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Dungeon Crawl board games are one of the most popular board game genres today and if you have not played one yet – you should!
The excitement of working together with other players to fight your way through a labyrinthine (dungeon) environment while battling monsters, solving puzzles, looting treasure and avoiding traps is a truly epic experience.
Inspired by dungeons and dragons, dungeon-crawl board games are being released ALL THE TIME – each game bringing with it a new theme, mechanic or aspect to the genre.
Because there are so many options with Dungeon Crawl board games – we are spoiled for choice – it’s hard to know which to choose.
In today’s article, I am going to be looking at what I believe the top 10 dungeon crawl board games are and why they deserve their top spot.
The Top 10 Best Dungeon Crawl Board Games
1. Gloomhaven
Players: 1 – 5
Duration: 120mins – 180mins
Gloomhaven is by far my favorite dungeon crawler board game. The game is based on a personal Dungeons & Dragons campaign that was so good the players decided to turn it into a board game.
Originally released in a 2015 Kickstarter campaign, the game received extremely positive reviews. In fact, the game was so popular with players that the second printing on Kickstarter in 2017, raised $4million with over 46,642 backers.
It’s even had a video game version created in steam for players wanting to play the game on their PC’s.
That’s insane for a board game!
And here’s the reason why:
Gameplay
“Everybody’s got to eat”
Gloomhaven is a fantasy-themed campaign that is played by 1 – 4 people. The difficulty of the skirmishes scales depends on how many players there are.
The game can last multiple hours and is generally best broken up into multiple sessions.
Each player in Gloomhaven starts as an individual character with their own special traits and abilities.
The game does not use dice. Instead, each player controls their character by using the unique action cards that have multiple abilities and effects.
When you and your party are ready the adventure begins. Players play cooperatively to level up their characters, defeat skirmishes and earn loot. The aim of the game is to work as a team to defeat objectives in dungeons and progress your character along the way.
The game is a legacy game. What this means is that player decisions within the game are persistent and have very real consequences for how the rest of the game will play out. This means that the game is dynamic, every campaign you play will be completely different to the last.
Turns of the game start with a player choosing 2 cards to play out of their hand. The number on the top of a card is the players’ initiative and determines play order.
The cards also have a top and bottom ‘ability’ – these are usually offensive and defensive moves.
Unlike other dungeon crawl board games – items in Gloomhaven are never destroyed (technically you can reset the board – although this would be difficult and I’ve never had the need to do this).
Skirmishes in Gloomhaven are called scenarios. There are over 75 scenarios in the game and it is unlikely you will play them all in one play through.
Scenarios in the game are objective-based tasks that require players to fight through hordes of enemies to achieve a goal.
After each scenario – it is up to the part to decide how the game continues. Much like a ‘choose your own destiny book’ – it is the players that determine their own fate and how the game will progress.
This gives the game an immense amount of freedom – it feels like an open world where nothing is linear, your party is making the choices and changing the game as you go.
Pros:
- Unique card system
- Multiple hours of gameplay
- Game is incredibly immersive
- Classes are unique and have different abilities/play styles
- The game is balanced
- The rules are clean and easy to read and understand
- Loads of different enemy types keeps the game interesting
- Replayability
Cons:
- Enemy AI could use a bit of a tweak – movement is very simple
- The game can feel grindy
- Game takes a decent amount of time to set up
2. Descent: Journeys in the Dark
Players: 2 – 5
Duration: 120mins
Descent is a game that is very similar to Dungeons & Dragons – except it does not require you to learn how to be a dungeon master or spend the time using your imagination to come up with campaigns and all the planning that goes with it.
Descent is basically Dungeons & Dragons Lite. It is the perfect first dungeon crawler board game for those players that are new to the genre.
The first edition of the game was released in 2005 and was immensely popular with gamers. The game has progressed into the second edition which essentially streamlines the game and the rules.
The game is all about time management – players sprint around a grid-based map, leveling up, collecting items and racing against the clock.
Gameplay
The game is played with 2 – 5 players and unlike Gloomhaven – one of your players is the bad guy!
That’s right! One of the players in the game gets to be the ‘Overlord’. The overlord has one goal – DESTROY THE OTHER PLAYERS!
