once Tier 1 sells out.  All total, we have sold over 100 tickets (including VIP sales).  Compare this number to last year:  On July 21, 2013, we had sold exactly 0 tickets.

This year's event is going to be awesome.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

VIP tickets now sold out

As of this morning, VIP tickets are officially sold out!  Thank you to everyone who has purchased these.  We will work hard to make this a very memorable experience for you.

There is a chance that we will be able to offer a few more VIP tickets, but there are a number of factors that we will need to consider before doing to--the most important one being that we want to insure that the experience for the people who have already purchased VIP tickets will not be watered down by selling additional VIP tickets.  We have enabled a waiting list and will process them on a first come, first served basis.  Anyone who does get upgraded will automatically have any general admission tickets that they have purchased fully refunded on a 1:1 basis.  Because the event is still over a month away, it may be several weeks before we're able to determine the feasibility of opening up more VIP spots, so please be patient on this one.

Thanks again!  This once again proves how awesome the gaming community is.

Monday, July 14, 2014

We have a FAQ!

If you're looking for the nitty-gritty details for this event, they can be found on our FAQ.

As a quick update, we've sold 52 tickets as of this morning, and VIP tickets are over 50% sold out.  We didn't reach 52 tickets sold until mid-August last year. Heck, tickets weren't even on sale at this point last year!

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

What's New in 2014

We’ve added and adjusted a number of things this year based on feedback we received last year. A few of the changes we’ve made include:

  • Expanded hours! Last year’s event was 7:30 to 2:00 am because the space was unavailable before 7:30. This year, the event will run from 5:00 pm to 2:00 am. 9 hours of gaming!

  • More space! Last year, a private group reserved one of the conference rooms (the nicest of them, in fact) for a dinner before we asked for it, and that space was unavailable for use for much of the night. This year, we’ve taken over the entire 76th floor.  More space, more people, more game!

  • The pacing of the dinner for the VIP’s. The Columbia Tower Club didn’t quite understand that our VIP’s just wanted to eat their meal, have it cleared, and then put games back on the table and, as a result, the VIP dinner took almost 90 minutes last year.  We’re working with the host manager of the tower club as well as the executive chef to ensure the pacing of the meal is greatly improved so there aren’t 30 minute wait periods between courses and the food offerings are conducive to a still-elegant meal, but by which the courses can be served without long down-times.

  • Streamlined prize Drawing! Due to overwhelming support from the game companies, local restaurants and entertainment venues and the sheer volume of prizes, the prize drawing took over 90 minutes last year, which took away from gaming time. This year, we are streamlining the drawing process to include a system by which you can check your tickets on screens to see what you’ve won, and approach dedicated volunteers working the prize booth to redeem your prize at your leisure once the drawing has been conducted. This will eliminate the need to announce each individual game, then a ticket number, then wait for everyone to check and see who won, snake their way through the crowd to claim their prize, etc. Gaming will not be interrupted for the drawing this year.

  • Looking for game/group system:  Something we heard last year was it was difficult for people looking for a game to join to find a group looking for players amongst all the tables - and that it was hard for tables looking for players to identify people who were looking for a game to join amongst everybody walking around.  Tabletop is about building friendships, and we’re here to facilitate.  This year we’re implementing a balloon Looking for group/game system at all tables.  Are you a player short and want to see if someone new will ever possibly trade you wood for sheep?  Raise your balloon up high and see who comes by to play.  Feeling aggressive and wanting to stomp some zombies, but forgot to bring 3 friends?  Look for a balloon up in the air - those people are looking for someone just like you.

  • Improved meals! Feedback for the dinner offering last year was quite positive, but let’s be honest: It was a bit of a starch and carb bomb fest. This time, we’re working directly with the club’s executive chef to ensure the meal will be more balanced this year, as well as to ensure there are options for our vegetarian and gluten-free attendees. Our VIP menus will also be changed up this year, still including creative and daring options for foodies that chef Tyler is known for, but also including more traditional choices for our meat and potatoes guests.

  • New pop-up store! Some feedback we got last year was our vendor for the pop-up store was not price-competitive and the selection was thin. We’ve brought in The Dreaming Comics and Games this year. Aron’s prices are highly competitive, and he has a massive selection of games for sale, as well as a much-expanded lending library vs. last year. Aron has also generously included purchase vouchers to be used at the pop-up or his physical store with certain tiers of event tickets for sale. More on the vouchers is below.

