PAX has brought bigBorderlandsnews to Vault Hunters and tabletop gaming enthusiasts alike. In addition to announcing an analog adaptation of theBorderlandsfranchise, players who spring for the collector’s edition will receive bonus gaming components.
The tabletop game, dubbedBunkers & Badasses, is based on Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep—one ofBorderlands2’s DLC expansions.The expansion is framed as a tabletop RPG session led by Tiny Tina, where the Vault Hunters act as player characters inBunkers & Badasses, which is theBorderlandsuniverse’s equivalent toDungeons & Dragons. The formerly fictional RPG has been developed by Nerdvana Games, and is currently available for pre-order at a discount.
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Just before it announcednew skill trees coming toBorderlands 3in 2020,Gearbox devoted part of its digital showcase to revealing some of the components for the role-playing game. The heart of the game, theBunkers & Badassessourcebook, carries a $59.99 price tag. But the deluxe edition will include a battle map, a “Bunkermaster” screen, customized dice, 10 miniatures for player characters, and 50 enemy standees. The deluxe edition will retail at $119.99 upon release, but can be pre-ordered for $99.99 until September 30th.
In the game’s introduction, Randy Pitchford assures viewers that the full-color, hardbound sourcebook will be made with the highest quality components, as would the deluxe edition components. Pitchford also detailed some of the content available in the sourcebook, mentioning three specific campaigns. In addition toAssault on Dragon KeepandThe Merchant’s Quest for the Wizard’s Wand, the book will also detail a direct sequel campaign toAssaulttitledButtstalion’sHoney Heist, as well as irreverent annotations from Tiny Tina.
This isn’t the first time Gearbox has collaborated with Nerdvana Games for a Tiny Tina-themed tabletop game. At last year’s PAX East,Gearbox revealed a card game titledTiny Tina’s Robot Tea Party.
But Nerdvana may have some stiff competition in the form of another in-universe board game coming to real-life tables. Riot Games is set to release aLeague of Legends'-themed board game,Tellstones: King’s Gambit, though that title’s release date has yet to be announced, and it will likely fill a different niche than a pen and paper RPG. WhileBunkers & Badasses' precise release date also has yet to be announced, the pre-order page estimates it will arrive in the first quarter of 2021.
There is also plenty of freshBorderlandscontent to tide players over, including the aforementioned skill tree update, and the fourth and final DLC forBorderlands 3’s season pass,Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck.Krieg’s return toBorderlands, will likely prove itself a crowd-pleasing move, even though the psycho is not a playable character in the expansion.
Borderlands 3is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One. The franchise’s tabletop adaptation,Bunkers& Badasses, can be pre-ordered now.
