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There is something comforting about licensed board games. While you can easily pick up a branded version of a classic game like Risk: Lord of the Rings, monopoly: Halo or star wars scrabble, these are only superficial when it comes to board games inspired by or based on popular franchises and series.
While learning the rules of yet another game can sometimes be a chore, picking up a board game inspired by something you’re already familiar with can help you overcome that hurdle. Whether it’s based on a video game or movie series, sometimes your fandom is the secret ingredient you need when you want to try something new.
If you’re looking to add one more game to your slack and don’t mind something familiar, here are a few board games we recommend that are inspired by video games, movies, and more.
Star Wars: Rebellion of Imperial Assault
Unsurprisingly, the greatest movie franchise of all time has many different board games based on it. The general expanse of Star Wars means there’s a lot of variety when it comes to what people like about the series – not to mention everyone’s different tastes in board games. To cover as many bases as possible here, we’re going to recommend our two favorites.
If you prefer strategy games, you will want Star Wars: Rebellion. You play either as the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance and take command of your respective army to overthrow your opponent. As the Empire, you are in charge of a mighty fleet, whose goal is to track down and destroy the Rebel base. While the Rebels are all about cloak-and-dagger operations, they prefer to carry out well-planned critical attacks to overthrow the Imperial forces. That may sound like it skews in favor of the Empire, but you’ll be surprised at how balanced and constantly moving games can be.
If your taste in games is more towards HeroQuest or XCOM, Star Wars: Imperial Assault is a great strategy dungeon crawler. As the name suggests, you play as a rebel soldier tasked with carrying out a mission against the Empire.
imperial attack is like a lite version of a tabletop RPG, where your success and failures will affect your next missions, and there’s plenty of wiggle room to role-play with the preset character you get. Missions usually take an hour or two to complete, so it’s an easy game to pick up and put down.
Where to buy Star Wars Rebellion: Amazon Australia ($130) | Catch ($126.95) | eBay ($140.95 with the code TOYSAV)
Where to buy Star Wars Imperial Attack: Amazon Australia ($126) | eBay ($134.95 with the code TOYSAV) | Kogan ($123)
Dune
Let the spice flow. Originally released in the 1970s, but out of print until recently, Dune is a fantastic strategy board game. Whether you’re just introduced to Frank Herbert’s sci-fi universe, Denis Villeneuve’s fantastic film adaptation, or a long-time fan of the original novel series, you’ll get a kick out of this board game.
You play as one of six factions – House Atreides, House Harkonnen, the Bene Gesserit, the Padishah Emperor, the Fremen and the Spacing Guild – as you battle for power to take control of Arrakis. To claim your stake as the rightful ruler of the desert planet, you must expand your territories and win battles. Whoever controls the herb controls the universe.
For a game created over forty years ago, it lacks the sleekness and shine of more modern board games, but that’s part of the fun. In our review of the game, we praised how unique and strange a game from Dune is:
“I can’t remember the last time I laughed, gasped and swore the way I played” Dune. The way alliances can be made but then broken, the elastic nature of the basic victory conditions and the betrayal that lurk behind every decision made it feel like each player was always one step away from victory, but at the same time one battle away from victory. total ruin at the same time.”
Where to buy Dune: Amazon Australia ($76.98) | eBay ($71.95) | Kogan ($79.95)
A game of thrones
Before the final season set fire to the goodwill it deserved, like dragonfire over a Lannister army, Game of Thrones had a stranglehold on pop culture. And while some of us would like to forget certain parts of it, you can’t deny that when thrones was good, it was very good.
During that time, we spent a lot of time playing the second edition of the Fantasy Flight board game. Like the source material, the purpose of A Game of Thrones is to secure your rightful place on the Iron Throne and become ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. To do this, you play as one of the Great Houses and begin to plan a strategy to conquer Westeros by increasing your army and the land in your hands.
