GAMERS DECIDE - adventure board games

[Top 10] Best RPG Board Games

SagaTakesAShot — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 02:00:35 +0000

Itching to go on an adventure but stuck at home? Explore and go on different quests through this board game list.

RPG is just the thing that adds great spice to an adventure, especially if we're thrown into a fantasy world and want to get immersed in it completely. While it may not be the Dungeons and Dragons experience you want, board games have some pretty good titles for RPGs.

Discover great narratives, go on epic adventures, and maybe even get to create your own hero while you are it, with these great RPG board games.

10. Descent: Journeys in the Dark (2nd Edition)

Descent: Journeys in the Dark (2e) Box

Would you like to play the treacherous overlord in this story? Or would you rather team up with others and become part of the party that saves us all? As the heroes it’s your duty to grow strong enough to quell the impending doom, while as the Big Bad, you have to make sure our heroes wished they left their dreams of becoming an adventurer.

What’s fun about Descent Journeys in the Dark (2nd Edition):

RPG but not too much roleplaying, but you get all the other components of RPG in it, so if you aren’t into the whole roleplaying bit, this game is great.
Easy start, if you want to introduce friends into RPG or if you would like to start out, the mechanics of this game are pretty easy to get by.
Solo and Party, there’s an option to play this game alone or you can even get several people for more player interactions.

9. Role Player

Rollplayer's Sample Hero Creation for Elf

Instead of coming in with a premade hero, why not create your own? Role Player allows you to create your own hero from their race, class, alignment, skills, etc… It’s a battle to create the best character out there. But your creation doesn’t stop there. As you go on your quest you can unlock new character features and even upgrade your equipment. Earn Reputation Stars the more you level up your character.

What’s fun about Role Player:

RPG aspect focus, character creation and building are the goals of this board game.
Can I use it in DnD? Why not use this to create your DnD character’s background? I tend to do this with other games too.
Solo play, the rule book shows you what tier you are depending on your end game score, yes, this game is very much solo ‘able.

8. Darkest Night (Second Edition)

Darkest Night (2e) Box and Components

The kingdom has fallen due to the necromancer’s wrath, you and your companions are part of the kingdom’s last heroes. It is up to you to save what remains of the realm. Can you bring about light once again to this realm? Or will you all fall victim under the necromancer’s hands?

What’s fun about Darkest Night:

Challenging, actually hard… this might inspire you to play it again till you actually win.
Dark fantasy theme, hits about right.
So many heroes, 29 to choose from.

7. Chaos in the Old World

Chaos in the Old World Logo

Play the role of a god. Each god has distinctive powers and their own legion of followers. Your goal is to use your diabolic abilities and powers to corrupt and enslave the Old World. Other gods are also out there trying to conquer the world. The desperate denizens of the Old World are also fighting back against the gods to banish all of you back to the Realm of Chaos. Who will get to rule the Old World?

What’s fun about Chaos in the Old World:

Owning a box makes you feel like a god, I’m not sure if there will be a reprint and it’s a hard game to find.
If you were a fan of Blood Rage, this was its predecessor.
Best 4, get the whole experience of the game using maximum number of players, while the game can be played by 3, it’s best as 4.

6. Arcadia Quest: Inferno

Arcadia Quest Box

In this stand-alone expansion, our story revolves around the guilds descending into a fiery abyss. Venture to the depths of the underworld and defeat the Underlord. While you and your party fight for a common goal they also have their own individual goals that may sabotage the other heroes’ quest. Dungeon crawl with us in this expansion of Arcadia Quest!

What’s fun about Arcadia Quest: Inferno:

Stand-Alone, you don’t need the base game but it’s still compatible with it.
Light Dungeon Crawl, if you want the RPG experience but don’t have the time to play for hours.
Replayability, with all the different heroes we have and the possible events/outcomes that may trigger.

5. Shadows of Brimstone: City of the Ancients

Shadows of Brimstone: City of the Ancient Cover Art for Rulebook

Here’s a little twist when it comes to character creation, Players get to create their heroes based on the Western Hero Archetype, such as the Law Man, Gunslinger, or Saloon Girl. Venture around the world with your party and encounter portals to the otherworld on the Plains of Targa to uncover the mystery of an ancient frozen city.

What’s fun about Shadows of Brimstone: City of the Ancients:

Refreshing setting, still well-into the fantasy genre but only set in the Old West.
Mine scenario or campaign, you have the choice of having a shorter game or a full-blown session.
3 core games, to expand the experience

4. Mechs Vs Minions

Mechs Vs. Minions Opening Banner Art

A fan of League of Legends but want a different take on the game? Mechs vs. Minions is a co-op tabletop campaign set in the world of Runeterra (the same setting as League). Players get to take on the role of four intrepid Yordles: Corki, Tristana, Heimerdinger, and Ziggs who join forces and pilot the new mechs against an army of minions.

