As Kickstarter continues to fill up with tabletop adaptations of films, video games, comic books and even other board games, it’s sometimes worth considering how much of a creation must remain untouched when being transformed into a game.
This month, we take a look at several games that base their origins in existing worlds. There’s the Arkham Horror: The Card Game (an adaptation of an adaptation, if you will) that demonstrates how to pull the best facets of a universe and weave them into new shapes, maintaining the cosmic horror and unforgiving nature of its board game namesake and H.P. Lovecraft’s stories while applying fresh living card game mechanics to create an experience that feels fresh but fitting. Another smart reimagining of an existing board game can be seen in Pandemic Iberia; very much a release for existing Pandemic fans that makes good on its premise of battling historical diseases.
On the other hand, there’s the anticipated take on cult movie Labyrinth, which fails to capture the original spirit of the 1980s movie, and Conan, which spoils its outstanding gameplay by attempting to fully portray author Robert E. Howard’s world of warriors and monsters – with all the 1930s racism and sexism intact.