In the game the heroes (players that aren’t the overlord) cannot die – this makes Descent a race against time.
The players rush around the map trying to achieve objectives while the overlord tries to quash their attempts (e.g. trying to rescue a character while the overlord tries to kill that character).
The games missions are either stand-alone or can build into connectable big campaigns.
Each mission gives the heroes and the overlord different win conditions which determine the outcome of the mission.
At the start of each mission the overlord is able to choose a set of monsters that will attack the heroes – making for some very unique and interesting scenarios.
Combat in the game is dice driven (D&D Lite!) and the terrain is made of interlocking hexagonal tiles.
Players have a stamina/fatigue mechanic and have to decide how they play their turns very strategically.
The game is a lot of fun and the artwork and theme elements are brilliant. Descent is a great introductory dungeon crawl game for new players or those just getting into the genre!
Pros:
- Character Variety and advancement – very well implemented
- Monster variety
- Overlord Mechanic
- Variation in missions
- Customization of the game
- Replayability
- Quality of components – A class
Cons:
- Game length – only 3 – 4 hours (pro or a con depending)
- Balance – Some situations are mathematically unwinnable
- Monster Health – most monsters are 1 hit kills
3. Claustrophobia
Players: 2
Duration: 45mins
The details of the pre-painted miniatures and the artwork of this game are on another level. It is one of the best-looking games I have in my collection
Game components aside. The game itself is a brilliant scenario-based dungeon crawl board game with a fantasy theme.
The game is set in the post apocalyptic city of New Jerusalem where underneath the city, lies a dark and evil secret.
Demons begin to appear from the depths and threaten the city and humanity as a whole.
The redeemer (a religious warrior) is tasked with defeating these demons and saving humanity.
The story of Claustrophobia is very deep and you uncover it as you play. I don’t want to spoil anything in this article so I will leave it with the intro!
Gameplay
Claustrophobia is a 2-player board game. Like most dungeon crawl board games it is scenario based where each scenario builds upon the campaign and is unique.
One player plays the side of the humans, the other plays the side of the demons.
The setup for each scenario in the game is different and unique – unlike some of the other dungeon crawler games in this list where the setup is static with the only choices being character selection and equipment purchases at the start of the game.
The game play of Claustrophobia is very simple and smooth. There are very few rules and the game is very easy to learn and is streamlined.
Each game has two turns – human and then demon in that order.
Players have to play and progress the story and their characters through the different scenarios in the game to find out whether the demons will win and destroy all humanity, or if the religious warriors will save the day.
As a two player dungeon crawler, Claustrophobia is hard to beat. I love the theme and as I mentioned earlier – the miniatures and game pieces are stunning.
Pros:
- Insanely detailed and beautiful components
- Unique theme
- Easy gameplay
- 2 player dungeon crawler
- Quick play time (30 – 60mins)
Cons:
- Unbalanced – humans are up against the wall
- Religious overtones
- Takes up a lot of space
- Price
4. DOOM: The Board Game
Players: 2 – 4
Duration: 120mins – 180mins
If you are a huge fan of the Doom video game like I am – you will absolutely love this board game adaption.
Like the video game – DOOM immerses players (marines) into a huge battle against hordes of demons who (like Descent) are controlled by one player called ‘The invader’.
Marines work through ‘operations’ to achieve objectives (like restoring power to objects, venturing into hell etc) all while the invader fights to stop the marines in their track.
The Marines are the only thing standing between the invader and the destruction of all humanity!
Gameplay
DOOM: The board game is played with 2 – 5 people with a total play through time of around 2 – 2.5 hours.
The game features 37 intricately detailed plastic miniature figures representing the demons and marines as well as custom dice, double-sided map tiles and two operations.
The two operations are called ‘Exodus’ and ‘Black Bishop’. Each operation has 6 missions. If either the Marines or Invaders win 4 out of these 6 missions – they win the game. If that does not happen – the team that wins the operations last mission – wins.
Marines start the game with basic weaponry (there are a few choices) and chooses 10 cards which will make up the characters armor, weapons, charging etc.
The gameplay of doom is similar to Gloomhaven in that it is an initiative-based combat – the Invader prepares the enemies of the mission who the marines will fight off and the marines use action cards to fight off the demons.