  • Ticket pricing: So last year we were actually selling each ticket at a not-insignificant loss vs. what the actual cost was per person, shouldering the price difference expense personally out of pocket, and then relied entirely upon donations at the door and prize drawing proceeds to create the final donation to Food Lifeline. And this year we’ve added a number of improvements, which come with additional expense. We’ve feathered up the price of admission slightly this year to reflect a more cost-neutral cost of admission for tier 1 purchasers. We’ve also implemented a graduating ticket price schedule. Early bird and Tier 1 tickets will be available until July 31st or until the respective tiers sell out. Tier 2 tickets will be available until August 15th, and tier 3 pricing will be in effect from that point until the event completely sells out. Quite simply: Buy early and before others, pay less. We’ve also got 2 price points within each tier – one with The Dreaming’s sales voucher, and one without.

There you have it – an event where the hosts ACTUALLY listen to you and enact your wishes! Last year’s event was a huge hit, this year’s will be even better! We will see you on August 28th!

Early Bird tickets already sold out!

In stark contrast to last year, ticket sales out of the gate have been brisk and early bird tickets are now sold out! Tier 1 tickets are now on sale and will be so until July 31st or until they sell out, whichever comes first. Thanks to everyone who is already "in"!

You can keep up on all the latest Cool StuffTM surrounding this event here. In addition, you can also stay informed by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.



Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Announcing the second annual Sky High Tabletop Play Benefitting Food Lifeline!

We're live! Tickets are on sale now, and we have a very limited number of early bird tickets available. You can buy tickets here. Stay tuned to this page for more info in the coming weeks. Oh, and any posts below this are left over from our International TableTop Day event last March.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Final TableTop Day on Top of the World donation tally to Meow Cat Rescue: $3574.77

Yes, you read that right. We will be donating over $3500 to Meow Cat Rescue early next week. The tabletop gaming community rocks! We, and especially the kitties that you're helping, are extremely grateful!

Now go play some games.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

That's a wrap!

Whew!  Another TableTop Day in the books, and what a day it was!  When all is said and done, we will probably be donating well over $2000 to Meow Cat Rescue.  This just goes to show, for the millionth time, how amazing the gaming community is.  Thank you one and all for all of your generous support--you all should be proud of yourselves!

Just a few housekeeping items:

Your gaming vouchers are still good through this weekend!  If you haven't used them yet, just stop by The Dreaming's main store at 5226 University Way NE.  They're open until 7 on Saturday and until 5 on Sunday. If they don't have a game you want, they'll order it for you.  Rumor has it that they have a new shipment arriving on Friday...

If you won something and haven't received it, please contact Matt (matt@dawgsledevents.com) and let him know.  If you entered the "invite/share/tweet" contest before the event, check the thread on the original facebook invite.  Scroll down and find the official "I entered the spread the word contest" thread to see if you won and/or if I owe you anything else.

Our next big event is the Thursday, August 28, which is the Thursday before Labor Day weekend and the night before PAX starts.  Join us as we ring in PAX with our Pre-PAX Sky High Tabletop Play benefiting Food Lifeline! This is our signature event of the year, and you won't want to miss it.  Please Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to stay in the loop so you don't miss out!




Until next time, keep doing as Wil Wheaton says...

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Some pictures from TableTop Day posted

There are some pictures from Larena Hatley's camera posted to the Dawgsled Events Facebook page. There are kitties! Please feel free to tag yourself.

Click here to see them.

Friday, April 4, 2014

3 tickets left EDIT: Sold out!

UPDATE -- we just sold out. Waitlist requests will be seriously considered in the morning, but they may not be processed until 10:00, so please read below before acting. ---- There are exactly 3 tickets left.  One way or another, sales end at 9:00 tomorrow morning, because that's when I'm printing the manifests.  If you go to the ticketing site and find it sold out, you may still add yourself to the waitlist.  Here's the thing about the waitlist, though:  If I "accept" your waitlist request, it processes your credit card payment right then and there.  Therefore, if you want to be considered, please email dawgsledevents@gmail.com with one of the two following messages:  1) YES, please process my request no matter what, or 2) Please call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx to confirm that I still want to go before processing my request.  If you don't email me, I'll assume you're in the #2 camp, and since I won't have your phone number, I won't process your request.

