New board game alert. Modiphius this week let it be known that they were coming out with a Mass Effect Board Game. This is big news for a lot of people. And it is a reminder for me, I need to play Mass Effect. That said, I want to know more about this game because of a few things. So let’s dive into what is known about the Mass Effect Board Game coming out.

What To Know About the Mass Effect Board Game

First off, it’s an Eric Lang design. Eric Lang is known for such hit games as Blood Rage, Rising Sun, and Ankh. But that’s not it that he’s done. He’s worked on story and scenario focused games like Cthulhu: Death May Die as well and other games like the Bloodborne Board Game, Marvel United, and well, the list goes on and on. There is probably an Eric Lang game out there that you like.

The other big name is Calvin Wong Tze Loon. The big credit for him is not a board game. But instead that he has written on some big projects outside of board games. Crazy Rich Asians for one. The board game space is not a new space for him, though. One game that I enjoy a lot, Lands of Galzyr, he helped write for.

But what we know is the pedigree working on the game. And I think that is important to note. Because, right now we know that the Mass Effect Board Game is going to be a cooperative story driven game. That describes a lot of the big games that I pay attention to. So what is this one doing differently to intrigue me?

My Concerns

But I want to call out that this isn’t all roses. And when you look at comments or conversations and discord there are some immediate concerns brought up. For that reason, though, I thought it important to highlight the people working on it.

Modiphius has a hit and miss track record in the board game space. Let’s look at the Skyrim game that came out. It was met with middling praise. I need to play my copy still, but generally people thought fun, not great, from what I can tell. They create games, but none of them are that high.

Eric Lang and Calvin Wong Tze Loon, though, give me hope for the project. No offense to the previous designers, but Eric Lang is pedigree when it comes to the board game space. I believe that he is going to make a good game when I see his name attached to a game. It might not be a game for me, but I believe he’ll make a good one.

That said, there is still concern, will Modiphius let their talent really make a great game? Or is Modiphius a game company who is fine putting out mediocre games? I like the theory I’ve heard, you want games that some people love and some people hate because if someone loves your game, they will tell other people about it. Basically, you can’t please everyone. And Modiphius, I’m not accusing them of trying to make a game for everyone, but it feels like a concern.

What I’m Hoping For?

Well, first I want good game play. And I want a system that feels like a space adventure game. Right now, I know of three space big box games that I really like. One isn’t even that big a box. But Rogue Angels, ISS Vanguard, and Stars of Akarios. So it needs to go up against those, and it needs to do something different.

Rogue Angels is probably the closest to the plot feel. Emil Larson even describes the story as somewhat Mass Effect like. But that is a game with easy to follow rules. It has an interesting and well written story. And Rogue Angels lets the player decide on a lot of things, it is linear but linear with choices.

So I want to make choices that matter in a Mass Effect Board Game. I want the story to remember what I’ve already done. And the game play, I want that to be easy to pick-up with a good rule book. Basically, I want a quick to the table game with good story, good choices, and something that feels big. And finally, the story should not feel generic, it should feel like Mass Effect.

Final Thoughts on Mass Effect

When a game that is story driven and cooperative comes out, I’m generally interested. I like a good cooperative board game. And the Mass Effect Board Game is no different when it comes to that. I hear story drive and cooperative, I am there.

But, as you see, I am not without my concerns about the game. Mainly, can Modiphius make a game that stands out. Mass Effect is not a game that should just be middling. A lot of companies want that intellectual property. I guarantee it. So Modiphius needs to hit a homerun.

I think of other games, Nemesis for example, it’s the best Alien/Aliens game out there. It isn’t a licensed game. But people consider it the best one out there. I know that I love Rogue Angels. I got to play the prototype, and I want to play the completed game still. That sounds weird, I love the game. So, Modiphius needs to pay attention. Make a great Mass Effect game, otherwise, your game might be overshadowed by other space games.

It’d be funny, not for them, if they brought people into the hobby. People love Mass Effect, it’ll bring them in. But then, other games became the Mass Effect game for people to play. And just with the track record, it is a concern that I have.

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