Unlike marines – the invaders action cards are not exhausted.
Like the video game – there are some awesome weapons that the marines can pick up along their campaign – like the infamous chaingun and BFG 9000.
The operations are both incredibly fun to play and it really feels like the computer game in terms of its hack and slash arcade like vibe.
Pros:
- Awesome miniatures and visuals
- Double-sided map pieces
- Well written rules
- Gameplay is dynamic and fun
- Invader mechanic
- Replayability
- Hack and slash feel – like the video game
Cons:
- Some balancing issues
- Invader is not the most fun to play
- Only 2 Operations
5. Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition
Players: 1 – 5
Duration: 120mins – 180mins
Mansions of Madness is a fully co-operative horror-themed investigatory board game.
The game is driven by a smartphone app which makes set up very fast and helps to set the atmosphere of the game by immersing the players into their characters.
The app is a great idea for a dungeon crawl board game. It essentially takes the role of dungeon master. The app generates the maps, randomizes encounters and narrates the campaign as you play along. Very cool!
The idea behind the game is that the players play as investigators who travel together through the haunted mansions of Arkham searching for answers, collecting weapons, tools and information all while fighting monsters and the urge to go insane.
The goal of the game is to thwart the elder gods from being unleashed upon the world – all while trying to remain sane.
Gameplay
Mansions of Madness is played by 1 -5 people.
Players assume the roles of investigators who each have their own unique abilities. The setup is incredibly simple – just load up the app, choose which player will play which investigator, separate a few piles of cards and go.
The app tracks all progress of the game and narrates the character progression, place on the map and monster health as you play.
In my experience – it’s easier to have on person control the app and read the narrations as you play through.
Players play the game on a turn basis – taking time to explore rooms or carry out certain actions (like investigating a set of drawers for items etc).
Dice are used to determine whether actions are successful or fail. The dice are 8 sided and have elder symbols, clues or blanks on each side.
You can use ‘clue tokens’ to convert clue symbols into ‘successes’ – which is a great way to mitigate the ‘luck’ factor of a roll.
Unlike other dungeon crawl board games – Mansions is unique in that combat is completely unpredictable.
In other games when characters take damage – their health decreases by a certain amount. In Mansions of Madness if a character is hurt – they draw a card from a deck of ‘wound cards’ the card will outline the seriousness of the wound and the penalties you will suffer – these are counted towards the individual characters ‘wound threshold’.
I am a huge fan of games with a Lovecraftian ‘Cthulu’ type theme. There’s something so inherently creepy, yet intriguing about the game that will make you want to keep playing and exploring to get to the bottom of the horrors that are terrorizing the city!
Pros:
- Unique mechanics – wound system and randomness
- App controls game and adds atmosphere
- Cool Lovecraftian theme
- Easy set up
- Replayability
- Open world feel
- The game is fast-paced
Cons:
- Scenarios take longer than stated time
- Game takes up a bit of space on a table
- Would be awesome if more dice came with the game
6. Mice and Mystics
Players: 1 – 4
Duration: 60mins – 90mins
Mice and Mystics is a great fairytale-esk themed dungeon crawl board game that is great for both adults and children to play together.
The game is a bit tongue in cheek in that it is a bit silly and whimsical. Players play as mice and the game is played from a storybook that reads exactly like a bed time story.
Gameplay
Mice and Mystics is a game played by 1 – 4 players who are loyal to the king of Vanestra who has recently been usurped. The players turn themselves into mice to escape the dungeon and reclaim the kingdom.
Players move through the game by playing through missions called ‘episodes’ which are meant to be played in order.
Like the other games I mentioned above – Mice and Mystics in is no different in the fact a player chooses the mouse they want to control – each having its own unique abilities.
Playing the game involves setting up game tiles and monsters as described in the story book depending on the chapter you are up to.
Movement and fighting systems are relatively simple. Dice are rolled and the combined numbers (combined with the characters movement rating) determines where the mice move. When fighting you roll the dice as many times is instructed on your action card.
An interesting mechanic of the game is the use of cheese tokens. These are used by characters to level up, share with teammates and use special abilities. Enemies also use cheese by adding it to the ‘cheese wheel’. This speeds up the game and spawns more enemies.
Players win the game if they are able to complete all objectives in the story book.
Pros:
- Fun lighthearted game
- Can be played with children
- The game is fast paced
- Great game for beginner dungeon crawl / roleplay board gamers
Cons:
- The quality of the cards is lacking – needs a bit of care
- The game is made for families – no adult themes
- Not very deep
7. Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Players: 2 – 5
Duration: 60mins – 120mins
I am a HUGE Star Wars fan and if you are too, then this is a must have board game.
The game focuses on the Civil war between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire after the destruction of the Death Star.
The game has two distinct and contrasting game modes – combat and adventure.
For this article I am going to focus on the adventure (dungeon crawl) game type, although the combat game type is incredibly fun to play as well.
Gameplay
The campaign mode of Star Wars: Imperial Assault is played by 2 – 5 people and takes place during one of several missions.
The game is essentially a licensed Star Wars version of the Descent: Journeys in the Dark. But its missions are unique to the Star Wars universe and has a few differences.
A single player takes control of the Imperial Forces (similar to Descent and DOOM’s Overlord and Invader mechanic) – while the other players each control a Rebel character.
Players then play through each mission trying to achieve the objectives – while leveling up and progressing. While the player playing the Imperial Forces tries to counter the rebel alliance players.
If the Rebels win, players then move onto X mission. If the Imperial players win you move onto Y mission. This forking of the missions means that there is some variability of how the story will progress.
At the conclusion of each mission, both sides are awarded experience and money (influence for Imperials) with the winning side receiving more.
The Star Wars theme is what makes this game. I love playing as some of my favorite characters from the movies with each having their own unique and powerful abilities – like the storm troopers ‘re-roll’ dice mechanic.
There is a bit of an argument in the gaming community about the balance of the game and the fact that the Rebels are awarded bonus rewards if missions are completed in a certain way (X amount of turns for example).
While I have noticed a slight advantage myself, it is not game breaking and only really affects the early part of the game.
Pros:
- Awesome Star Wars theme
- Really cool miniature pieces
- Two game modes
- Quality tiles, cards and dice
- Plays a lot like Descent – if you love descent you will love this game
- Battle mode can be played solo
Cons:
- Some may not like Star Wars theme
- Long play time
- Can be a bit unbalanced at times – not as bad as other games
8. Shadows of Brimstone
Players: 1 – 4
Duration: 120mins
Cowboys, Saloon girls, gunslingers…. and Demons.
Shadows of Brimstone is a Western based dungeon crawler board game that has horror themes coursing through its veins.
It is the weirdest mashup of themes – but it works!
The game is a full co-operative game where players choose one of the western characters to play, level up and progress. Players fight alongside each other in a mine shaft where creatures from another world are invading through portals and seeking to kill anything in their path.
Gameplay
Shadows of Brimstone is a 1 – 4 player game whereby players choose their ‘Hero’ class (made up of western archetypes) – your character defines your attributes, skills and ultimately your play style in the game.
Players also get a character sheet, a starting item, side bag and starting abilities to choose from.
The game is brilliant in that the character customization is so in depth and independent from other players playing the game. You really are spoiled for choice with the character skill trees.
Players progress in the game by fighting through missions. These take place in the mine and generally require players to defeat enemies and overcome objectives.
Between each mission -players are able to return to town to buy things and level up their characters. These ‘breaks’ act as checkpoints in the game and allow time for players to get things in order.
The game uses mechanics such as darkness which needs to be overcome by a lamp – a number has to be rolled on the dice to use the lamp – this becomes harder the deeper in the mines you are.
This is an interesting ‘push your luck’ mechanic and adds a unique twist to the game.
There is also a growing dread mechanic and ways to track your wounds (physical health) and sanity (mental health).
Injuries sustained by players in the game are persistent. If you push your luck too far and sustain a physical or mental wound, this will follow you around for the rest of the campaign!
The game is very deep, customizable and clever in how it pulls everything off and is super fun to play. The theme may sound like an interesting mashup, but it actually works really well.
