Recently my fiance and I decided that despite our love for videogames, we wanted to try something different that we could do together. Whenever we’re playing games, the communication is either to the back of each others head (Our desks are opposite each other) or through our headsets, and sometimes you just want to spend your hobby time with your partner. So, this brings me to board games! I’m not talking about the typical family style Monopoly, Cluedo, Scrabble etc (Which are all fun but maybe not all the time), I’m talking about the ones that mimic videogames in their excitement, storytelling and wonderful art styles. Oh and Miniatures, miniatures are a must for me.
Massive Darkness
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Massive darkness is an extremely fun roleplay game where your purpose is to explore dungeons, gain loot and wipe out any enemies you face. You get quests that you can set up or you can make your own (It’s basically a videogame without the buttons). The miniatures are absolutely stunning and a pleasure to paint and make your own. As you can see, there are a TON of miniatures to paint. LOADS of them.
The board consists of individual tiles that shape the map and give you a huge amount of different dungeons to explore. You can play it on your own or with friends, and it’s just such a joy to get stuck into.
Massive Darkness was bought on Amazon for about £110
Zombicide: Black Plague
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By the same makers as Massive Darkness, Zombicide: Black Plague uses the same system of tiles and questlines to make it an exceptional experience for any roleplay lover. As the title hints, the enemies are zombies and come in different types, getting deadlier each time. If you love zombie games then this is definitely for you! A lot of players now even make their own little walls to corridors and doors to give the board a 3D feel to it, so really you can do a lot to make it as personal as you’d like it to be.
Honestly, zombies can get pretty gruelling to paint but stick to it as they look so much cooler when you’ve added your own personal touch to them. I recommend going down to a craft shop and grabbing some model paints and brushes to get started! I use Citadel myself but it’s a personal choice which can be bought at Games Workshop individually or in packs.
Zombicide Black Plague was bought on Amazon for about £77
This War Of Mine
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For those of you that haven’t heard of it, This War Of Mine is an indie game that is inspired by the Siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War 1992 to 1995 and focuses on ordinary people trying to survive it instead of the actual military side.
You start in an abandoned house alone or with others and have to build devices and cook meals to survive. At night, you can pick one of your survivors to go out into the world and scavenge to bring goodies back home. The board game is just as exhilarating as you find items, get to know your survivors with awesome miniatures and character cards, and try to survive the scenarios. It can be played alone like the video game, or with friends and you have to try your very best to survive until the end of the war.
In my opinion, it is an astoundingly gorgeous game and really makes me think how lucky I am now to have had to go through such a traumatic time. And surviving until the end doesn’t always mean you get a happy ending with your characters. It’s a lesson that is a must to learn as well as being a fulfilling game to play.
This War Of Mine the videogame is available on Steam for about £15 and now has DLC following individuals as they tell their stories.
The Boardgame was bought in Worlds Apart in Liverpool for about £70.
This War of Mine Boardgame can also be found on Amazon for about £96.
Dark Souls 3
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Very much like Massive Darkness, Dark Souls 3 has tiles that can be switched around to create different experiences. It stays very close to the video games and kills you repeatedly and often. But that isn’t the end of this game! You go back and repeat, level up and get better gear and on and on. It’s a tricky game to master as you all may know, but a worthwhile experience that will give you a good few hours at a time of absolute joy (and anger probably).
Dark Souls 3 the videogame is available on Steam for about £40 and has DLC to add to your frustratingly enjoyable adventure.
Dark Souls 3 The Boardgame was bought on Amazon for about £90.
I hope you enjoyed my list, and try out one or more of these awesome titles!
All photos are by myself Prices I bought the boardgames for may be different to the ones now listed on Amazon Advertisements Share this:
