
On my mark…and…Action!
Well we’re all stuck at home and looking for ways to pass even more time. With Valentine’s Day coming up it occurred to me that it might be worth planning an evening around a movie and board game combination. Or perhaps, you enjoy one half of this combination and wanted to see if there was a good example from the other side. To either end here are ten movie and board game parings that I think go pretty well together.
For this list, I tried to pick movies that were available on a streaming services, which I will list. I had a few other ideas and I may mention some of them as I go down the list but couldn’t find any that were readily available from a streaming site. Also, if you think of any examples or better fits for some of my listings please put them down in the comments. I know I’d love more lost gems to check out and would appreciate some more things to check out in my down time.
I’m also not doing any movie/game combinations that were obviously based on one another. Sorry, Clue’s not here.


Fortune and Glory & the Indiana Jones Franchise (Netflix)
For this I’m pairing in Fortune and Glory from Flying Frog Games. Fortune and Glory is a fantastic pulp adventure game where you’ll travel the world, delve in to ancient tombs, and recover lost artifacts. You can play this game competitively or cooperatively which adds to its appeal for me. It even includes a cliffhanger mechanic that can force you into even more harrowing situations. The game includes a wide assortment of pulp villains including Nazi’s, Mobsters, and cultists. It can run a bit long but we have tons of time on our hands right now.
As a couple of honorable mentions here I’ll throw out the Mummy from 1999, Sky Captain and the World of tomorrow, and the Phantom. There are so many others. For alternate games I have Eldritch Horror, the Adventurers, and Fireball Island.


Middara: the Unintentional Malum & the Seven Deadly Sins (Netflix)
Middara is an anime inspired dungeon crawler with a deep story built on top of a set of solid mechanics. The game is tough, fun, and forces you to think on your feet as you delve into the world of the story. It includes files online of the story section being read to you that you can download and play instead of reading through the story. The game is huge with tons of content and a nice story with cool reveals and fun twists.
For honorable mentions here I had tons of choices, for anime I could have gone with Fairy Tale, Is it Wrong to try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, and even old school titles like Record of the Lodoss War. For games I had just as many alternates including Arcadia Quest, Clank, and even the old school Heroquest.


Mansions of Madness & Locke and Key (Netflix)
This game is an app assisted delve into the fantastical worlds of HP Lovecraft. You’ll grab a group of investigators and drop into the dark madness inducing world of gothic horror. The app helps to randomize the modular map, keeps track of the characters, and remembers all of your clues and puzzles. The game comes with some fun scenarios of varying lengths and difficulties. There are also tons of expansions that help fill out your roster of investigators, mysteries, and monsters.
For honorable mentions here there’s the House series of films (2 is my favorite), Poltergeist, and 13 Ghosts. Game wise, good alternates would be Betrayal at House on the Hill (get the Legacy Version, the story is amazing), Mysterium, and Mystery House: Adventures in a Box.


Colt Express & the Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Netflix)
This goes well with the Ballad of Buster Scruggs which is a fun Coen Brothers western. The film is a series of six vignettes about life in the west. It alternates between funny, brutal, and touching. It’s a lot of fun and can be a great evening when paired together.
For game honorable mentions I thought about Great Western Trail, Western Legends, and Dice Town. For film honorable mentions I went with War Wagon, Silverado, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.


Toy Story & Stuffed Fables (Disney+)
Toy Story is a series of four movies from Pixar that follow a group of toys belonging to a young boy named Andy. Each of the movies is emotional, funny, and touching. There are deeply resonating moments all the way through that will have you alternating between laughing, cheering, and crying.
For alternate mentions I don’t really have a lot for this one. Film wise, I couldn’t really come up with another movie that matched this feeling or ideal, possibly Winnie the Pooh or most other Pixar films. There are also few family games that I thought fit here, I considered Villainous but it felt like it broke my matched property.


Terror Below & Tremors (Netflix)
Tremors is a movie where a small band of survivors try to survive in a small desert town while being attacked by giant sand worms. It features actors you’d probably not think of for something like this including Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, and a ton of, “that guy’s.” It also has Reba McEntire and Michael Gross as the Gummers, a gun toting, survivalist, couple that live nearby in their bunker. It’s a real treat. Both film and game are fantastic and tons of fun. While I have a particular appreciation for the first Tremors all of them are varying levels of acceptable.
As for honorable mentions, I don’t have any. These two are so perfectly lined up I just couldn’t think of anything else that fits into this category.


Chronicles of Crime: Welcome to Redview & Scooby Doo (Amazon/Boomerang)
Chronicles of Crime: Welcome to Redview is an app assisted mystery game where you play a group of teens solving mysteries in your home town. The game lets you question suspects, look for clues, and find the truth behind what’s going on in this sleepy little town. The game includes some fun mechanics on where the suspects are when questioned, a skill check feature that requires rolling dice, and your characters all have a curfew you need to obey or get in trouble. Welcome to Redview is an expansion for Chronicle of Crime base game and is family friendly. The mysteries are challenging but not impossible. There’s also none of the drug, murder, and violence found in the other versions.
For honorable mentions there were a lot of options here as well. For mystery programs there are Nancy Drew, Harriet the Spy, and a number of other Hanna Barbara series that featured similar setups of teen detectives and mascot (Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels are a personal favorite.) For games there is Stop Thief, Spy Club, and the Exit: escape room line of games.


Fog of Love & Return to Me (Netflix)
I honestly could have chosen tons of romantic movies for this one but I went with a smaller film called Return to Me. It’s based on a true story of a man whose wife dies and as an organ donor her heart is donated to a woman on her death bed. The two meet without knowing this and begin a relationship. The story is sweet, has a wonderful cast including David Duchovny, Minnie Driver, and Carol O’Conner. It’s a sweet story and a lot of fun. Also, I know at the beginning I said this was a great couples night but honestly, any two people can have tons of fun with this pairing.
For game honorable mentions I thought of And Then We Held Hands, Code Names Duet, and Patchwork. For film there are so many choices Marriage Story, The Princess Bride, or any one of over a thousand Hallmark films.


Zombicide & Zombieland (Hulu)
Zombicide is a massive, series of zombie games from CMoN. You play survivors going on a series of mission in a unrelenting apocalypse with an ever growing horde. There are multiple sets and settings for Zombicide, including fantasy and science-fiction. Any of these work for this list. The game is a fun group game with lots of variety. You can have bunches of fun planning an evening around both.
For honorable mentions I went with, Dawn of the Dead or Night of the Dead. There’s also some fun to be had playing City of Horror or last Night on Earth. For a more thematic pairing you could also go with Zombicide: Black Plague and Army of Darkness.


Godzilla: King of the Monsters & King of Tokyo (Hulu)
King of Tokyo is a competitive game where you and your friends play giant monsters battling for dominance. You roll dice, play cards, score points, and attack everyone in your bid to be the king. The game is fast, fun, and the deck of card powers gives you different abilities every round that change up the way every game plays out.
As an alternative to this I’d recommend an equally perfect pairing in King of New York and Rampage. Beyond that is Terror in Meeple City or Monstorpocalypse. Films like Pacific Rim and Kong Skull Island. If you want something away from the giant Toho line of films check out Colossal.
…and scene.
That’s what we have. As I said, if you have any other pairings or alternate films I’d love to hear them. I’m always looking for more movies and games to sink my teeth into. Until next time, stay safe and be well. CUT!!!