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Role Playing board games (RPG’s) are one of the largest genres of board games today. There’s something magical about entering the role of a character and being completely immersed in a game.
The problem though, is that the term RPG means different things to different people. Role playing at its basic definition is ‘the acting out of the part of a particular person or character’.
However, with this definition it can then be argued that almost all board games are to some extent RPG’s (minus the obvious abstract games which lack any theme at all).
For my list below I don’t want to look at just any plain RPG. I want to list what I believe are the best true role-playing board games
And for that… certain criteria need to be met.
RPG Criteria
- A strong theme that is integral to the game, not simply ‘painted’ over abstract mechanics.
- The game must include character development and improvement. If you are playing a character, it makes sense you should be able to improve and get stronger.
- There must be story driven objectives and campaigns that have an open world feel – where your choices in the game affect the world and give you a feeling of freedom.
I have had to think long and hard to come up with the top 10 list below. There are some really good board games out there today that meet the criteria above who just didn’t quite make the cut.
The line had to be drawn somewhere however, and I hope you find a game that piques your interest below!
Top 10 Best RPG Board Games
1. Gloomhaven
Players: 1 – 5
Duration: 120mins – 180mins+
Time to Learn: 30mins – 45mins
Gloomhaven is one of my all-time favorite roleplaying board games. In fact, it comes second only to Dungeons and Dragons (which is not on the list because it’s not technically a board game).
The game is incredibly deep, has amazing artwork and an open world style of gameplay that doesn’t leave you feeling like you are being ‘caged in’ with what you can do and how you play.
I’m so obsessed with Gloomhaven that it has even made appearances in my list of the best dungeon crawl and cooperative board games and I’m not alone – currently it is the no.1 ranked boardgame on boardgamegeek.
So, what makes Gloomhaven so great and why is it a huge success?
Simple. The designer of Gloomhaven (Isaac Childres) took one of his best Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and adapted it into a board game.
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is considered to be the birth of RPG gaming, however it can be super complicated to learn and play and requires a decent set up and planning time. There is no board, simply dice, pens, paper and imagination!
What Gloomhaven has managed to do is take the magic of D&D and simplify it down into a game that is easier to learn, does not require a dungeon master and is structured perfectly.
The game is well thought out and includes a legacy aspect, meaning decisions you make in game permanently and dynamically change the world around you, and has over 90 different campaigns included in the box.
This teamed with the customization of individual characters means endless replay value – which for a game that’s this good, is a must.
Gameplay
I have covered the gameplay of Gloomhaven in depth in my other articles. So, I will only briefly touch on the gameplay mechanics in this section.
Gloomhaven is a cooperative game whereby players take on the role of fantasy characters – all unique with their own abilities and traits.
Players play through the world in an almost ‘choose your own destiny’ open world fashion and clear objectives and personal ‘hero quests’ to progress their characters throughout the game.
Objectives are incredibly difficult and rely on all team members playing together to overcome foes.
When playing, I have found this to be an incredibly immersive aspect, as at any one time you will find all players conversing and strategizing how to defeat enemies and emerge victoriously.
Combat in the game is handled, not by dice, but by a unique action card system. Cards use initiative statistics which determine the order actions are performed and by which characters. This is hugely important as it shapes the strategies in game.
Each card has two actions that can be performed – these are usually an attack function and a support or movement function.
In the game there are two main areas that players move between. Theses are scenarios and the city of Gloomhaven itself.
In the city, players are able to manage their party, level-up characters, buy or sell items, select new action cards, donate money to obtain blessing or complete city events.
The scenarios are the ‘dungeons’ where players complete objectives and fight off monsters.
Bottom Line
Gloomhaven ticks every single box when it comes to an RPG board game. Games last hours and campaigns are generally played over multiple gaming sessions…. But it doesn’t feel like it.
The game is so immersive and everyone I’ve played with gets so into the story and their own individual characters that time just seems to fly by.
If you are a fan of RPG games and haven’t given Gloomhaven a go. I highly suggest you do!
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. Mechs vs. Minions
Players: 2 – 4
Duration: 60mins – 90mins
Time to Learn: 10mins – 15mins
Mechs vs. Minions is set in the fantasy world of Runeterra (the same world where the hugely popular online game League of Legends is played).
