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Game Info
Year
2022
Collection
Ratings
Creator Score
Mechanic profile
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Description
The Thing is a game that mixes different mechanisms to create an experience that is as faithful as possible to that of the original film. It is a "hidden role" game, in which one player is initially the Thing and the others players are humans. The purpose of the Thing is to infect others, to prevent the survivors from escaping from the base (which can happen three different ways), or to try to escape with them by behaving as a human.
In addition to these elements, players also have to manage Outpost 31. On the map are the same rooms as seen in the film, and each of these rooms allows players to perform a different action. Human players have to feed themselves and keep the boiler and the generator on to avoid being in the cold and dark. The Thing will try to sabotage these places to make life difficult for humans...or not, trying to camouflage itself among the humans and infect them when the perfect opportunity presents itself.
The goal of the game designers was to bring the same personal emotions and paranoia that the protagonists of the film experienced to the gaming table.
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Playthrough
Let's Play THE THING | Board Game Club
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video yb2eKazbJl4
No Rolls Barred Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 8014 · mention_pk 129733
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- High tension from hidden role play and bluffing
- Strong thematic integration with The Thing IP
- Rich, emergent interaction due to encounters, testing, and board threats
Cons
- Rule density and complexity can slow onboarding
- Chaotic information sharing can lead to analysis paralysis during play
Thematic elements
- Paranoia, alien shapeshifter infiltrator; trust vs suspicion
- Antarctic research base at Outpost 31
- Asymmetric cooperative with hidden traitor elements and bluffing
Comparison games
- Infection at Outpost 31
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Blood tests / lab testing — Lab tokens and blood tests enable identifying who is human or Thing, driving key strategic decisions.
- Card-driven actions — Players draw and play action cards to repair, sabotage, or perform special actions; information about cards is limited to the leader.
- Dog tokens / kennel movement — Dogs move around the base via kennel cards, potentially spreading infection if discovered or triggered.
- Encounter-driven token mechanics — When two characters share a space, encounters occur and tokens are swapped, potentially revealing infection.
- Escape mechanics — Victory can be achieved by escaping via helicopter or other rescue options; endgame is triggered by chopper arrival.
- hidden traitor / social deduction — Some players are the Thing; others are humans. Trust is fragile and players must deduce who is human vs. Thing while pursuing base objectives.
- Weather / fuel management — A weather die affects fuel and heating; managing fuel and boiler/generator status is central to survival.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is not your grandma's thing infection at Outpost 31 this is a more complicated beast
- two characters go to a room that way they'll have an encounter
- the thing might get out and will start to play actively against us
- it's a lot of rules to learn in one head
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video qHJsNdZE1Zk
TableTop Wolf Top List at 0:41 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7875 · mention_pk 95657
Click to watch at 0:41 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong IP connection to The Thing horror classic
- Full map/board mirrors film setting
- Supports solo play with all characters
Cons
- Kickstarter version adds minis, base uses standees
- Stock and pricing considerations mentioned
Thematic elements
- alien/parasite infiltration based on The Thing
- Antarctic research base
- hidden-identity/traitor mechanic with testing others
Comparison games
- Among Us
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- hidden roles / traitor mechanic — Players secretly have to identify who among them is 'the Thing' while performing tasks
- solo compatibility with full character set — A solo mode exists where all 12 characters can be controlled
- task-based objectives — Players perform tasks to progress while surveilling others
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's basically a big game of Among Us
- the board game, the way they've done it, looks amazing
- I just want the price to come down
- the wife will probably actually play this one with me
- this looks like the perfect Monster Hunter game
- I went all in on this
- I am super hyped for this game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video G1WMKP-i0j4
Board Game Coffee Discussion at 4:35 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7743 · mention_pk 85329
Click to watch at 4:35 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Memorable social deduction experience among friends
- strong thematic flavor
Cons
- Memory of rules and match specifics may vary by group
Thematic elements
- paranoia, deduction, and hidden traitor
- Antarctic research station
- semi-cooperative with hidden roles
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Hidden traitor / deduction — players deduce who among them is the alien impostor
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we're giving away 50 games
- it's worldwide
- remember you can enter in every video
- the box is really heavy
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video CUHdv4XI6Sg
TableTop Wolf Discussion at 12:37 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7084 · mention_pk 88206
Click to watch at 12:37 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- all-in-one box convenience
- strong thematic integration
Cons
- heavy theme may not suit all players
Thematic elements
- alien parasitic threat, paranoia
- Arctic research base
- cooperative/traitor mechanic
Comparison games
- Nemesis
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative elimination — Players work to survive and survive suspicion until the end.
- hidden traitor — Some players are traitors; others cooperate against the threat.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a great entry level worker placement game for families
- Blitzball's amazing
- I would give this one a good solid eight or nine out of ten
- Final Girl is a great game
- I think this is a fine serviceable drafting game
- the thing is basically my version of Nemesis in all honesty it is an all-in-one box game
- it's just fine
- it's okay
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video tTa3MQtacsE
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 52:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6112 · mention_pk 111216
Click to watch at 52:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong thematic alignment with film; high tension and interaction
- Excellent production quality and components
Cons
- Can run long, particularly with many players; learning curve
- Rule complexity can slow play for newer groups
Thematic elements
- Alien infiltration; paranoia; survival under threat
- Antarctic Outpost; adaptation of The Thing film
- Thematic, tense, character-driven social deduction
Comparison games
- Battlestar Galactica
- Dead of Winter
- The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Accusation and testing — Leads to reveal of identities via tests; suspicion tokens drive tension
- Encounter phase / leader-driven actions — Leader assigns encounters and actions; resolution can alter who remains human
- Hidden roles / traitor dynamic — One player is The Thing; others are humans trying to survive and complete goals
- Room-based exploration / sabotage — Players move through rooms to repair or sabotage and manage threats
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this thing was a beast
- five actions five cards
- I love the action selection mechanism and I love how they vary in power from one to five
- the rondelle portion of this game did not disappoint at all
- it's a compact game; it's a small box
- the art is absolutely stunning
- Oceans digital upgrade
- Netrunner would be a great revisit
- this is not the same game as the Thing infection at Outpost 31
- the ritual boards have dual layer boards
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–5 of 5