International Tabletop Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

International Tabletop Day is celebrated on the first Saturday of June, which falls on June 3 this year. We are thrilled to wager everything on our favourite sports! Tabletop games have been played for centuries and have developed over time. Battleship, for instance, began on paper, and the original version included both land and water. As time passed, it entered the third dimension as a vertical amusement before becoming one of the earliest computer games.

The background of International Tabletop Day

In 3100 B.C., Senet became renowned, particularly among Egyptian royalty. The game board contained thirty squares with either favourable or unfavourable symbols. They believed that the players’ fates outside of the game would hinge on the symbols they landed on. If a player was successful, they would be in the favour of their gods, and their voyage through the afterlife would be determined by this.

The earliest tabletop game that has remained virtually unchanged is a game that is strikingly similar to backgammon. Ludus duodecim scriptorum, or “the game with twelve markings,” was played during the Roman Empire. The objective, similar to the modern iteration, is to bear off all of your checkers. The primary distinction was that there were three dice as opposed to two.

Lizzie Magie, one of the first American board game designers, devised The Land Lord’s game in 1903, in which players travelled around a square game board and purchased property. She surrendered her patent to Parker Brothers in 1935, and the game is now known as Monopoly. Since then, Parker Brothers has become synonymous with tabletop games like Sorry!, Risk, and Trivial Pursuit.

Fantasy tabletop gaming arose in the post-Lord of the Rings era as TSR Inc. published Dungeons & Dragons for the first time in 1974 and tabletop gaming expanded into numerous arenas. Strategy, adventure, board games, and video games based on well-known franchises flourished and persisted. As a result of the web series “Tabletop” hosted by famous gamers Will Wheaton and Felicia Day, International Tabletop Day was created in 2013 to celebrate gamers and board games with thousands of gaming events conducted around the world.

Activities associated with International Tabletop Day

Have tabletop meetings

Games are always more enjoyable when played with other people. Around the world, many tabletop stores host International Tabletop Day events where you can play your favourite games with others. Don’t fret if you’re not a serious gamer; there are likely to be other casual gamers around, and those with more experience can provide the best advice.

Tension it up

On Twitch, you can interact with your virtual peers in the virtual world. Twitch is the leading platform that enables users to watch and chat with millions of tabletop gaming fans and share their passion for the hobby. Alternatively, if you are brave enough, you can broadcast your own game. This will greatly contribute to the “international” feeling of the day, as you can connect with people from all over the world.

Try a different activity.

There are a multitude of options for board games, and there is nothing more exciting than exploring the unknown. Try Dungeons & Dragons if you’ve never dispatched a dragon, or if you’re a fan of horror films, give Betrayal on House at the Hill a shot. There’s something for everyone, and it’s a wonderful way to engage in a battle of strategy and wit with family and friends.

5 SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT GAMES

Candy Land was conceived by a retired educator recuperating from polio.

In 2012, board games experienced an annual growth rate of 40%.

Cranium was the first game to be offered for sale at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Jenga is derived from the Swahili word for “to build.”

The longest Monopoly game lasted 70 consecutive days.

INTERNATIONAL TABLETOP DAY DATES