Books into Board Games: Introduction

Photo by BGG user richardtempura

Note: I had composed one post about books adapted to board games, but it was getting a bit long, so I thought I'd break it up a bit.  

I'm a fan of the trend of adapting books to board games, which isn't that new of a trend.  Frank Herbert's Dune [we've got the Book on CD, Film Adaptation on DVD] was adapted to a board game in 1979, which is well-loved today, or at least ranks 65 on BoardGameGeek.  Another scifi classic, Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers [see also the Large Print Ed., Book on Tape, or Film Adaptation], also made its board game debut in the 70's, but it doesn't have as many fans. Of course, Dune looks cooler and isn't a war game like Starship Troopers, but it also takes twice as long (4 hours).

 Photo by BGG user ZiggyZambo

Anyhow, there are many books that have been made into board games.  BoardGameGeek presently lists 481 titles as novel-based.  I can't possibly discuss them all, but I'll mention a few over the next week or so. 

Also, if you have a copy of Dune and you're looking for someone to play, I'd be interested in giving it a try.