Tomorrow is TableTop Day!!

Hello tabletop gamers!

Tomorrow is the big day, so here are some important information for ticketholders for tomorrow.

General Schedule:  Even though we will be able to game for 12 hours straight, in reality, tomorrow is two separate events strung back to back.  The first, from 11:00-5:00, is TableTop Day on Top of the World.  This is what you paid for.  Lunch will be served at 12:30, game demos will be going on all afternoon, kitties will be onsite, etc.  The evening event is an expanded version of our monthly game night (CTC Nerd Night XI), meaning that food will be available but is NOT INCLUDED with the purchase price of your ticket for the afternoon event.

Parking:  Lots of people have asked about this.  Parking in the CTC garage is a flat $9 all day on weekends.  We learned the hard way at the last event that staying past midnight means you incur charges for the next day as well, so make sure you keep track of time if you plan to stay late.

Public Transportation:  If you will be busing it in, the nearest transit tunnel station is Pioneer Square station.  The address of the Columbia Tower is 701 5th Avenue.  For those unfamiliar, you may use the King Country Metro Trip Planner to help you plan your route.

Ticketing/Check-in:  We will have an electronic check-in station from 11:00-12:00 on the 40th floor (the "transfer floor" at CTC).  You'll pick up your wristband (which must be worn during the event) and gaming vouchers (more on them below) at this time.  If you plan to arrive after 12:00, be sure to print out and bring your paper ticket.  Check-in for late arrivers will be at the 75th floor concierge desk, and will not be electronic.

Speaking of tickets:  CTC has granted us 10 more spots, so we have 15 tickets left.  The cutoff point is 9:00 AM Saturday.  You can still win games if you help us spread the word on this.  Please refer to this post for more information.  This will close at 5:00 Friday evening, and the drawing will happen tonight.

Gaming Vouchers:  For those that purchased them, you will receive 2 $10 vouchers good for purchasing games at The Dreaming's pop-up store at the event.  Please keep in mind that these can't be used together on the same game--one voucher per game.  Also, if you don't get a chance to use these at the event, they are good for up to a week at The Dreaming's store on University Avenue for any game valued at $30 or more.

Gaming Library:  Yes, we will have one.  You are also welcome and encouraged to bring your own games.  Have fun and enjoy, but please remember to treat other people's games as if they were your own (i.e. obey Wheaton's Law).

Dress Code:  The daytime event is a private event, so strictly speaking, there is none,  However, we do ask that you make sure that you don't wear anything that muggles will find offensive.  If you plan to stay for the evening session, please make sure you adhere to the following:  No shorts, no flip flops, no baseball caps, no ripped jeans, no muscle shirts/tank tops, and no vulgar language on your clothing.

Drinks!  Drinks will be available for purchase at the event!  We have several geek-themed signature drinks.  If you missed it, please read this post from last week on our homepage for more info.

Any other questions?  Best thing to do is post it to our Facebook event.  Someone in the know will usually respond pretty quickly.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Cute SpokesKitties!

It's come to our attention that not everyone realized that there WILL BE KITTIES present at this event! Meow Cat Rescue is bringing adorable SpokesKitties for everyone to enjoy, and they will be onsite from 1:30-3:30. If you're allergic, don't worry--they will be safely tucked away in their own room, away from both of the main gaming areas. Make sure to stop by and pay them a visit!

YES, we will have the TableTop Day goodies at our event!

First of all, we only have 12 tickets left! If you're planning on coming, don't wait--click here to get your tickets now!

Thanks to Uncle's Games in Bellevue, we will have the SWAG that Wil Wheaton talks about in this video:



A few lucky guests will win some of the SWAG featured in this video. In addition, we are devising a fair and equitable "KickStarter-esque" way for those that are willing to give a little extra to the kitties to get their hands on this stuff--and possibly win some bigger games in the process.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

TableTop Day Floorplan

This is always one of the most fun things to post: The floorplan for our event! Click on the small image below to bring up a bigger one.



A limited number of tickets are still available as of the time of this post.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Event is now 80% 85% 90% sold out!

