Stardate 2212020. Janeway here. As you may have guessed, my family is a bunch of nerds. Eric’s and my names are from Star Trek, my little sister’s is from Doctor Who, my brother was a Hobbit at my parents’ vow renewal, and we all play board games. Luckily for us, there are board games specifically catered to us nerds.
There’s a few different types of nerdy board games. First, there’s the games that take an existing game, and then change a few elements and stick a logo on there. Games like Harry Potter Munchkin and Star Trek Catan do this. In Harry Potter Munchkin, things are added, such as teachers and companions. It also involves the physical space you are playing in, by giving additional points for having plants in the room, with the Herbology card, or by the werewolf only fighting you if there’s a full moon. In Star Trek Catan, it’s essentially the same game, only the settlements are starbases, the ships are little Enterprises, and the robber is a Klingon bird-of-prey. But the game does add character cards, which give you extra powers and bonuses.
Then there’s the games that are more fully tied into the original media. Star Trek Panic is a fun one. It is based off the game Castle Panic, but I still think it’s cool. You have to protect the ship and repair the shields, and it feels like you’re in the middle of an episode.
There’s also Potion Explosion, which is a Harry Potter game that isn’t Harry Potter. You are at a wizarding school, and you have to collect marbles in order to make potions. The more combinations of potions you make, the more points you get. You can also use the potions to give you bonuses. There’s all sorts of games aimed for different fandoms, and they’re all sorts of fun. With games that are only slightly changed to fit a certain show, you have the advantage of already knowing how to play the game. But new games are always fun, too.
What’s your favorite fandom board game? Does your fandom have any board games?
Janeway out.