Bringing the Future to the Table: Tabletop Games You Should Be Excited About for 2018

2017 was a pretty banner year for board games, with solid releases like Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate and the announcement of cool new projects like Fallout’s own tabletop game. And it feels like the industry itself is having a great renaissance of amazing ideas that any tabletop gamer should be excited for. But even more so, creators in the Shapeways community have shown time and time again that they can take these games and make them better.

There are a ton of great things happening in the 2018, but today I just want to bring your attention to just a few of the really cool things we know for sure are either happening or will be part of the cultural zeitgeist for this year. I’m incredibly excited, and I hope it rubs off, because these things have me really amped up for the new year in tabletop games.

Lay Waste(Land) to Your Table

As I mentioned before, the announcement of a tabletop version of the Fallout universe being put together by renowned TTG company Modiphius felt too good to be true. Then I looked at the miniatures, and I knew it was too good to be true. However, despite all my self-assurance that something this awesome couldn’t possibly exist in a world this damaged, Fallout: Wasteland Warfare is getting ready to drop in March 2018.

While the original release date was November 2017, it’s not like Modiphius has kept a lid on what exactly they’re working on. If you’ve been keeping tabs on their Instagram like I have, you’ve seen the new updates and character models that the designers keep steadily releasing for our hungry eyes to gobble up. For any tabletop gamer who’s also a fan of the Fallout series, this game is pretty much the greatest thing ever. Pre-orders are available now, so pick it up today and get ready to turn your game room into a post-apocalyptic wasteland!

D&D’s Mainstream Critical Saving Throw

If you’re a fan of Stranger Things or other shows like Harmon Quest, then you know that Dungeons and Dragons is coming back in a big way (and the Shapeways designer community is so, so ready). Shows like this have been popping up around the new media landscape, leading many to hear a bit more about D&D than they ever thought they would in the 21st century. After all, the game got a really tone-deaf movie back in the ’90s starring Jeremy Irons alongside Shawn Wayans, so wouldn’t that give it license to just kind of limp away into obscurity?

I’m here to tell you, with a gleam of childlike glee in my eyes: Nope!

Actually, D&D is getting a new movie and I’m praying to Bahamut it’s handled a bit better than the last one. However, that’s neither here nor there. What is definitely both here and worthy of your attention is how much fun the Internet is having with the classic game once again. Shows like Save or Dice, Critical Role and Dice, Camera, Action! have made pen-and-paper RPGs no longer a stereotypical activity nerds did in their basements. Here, they’re playing it for all of the world to see, and it’s incredibly engaging. Dungeon Masters craft worlds for players to inhabit, and those players breathe life into their characters and have amazing adventures. It beats the hell out of daytime TV, that’s for sure.

Sure, this all is doing a ton for D&D’s brand presence, but what I’m really interested in is the hope that this resurgence of one of the most iconic tabletop RPGs out there leads to a trickle-down effect of new players trying more games like it in the future, bringing more new blood to the TTG community. And if some just end up sticking with D&D, that’s fine too. There’s a mystical peddler in the Shapeways Marketplace that they need to meet.

The Greatest Action Movie of All Time Is Getting Its Own Board Game. You May Freak Out Now.

There are some that may say that Big Trouble in Little China isn’t the greatest action movie of all time. While those people are wrong, I can still respect their opinion (I guess). However, you can still smugly look them in the face and ask: “Where’s your John Wick board game?”

BTiLC: The Game looks like a mash-up between stat-based dungeon crawler board games like Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate and Munchkin. However, the writing and quests you complete have the same braggadocio-laden tone and swagger that ol’ Jack Burton himself has. Pit yourself against the minions of Lo-Pan and save Little China (and the world). Or die trying and literally go to hell and back to complete your quest. Either way, it’s going to be one awesome ride. Expect Big Trouble in Little China: The Game sometime in the next couple months.

Creators, tabletop gamers, citizens of the Internet — with just three points, I’ve highlighted a small taste of the greatness 2018 has to offer: traversing the wastelands once more at my game room table, getting way too into D&D, and watching a grown man’s head explode in the back alleys of Little China. With so much more yet unannounced, so much more out there just waiting for the right opportunity to land on our collective radars, I’m incredibly excited to see what’s next.

What about you all? Do you have a game or other rumbling in the tabletop universe you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear about it. Until next time, happy gaming, and happy creating!