In our current configuration, our event is now 80% 85% 90% sold out! If you don't have your tickets yet, get them quickly! Click here to be redirected to the ticket sales page.

If we sell these out quickly, we may be able to go back to the Columbia Tower Club and negotiate for them to open up more space, but it's not guaranteed. Also, tickets will very likely not be available at the door, but if they are, they will be extremely limited and will cost $50. Best to avoid this hassle and make sure you secure yours in advance.

Current ticketholders will receive an email on Friday with all the details (parking, where to go on Saturday morning, etc). Stay tuned!

Monday, March 31, 2014

And now for a message from our sponsors, AKA Stuff You Can Win

These are the games that have been donated to us for Saturday. All of these will be going home with attendees. Also, this list is not yet complete, so check back often to see what we've added.

Calliope
Double Double Dominoes
Got 'Em!
Roll For It!
Tsuro
Tsuro of the Seas
Ugh!
Plus some t-shirts, pins and other SWAG.

GTS Distribution
7 Wonders

Harebrained Schemes
Key for Shadowrun Returns (x10!)

Looney Labs
Star Fluxx
Zombie Fluxx
Loonacy
Plus some TableTop Day limited edition Tie Die Rule cards.

Plaid Hat Games
Bioshock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia

Slugfest Games
Red Dragon Inn (x2)
Red Dragon Inn 2 (x2)
Red Dragon Inn 4
RDI: Cormac the Mighty
RDI: Erin the Ever-Changing
RDI: Pooky the Vicious
RDI: Witchdoctor Natyli
High Noon Saloon

Don't have tickets yet? Better hurry! They're going fast, and both of our previous events have sold out in advance. Click here to get yours.

Get Out the Word campaign: How you can help--and win games!

TableTop Day isn't even here yet, and we're already giving away some awesome games as prizes for those willing to help us get the word out about our event. Those who participate have a VERY good chance of winning! Prizes are a copy of Zombie Fluxx, a key to the online game Shadowrun Returns, and a copy of Puerto Rico. In addition, the first 15 people to help us out will receive a limited edition TableTop Day Fluxx tie die bonus rule card.

Here's how to help. There are three way to quality, and you will receive one entry into the hat for each of the below methods that you employ. Before continuing, click to open our Facebook event page. Oh, and needless to say, only ticket holders are eligible to win. Not a ticket holder? Fix that here. Here's how to enter:

Method 1: Invite 10 greater Seattle area game-loving Facebook friends. On the Facebook event page, click "Invite", click "Choose Friends", and invite at least 10 friends who are not already on the invite list.

Method 2: Share the event on Facebook. On the Facebook event page, click "Invite", click "Share event" and copy/paste the following message into the window where it says "Write Something...": Join me on Saturday for some tabletop games at this charity #TableTopDay event from the top floor of the Columbia Tower, the tallest building in the Pacific Northwest! Click the "Share Event" button, and you're done!

Method 3: For those that have a Twitter account, tweet the following. Make sure you include the link at the end: Join @DawgsledEvents this Saturday for some games on #TableTopDay from the #76thFloor of the Columbia Tower! http://ow.ly/vcBiL

How to let us know you entered: On the Facebook event page, find the "I entered the spread the word contest" thread and post what you did by saying if you invited, shared and/or tweeted. If you do all 3, you have 3 chances to win!

This is shaping up to be a fantastic event, with games, prizes, game developers, more games, demos, kitties, fantastic views and even more games! See you Saturday!

Friday, March 28, 2014

Signature Drinks at TableTop Day ... AND we are 50% sold out!

We are now halfway to a sellout for TableTop Day on Top of the World. Don't have your tickets yet? Better get them while you still can. This link will take you to the ticket sales page.

To celebrate, why not have a drink? Here are the signature drinks that you will be able to get at the event.

GALLIFREY DOUBLE SUNRISE
A sweet and tart cocktail with a cherry kick to it that rounds it out very nicely.

Gallifrey Double Sunrise

Ingredients for Gallifrey Double Sunrise:
  • 1 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
  • Orange Juice
  • Grenadine


THE TICK BLUEBERRY LEMONADE
Either have the bartender hand the person a spoon when they hand them the drink or put a tall spoon in the glass for them to walk around with. It’s sort of a “thing” with the Tick.

