10 Best board games based on IPs and franchises

Whether you’re looking for a gift for a fan or a great board game that has familiar dressings, these board games based on IPs and franchises will sort you out. behind their familiar faces are fantastic games to be enjoyed by all, however.

Jaws

Image: Ravensburger

Jaws encapsulates the arcs of the movie perfectly, with two stages that are so distinct they play like two completely different board games.

One player will become the shark, and the other will take the role of the three main characters who are trying to take the shark down. Stage One is a hidden location game where the shark must eat swimmers and sneak around Amity Island whilst the players must try to track him down and launch barrels. The second stage stimulates a tense battle as the shark tries to devour the boat and the crew.

Jaws is a surprisingly interesting game that remains tense throughout, thanks to the level of surprise in its mechanics. With two board game experiences and two totally different sides, you can expect four different ways to interact with it.

The Witcher Old World

Image: Rebel Studio

The Witcher Old World is a huge game with lots going for it, much like the games and books. Players will become Witchers from different disciplines to take on enemy creatures and each other for prestige.

Players will move around the map of The Witcher Old World to track monsters, acquire potions, gamble, solve events, and even do battle. Battling is awesome in this game, as your deck is both your offensive capabilities and your lives, so the more you attack, the more vulnerable you become.

A game that does not outstay its welcome and provides you with lots of opportunities, The Witcher Old World is a must-have for Witcher and strategy fans.

Marvel Champions

Image: Fantasy Flight Games

Marvel Champions is a cooperative deck-building game where you and your friends (or just you alone) must take on a villain of your choice using your curated deck.

Note that patience and lots of understanding are required for Marvel Champions, as you must build the deck yourself, and there are a lot of cards to choose from. Knowing what synergizes with what will allow you to become a powerful challenge to the villain.

Deck-building is a satisfying process, but only for those who enjoy doing so. Marvel Champions will let you and your friends become the ultimate force with the right strategizing, however.

Dune Imperium

Image: Dire Wolf

Dune Imperium is a complex worker placement game where players vie to gain victory points on the harsh planet.

A great worker placement system is used here that rewards players for using neglected spaces and allows for many approaches to victory, complemented heavily by the cards. Alongside this is the conflict system, where players fight for control of a specific space every turn to receive benefits when it’s used.

Interacting with the detailed action board whilst trying to keep ahead in the conflicts allows for exciting and varied turns that allow for lots of choice and strategy.

Star Wars Rebellion

Image: Fantasy Flight Games

Star Wars Rebellion is a tense one-on-one between The Empire and the Rebellion. Asymmetrical board games are always a great time, although both sides here are completely different.

The Rebels have a secret base that the Empire must find, and through this conflict, players can reenact the beats of the original trilogy and can alter history. The narratives combined with the engaging space and land battles are what make Star Wars Rebellion such a joy to play.

Great strategy is required for Star Wars Rebellion, as is an understanding of both sides of the conflict. Will history repeat itself, or will you change its course?

Disney Villainous

Image: Wonder Forge

Disney Villainous allows players to finish what six notorious Disney villains started. Each villain has their own board, objectives, actions, and play style, allowing for an immersive experience.

Although Disney Villainous isn’t directly competitive, each player can hinder and block other players using hapless heroes. This does mean that you need to know about all other villains to understand who’s ahead and who’s catching up.

Disney Villainous throws a lot at the players as there’s so much content, but when you understand everything, it’ll feel more like a tense race. There are many other expansions that add lots of other villains to play with.

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective

Image: Space Cowboys

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective allows any number of players to become detectives and solve the greatest of mysteries. In this game, mysteries are set in London, and there are plenty of questions that need to be answered.

Using any resources that the game gives you, like newspaper clippings, players must piece together ideas and evidence to create answers to the questions surrounding the case. When everyone feels they’re ready, you can consult Sherlock to see how many questions you got right.

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is the closest board games have gotten to true mystery-solving, and with so many expansions, the fun can keep going.

War of the Ring

Image: Fantasy Flight

War of the Ring is a huge board game that’ll have you reading through the rules before, during, and after play for the first few games. However, it provides an extremely accurate and close simulation of The Lord of the Rings.

The Free Nations fight against the Shadow as Middle-Earth is plunged into chaos. Both sides could scarcely get more mechanically removed from each other, and their victory conditions reflect that. Either side can win through military might, although the fate of the One Ring will also dictate who wins.

Through the cards and possibilities of War of the Ring, you can reshape the history of Middle-Earth. Again, the rules are grueling, and there is a lot going on, but War of the Ring is a strangely addictive puzzle that hardly plays the same twice.

Bloodborne The Board Game

Image: CMON

Bloodborne The Board Game allows players to become Hunters of Yharnam and engage in different campaigns that will spin different narratives, have different choices, and host different enemies and bosses.

Each campaign of Bloodborne The Board Game goes over three chapters, and each has rich stories, interesting challenges, unique mechanics, and awful creatures. The combat is tight and unforgiving, although it can lend itself brilliantly to teamwork and combos.

Exploring the streets of Yharnam has always been a daunting experience that has made me regret every step. The numerous expansions for Bloodborne The Board Game allow for new stories and enemies, meaning there is lots of fun to be had.

A Game Of Thrones The Board Game

Image: Fantasy Flight Games

A Game Of Thrones The Board Game is the definitive A Game of Thrones experience, where three to six players gather around Westeros to fight for the Iron Throne.

Like any other strategy game worth its salt, A Game Of Thrones The Board Game has engaging battles between minis on a map. What makes the game special, however, are the secret orders that get revealed simultaneously and the levels of diplomacy and diplomatic advantages that don’t just complement the game but are the game.

You will need to do much more than just win battles to triumph here, as tactful diplomacy and strategic positioning will gain you the influence and support you need to control the seven castles required for victory.

Now that you know about these brilliant games based on IPs and franchises, the hard part now is to decide which one you want to play first.

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