Now, I’ll be upfront and honest here. I received this game as a gift, and I’ve never actually played League of Legends (LoL). I have heard of it – but that’s as far as my knowledge of the topic extends.
BUT – the game does not require you to know anything about LoL, it’s a stand-alone game that stands on its own merits, and god is it fun to play!
The game is a cooperative RPG game, where each player takes control of a Yordle. Yordles are small humanoid creatures who, in Mechs and Minions, pilot your Mech!
There are 4 Yordles included with which to choose from, they are:
- Corki;
- Tristana;
- Heimerdinger; and
- Ziggs
The goal of the game is to pilot your mech against an incoming horde of minions. The game has modular tiles that create a new map every game and players must use ‘programmatic command lines’ to control their characters – Trust me it sounds complicated…. It’s not.
Each mission in Mechs and Minions is unique and takes around 60mins – 90mins to complete and the box comes with 10 missions by default.
It is also worth mentioning the quality of the pieces and boards in this game is next level… they are out of this world cool! (the box weighs more than an infant at over 12lb).
Each individual piece also has a nice place to slot into the box when the game is done (like a box of chocolates) – no jumbled-up pieces at the end of the night!
Gameplay
At the start of the game each player chooses their mech character and gets given a ‘command line’ board.
Command line boards have six slots which players put cards into that determine how their character will move or attack (or both) and in which sequence.
Each turn includes a draft phase whereby all players get a selection of action cards to choose from and then a placement phase where they get to place them in their command line boards.
Once the cards have been placed – players then work from left to right on their board, following the actions of each card. It’s kind of like chess, you have to think a few moves in advance!
Not only do players need to think ahead about how their character will move, but they must also communicate and pay attention to other players at the table – how will your moves affect them and vice versa.
The game is played on a modular tile board – and the map is different for each mission.
Once you have moved around the board a bit, crashed into friends and got the hang of the game. The minions start to show up.
These are the bad guys – they are here to do one thing. Ruin your day, and you have to do everything in your power to stop them.
The AI of the minions is very cleverly done in Mechs and Minions. Each minion moves in a specific path as determined by the mission being played. While weak individually – if you get swarmed or constantly attacked, they can be lethal.
The difficult part in Mechs and Minions is that there is a time limit each turn. This is kept by a sand timer and puts an intense amount of pressure on players to get their moves into the command line board as quickly as possible.
As the game progresses and becomes more complex – the game can descend into utter chaos and become incredibly tight.
One player may be killing multiple minions with one attack while other players panic and spin round and around in circles.
The missions in Mechs and Minions start of very simple and become more and more advanced as you progress through the game.
The game also has secret envelopes included that you may only open when the mission tells you too. These add more surprises and complexities to the game. Overall, it is tons of fun.
Bottom Line
When I play Mechs vs Minions with friends, the game always starts off lighthearted and relaxed and ends up in everyone laughing hysterically and clutching at straws to win the mission.
It is a hugely fun board game that can be described by the term ‘Organized chaos’!
Pros:
- Extremely fun and lighthearted gameplay that doesn’t take away from the RPG experience;
- Component quality and artwork are crazy good;
- Replay value with 10 missions.
Cons:
- Not everyone will like the chaotic nature of the gameplay
- Game requires you to think quickly and strategize – some RPG players prefer to take their time.
3. Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition
Players: 1 – 5
Duration: 60mins – 240mins
Time to Learn: 45mins – 60mins
If you enjoy RPG board games that you can play alone OR with friends, then Mage Knight is the perfect board game for you.
Mage Knight is my go-to solo RPG board game when I want to work through a campaign alone (or when I simply can’t muster enough friends to play).
The game combines a slew of board game mechanics such as deck building, drafting, tile placement and role playing and manages to do so in a way that makes the game smooth and a lot of fun.
In the game, players choose to play as one of four Mage Knights who explore the Mage Knight universe, conquering and controlling areas of the map and powerful cities. Players can either be powerful allies or strong adversaries – the choice is yours.
The ultimate edition of the game comes with the base game and thee expansions (The Lost Legion, Shades of Tezla and Krang).