The Tick Blueberry Lemonade

Ingredients for The Tick Blueberry Lemonade:
  • 12 oz. bottle of Jones Soda Berry Lemonade
  • 1 oz. Blueberry liqueur
  • 1 oz. Vodka
  • 1 Blue Twizzler


The Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver
Ah! Big, flashy, lighty thing, that’s what brought me here! Big, flashy, lighty things have got me written all over them! Not actually, but give me time. And a crayon.

The Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver

Ingredients for The Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver:
  • 1 shot vodka
  • 1 shot blue curacao
  • 1 splash Rose Blue Raspberry Mix
  • Fill glass with orange juice (to color)


Love Potion #8.5
Inspired by the drink of the same name in The Sims 2

Love Potion #8.5

Ingredients for Love Potion #8.5:
  • 8 Raspberries
  • Crushed Ice
  • 10ml / 0.33oz. Chambord Raspberry Liqueur (Or Raspberry Juice)
  • 50ml / 1.5oz. Raspberry Lemonade
  • 100ml / 3.3oz Champagne (Or Tonic Water)
  • Top Up with Lychee Juice
  • Mint Sprigs
  • Fresh Lemon Juice


Get your tickets here before it's too late!

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Harebrained Schemes to demo Golem Arcana at our TableTop Day event

Exciting news! Local game studio Harebrained Schemes will be onsite demonstrating their new game Golem Arcana on TableTop Day. Golem Arcana is a tactical strategy game set on a modular board with miniatures. What makes this game so unique is that many of the movements and measurements are done by digitally integrating the game with your smartphone! They have also donated 10 licence keys to the online game Shadowrun Returns that we will be giving away as prizes. Be sure to check out their table and maybe play a game or two with them.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

BREAKING NEWS: TableTop Day on Top of the World extended to be a 12 hour event!

We are still working out the final details, but the Columbia Tower Club has agreed to allow us to continue our event well into the evening on April 5th! There is some fine print on this, so please make sure you take a gander at it.

As always, please check back here regularly for all the latest updates on what is shaping up to be an epic event!

Don't have tickets yet? Get them here.

THE FINE PRINT:

  • This day is essentially 2 gaming events, back to back. The original event still ends at 5:00, and this will transition seamlessly (except for the one conference room that we need to be out of) into the evening event. The evening event will last until you're sick of gaming or until the club kicks us out sometime after 11:00, whichever happens first. 
  • The club closes around 11:00 PM on Saturdays. The evening event is April's version of our monthly tabletop gaming night, with the only difference being that (for non Columbia Tower Club members) it is only open to ticketholders from the afternoon event. 
  • Food and drinks for the evening event will be ordered from a CTC server and is NOT INCLUDED with the price of admission to the afternoon event. You'll be able to order off the regular menu. CTC food is delicious, as you would expect from a high-end venue, and is reasonably priced. One thing: Please bring your patience to this, as the club is stretched thin staff-wise this day and we may only have 1 or 2 servers for the entire evening. Remember also that outside food and drink is not allowed at CTC. 
  • As the evening event is a member event as opposed to a private event, Columbia Tower Club members may join us free of charge after 5:00, as is your privilege.

Monday, March 24, 2014

TableTop: Unspeakable Words

Let's start the week off with another episode of TableTop. Today's episode features the Cthulhu-themed Unspeakable Words by Playroom Entertainment. In this game, you make words from cards in your hand. The more angles your word has, the more points you get--but the more likely that you will go insane!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Event Update! Cool Stuff!

Here's a quick update on TableTop Day on Top of the World:
  • We have secured donations from Calliope Games (makers of Tsuro, among others), Looney Labs (makers of Fluxx and all of its derivations), Slugfest Games (Red Dragon Inn) and others. These donations will be available for play (many of them with teachers/demonstrators), and will be given away as prizes at the end of the day.
  • Mike Selinker himself, designer of games such as Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords, Unspeakable Words, Lords of Vegas and others, will be in attendance and will be demonstrating the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. Learn to play the game from the master himself!
  • Meow Cat Rescue will be bringing some adorable SpokesKitties for you to pet and play with. They will be in their own separate room, so if you're allergic, you will be able to steer well clear.
  • We've had several other attendees volunteer to teach/demonstrate games. So far, A Game of Thrones, Second Edition, Patchistory (which isn't even available yet), Quantum and others will be on the table. We expect this list to grow, so if you have a game you'd like to demo, let us know via our Facebook Page or our Twitter Account.
  • If you haven't got your tickets yet, they're going fast! Get them here!