Pros:
- Wacky theme that just works
- In depth character progression
- Quality pieces and cards
Cons:
- Dice/Luck heavy – could be a pro if you are into it
- Combat can be overwhelming
- Need to make the miniatures
9. Massive Darkness
Players: 1 – 6
Duration: 90mins – 180mins
One of the more modern Dungeon Crawler board games, Massive Darkness had a huge $3.5million Kickstarter campaign and has solidified itself in the community as a truly great board game.
Massive Darkness is a game that is both good to look at and play. The artwork and miniatures are stunning.
The game is a full co-operative game that focuses on the heroes (light bringers) that are fighting back a creeping evil that has returned to their lands.
Like Star Wars: Imperial Assault – Massive Darkness offers two play modes: a single shot game and an extended RPG campaign where character progression, equipment and levels are retained between games.
Gameplay
You are going to need a massive table. I will say that right away – this game is big. Really big.
This in turn means the set up of the game is a huge task and takes a decent amount of time.
The game is played by 1 – 6 players and has a typical fantasy-role play character choice at the start of the game. Players choose the character they want to play (who has inherent skills/abilities) but then also gets to choose the class that character gets to play.
This offers some diversity in the game and makes for some interesting combinations.
Players progress through the game and fight through the various dungeons – rolling dice as they go. Characters can perform the usual – opening doors, picking up loot and fighting monsters.
Combat is turn based – whereby players attack first and once complete – monsters get a chance to counter attack.
One awesome feature the game introduces is the shadow mechanic. This allows players that are being overwhelmed (which happens a fair bit) to slip away into the shadows and run away from danger.
Massive Darkness is a HUGE campaign with games that can last multiple hour long sessions. Character progression is very important to the game and is essential for defeating bosses.
If a character dies – they start at the beginning of the dungeon and have a token taken from their life card. If all tokens are depleted that character dies for good.
The game is very fun to play and is suited to players that are a bit more experienced and familiar with dungeon crawl games and mechanics.
Pros:
- Insanely detailed and beautiful components
- Cool death mechanic
- Ability to customise characters
- Unique Shadow Mechanic Allows Characters to Flee
Cons:
- The game can become very hard with more players
- Levelling slows with more players
- The game requires a large surface to play
10. Arcadia Quest
Players: 2 – 4
Duration: 60mins
In Arcadia quest players control a group of heroes on an epic adventure to dethrone the evil Lord Fang and reclaim the Arcadia for their own.
But – there is a catch. Only one guild may lead in the end. So players have to fight against themselves as well as the evil forces that occupy Arcadia.
This sets Arcadia Quest a part from other dungeon crawler board games. Arcadia has both PVE (player verse environment) and PVP (player verse player) aspects.
Gameplay
Arcadia Quest is a 2 – 4 player campaign based dungeon crawler board game.
The game begins with each player choosing a guild of three heroes (each with a unique ability). These heroes will be your team as you fight against monsters and players through six campaign missions and final battle with Lord Fang.
The mechanics of the game are simple – being dice based for both combat and movement.
The challenge of the game comes in the fact that you must not only keep an eye on the monsters you are fighting – but also other players who will use any opportunity to stab you in the back when you aren’t looking.
The game has great production value and brilliant miniatures.
I must admit – there are some rage inducing moments with the PVP in this game.
For example, you could be 1 move away from collecting a quest token… when one of your friends just surprisingly shows up and lands a cheap shot between your shoulder blades when you aren’t looking.
BUT – while it is frustrating for it to happen to you, it is absolutely hilarious when you can pull something off against one of your friends.
The game is hugely intense and fun to play and will really bring out the competitive streaks in the players at the table!
Pros:
- Both PVP and PVE aspects
- Great production value and miniatures
- Replayability
- Fast, smooth and fun combat
Cons:
- Quick playthrough time (60mins)
- Long set up time for such a short game
- In PvE you fight a lot of the same monsters
Final Thoughts
So there you have it, my opinion of the 10 best dungeon crawl board games available today.
I really enjoy playing all of the above games and each have a unique and fun playing experience.
When it comes to dungeon crawl board games – there are a whole lot to choose from. Coming up with this list was super hard.
Let me know in the comments if there is a game you think deserves to be on this list and make sure to check out our other board game articles.
One Response
actually Descent can now be played solo as well using the App Road to Legends