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10 Awesome Book-Inspired Board Games That Capture Their Source Material Perfectly – Destructoid


The best board games based on the books expand the story from which they are drawn with adventures that maintain the look and feel of the original tale. The gameplay in these adaptations makes you feel like you’re stepping into the world of the novel, and characters often have thematic powers that match their abilities from the author’s works. In this list, we’re highlighting a collection of great titles that bring your favorite books to life with clever game design and fun mechanics.

Lord of the Rings Lcg
Image via Fantasy Flight Games

As Sauron’s shadow lengthens, the world of Middle-earth becomes full of adventure and danger. Lord of the Rings: Card Game The saga expansions take players through the books’ most iconic moments, from the Fellowship’s journey through Khazad-Dûm to the Battle of Helm’s Deep and the Siege of Minas Tirith. However, the fun doesn’t stop there. With a team of your favorite heroes and allies, you can explore the wastes of Angmar, sail to the ruins of Númenor, travel to Harad, or keep the darkness of Mirkwood at bay. The party building aspects of this board game are very rewarding, and the cooperative gameplay mechanics make each scenario an interesting puzzle.

I got lcg
Image via Fantasy Flight Games

in Game of Thrones: The Card GameYou play as one of the Seven Great Houses of Westeros or as the Night’s Watch. Your goal is to collect fifteen Power Tokens before your opponents do and defeat Westeros. To do this, you’ll need to play a mix of powerful characters, locations, attachments, and events that come straight from George R.R. Martin’s books. You will also need to choose your plot cards carefully before the game because they will give you the element of surprise. Each house has its own strengths drawn directly from the source material. For example, the Lannisters are fabulously wealthy and win exciting battles with ease. The Starks attack quickly and seek early victories. Targaryens can burn their opponents to the ground with dragonfire.

Lovecraft board game
Image via Fantasy Flight Games

The horrors of HP Lovecraft’s original works have been adapted into many board games, but few have as high a quality gaming experience as Arkham horror. Arkham City, Massachusetts has a lot of interesting clues to discover and locations to visit, but it’s also full of horrific monsters. Through a combination of investigation and combat, your team will hopefully close all the portals to the Otherworld before the Ancient One awakens. If you fail, you will have to face this demon one last time.

Dune board game
Image via Dairy Wolf Digital

As the leader of one of the empire’s great houses, your goal is to achieve your goal Empire of Dune: Uprising It is to tame the planet Arrakis before your opponents and let the spice flow. You start with the unique Signet Ring ability and two agents. You’ll then interact with various locations from the books, including everything from the Sietch Tabr to the Landsraad Council Chamber, by sending your agents to them. Increase your standing with factions like the Spice Guild and Padishah Emperor, recruit powerful character cards for your deck, and win battles against your opponents to claim victory.

Sherlock Holmes board game
Image via Space Cowboys Store

Fans of the famous detective will love staying at 221B Baker Street Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective series. Each entry makes you feel smarter than the lead detective himself, and Carlton House and Queen’s Park is no exception. For some of the cases you’ll find in this chest, you’ll only need the Storybook and the map of Carlton Mansion. For others, you’ll get a large map of Victorian London to explore, as well as a collection of micro newspapers full of clues. These cases can be particularly challenging, but that makes them very satisfying as well.

Harry Potter board game
Image via OP Games

The wizarding world of Harry Potter Books and movies come to your tabletop in style Battle of Hogwarts, The deck builder is collaborative and easy to understand. Those who practice the dark arts attempt to take control of some of the most iconic locations in the series, including Diagon Alley, the Forbidden Forest, and the Chamber of Secrets. Players must work together to defeat these villains over the course of seven matches. Each game corresponds to one of Harry’s years at school and increases in difficulty over time.

Witcher board game
Image via thewitcheroldworld.com

in The Witcher: The Ancient World, You’ll wander the continent before the days of Geralt and collect trophies by slaying monsters and defeating rival wizards. The game map is huge, and the branching choice story mechanics add a lot of immersion. The deck building and character upgrade systems the game offers are also great. The individual game boards and other components are of surprisingly high quality. In addition to the deluxe version of Old world Comes with a lot of satisfying miniatures. For fans of the series, this game is an absolute must-have.

Board games based on classic books
Image via Cranio Creations

Golem is an underrated, action-packed engine-building board game for seasoned board players. It is based not on one book but on several books, which in turn are based on a classic folk tale from the Prague ghetto. Players take on the role of a rabbi, who, as in the story, creates a monstrous being out of clay to protect the city. The creature quickly becomes unruly and difficult to control, and this aspect of the story is perfectly depicted in the game’s mechanics, which put your engine on a knife’s edge. If your golem becomes too powerful, it will destroy everything it was meant to protect.

Single player board game
Image via Rio Grande Games

Friday It is a fun solitary experience inspired by the classic novel Robinson Crusoe. To start the game, you draw two Pirate cards, which become the opponent you will need to defeat in order to win. However, before you can confront them, you will need to face the dangers of the island. Defeating the Menace adds a stronger Battle Card to your deck and increases the odds of the Pirates finally arriving. On the other hand, Aging cards weaken your character and make it difficult to get Robinson off the island.

Sailing board game
Image via Fantasy Flight Games

Hidden roles and secret agendas take center stage on an old-fashioned steamship surrounded by Lovecraftian Deep Ones in Unfathomable, which borrows many of its mechanics from the classic board game Battlestar Galactica. When it’s your turn, you can move around the ship and perform the action at the location of your choice. In the boiler room, you can risk fuel to enhance the ship’s travels. In the cargo hold, you can pick up items. If you visit the captain’s quarters, you may be able to send another player to the prison on the ship. Human players need to defeat alien monsters and protect the civilian population on board in order to win. If you’re a hybrid, you’ll win when the Deep Ones manage to sink the ship.


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