Hey board gamers, if you have always wanted to dip your toes into online gaming, or you are just looking for a way to learn to play new-to-you games, Double Exposure has announced a new way to play. From their September 28, 2020 press release:
Double Exposure is proud to announce the grand opening of the Envoy Gateway. FREE membership begins today at http://www.envoygateway.com. We invite you to explore our Virtual Demo Headquarters to discover scores of online tabletop games and play them with experienced teachers on a variety of free and paid platforms.
Established in 2014, Double Exposure’s Envoy program is the gold standard for tabletop game demo teams across North America – representing over 75 game publishers at physical conventions, stores and meetup groups of every type. Unfortunately, in 2020, the pandemic sidelined hundreds of Envoy’s Heralds (gamemasters) as face-to-face gaming was put on hold as a result of the ongoing crisis.
Recently, online tabletop gaming platforms such as Sovranti, Tabletop Simulator, Tabletopia and Board Game Arena are celebrating a new level of visibility as players shift to an online format. Although these platforms create opportunities to game together over untold distances, the experience happens in a vacuum without any of the trappings of tabletop gaming gatherings. The Envoy Gateway is built to bridge that gap in an ongoing, persistent, and flexible way.
Our October calendar is already bursting with exciting games from dozens of publishers. Visitors can search by game mechanics, genres, age range and other parameters to find new games to play. Registered members can reserve “seats” to play those games, knowing that every event will be managed by an experienced Herald who will teach the rules. Browse information on hundreds of games, on your own schedule, all presented to simulate the experience of browsing at a convention or a store.
The Gateway’s powerful calendar also showcases special events such as Publisher and Designer live playthroughs and other community gatherings. Companies and retailers will feature exciting promotions and flash sales, and there will even be playtesting opportunities from Publishers and Designers around the globe.
Inaugural events during the first week of October include live interactive broadcasts from some familiar faces in our industry: Stephen Buonocore, Ignacy Trzewiczek, Gil Hova, Curt Covert and Heather O’Neill. (Links will be listed on the calendar – log in for more details!)
Over the next few months, we expect the Gateway to grow and evolve to include regional convention communities, online retail establishments and game clubs. Feedback from members will surely prompt us to add new features that we can’t even imagine yet. For now, we invite tabletop gamers from around the world to visit, learn to play some great online tabletop games, and make new friends that you’ll be able to “see” more than once a year!
Double Exposure’s Envoy Gateway – http://www.envoygateway.com
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