24 Hours Away Until we Play! Remember to bring the necessary Vaccination Information

This is only about 20% of the games we’ve hoofed up to to the 76th floor. (Note the boxes on the outside of the car as well!)

Today has been a busy day for our team! We schlepped up all manner of games, goodies, swag, and other party-hardy materials up to the 76th floor of the Columbia Tower, where in just 24 hours we’ll be celebrating the epic return of our long-awaited Night of Gaming for Good on Top of the World. We expect to be a SOLD OUT returning event, because there are only a handful of tickets left as of this writing! After postponing three times for obvious health and safety reasons, we are beyond excited that this is even possible now and we can’t tell you how much it means that you’ll be coming out to support us once again. To be raising funds for affected children and their families at the Seattle Children’s Hospital again is such a wonderful feeling!

If you haven’t yet, we highly encourage you to read our Covid-19 Safety and Precautions Page for all details concerning how we are minimizing the risk as much as we can. It is important to note that even with all these precautions in place there will always be an inherent risk when attending any public function, so let’s work together to help each other safe.

IMPORTANT COVID-RELATED REMINDERS

PLEASE BRING YOUR PROOF OF VACCINATION to the event. The three accepted forms are:

• Your official COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card

• A clear, readable photo of the above card

• If you are a Washington state resident, your COVID-19 immunization records via mobile browser at wa.myir.net will also be considered valid.

In addition to any one of the proofs of vaccination above, you will also need a valid form of photo identification (driver's license, passport, etc.) for cross-reference purposes.

The last reminder is to please remember to also MASK UP when you are up and about at the event. Thank you for your cooperation with this!

A BIG THANK YOU AND HEARTY WELCOME TO RAY WEHRS

Ray Wehrs, Calliope Games President

If you missed the announcement last week, please give a big welcome to our guest of honor for this event. Ray Wehrs has been a long-time friend and supporter of FTW Events, with his company Calliope Games having lined our gaming prizes table and SWAG bags chockfull of games and goodies throughout the years. In addition to being a steadfast sponsor, Ray has been with us since we first launched this little shindig and supported us in so many different ways as we grew this fledgling nonprofit of ours. Suffice it to say that FTW Events would not be what it is without him, so after all these years, we are pleased to be honoring and giving him some much deserved VIP treatment!! He’ll be dining in the VIP rooms and mingling about throughout the evening, so be sure to say hi to this industry icon and all-around great guy!

SEE YOU TOMORROW! *EXCITED NOISES*

Continue to watch this page and on our socials for any new updates, but for now, that’s all she wrote! Please excuse us now as we go filling 150+ SWAG bags and moving hundreds of games around. :)

We can’t wait to see you tomorrow! <3

Top of the World One Week Countdown

In just one week, we will have our happy return to the Top of the World Night of Gaming for Good! We've got some updates and important reminders regarding Covid-19 safety and precautions and what to expect for the evening. We have been looking forward to this for so long, we can't wait to see you!

---

Ray Wehrs, President of Calliope Games

Welcome Ray!!

President, Calliope Games
Announcing our Guest of Honor, Ray Wehrs!
"I've been in the gaming industry now for nearly 20 years! I was originally drafted by sister Dawne and her husband Jordan Weisman to start a company we named WizKids. Dawne and I teamed up once again with Jordan's support to form Calliope Games, where we publish fun, affordable family-style board games."
Ray will be dining with our VIP guests and then playing games in the main area afterwards.

Tickets Update
As of a few days ago, we were actually a sold out event! Then, plot twist: we turned on our charms to the Columbia Tower and they agreed to open up another banquet room for us, thus we were able to add another 20 tickets to the total capacity. The number of tickets you see in the General Admission - Final Release pull-down on Shindigg is the number of tickets we have left. Tell your friends to come play!

100% Vaccinated Event
Reminder that this is a fully vaccinated event! You did your part by getting the Jab, so now you are entitled to (safely) have a little fun with your fellow vaccinated gamers! To that end, please remember to bring proof of vaccination. This needs to be in the form of your official COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or a clear, readable photo thereof. If you are a Washington state resident, your COVID-19 immunization records via mobile browser at wa.myir.net will also be considered valid. In addition to proof of vaccination, you will also need a valid form of photo identification (driver's license, passport, etc.) for cross-reference purposes. Read more on our Covid-safety and info page.

Masks Enforced
Per King County health and safety guidelines, masks are once again required in public indoor spaces. For our event, we will be implementing "Restaurant Rules". This means that if you're seated at your table eating and/or playing games, you do not need to wear your mask. However, if you're up and about, please mask up! Read more on our Covid-safety and info page.

Gaming Prizes Yearning for New Homes
Our prizes are yearning to break free of the temperature-controlled storage prison they've been in since March 2020! Be sure to check out the list of amazing sponsors who gave us games!

Covid-19 Safety, Concerns, and Precautions

Note: These guidelines have been updated as of 8/18/21 to reflect the reinstating of the WA State and King County Mask Mandate.

