Cardboard Cinema: ‘The Godfather’ Board Game Looks Cool, But Does It Look Like ‘The Godfather’?
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Back in 2016, we first learned that CMON (formerly Cool Mini Or Not)was making a board gamebased on Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece,The Godfather. Now, after over a year of designing and playtesting and tweaking and playtesting and playtesting (as is the board game way), theGodfather board gameis about to hit shelves. And as a new trailer reveals, it looks cool. Really cool, even. Maybe even “day one purchase” levels of cool.
But does it actually look likeThe Godfather? That’s the question, isn’t it?
Watching the trailer gave me flashbacks to Electronic Arts' 2006 video game take onThe Godfather, which took the plot of the 1972 film and retold it through the eyes of a new character who just so happened to bejustoffscreen for every major moment from the original movie. It was a bastardization of everything that made the movie great, a celebration of violence,Grand Theft Autowith fedoras. And I played it for dozens and dozens of hours. It was a blast. It wasThe Godfatherin name only, but I’ll be honest: I had a card time getting too worked up about that because it was so much fun.
So a board game titledThe Godfather: Corleone’s Empirethat borrows the iconography of the films while seemingly sidestepping everything makesThe Godfatherand its first sequel stand out from the rest of the gangster movie pack? Been there, dealt with that. If it’s a good game, that probably won’t matter too much, right? Yeah. Sort of. Kind of.
It certainly helps that CMON is a publisher known for quality control and that game designerEric Langis one of the best guys working in the business. I’ve yet to play a game published by CMON that didn’t look and feel amazing on my table, and I’ve yet to play a game designed by Lang that wasn’t stuffed with unique mechanics and fascinating ideas. IfThe Godfather: Corleone’s Empirewas just called “Gangster Town” (or something, you know, good), I probably wouldn’t be hemming and hawing right now. I’d be all-in. Instead, I have to temper my excitement ever-so-slightly. After all, this game promises tons of explosive gangster action and brutal confrontations – but theGodfathername promises something a little bit more than that.
And while I know for a fact that I’ll be playingThe Godfather: Corleone’s Empire(and will probably take a much closer look in a future edition of Cardboard Cinema), I have to wonder what a tabletop game that truly feels likeThe Godfatherwould play like. I imagine a trailer for such a game would have less focus on plastic men fighting each other on a board. I imagine there would be a lot more focus on negotiation, discussion, avoiding conflict, and arranging violence encounters that completely blindside the victim. A perfectGodfatherboard game would pause every round or so as everyone settles in for a family function and makes a great pasta sauce.
It’s easy to scoff and say “Do you actually expect a board game to honestly feel like the movie it’s based on?” And I’d respond with “Yeah.” While licensed board games based on films and television shows used to represent the bottom of the barrel of the industry, things have changed in the past decade. Companies have started trusting more interesting publishers and more talented designers with their titles, resulting in board games that share a famous title while also evoking the feelings associated with that title. A tabletop game based on a beloved movie can now be an extension of that film, not a cheap cash-in.
And if I’m going to be honest with you, a pretty greatThe Godfathergame already exists…it’s just not calledThe Godfather. Gale Force Nine’s board game adaptation of the FX seriesSons of Anarchyis the best crime-based tabletop game I’ve ever played, and I don’t even like the show it’s based on! Don’t let the ugly graphic design fool you – this game is a ferocious, slumbering beast.
Here is a game about controlling a gang of criminals and moving illegal product and earning money that makes conflict sound like a poor decision at all times. Much like the characters inThe Godfather, players inSons of Anarchydon’t want to fight. Fighting is costly. Fighting has an element of random chance. Fighting can lead to grudges and wars that would wreak havoc across the board and leave everyone unhappy. So the design encourages players to talk, to negotiate, to avoid going to the mattresses until they absolutely have to. Every game leaves me feeling exhausted in the best possible way. Running a criminal empire is hard…and more about using brute force as a threat than anything else!
To be perfectly fair,The Godfather: Corleone’s Empirecould very easily value negotiation over violence and discussion over open conflict. Past Eric Lang designs have emphasized conversation as much as furious dice rolling and area control. I only wish this trailer offeredGodfatherflavor beyond the obvious…and I hope the final game evokes the movies themselves while delivering a terrific tabletop experience.
The Godfather: Corleone’s Empireshould hit shelves onJuly 28, 2017.Preorder now on Amazon.
