20 votes

Turning popular video games into great board games is a lot harder than it sounds

13 comments

  1. [5]
    blitz
    Link
    Before I read the article I was thinking "no, actually it sounds pretty hard." Video games can do a lot of calculations and keep track of rules for you, so turning video game rules into board game...

    Before I read the article I was thinking "no, actually it sounds pretty hard." Video games can do a lot of calculations and keep track of rules for you, so turning video game rules into board game rules often leads to very complex board game rules.

    And yep, that's what the article is basically about.

    41 votes
    1. [4]
      Eji1700
      Link Parent
      It's why i wish the inverse was done more often. Games like gloomhaven/twilight imperium/dune all benefit from having a system tracking what's going on rather than having players manage a million...

      It's why i wish the inverse was done more often. Games like gloomhaven/twilight imperium/dune all benefit from having a system tracking what's going on rather than having players manage a million small interactions.

      14 votes
      1. yosayoran
        Link Parent
        Absolutely agreed But it has to be done right, I'm thinking of many of the Yu-Gi-Oh games that came out over the years and they either dumbed down certain mechanics or made them unintuitive to play.

        Absolutely agreed

        But it has to be done right, I'm thinking of many of the Yu-Gi-Oh games that came out over the years and they either dumbed down certain mechanics or made them unintuitive to play.

        3 votes
      2. CptBluebear
        Link Parent
        It is happening more often I feel. There's the ones you mentioned, but also Wingspan, Axis & Allies, and others have had success as videogames adapted from boardgames. This decade alone had more...

        It is happening more often I feel. There's the ones you mentioned, but also Wingspan, Axis & Allies, and others have had success as videogames adapted from boardgames. This decade alone had more boardgames adapted than ever. One of the largest added benefits is of course the lack of setup time.

        Setting up a board like Axis & Allies takes at least fifteen minutes of five people building the set. A videogame lets you instantly start the game.

        But you'll miss the social aspect of boardgames. There's loads of boardgames that benefit from the social aspect that's lacking in the videogame counterpart. Axis & Allies especially (just a good example in general so forgive the over reliance in making my point) feels much more cohesive when you can discuss strategy with your allies in person.

        I think the article underlines that even when it's not mentioned directly and focuses on the mechanics rather than the other stuff that makes boardgames boardgames.

        Even so, there's benefits to either medium and it doesn't have to translate 1:1 every time.

        3 votes
      3. JXM
        Link Parent
        They benefit even more from having an app that does it for you. When my friends and I play Gloomhaven, we always use an iPhone app that keeps track of monsters and their stats. It makes things so...

        They benefit even more from having an app that does it for you. When my friends and I play Gloomhaven, we always use an iPhone app that keeps track of monsters and their stats. It makes things so much easier.

  2. OneEyeMercy
    Link
    We have the Stardew Valley board game. It's fun and well balanced, but it is A LOT. It must have taken ages to work all that out.

    We have the Stardew Valley board game. It's fun and well balanced, but it is A LOT. It must have taken ages to work all that out.

    5 votes
  3. [7]
    Halfdan
    Link
    Okay, Polygon only offers an ACCEPT button to their surveiliance, and the links to their Cookie Policy, Private Polity and Terms of Use are all dead. What a shit site! Anyhows, computer games are...

    Okay, Polygon only offers an ACCEPT button to their surveiliance, and the links to their Cookie Policy, Private Polity and Terms of Use are all dead. What a shit site!

    Anyhows, computer games are a way more immersive and successful medium that board gaming. I sort of feel a bit like those adaptations reduces board gaming to some sort of cheap tie-in merchandise, rather than becoming something of its own right, as we see with novels-to-movie adaptations (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Die Hard, Jaws, Psycho, Jurassic Park)

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      lou
      Link Parent
      Those are all great movies.

      Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Die Hard, Jaws, Psycho, Jurassic Park

      Those are all great movies.

      3 votes
      1. sparksbet
        Link Parent
        I think that's their point -- these are adaptations of novels to movies that created great movies that are quite different (and far more popular) than their source material. Whereas these board...

        I think that's their point -- these are adaptations of novels to movies that created great movies that are quite different (and far more popular) than their source material. Whereas these board games feel like cheap tie-ins rather than their own unique great games.

        3 votes
    2. [4]
      Requirement
      Link Parent
      I mean, walk down the aisle at target and tell me it's not cheap tie-in, largely nostalgia-driven, garbage. Even as a big consumer of board games, the 45000 branded Monopoly games creates distrust...

      reduces board gaming to some sort of cheap tie-in merchandise

      I mean, walk down the aisle at target and tell me it's not cheap tie-in, largely nostalgia-driven, garbage. Even as a big consumer of board games, the 45000 branded Monopoly games creates distrust in the industry as a whole

      1 vote
      1. UOUPv2
        Link Parent
        All the Targets I've been to have a pretty good selection of board games. Off the top of my head it's where I bought Settlers of Catan, Pandemic, Cards Against Humanity, Wink, and Betrayal at the...

        All the Targets I've been to have a pretty good selection of board games. Off the top of my head it's where I bought Settlers of Catan, Pandemic, Cards Against Humanity, Wink, and Betrayal at the House on the Hill.

        1 vote
      2. [2]
        Halfdan
        Link Parent
        Well, it is kind of clever to take a game created to illustrate capitalism, and change its theme to that of imperialist warfare.

        Well, it is kind of clever to take a game created to illustrate capitalism, and change its theme to that of imperialist warfare.

        1. Requirement
          Link Parent
          Monopoly is monopolizing the games aisle!

          Monopoly is monopolizing the games aisle!