What’s fun about Mechs vs. Minions:

Not exactly league, but the characters are there! And with a good game to boot!
Game is different per mission, when you check the contents of the box it makes sense.
Challenging co-op, the rules are easy enough but the missions can get tricky to work around, not to mention you have to think about how to program your mech and clear the objective.

3. Too Many Bones: Undertow

Too Many Bones: Undertow Box and Components

A stand-alone expansion of Too Many Bones, the game is a dice building RPG, meaning over the course of the game you get to build up your character and give him skills to better prepare him for the upcoming battles. Players will choose to play as one of two characters: Duster, an assassin, or Stanza, a bard.

What’s fun about Too Many Bones: Undertow:

1-2 players, I belong to a household where I either play alone or with one of my siblings. Due to the pandemic it made me appreciate games best played with 1 to 2 people.
Replay value, usually I’d say there’s a lot due to the choices of characters but this game offers a lot of unexplored content in your first playthrough, so you’ll have to go back to it in your next.
Enjoyable later, the rule book is a bit confusing to get, but once you understand it it’s a smooth ride from there.

2. Gloomhaven

Gloomhaven Minis

This is not the first time I’ve put Gloomhaven on my list, but I feel it deserves a mention here. This game is a “Choose Your Own Adventure” style of game where players will take on the role of a wandering adventurer with their own reason for traveling to this dark corner of the world.

What’s fun about Gloomhaven:

THAT RPG Experience, if you want to explore all/most of the aspects of RPG for board games.
Long Game, if you want something to keep you entertained for a long time, the campaign needs to be played in several sessions.
Big Box, Lots of content.

1. Mage Knight (Ultimate Edition)

Mage Knight Ultimate Edition Box

Similar to Gloomhaven; Mage Knight is another game I cannot help but recommend again. Mage Knight puts you in control of a powerful Magic User who seeks to explore and conquer the corners of the world that is currently under control of the Atlantean Empire. Build your army and learn even more powerful spells as you travel and explore dungeons and overthrow the rules of great cities. Opposing players may be great allies, but there’s only room for one leader in this world.

What’s fun about Mage Knight (Ultimate Edition):

Ultimate edition of a great game includes all the expansions
Co-op but only one gets to shine, friendly competition over here is well welcomed.
Card Management, keeps your head thinking even if you decide to play solo.

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The Underlord needs his throne.

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[Top 15] Best Adventure Board Games In the World

SagaTakesAShot — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 07:40:49 +0000

Welcome Adventurers! What quest would you like? You have 15 to choose from.

Looking for a board game to try out that feels a bit like a good video game? If you love RPGs in video games, then maybe you can try your hand out in adventure type board games. These games have the usual themes you’ll find in almost any adventure video game such as heroism, exploration, puzzle-solving and great stories, most of the time they even mix in a lot of fantasy elements. Completing an adventure board game can also be just as satisfying as completing an adventure video game.

If you’re curious as to what to try, we’ve compiled a list of 15 adventure board games that we love that you can try out and see which adventure you like. Let the quests begin!

15. Runebound (3rd Edition)

Runebound Map

Adventure games are perfect with a touch of fantasy in them, you get that mix in Runebound where you get to complete quests across a vast map using one of eight playable characters (your teammates choose from this pool as well). Your choices will lead you to either fight off 1 of the 2 game’s big bosses, the Corpse King or the Dragonlord. How will your party overcome these monsters and save Terrinoth?

What’s fun about Runebound (3e):

Rival heroes, you’re all racing to save Terrinoth…but doesn’t that make you in the same team? Not really.
2 scenarios, but a lot of things to do, so every playthrough has its own twist
Magic or Brawn, choose if you want to focus on magic or sheer strength.

14. Aftermath

Aftermath Minis

Humans mysteriously disappeared and we now enter a dystopian world. You and your companions are a band of rodents struggling to survive in this new world. Scavenge for food and supplies to build your colony for better chances of survival. Be careful as you journey outside your colony, several predators are out for the same thing, and you and your rodent family may just be their next meal.

What’s fun about Aftermath:

20 + story-driven scenarios, it may be a while before you are through with this game.
Plan and prepare ahead, don’t leave your colony defenseless, this is why we scavenge for good materials.
Writing, the stories on the information about this post-apocalypse game adds a lot of flavor. Makes the first playthrough really fun.

