Divinity Original Sin boardgame

Recreating the acclaimed RPG series in card and plastic.

While we usually deal only in pixels and microchips across these pages, we’re making a special exception for Larian’s new board game adaptation. Why? Because it cleaves so closely to the style of the games that they might as well have slapped Divinity Original Sin 3 on the box.

Any tabletop fan will know that fantasy dungeon crawlers are a dime a dozen these days. What makes DOStBG (hmm, not the best acronym) stand out is how elegantly it recreates the quirks of its source material.

The set-up is broadly familiar – joining a party of four adventurers, we select a character, represented by a plastic miniature and a handful of cards for our class and skills. A story book guides us through our quests, with prose to describe what’s happening, and instructions for setting up the cards and tokens representing each encounter.

It’s in combat that things get really exciting. As in the games, elemental magic is the star of the show. A set of easy to track mechanics allow you to douse enemies in oil before setting them on fire, pour rain over them to set them up for freezing or electrocution, and more. It ensures battles are far more than just rolling to hit – they’re tense, tactical puzzles of careful area control and status management, with the interlocking effects creating emergent strategies. When our rogue catches fire and we work out the best way to put him out is for our wizard to attack him with a water wand, I know we’re playing something special. ROBIN VALENTINE