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Board James
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Portrayed by
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James Rolfe (2009-present)
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Occupation
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Board Game player
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Character's First Appearance
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Mouse Trap
DragonStrike (on-screen) |
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Friends
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Opponents
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Status
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Alive
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Latest Appearance
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Resident Evil Survivor
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- "I'm Board James! And when Board James is bored, I play some Board Games!"
- —Board James
- "That wasn't me.... THAT WASN'T ME, IT WAS THE FUCKING PHONE!!!"
- —Board James pleading his innocence
Board James is the name of the main protagonist (and also hidden main antagonist) in the series of the same name. As the Nerd is a comical, fictional representation of James Rolfe's video gaming life, Board James is his comical representation of his board gaming life. Usually accompanied by Motherfucker Mike and sometimes even Bad Luck Bootsy, Board James plays and "reviews" rather obscure board games, yet sometimes rather popular ones, whether they be good or bad.
In episode 25, it is revealed that the Nerd and Board James are one in the same, being two personalities living in the same body. The ending of the episode implies the Nerd persona completely overtook Board James.
Board James has a cameo near the end of the AVGN episode Resident Evil Survivor tossing the Nerd a Super Scope from the shadows in order to defeat the Tyrant, confirming Board James is still alive.
Overview
Mental State
Board James is possibly mentally deranged and insane, and may have Schizophrenia. In the Mr. Bucket episode, Mr. Bucket comes to life and tries to suck his testicles, a chase ensues and ends with the plastic toy being drowned.
However, in the Dream Phone episode, he experiences the Dream Phone threatening him and killing both Mike and Bootsy, but it is still uncertain who the assailant was. When the police arrived, all they found were two bodies, a broken Dream Phone, and Board James laughing.
Later, in the Ouija Board episode, Board James brings them back to life via the spirit world. Seeming, of course, that Board James did not murder his friends.
And further, in the Urkel Games episode, when Motherfucker Mike and Bad Luck Bootsy put on the Steve Urkel glasses, they tell Board James that he has no friends, and not to stress about it. Board James goes through flashbacks of previous episodes involving Mike and Bootsy, although without them, as if they were imagined on James' side. The scene ends with James talking to Mike and Bootsy, only to find that they had disappeared, seemingly validating the story. In Board James 25 James Starts to see the Nerd and as the episode progresses his Behavior starts to be like the Nerd's, it is revealed that The Nerd and James are the same person, hinting that James may have Dissociative Identity Disorder and The Nerd is just an alter who fronted at the end of the episode (not necessarily meaning The Nerd overtook James forever).
Cameo in AVGN Games and The Crow
He appears in the Nerd's AVGN Games episode, seemingly mentally stable. As in the video, the Nerd is reviewing fan-made games about him, when Board James comes in (uninvited) and hands him an Angry Video Game Nerd Monopoly game.
After showing off all of the creativity the game has, the Nerd is impressed, but asks Board James how he broke out of prison. Board James says he used a "Get Out Of Jail Free Card", referencing Monopoly's card to instantly bail your way out of prison. However, the Nerd is not convinced, asking him "Didn't you kill your friends or something?" Board James gets extremely angry, yelling at him saying that it was the phone, not him, before storming out of the room. The Nerd, not even touched by being cursed out, remarks how much Board James looks familiar (poking at the fact that Board James and the Nerd are played by the same person).
Board James also appears at the end of the AVGN episode The Crow, complaining about why he never gets a Halloween special. The Nerd promises Board James will get one after Halloween, and then he sees the game 13 Dead End Drive.
In the AVGN's episode Resident Evil Survivor, Board James gives a Super Scope to the Nerd, letting him kill a boss. This implies that Board James managed to survive Motherfucker Mike blowing his ship up with a missile in the Battleship universe.
Playing Alone
Since apparently getting out of prison, Board James has been playing board games by himself. In The Omega Virus episode he fought and killed three robotic clones of himself, or at least appeared to. Then in Lie Detector, the game's cards began to speak to him, saying Board James was the one who killed his friends all along. This was also a first for the Board James series: an episode with two endings, a "TRUE" and "FALSE" ending. Regardless of which ending the viewer chooses, Board James still insists he is innocent.
The Return of Mike and Bootsy
Through a series of very unusual events, "Motherfucker" Mike and "Bad Luck" Bootsy seem to have come back to life. In the Ouija / Domino Rally episode, Board James attempts to contact the dead spirits of Mike and Bootsy, but unsuccessfully.
Then he begins to play ''Domino Rally'', when suddenly the planchette from the Ouija board knocks all the dominos down by accident. The planchette begins to move on its own, spelling "AW SHUCKS" on the Ouija board. Board James takes this as a sign that Bootsy's spirit is trying to contact him, and begins a seance with the help of a book with a demonic face on it.
Board James faints after cutting himself, and awakens to a strange reality where Mr. Bucket and the Dream Phone have come back to life. Then Elvis Presley comes in to destroy the pair of possessed toys, and Rodney Dangerfield appears. After playing some games with the two, Board James suspects that they are really representations of Mike and Bootsy's spirits, and has them touch the planchette together.
Board James, "Motherfucker" Mike and "Bad Luck" Bootsy all appear in the real world. However, they both insist that Board James not worry about what happened, and never talk about it again. Exactly what this means is uncertain, but Board James ends the episode with the lines: "Quoth the raven, nevermore".
Bootsy and Mike reappeared in the episode 13 Dead End Drive.
Hang Man
In the 13 Dead End Drive episode, a collection of newspaper articles discovered by Mike and Bootsy discuss the Hang Man murders with the article reading "The killer connected to the mass murders has been found. A storage unit of dead bodies found recently was the can of worms that the case opened up. The storage unit was full of board games and now corpses too. The clues were presented by old crime partners Mikey and Boris." After Mike, Bootsy and Board James die in the episode, the scene shows the Hang Man, who bears a striking resemblance to Board James but with longer hair in his prison cell reading the instruction manuals for Wacky Blasters, Omega Virus, Dragon Strike and Tornado Rex as two fellow inmates yell for him to keep it down, both sounding similar to Bootsy and Mike. The episode ends with the Hang Man doing the Nerd's trademark frown and his execution can be seen in the season finale Nightmare.
The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures 2: ASSimilation
Board James as he appears in The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures 2: ASSimilation.
Board James has an appearance as a sub boss in The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures 2: ASSimilation in the level Board James 2 You'll Get Caught Up as he crosses paths with the Nerd after killing Boosty and Mike.
After killing Board James, you get the achievement (on Steam) "He looks familiar," referencing that Nerd and Board James are the same person.
Also, after killing Board James, the Nerd ironically says, "Glad I'm not him!" again, referencing that him and Board James are the same person.
Trivia
- There are several hints to The Nerd and Board James being the same person in the Urkel Games episode (the one before the big reveal)
- Board James' angry expression when Motherfucker Mike says the reason Board James idolized Urkel is because he is "such a nerd".
- Board James' foul-mouthed, aggressive yelling at Bootsy to hike up his pants which seemed highly unusual for the usually calm Board James.
- Board James' remark of "no, they wouldn't" when Motherfucker Mike says that the Urkel Glasses would suit him.
- James Rolfe confirmed in his special "Board James Mythology Explained" that Board James is a reincarnated version of the Hang Man following his execution.