Books become board games

One of the new board games our family is enjoying is “The Pillars of the Earth.” It’s based on the popular Ken Follett novel of the same name. Each player represents a team of builders trying to gather and use the most materials to build a magnificent cathedral in medieval England.

Novels have inspired several good board games over the years, including “A Game of Thrones,” “Dune” and, of course, several versions of “Lord of the Rings.” Particularly interesting was the way publisher TSR combined Tom Clancy’s “The Hunt for Red October” and “Red Storm Rising” into a scenario in which the Red Army was hard-pressing the NATO forces in Germany on one board while the Soviet Navy was trying to intercept the NATO reinforcements crossing the Atlantic on the other board.

Boardgamegeek.com, the source of the links on this posting, is a great site for all sorts of information about board games, especially strategy games for teen-agers and adults. It even has its own list of games based on books — or games based on movies that were based on books. Check it out. Maybe one of your favorite stories became a game and you never knew it. If you do see a game you want to get, there are various sources on the Internet, but I’d encourage you first to call a local game dealer. Some of them will give discounts for games you order, and, at least in my opinion, it’s a good thing to spend your retail dollars in support of local merchants.

Evan