The Unfortunate Reality of Intellectual Property Board Games
I love a good intellectual property board game as much as the next person, and have a ton of them in my collection. Whether it’s The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, or the like, board games based on franchises can be a lot of fun for those who love said franchises. But what happens when your gaming group doesn’t care, or a similar game does the concept just as well? Let’s take a look at one franchise in particular. Grab your walking sticks, because we are heading to Middle Earth with The Lord of the Rings!
Two of my favorite games of 2025 were The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship and The Lord of the Rings: Trick Taking Game. As a massive The Lord of the Rings fan, I knew these games were going to be things I liked, especially since I like Pandemic and I like The Crew. While these games are slightly different, they are still heavily based and themed to The Lord of the Rings. So should a non-fan check it out? I honestly don’t think so.
Both of these games work so well because they are either built on, or copycats of, very successful franchises that people absolutely love. Pandemic, the precursor to Fate of the Fellowship, and The Crew, the copied experience by The Lord of the Rings Trick Taking Game, are both wildly successful, well polished experiences that, on their own, are fantastic. That makes suggesting to a a non-Lord of the Rings fan to play heavily themed Lord of the Rings game seem somewhat ridiculous. These games are firmly based on The Lord of the Rings, and having a solid understanding of Middle Earth doesn’t just make these games better, it’s what makes these games tick. When that knowledge isn’t present, the game doesn’t hit quite the same. It is probably why Horrified: Dungeons and Dragons wasn’t as impactful for me as it was other people; I frankly don’t care much for Dungeons and Dragons.
So for a non-fan, play Pandemic instead of Fate of the Fellowship, and play The Crew instead of The Lord of the Rings: Trick Taking Game. They are just as good, and you won’t feel lost playing them.
Article By Adam
