American comic book publisher Image Comics’s Invincible and Walking Dead series‘ captivating stories have been taking the world by storm in recent years, inspiring multiple TV shows, video games, board games, action figures, and a ton of collectible products. This year marks both series’ 20-year anniversary, and fans of both franchises will be very pleased with what we’re about to share next.
Celebrating both series’ popularity and critical acclaim, two brand new board games titled The Walking Dead: The Dice Game and Invincible: The Board Game have been announced. They will be developed by British miniatures and board game publisher Mantic Games in collaboration with The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman’s multi-platform entertainment company Skybound Entertainment.
Attendees of the San Diego Comic-Con in late July, and Gen Con in early August will have a chance to play both games as pre-launch editions. The games are expected to be released sometime in late 2023, a time which will also coincide with the print debuts of The Walking Dead and Invincible 20 years ago.
Staying True to the Original Comics and Being Just as Fun
Both games will use the original art styles of both comics, something that fans of the series are bound to appreciate. While The Walking Dead caught the eyes of the wider public most recently with the critically acclaimed live-action TV series, games, and movies, sticking to the original source is a terrific idea, one which is sure to bring more eyes to the tabletop hobby and the original comic book. The same can not be said of Invincible, which will have it much easier, as its popularity is due to the violent animation series which closely follows the original source’s aesthetics and art.
Both games will be using typical card-and-dice mechanics to play, focusing on the unpredictability of a dice roll and card draws, which while taking control of the game away from the player brings an extra level of excitement unlike any other. Therefore, we can conclude that both games are very suitable for players who don’t mind putting their fates in luck’s hands, at least on the tabletop. Additionally, the choice of such mechanics strangely fits both franchises’ worlds – both their dark superhero and post-apocalyptic zombie worlds are full of unpredictability and uncertainty.