Mass Effect Is Getting a Tabletop RPG This Year, and It’s Looking Promising

mass-effect-the-board-game-banner-1

The next Mass Effect game may still be a few years away, but at least you can enjoy exploring Bioware’s sci-fi universe in a new board game. Modiphius, the creators of tabletop board games from many franchises like Fallout, Elder Scrolls, and Dune, are releasing Mass Effect: Priority Hagalaz - The Board Game. Okay, a simple title that gets the job done, and it’s looking really good.

The board game takes place in the year 2186, during the events of Mass Effect 3. The game follows Commander Shepard leading his crew as they explore a cruiser ship from Cerberus, while stuck in a storm on the planet Hagalaz. It’s a story-driven game that supports up to 4 players, with the franchise’s signature branching narrative structure and squadmate side-quests and loyalty missions.

The game’s “card-driven AI” will respond to players’ choices, influencing missions all the way to the end. The announcement confirms that the game will include Liara, Tali, Wrex, and Garrus from the games as Shepard’s teammates, though it remains to be seen if other characters from the series will make an appearance. Even if you’re not a fan of board games, you’ll probably want to pick it up for the 32mm scale miniatures of Shepard, FemShep, Liara, Tali, Wrex, and Garrus.

The Mass Effect board game is being designed by Eric M. Lang and Calvin Wong Tze Loon. Lang is known for his work on Bloodborne: The Board Game, Ankh: Gods of Egypt, and Marvel United, while you’ll recognize Loon from his work on…Crazy Rich Asians. We didn’t see that coming.

While this would make it the first Mass Effect board game in the franchise, it’s not Normandy’s first voyage into the realm of tabletop RPGs. Almost a decade ago, a special edition version of RISK, the popular strategy game. We also had a special Mass Effect edition of Monopoly, but Modiphius’ new game looks like it will finally adopt the video game franchise’s mechanics to the table in a meaningful way.

Related: New Mass Effect Tease Reminds Us Mass Effect Is Still Alive

No other information has been revealed yet, but you can sign up on Modiphius' website to receive more news as soon as it drops.

Mass Effect: Priority Hagalaz - The Board Game will be released later in 2024. The next Mass Effect game is being developed by Bioware and currently sits without a release date.