by Alex J. Coyne © Gifts for Card Players
Board game players and trading card enthusiasts from across the globe have one thing in common, and that is their shared passion for storytelling on the board. Games with the potential for a fun gaming night are often defined by just how lost you can get in the game.
It’s only natural that some stories from movies and TV shows would be adapted into board games, but as any player should know by now, tabletop adaptations can be a hit-and-miss situation.
What if you’re looking for board game adaptations of your favourite TV shows and movies, but you would also like them to be good? I mean common, nobody lines up to play American Idol: The Board Game when it comes to serious gameplay.
Here’s a list for you to start with. Which ones will be making it to your collection as a fan of the original?
A Nightmare On Elm Street terrified kids of the early-90s – and if you’re only discovering Freddy Krueger now, have fun losing some sleep over one of the best horror characters ever created.
Played like Monopoly in a dream-scape, the game requires the use of cards and game tokens to enter Freddy’s world and chase other players around the board.
Remember to watch the movies (and dim the lights).
Breaking Bad was a great television show premise (though personally, made a questionable film adaptation).
Is the board game version of Breaking Bad any good? Reviews say yes, but the show’s content means that it’s not for family game night with the kids. Fans of the show, go straight ahead!
The story’s most crucial substance is only referred to as “blue sky” throughout, although represented with odd crystal tokens. Gameplay is pretty elaborate, and requires the use of character cards played in turn-based style.
The Vegas-based version of Crime Scene Investigation aired from 2000 to 2015, and a 15-year run of the show (and several spin-offs) was enough to leave a very loyal fan-base for its plot to this day.
It reminds of the Monopoly-chase, but contains the show’s element of criminal investigation throughout the game.
If you’re a fan of the procedural show (or game), you’ll enjoy playing this at least once. Replay value is up to just how much you love the original show.
Dexter was originally a series of books, though transitioned well enough to the screen to become a highly successful show for several seasons.
If you think you know the story well, there’s a large enough difference between the books and series to keep two storylines going. You don’t know the full story if you haven’t seen both!
For serious fans who have made their way through everything in the Dexter-world, there’s the official board game. It’s like a mixture of Monopoly and Cluedo, but with elements and characters blended in.
A strange assortment of items ships with Dexter, including character cards, player tokens, so-called “tool tokens”, and miniature garbage bags.
Is the object to slice the opponents into miniature pieces using the tiny tool tokens? Well, no, but die-hard Dexter fans will still have fun with it.
The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire
The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire is meant for 2 to 5 players, and throws the gamers straight into the fictional underworld from the series.
The first great thing about Corleone’s Empire is the fact that you’ll enjoy it as a fan of the movies, the books, the video games – or just as a fan of similar types of games.
Gameplay mechanics mimic that of Mafia Wars, but if it were played on a flat surface (and far more loyal to the Godfather-storyline).
Want to make your friends an offer they can’t refuse?
Get pizza, and invite them to play this.
The Hunger Games: Training Days
The Hunger Games: Training Days is made by WizKids, and reviewing fans say that it’s a loyal adaptation of the story (whether you’ve gotten to know it through the books or the movies first!).
If you’ve made your way through the whole series but don’t want the story to be over yet, play through Training Days.
Some reviews have panned the game for its rule complexity and playing time, but others have praised it for its character-loyalty. If you’re enough of a fan, this might be a great next title for your tabletop collection.
