It seems as if popular tabletop titles heading over to novel format is becoming a popular trend once a system is established. Seeing a fair few of our favourite tabletop games - from miniatures to board - head on over to the pages of a paperback to provide more insight into the game system as part of a wider universe.

Pandemic: Patient Zero // Z-Man Games & Aconyte Books

As far as miniatures games go, The Black Library is no stranger to us all. However, with the recent announcement that Zombicide will be teaming up with Aconyte Books, shortly after Fantasy Flight's collaboration with popular titles such as Keyforge and Arkham Horror, it seems that other board game publishers are not so far behind them.

Z-Man Games are now in the process of teaming up with Aconyte Books too. With an upcoming novel entitled Pandemic: Patient Zero, based on the incredibly popular board game series - Pandemic

Readers will be taken back to basics, prior to a pandemic breakout, as the story follows a team of epidemiologists containing and tracking outbreaks before the world becomes consumed in chaos. The story pits Bodhi Patel amongst the wildlands of South America, in search of the rumoured mutated virus in an attempt to stop the spreading and being weaponised, as this virus is being held in the hands of a dangerous warlord.

Given the current unprecedented times, Aconyte Books have raised a statement in their Press Release from the publisher, Marc Gascoigne, surrounding the topic and how this has affected the release:

To say this series has been long in the planning would be an understatement. Patient Zero was completely written and about to be announced in early Spring 2020 when… well, we all know what happened next. Even with a message as positive as the one enshrined in the game and the novels, the timing wasn’t right. Now updated, it truthfully and respectfully captures the courage and sacrifice of experts in the field, and shows what can be achieved when teamwork, cooperation, and empowerment are put to the test.

Z-Man Games have announced that Patient Zero will not be the only book coming to our shelves too. Confirming that this particular novel will be the first in its' series. Patient Zero is the first to release in September 2021, and two other novels confirmed for release in 2022.

What tabletop game would you like to see a series of novels for?