The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Game

Over the past few weeks, the team at GamesReviews.com has been diving into everything The Elder Scrolls. We have had team members looking at the Elder Scrolls V: Oblivion Remaster, team members looking into Elder Scrolls Online content, I have personally written up a review of The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era from Chip Theory Games, and now we are looking at another board game, this time from Modiphius. Let’s explore The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Game.

What impresses me most about Skyrim – and we will refer to this games as Skyrim from here on out – is the variety of different play options available here. It can be done as a cooperative campaign, you can enjoy the game in a free roam mode that provides more of an emphasis on story, and you can even play competitively. I like how easy it is to save the game from one experience to the next, and that although it’s a bit of work to get this tabled, it’s made much easier by decisions made by the design team.

But most of all, I enjoy how this makes me feel like I’m playing a video game. Quests, combat, exploration, and more – you will be traversing across Skyrim visiting various cities and strongholds, upgrading your characters, completing quests, and collecting tons and tons of stuff.

It’s Skyrim on the board, and I’m here for it. Where as The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era is a very contained, 3 scenario run in VERY specific locations, this adventure game from Modiphius gives you that sense of grandeur and adventure. Skyrim’s a HUGE place afterall, it should take a while to explore it all.

So what is the trade off here you might ask? How can they possibly give you that Skyrim video game experience without a controller in your hands? Rules, rules upon rules upon rules. This board game version of Skyrim is not for new board game players, and those who want a deep experience will need to put in as much time learning rules, referencing rules, and more. There is a ton to dig into here, and we can only scratch the surface of what you can expect if you pick this up.

This game is rules heavy and there are different, very specific rules for a wide variety of different situations. Combat works this way, except when it doesn’t because now it works this way, all dependent on what you are doing, where you are, who you are fighting, and more. It’s a lot, and as a veteran board game player, I think it’s a lot more than it probably needs to be. It might be the one thing holding this experience back, although just a bit.

Ultimately, what you put into this experience is what you will get out of it. There is a lot to learn; there is a lot to read; there is a lot to remember. But if you are committed, if your group of friends is committed, I’m not sure there is a better game on the market right now that gives you the same sense of adventure.

Modiphius is the same company behind the Mass Effect board game that we reviewed last year, and while that is a FANTASTIC experience on it’s own, it doesn’t give me that 1-to-1 experience that this game provides. This is it – this is a video game in a box, with all the pros and cons that go along with it.

You might have noticed I haven’t really gone into the nitty gritty of the gameplay experience, and that’s for good reason. First, there is no way for me to accurately explain to you how this game works. Anything I say here will make it seem so much simpler than it is. Each round is simple – flip an event card, move your character, do your encounter depending on where you land. That is the core system, and that, in and of itself, is pretty simple. But it’s not, and again, that’s not a bad thing.

This is a game for Skyrim and Elder Scrolls video game fans. If you are just looking for an adventure game, I think there are other games out there – Mass Effect for example – where you need so much less knowledge to still have a great experience. But if you love the Elder Scrolls, and more specifically, if you love Skyrim, this game will be everything you want from a board game experience. The storylines here are familiar for longtime fans, but still unique enough that it will be interesting. You’ll get to explore so many cool storylines and ideas that are NOT present in the video game, but fit into the overall lore. Those stories are top notch, and almost unrivaled when it comes to adventure board games.

Again, I’ll stress that I think this game works best when played by those with some Elder Scrolls familiarity. While it’s a solid board game all around, I’m not sure the average board game player, regardless of their board gaming abilities, will want to put in the work necessary to experience the fantastic adventure.