It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that table politics and schedules play a big part in this game. If you don’t stab someone in the back at the end of the game, you’re not playing it right.
A game can take a few hours to complete and can be incredibly frustrating at times, but A game of thrones can be a rewarding experience that reminds you why we all fell in love with the series in the first place.
Where to buy A game of thrones: Catch ($63.37) | eBay ($70.95 with the code TOYSAV) | Kogan ($70)
The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31
Based on John Carpenter’s iconic sci-fi horror film, The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 is a board game that perfectly portrays the claustrophobic paranoia of its namesake. You play as one of 12 characters trapped on an abandoned Antarctic base, completing various missions and discovering who’s infected before the outpost is overrun by shape-shifting monsters.
It’s a co-op game until it isn’t. Secretly, a player will be an impersonator with the aim of slowing the spread of the infection through the base. As things heat up and the contagion spreads, paranoia will set in and you will begin to judge everyone’s motives and actions. No one trusts anyone now, and we are all very tired.
If you are a big fan of Betrayal at House on the Hill and how it suddenly turns one of your comrades into an opponent, you will have a great time with The thing – even if it causes serious trust issues between yourself and your friends.
Where to buy The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31: Amazon Australia ($101.54) | eBay ($88.95 with the code TOYSAV) | Kogan ($98)
dark souls
This dungeon crawler is the dark souls of board games.
Where to buy dark souls: Catch ($153) | eBay ($138.60 with the code PAUGSEP10) | Kogan ($153)
The Lord of the Rings: Traveling in Middle Earth
If you’re a fan of tabletop RPGs but can’t commit to a full Dungeons and Dragons campaign, The Lord of the Rings: Traveling in Middle Earth is a golden mean. In Kotaku’s review of the game, we called it “a fast, streamlined dungeon crawler, a great way for a small crew to spend a night (or a few weeks, the app saves your progress, of course) on an adventure together.”
The Middle Earth-inspired board game lets you play as one of JRR Tolkien’s iconic heroes as you and your party embark on an adventure across the realm, visiting famous locations such as Gondor and the Gray Mountains.
Traveling in Middle-earth uses a companion app to dish out mission scenarios while also tracking your progress. The app also acts as a game master, so everyone gets a chance to play as their favorite Middle Earth hero.
Where to buy LOTR: Traveling in Middle Earth: Amazon Australia ($152) | eBay ($151.99 with the code TOYSAV) | Kogan ($152)
jaws
Based on Steven Spielberg’s iconic film, Jaws: the board game is designed for two to four players, with one of them taking on the role of the shark while the rest get to choose from Brody, Hooper and Quint. The game has two phases: the first takes place on Amity Island, where the player’s characters must determine the shark’s location while rescuing swimmers from its beak.
In the second phase, you will go to The Orca to face the monstrous Great White. How well you do in the first stage affects the second, and it’s entirely possible for the shark to kill its pursuers and emerge victorious.
The rules are fairly easy to learn, and a game usually takes about an hour to complete, making it a great option for those who like board games but can’t afford to invest a huge amount of time. twilight empire, this is not. The game itself is also quite compact, so don’t worry, you don’t need a bigger table.
Where to buy jaws: Amazon Australia ($59.33) | Catch ($75.71) | eBay ($73.95)
hellboy
If you are a fan of Mike Mignola’s hellboy strip, you want to pick this up. In this dungeon crawler, you play as a member of the Bureau of Paranormal Investigations and Defense and must solve cases ripped straight from the comics. You’ll explore different locations where you’ll face occult threats, discover mysterious artifacts and throw fists at dozens of gruesome monsters.
The rules are quite easy to master and the game works as both a one-off adventure and an ongoing campaign. hellboy contains some fantastic miniatures of Big Red himself, various BPRD agents such as Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman, along with a few monsters. The game also uses Mignola’s original cartoons, which are always a sight to behold.
Where to buy hellboy: Amazon Australia ($87.13)
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