Attendees must be fully vaccinated and wear masks

As excited as we are to be hosting our first Night of Gaming for Good since the coronavirus placed the world in a standstill, we need to acknowledge that the threat of the virus has not completely left. At this event (and any near future events we hold), our highest priority is to be aware of the risks we are taking and to mitigate them as much as we can: the well-being of our guests is our number one concern. We want to be able to play freely but safely!

Therefore, we have made the decision to have our first returning event on September 3rd, to be a 100% fully vaccinated event only. All attending MUST be fully vaccinated by the day of the event. This includes guests, our staff, volunteers, and so forth. This means you must be 2 weeks out from the second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or 2 weeks out from the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Proof of vaccination will be required at the door. This needs to be in the form of your official COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or a clear, readable photo thereof. If you are a Washington state resident, your COVID-19 immunization records via mobile browser at wa.myir.net will also be considered valid. In addition to proof of vaccination, you will also need a valid form of photo identification (driver's license, passport, etc.) for cross-reference purposes

We sympathize with folks who are unable to receive the vaccine for medical or other valid reasons but at this time we cannot in good conscience host the unvaccinated, especially with numbers of new variant cases on the rise. We look forward to hosting those folks at a future event when the threat of Covid-19 is no longer a palpable danger. This was a bittersweet decision, so thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Wear a Mask

As of August 23, 2021, MASKS WILL BE REQUIRED in public indoor spaces as per Washington State and King County health and safety guidelines, in an effort to slow the spread of the contagious delta variant that now makes up a significant number of new Covid-positive cases. We must ask that you wear your mask at all times during our event, with the only exception being when seated at your table to dine/play. If you leave your table at any time, please wear your mask.

For approved face masks, we will be following the same mask guidelines as required by PAX West. For more information on proper mask protection, visit the CDC’s page on the do’s and don’ts of mask usage.

Precautions at the Event

We will be enforcing this mask policy throughout the night. We will have extra disposable masks on hand if needed. We are also limiting capacity to give us to give us more room to spread out comfortably. Please sanitize often throughout the night - hand sanitizers will be provided in each guest’s SWAG Bag and there will be other sanitizing stations around the venue. We will have wipes available at each table, so please help out by sanitizing your area when switching tables, both when leaving your old table and when joining a new table. We know this part isn’t fun, so thank you in advance for understanding and helping to keep everyone safe.

Inherent Risk

Even with all these measures, a risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any event or public space, including at our event. By attending, you acknowledge this and agree to follow all applicable health policies and guidelines.

Please stay home if you:

• Are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, chills, breathing difficulties, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, body or headaches, or other identified Covid-19 symptoms. We will fully refund any guests who come down with the crud (C-word or otherwise) during the time of our event.

• Have been in contact with someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 symptoms and have not completed a 14-day quarantine.

Thank You for your Cooperation

These precautions are being taken to ensure we are not contributing to the spread of the virus, so that we can fully enjoy this epic comeback. Let us game, feast, and be merry, while raising funds for the Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Uncompensated Care program. Looking forward to seeing you!

How to get a refund--Must request by August 20th!

Hi everyone! Matt here with a quick refund update. Here’s the tl;dr:

• The event is indeed happening on Friday, 9/3. Hooray!

• Proof of full vaccination is required for all attendees.

• As this is a fully vaccinated event, and per current public health guidelines, we will not be mandating mask wearing while seated and playing games & eating. We do request that you bring your masks and utilize them when you’re up and about, and we doubly request that you have and use them during the raffle. If federal, state, county or local public health guidelines change, we will amend this policy to adhere to them.

If you already have tickets but do not wish to attend based on the above (or for any reason), you may request a refund through August 20th, 2021. After that, we must make non-refundable commitments to our vendors, and any tickets still held or purchased after this date will be considered non-refundable. The only exception to this deadline will be made for individuals who are diagnosed with (or even who think they might have) a breakthrough case of COVID before the event (and those exposed to said individuals). Please stay home if this is the case—we will give you your money back.

For a full refund, please send an email to matt (at) ftwevents (dot) com. (Funky formatting of the email address is to avoid creepy Internet crawlies. Please adjust it to look like a normal email address.)

I will process any and all refund requests received before or on 8/20/2021.

Homecoming - A Return to the Top of the World at PAX 2021

The announcement that PAX West 2021 is a go and the words “Welcome Home” greeting us on the PAX West website was enough to make our eyes tear up. It’s been so long! PAX officials are working closely with health officials to bring a safe convention this coming September, and in between that all, we’re going to have our own homecoming at the Columbia Tower. We’ll be able to see you again, play with you again, and game for good again. It feels great to think about it! We are only starting the process to gear up for a triumphant return, but know that it is in the works and know that our key priority is still the health and well-being of everyone attending. Whether that means a scaled down event, other precautions being taken at the door, and so forth, is something we’ll be ironing out and sharing soon. Keep your eyes here and on our socials for updates. In any case, we are very excited to see you on the 76th floor again. Welcome home, indeed.

