10 TV and Film Tie In Board Games

Just as George Lucas stole the aesthetics of war films for his space battles, the X-Wing miniatures game took its rules from First World War fighter game Wings of War. And just as Lucas’s film became an instant classic, so did X-Wing.

Hidden planning, exciting maneuvers, and a variety of great miniatures mean that this remains hugely popular into its second edition. Sure, collectable games can be a huge sink for time and money, but they also have their own passionate communities, and if you want to try one that X-Wing is hard to beat.

Based on the 21st century reboot, this game sees you playing the crew of the Battlestar Galactica on your desperate search for a safe home. It captures the tension of the show, as players cooperate to try to reach Earth while battling the cylons both without and within.

BSG is a cooperative game in which it’s hard for one person’s quarterbacking to ruin the fun. The fact that there’s a hidden traitor or two adds to the excitement, as you try to work out who is betraying the rest. It makes for tense, exciting games, though maybe a little too tense for some – I have a friend who still won’t play after being stitched up by cylons nearly ten years ago.

Another game that perfectly captures the tone of its TV show, Spartacus is a strange mixture of low scheming and high violence. Take on the role of slave owners in ancient Rome preparing your gladiators for battle. Put their lives on the line for your glory and profit. Plot to bring each other down, but be careful not to move too fast, or you might miss your chance.

The arena combats spice up a game of negotiation to keep things varied. It can be enjoyed whether you watched the show or not, but if you did then there are few things more satisfying than slamming down the right card and yelling “Jupiter’s cock!” in your best Batiatus voice.

The Expanse game is an odd one. Instead of playing the sci-fi show’s lead characters, you play the political figures working in the background, the heads of the great factions vying for control of the solar system. Politics, intrigue, and conquest all play their part as you vie for dominance.

But don’t worry, the crew of the Rocinante are still there. In a mechanic that’s odd and yet a perfect simulation of the TV show, they flit around the game like a wild card, turning up wherever things are most intense, and usually making them worse.

Sure, Risk is an old game, and one that’s been surpassed in many ways. But its core mechanics still work well, making it a beloved classic. Add a map of Middle Earth, and you get an entertaining few hours of struggle between the forces of light and darkness.

If you want to wallow in a double dose of nostalgia, combining a classic game and images from a classic story, or if you just want a familiar game your family can understand, then this is an easy choice. One couple I know enjoyed it so much they got engaged with the one ring that accompanies the set.

Here’s a fun video to watch :

Another combination of existing properties, Disney Codenames combines a modern party game with beloved characters from the house of mouse. 25 image or words from Disney films sit in a grid on the table and you have to clue your teammates in on which are yours, without giving it away to the opposition. Can you come up with the right clues, or will you accidentally hit the one card that guarantees you lose?

Codenames is rightly well loved, and if you want to get kids playing then Disney characters are a great hook.

Do you long to return to TV’s most unfairly cancelled show? Then this is the game for you. Grab a ship, recruit a crew, and roam the ‘Verse on a string of exciting missions. Full of characters and situations from the show, this game is widely loved by Firefly fans.

Having said that, I have to make a confession. While I love Firefly, I don’t like this game. I tried it once and bounced off it hard. The worst part is, so many other people rave about it that I know I’m wrong. But much like Mal, I’ve got a stubborn streak that’s keeping me from something I’d love.

Two Star Wars games in one list – isn’t that excessive?

Honestly, no. Several of the best tie-in games are set long ago in a galaxy far, far away. I’ve kept it down to two, but I couldn’t leave either of them out.

Imperial Assault is the Star Wars equivalent of a dungeon crawling adventure. Each game sees a band of rebel agents take on the massed forces of the Empire. You can play a force user, an angry wookie, or a smuggler with a heart of gold. And with the expansions, you can bring in practically any character from the film franchise.

With its finely crafted miniatures and its evocative, ever-changing board, Imperial Assault is a visual delight for Star Wars fans. The ongoing campaign lets you chart out the stories of your characters as they grow in skill, accumulate cool new kit, and develop nemeses to defeat. My players curse any time I bring trandoshan hunters to the board, but maybe yours will learn to hate the probe droids, stormtroopers, or even Darth Vader himself.

There are a bunch of different tie-in games using the Legendary card mechanics, but none capture the spirit of their source material better than the Alien set. Each game plays out the events of one of these classic sci-fi films, as you face the grotesque face huggers and everything spawned from them. You build your deck as you play, trying to create card combinations that will let you fight off the aliens, even as they close in…

Legendary Alien is a little fiddly to set up for a card game, but absolutely worth it. Just imagine the tension of drawing cards from your deck, knowing that one of them was panted in you by a face hugger, and any moment now it’s going to burst out…

Inspired by classic kaiju movies, King of Tokyo is a game of brawling monsters battling to be the last beast standing. And yes, technically you can win on points, but is that really winning when you could be knocking out a giant ape?

Easy to learn and play, with a fast pace and fun visuals, King of Tokyo is the fun, light face of city-trashing violence.