League of Legends Board Game: Could We Get An IRL… | RiftFeed

League of Legends Board Game: Could We Get An IRL LoL-Themed Game?

More 09-12-2023 13:30

Everybody knows League of Legends is a video game, but it wouldn't be the first video game to be turned into a board game. Games like Skyrim and World of Warcraft did it, so why shouldn't League. Here is my take on how a LoL-themed Board Game could look. 

Crime city twisted fate
League of Legends Board Game: Playing cards would certainly be necessary. | © Riot Games

This would be my own take on how a League of Legends Board Game could look.

League of Legends Board Game: Battle On The Howling Abyss

The Goal of the game is to breach through to the enemy nexus and destroying it. You must navigate through the dangerous howling abyss, overcome challenges, and strategically deploy your champions and minions to outmaneuver your opponents.

Components aka What do you need?

  • Game Board: A detailed representation of the Howling Abyss map, featuring bridges, towers, and the two Nexuses.
  • Champion Cards: Each player starts with a set of champion cards representing their team. Champions have unique abilities and stats.
  • Minion Cards: Representing waves of minions that move automatically across the bridge towards the enemy Nexus.
  • Objective Cards: Randomly drawn objectives that players must complete to gain advantages or stop their opponents.
  • Item Cards: Power-ups and enhancements that can be acquired by champions during the game.
  • Event Cards: Unpredictable events that can impact the game, such as sudden Blizzard's from Volibear or ambushes from the (you guessed it) bushes.
  • Tower Tokens: Placed on the board to represent the defensive structures on each team's side.
  • Nexus Tokens: Representing each team's Nexus health.
Volibear
Volibear could be a guardian on the Howling Abyss. | © Riot Games

Gameplay

  1. Setup: Players choose either the Blue or Red Side and receive their corresponding champion cards. Minion cards are shuffled and placed face-down on the board. Objective Cards, Item Cards and Event Cards form a separate deck.
  2. Turns: Players take turns in a clockwise order. On their turn, the player can perform the following actions:

    Deploy a champion: Place a champion card on the board within their own territory.
    Move a champion: Move a champion a certain number of spaces along the bridge.
    Attack: Champions can attack enemy champions or minions in their range.
  3. Minion Movement: Minion cards move automatically towards the enemy Nexus on each player's turn. Players must strategically position their champions to defend against minion waves.

    Objectives: Players draw an objective card at the start of their turn and try to complete it for rewards or to hinder opponents.

    Tower Defense: Players can deploy tower tokens to reinforce their defenses. Towers automatically attack enemy champions and minions within their range.

    Nexus Assault: To win, a player must breach the enemy's defenses and reach their Nexus. The player who destroys the enemy Nexus first wins the game.

    Event Cards: Players draw event cards at specific intervals or when certain conditions are met. Events add unpredictability to the game, creating new challenges or opportunities. They add replayability to the game and make sure no Battle on the Howling Abyss is like the one before. 

To keep the game interesting you could add new Objectives, Events, Game boards or even whole new champions with different abilities to the game. Butcher's Bridge for example could be a map with special new Objectives and Events with a special Pirate theme.

Butchers Bridge
The Butchers Bridge could be another game board for the Battle on the Howling Abyss. | © Riot Games

League of Legends: Battle on the Howling Abyss combines strategic positioning, champion abilities and unpredictable events in a board game format. 

How would you make a LoL-themed Board Game?

Erik Feldengut

Meet Erik, a writer on the Riftfeed content team, specializing in League of Legends and Gaming.

His daily routine revolves around gaming and watching others play, with a side gig at TU Ilmenau studying 'Applied Media and Communication Sciences'...