It's an odd feeling, reporting on a Nintendo-based fan project like the Fire Emblem Board Game. That's because, as wonderfully-crafted and obviously filled with passion a project like this is, every bit of media that reports on it brings it one step closer to being taken down by Nintendo. So if you're a Fire Emblem fan, you'd better be quick to snatch this board game up before Nintendo puts it into a state of permadeath.
Brother Ming is an aspiring board game designer and active player of Fire Emblem Heroes, the surprise hit mobile game based on Nintendo's strategy RPG series. Heroes currently lacks any kind of live player vs. player option, so Brother Ming took it upon himself to make one in board game form. What results is a fast-paced game that remains true to Heroes' mechanics.
As a mobile game, Heroes was designed to offer quick, easy-to-grasp games that could be played in passing. But as a Fire Emblem game, it also has a deeper layer of strategy for those who care to get invested. It turns out that board games make a perfect match, offering the same things. Brother Ming was “inspired by the board game design philosophy of quick, fast, but deep gameplay” Kotaku reports.
The average match of Fire Emblem Board game takes about 15 minutes to complete. But with 75 cards based on various Fire Emblem characters and 9 different map boards, there are more than enough strategy combinations to keep you coming back for more. Brother Ming also created expansions to add more cards to the game, as well as the option to custom order characters that aren't already available.
Perhaps the only downside to this idea is that it is in no way backed by Nintendo. And as Nintendo fans have experienced many times in the past, the company is ruthless when it comes to taking down fan projects. Even when it doesn't have any actual products available to compete with the fan project. What furthers Brother Ming's eventual downfall is that he has now started charging money to provide fellow fans with the game. Granted, he's only doing it to cover printing costs. And he does provide the option to simply download the images and print them yourself for free. Still, combining cash transactions with fan-made product is just asking for a Cease and Desist notice. So if you're at all interested in the Fire Emblem Board Game (and you should be), you should summon it now before it meets its end by Nintendo's mighty ban hammer.