13. Mage Knight (Ultimate Edition)

Mage Knight Inclusions

This game is a good combination of deck-building, puzzles and other traditional boardgame elements mixed into one. You play as one of the four optional Mage Knights in the story and explore (and take control) of the Mage Knight universe which has been under the ruthless control of the Atlantean Empire. Will you be able to shift other cities to your cause or must you win over the land with an iron fist?

What’s fun about Mage Knight:

Co-op or Competitive, you can go against each other from the get go despite the common goal.
Solo is possible, want to hone your skills before you introduce the game to your friends? Mage Knight is fun alone and can be used for practice.
Card/spell/item management, the deck building feature is something I loved about this game.

12. Plunder: A Pirate’s Life

Plunder Box

How about a pirate’s adventure this time? Adventuring the great seas where riches and glory await you!. Command your fleet, wage war against other pirates and build and upgrade your ships with the best weapons and defenses. The game is a competitive strategy gateway played on a modular ocean map. The goal is to gain 10 Plunder Points by conquering islands, sinking enemy ships and burying treasure, just like an actual pirate.

What's fun about Plunder: A Pirate's Life:

Fun in the theme, the game itself feels like it’s up to the winds of luck but the pirate theme makes up for it (Well, a number of us had fun with this adventure game).
Easy Learning Curve, I’d consider teaching my family this game or at least my siblings.
Miniature ships, obviously a lot of care was put into making them and it makes the whole experience of controlling them fun.

11. Mice and Mystics

Mice and Mystics Box

Just like a fantasy book you (and some friends) are turned into mice! Things just became a whole lot bigger and more dangerous from your point of view. You and your fellow mice comrades now have to defend your kingdom against adversaries such as rats, cockroaches, spiders and let’s not forget the Big Bad housecat: Brodie. What will you and your companions do to keep yourselves safe from all these dangers?

What’s fun about Mice and Mystics:

Sharing Cheese, a great co-op game where you can share each other’s gains. There’s no backbiting here.
Storytelling, probably it’s strong point in making it a great adventure to go through.
Family game, may or may not be a good thing but I always look for games that I can introduce to my family.

10. Sleeping Gods

Sleeping Gods Box Art

Aboard the Manticore, a steamship where you play as Captain Sofi Odessa and her crew get trapped out on sea. In order to reach home you must awaken the gods by seeking out their totems in order to awaken them. Work together to survive, explore and meet NPCs as you search for the totems. Will you and your crew ever reach home?

What’s fun about Sleeping Gods:

Played in several sessions; you can save your progress and play another day.
Play with other people; you don’t always have to have the same band of friends play with you all the time. If one person can’t show up then have someone else fill the role for you.
Storytelling, it is a storybook sort of game so you can definitely expect great narratives from this.

9. Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe Box

Getting shipwrecked on a deserted island may be less than ideal. Being a castaway on a cursed island is even worse! But don’t worry, at least you are still alive and there might be other survivors too! And despite it being a cursed island, there’s still a lot of stuff you can work with. Will you be able to survive this crazy adventure? Play to find out!

What’s fun about Robinson Crusoe:

Fun in difficulty, well, you are a castaway and there’s nothing easy about that. Kidding aside, this game is actually difficult; be it if you play it as a solo adventure or co-op.
Fun Co-op, while this game can be played alone it shines as a great co-op game since there’s a lot of decision making to be made. It’s great to gather inputs from your fellow castaways.
Unepic ways to go, you can die in an unexpected way, I don’t mean dying heroic but you can get sad enough to die which makes you recount your in-game life choices to drive your character to die that way.

8. Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of Ashardalon

D&D Wrath of Ashardalon Box

When you think about adventure themed games; Dungeons and Dragons will probably be part of that list. Probably a whole campaign might be a bit overwhelming for new adventurers—so let’s start with something easier. With this story: A heavy shadow falls across the land, cast by a dark spire that belches smoke and oozes lava. Deep within the labyrinth lurks a red dragon. Level up and prepare before you fight this monster.

What’s fun about D&D: Wrath of Ashardalon:

What we love about D&D, creatures from the world? Check. Boons? Check. If you’re an old player then most of the stuff from a classic D&D game is here. If you’re new, this is your chance to get familiar with the game.
Simple Dungeon Crawl, maybe not for all but there are harder dungeon crawl games out there.
Campaign rules, while I do love a good homebrew, rules are needed so at least things stick to a certain track.

7. War of the Rings (2nd Edition)

War of the Rings Box

Based on its name, you can pretty much guess this is based on the novel series: Lord of the Rings. War of the Rings allows you to immerse yourself in the world of J.R. R. Tolkiens’s The Lord of the Rings. The game has both warfare and adventure components as it captures the epic battle featured in the novel. The players at the start of the game decide which side they would like to battle for. From there the opposing teams engage in warfare while trying to complete quest conditions at the same time.