Monday, March 17, 2014

Looks like we're getting noticed!

The folks from down in LA have been fantastic in helping us to promote this event.


Get your tickets now before they're gone!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Watch Wil Wheaton on @Midnight!

Last night, Wil Wheaton appeared on Comedy Central's highly entertaining show @Midnight. If you've never watched this show, Chris Hardwick (@nerdist) hosts it, and he has 3 new comedians on per night. They compete for "points" by poking fun at the latest shenanigans from the Internet. Hilarity ensues. If you watch this episode, you'll know right away that Mr. Wheaton is involved. Enjoy, and you're welcome.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

TableTop: The Resistance

Similar to last year, we'll be featuring an episode of TableTop on this site every few days from now until TableTop Day. Today's episode features The Resistance by Indie Boards & Cards. This is a great game to play when you have a larger group of people, but make sure you have thick skin, because everyone is going to think you're a dirty spy!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

All About Meow Cat Rescue

Here is some information about Meow Cat Rescue, the charity we are raising money for at this event.


Our Mission         
With respect and compassion for all animal life, MEOW promotes lifelong relationships between people and companion animals, providing shelter and care for each precious life until adopted into a forever home.


Our Vision         
MEOW envisions a day when society will be free from the dangers and nuisances of irresponsible pet ownership, when every pet born will be assured loving care all of its natural life and will never suffer due to abuse, neglect or ignorance.


Our History         
In the early 1990s, a small group of animal-loving friends made a commitment to create a better life for homeless animals. With little more than determination, they started Mercer Island Eastside Orphans & Waifs, now commonly known as MEOW Cat Rescue & Adoption, a non-profit organization with a no-holds-barred no-kill philosophy. MEOW continues to be staffed almost entirely by volunteers.


Our Goal         
MEOW 's goal is to help create a "no-kill nation", where people are responsible for their pets, where there are no helpless creatures abandoned in boxes or left to fend for themselves in parking lots, where there is no longer a need for any healthy companion animal to be euthanized.


Today         
MEOW places approximately 1000 animals into permanent homes each year. Our application process ensures that every adopted animal is placed in an environment where there is appropriate space, human contact, and a commitment to safeguard and care for the animal for its entire lifetime.  Newborn or senior, healthy, ill or injured, all are valued at MEOW. Each year MEOW is faced with the impossible and each and every day we recommit ourselves to something we truly believe in, the motto we adopted at our inception,”all nine lives are precious”.    

Monday, March 3, 2014

Thanks for the Tweet, Hannah!

A very special thank you to Hannah Hart for helping us to promote our event! For any of you who still don't know, Hannah is the star of the wildly successful YouTube channel MyHarto, home of the very funny and adorable show My Drunk Kitchen. Recently, Hannah has been branching out into other areas. Her most recent project is a full length movie in collaboration with the other two members of the Holy Trinity of Internet YouTube Leading Ladies (Mamrie Hart, star of You Deserve a Drink, and Grace Helbig, star of Daily Grace) called Camp Takota.


If you enjoy the work of any or all of these very talented women, you will LOVE this. It's cute, funny, intelligent and very well acted--exactly what you'd expect from these three. Please click on the image above to be taken to the movie's Website and give these talented gals your support!

Sunday, March 2, 2014

TableTop Day on Top of the World Website is now Live!

We are pleased to officially announce the launch of the Second Annual TableTop Day on Top of the World! Tickets are on sale now, and all proceeds beyond the cost of putting on the event will be donated to Meow Cat Rescue this year. This is our third major event at the Columbia Tower Club. Both prior events have sold out and have been overwhelming successes, so get your tickets early before any price increases hit. It's for the kitties, after all!



Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Second Annual TableTop Day on Top of the World Website launching soon

We are working hard to get this Website up and running by Monday, March 3rd. This event will once again be a charity event benefiting Meow Cat Rescue in Kirkland.

In the meantime, Play More Games!