Postponement Update, Emerald City Comic Con 2021

Emerald City Comic Con rescheduled their 2021 dates for the first weekend in December, giving them a long cushion of time for the situation to settle. PAX is still hopeful for later this year, with tentative dates being Sept 3-6, 2021. If it is feasible to do so from a public health perspective, our next event will be for this PAX 2021. Thank you again so much for your patience and understanding as we navigate this ever-changing situation. We'll try and do something special for those of you who have held tickets for this event since January 2020. Take care and practice the 3 W's: wear a mask, wash your hands, and watch your distance. Can't wait to see you again. We miss you and gaming and normalcy in general, terribly.

Plumes, Trains and Allegoricals!

2020 ISN'T ALL BAD--WE PROMISE!!

It has been a tough year. Life as we know it changed. Our health, families, jobs, finances, sense of community, and so much more have been in crisis. We have suffered losses and hardships that are sobering. At the same time as we acknowledge this, we also know that we are privileged and remain grateful, even without any events this year. We are hopeful for a return in 2021 (tl;dr: we're hoping for the weekend of Pax 2021), and have included more details about that at the end of this message. However, the main purpose of THIS email is to CELEBRATE A SUCCESS STORY from 2020. Calliope Games, our number one sponsor, and without whom FTW Events would not exist, has put together a new game lineup that is impressive, even by their standards. They've done it all in spite of the pandemic, and we are therefore proud to partner with them in presenting to you...

Celebrate an evening packed with excitement and fun challenges for all! During your game night, you’ll build peacock plumes of vivid colors!  You’ll cooperate to construct a transit system and deliver commuters home. And in tales of epic lore, you’ll bid to win, but may lose if you do! And, if you act fast, you can get ALL THREE OF THESE GAMES for just 40 bucks!

The Calliope Game Night Extravaganza! Kickstarter Campaign ends on December 12 and includes three amazing new card games: Allegory, Enchanted Plumes, and Mass Transit. Each game is small enough to take anywhere! Bidding, set collection, cooperation, and hidden objectives! There is something for everyone – and every game night – in the Calliope Game Night Extravaganza! 

The Calliope Game Night Extravaganza

While we cannot bring you a game night in our traditional form, you can have an epic game night of your own at home with a trio of games that'll take you by feather, rail and epic tale!

HIGHLIGHTS: 

A Whole Game Night In One Bundle!
All the games take less than an hour to play.
Easy To Teach And Play!
The games entertain from one to six players ages 8 and up.
Unique New Card Games!
Bidding, set collection, cooperation… there’s something for everyone.
Unbelievable Value!
Get Allegory, Mass Transit, and Enchanted Plumes for only $40 USD when you pledge for all three games.

Allegory

An allegory tells a captivating story while hiding a deeper, meaningful moral underneath. In the game of Allegory, you’ll compete with others as renowned authors, each scribing a trilogy of Tales: Nature, Energy, and Spirit. Master the use of Lore to incorporate powerful Themes into your Tales. At the end, you will be rewarded for weaving a hidden Moral throughout all of your Tales—but only the most concise Tale shall become a literary classic for the ages!

• Unique twist on auction/ bidding games

• Rich and striking artwork

• 2-6 players, 30-50 minutes

• Watch a How to Play!

• Play it Now on Tabletop Simulator!

Enchanted Plumes

In Enchanted Plumes, players strive to complete magical Peacocks by assembling plumes in sparkling rows from top to bottom, using multiple colors of Feather cards while matching cards of the same color from row to row.

The player with the most valuable plumes wins the game and is bestowed with the luck of the Peacock!

• Collect and play cards to build peacock plumes

• Skillful decisions lead to big scores

• 2-6 players, 30 minutes

• Watch a How to Play!

• Play it Now on Tabletop Simulator!

Mass Transit

It’s quittin’ time in the Big City, and rush hour is about to begin! It’s up to you and your team of urban planners to get all these Commuters home to their families. You will need to skillfully work together to construct transit routes out to the Suburbs, but City Hall bureaucracy limits how much you can help each other! If you can manage the red tape, and your team works like a well-oiled machine in getting everyone home, you will ALL succeed at Mass Transit!

• Cooperative transportation game

• Limited communication provides fun strategy

• 1-6 players, 20 minutes

• Watch a How to Play!

• Play it Now on Tabletop Simulator!

Event Update: Postponed further until PAX 2021

Just a quick update from Matt: Emerald City ComiCon rescheduled their 2021 dates for the first weekend in December, giving them a full 13 month cushion from the situation as we know it today. As far as we know, PAX West is still scheduled for Labor Day Weekend. Therefore, if it is feasible to do so from a public health perspective, our next event will be for PAX 2021 on Labor Day Weekend. Thank you again so much for your patience and understanding. We'll try and do something special for those of you who have held tickets for this event since January. :)