What’s fun about War of the Rings:

If you love Lord of the Rings, probably one of the better board games that features this theme.
Adventure and War, it’s under both categories but seems to lean more to war board gaming.
Win Conditions, you can win by overwhelming your opponent or completing the quest.

6. Defenders of the Realm

Defenders of the Realm Box Art

The King has summoned you and other fine heroes to defend against the darkness that engulfs the land. You have to repair the outer borders of the kingdom that were affected and defeat 4 creature factions before they breach the city. While you are all allies in defending the kingdom only one can be dubbed as the King’s Champion.

What’s fun about Defender of the Realm:

You get attacked on all sides of the map, so planning on how to beat them before they hit the city goes a long way.
King’s Champion, good old friendly competition, depends on your group really.
Choose your class, they have their unique abilities, by the way, the enemy does too.

5. KOSMOS’ Adventure Game Series

Two Titles of Adventure Game Series

Similar to EXIT, KOSMOS has also created the “Adventure Games” Series. Each box is a different story. Explore places, combine items, talk to NPCs and try to solve the missions per story in this exciting series.

What’s fun about Adventure Games:

Replayability, while not as much as other games, it’s actually replayable as opposed to its escape room counterpart: EXIT.
Chapters, 3 chapters and no time limit, EXIT had a time limit which did not sit well with a lot of people.
A series, so several other stories and scenarios if you get invested, but if you want to choose one, people seem to enjoy The Dungeon.

4. Gloomhaven

Gloomhaven Box

Welcome to Gloomhaven, adventurers! Your journey starts here. You meet up with your fellow partymates (or if you’re alone) and complete the city’s quest. But this is only the beginning of your adventure. Soon you will venture further, discover more dungeons and treasures. What awaits your party? Your choices may either reward or punish you in the future.

What’s fun about Gloomhaven:

Big box, big fun: really, just look at the size of the box and the inclusions, you can tell that this is going to be a loooooonnnnggg campaign.
Several Scenarios to work with, you get your money’s worth by playing through all of them.
Retire a character, this option is given in the first few phases of the game, don’t like how your character plays, retire it and get a new one!

3. Legacy of Dragonholt

Legacy od Dragonholt Box

Set in the same setting as the Runebound universe. You are a seasoned traveler/adventurer on your way to Dragonholt. Celyse, a former travelling partner of yours has summoned you to the town, however something doesn’t sit right. Aside from the letter that states there might be an impending danger that requires your help, a note that says “Refer to my first letter” is written on the back of the letter. You do not recall receiving any previous notes prior to this one. Could the previous letter have been intercepted?

What’s fun about Legacy of Dragonholt:

Gateway RPG Boardgame, It has all the adventure elements you need to get used to the genre and is pretty simple to understand.
Character Creation, Just like D&D you get the opportunity to create your own Playable characters instead of choosing a premade one.
GM/DM free Choose Your Own Adventure, usually you would need a DM for these type of adventure games, here, not really.

2. Mansion of Madness (2nd Edition)

Mansion of Madness Inclusions

Now the role of the keeper is replaced with the app. All of the players take the role of investigators trying to solve a mystery of a cursed mansion. There are different scenarios to choose from and you’ll have to set the map accordingly. You and your team must navigate around the map and keep yourselves and your teammates safe from any creature that you may encounter while trying to solve the mystery.

What’s fun about Mansion of Madness:

Lovecraftian Lover, if you’ve loved his books now’s your chance to face some of his creations via this board game.
App-Driven, the 1st edition had a keeper instead of the app, now all of you can join in on the fun. The app guides you through instead of the keeper.
Expansions, seems like replayability is possible with all the things they add to the deck and new investigators per expansion.

1. Eldritch Horror

Inside the Box of Eldritch Horror

The world is now under threat of being destroyed by an Ancient One- an elder being who is intent on destroying the current world. You, and your fellow investigators take it upon yourself to uncover the mysteries of the Ancient One in order to prevent the world from its demise. The Ancient One may not be the only horror you have to face in your quest. The world is full of mysteries and every choice you make affects the future of the entire human race.

What’s fun about Eldritch Horror:

Travel the World, you most likely will.
Lovecraftian Lover, Like Mansion of Madness every time a monster from the books pop up you, can’t help but remember the lore.
Easy to learn, definitely easier than its predecessor. It’s something you can start out with if you want to try out co-op board games, maybe start with a lower player count.

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Main Image caption:

When we said 'adventure' we didn't think we'd be fighting giant tenticled monsters.

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