Gameplay
Out of the box, Mage Knight comes with over 10 scenarios that players can play through.
Each scenario is designed in a way that you can get multiple play throughs out of it (think choices that affect the path the game moves).
Each player starts the game with a deck of cards which they draw 5 from each round.
The players use these cards much like in a deck building game whereby you can purchase new cards for your deck in the form of spells and Mage Towers, or by studying advanced actions and moves from the Monastery.
All players start with the same deck of cards except for 1 which is a unique skill that each character has.
The way the characters differ from each other is how they advance during the game as they level up, with each Mage Knight having different and contrasting skills to choose from.
Cards that make up the deck are made up of movement cards, influence points (used in cities) and combat cards.
Each turn a Mage Knight is able to move on the map and then perform one action – combat, explore or interact.
The way the map is made in Mage Knight is really cool. As you play the map is constructed using hexagonal map tiles, each consisting of 7 Hexagons, drawn randomly from a pile that is predetermined depending on the scenario.
The Hexagons include:
- Monasteries;
- Mage Towers;
- Villages;
- Monster Dens;
- Dungeons;
- Ruins; and
The tiles also depict the terrain of the land, which affects the movement points needed to enter the zone.
The game is played in multiple rounds depending on the scenario chosen at the start of the game.
Each round has an alternating day and night cycle and has a variable number of turns. If playing with other people, the game ends when a player runs out of his deck and decides not to play any additional turns.
During the game, Mage Knights need to explore the world, defeat monsters and level up their characters.
Combat in the game is handled with action cards in a players’ hand. To defeat a monster, you need to have the right combination of attack and block cards.
Every monster you encounter will have an armor value and an attack value, with some monsters also having special abilities they can use when you fight them.
There are two stages to combat in Mage Knight:
- Range Phase: Players use siege and range cards to equal or exceed the enemy armor value. If successful – the monster dies. If not, you enter the next phase;
- Block Phase: Players need to play as many or more block points as the monster has attack points to ward off an incoming attack, otherwise the Mage Knight is wounded (how badly depends on the hero armor value and monster attack value).
Depending on the severity of the wounds – you must take wound cards. These slow you down by taking up room in your hand.
Killing monsters earns XP points and helps you to level up. Levelling up unlocks really powerful skills and new abilities able to be used in later stages of the game.
Bottom Line
There is a real sense of progression in Mage Knight which I love.
Each scenario is completely different and each Mage Knight character is unique and has a different play style.
In terms of solo RPG games, Mage Knight easily takes the cake!
Pros:
- Very deep theme.
- Able to be played solo
- Can play cooperatively or competitively with other players
- Insane replay value (especially with expansions)
Cons:
- Complex gameplay
- Requires skill
- Steep learning curve
4. Shadows of Brimstone: City of the Ancients
Players: 1 – 4
Duration: 120mins
Time to Learn: 30mins
Shadows of Brimstone is yet another game on this list features in our review of the best Dungeon Crawl board games. Apparently, role players love crawling in dungeons!?
The game is a weird mixture of wild west and horror that works and works really well. There’s just something about Cthulu inspired Lovecraftian games.
Shadows of Brimstone is a completely cooperative role-playing game where players take on the roles of western characters who travel deep into a mine in search of the elusive ‘Dark Stone’.
Unbeknownst to the party, what lurks in the mines is not just treasure but also beasts, demons and truly evil horrors.
To beat the game, players must level up their characters and work as a team to overcome the objectives and missions that lie within the mine.
The game can be played as a one-shot scenario or in campaign mode where players need to work through multiple scenarios to beat the overall campaign.
In campaign mode the game manages to tie all scenarios together by introducing a legacy aspect, whereby player progression and effects on a character like madness or disfiguration, last between scenarios.
Gameplay
At the start of the game each player chooses one of the four characters to play.
These are:
- Bandito
- Saloon Girl
- US Marshall
- Gunslinger
Each character has a different background, base stats, weapons and abilities as defined on the character sheet.
During the game, players enter the mines to complete scenario objectives. By completing these characters are able to be levelled up and find more loot, like upgraded weapons etc. BUT, if unlucky or too aggressive, can also experience negative effects such as mutations, madness or other permanent injuries (which are permanent).
Between scenarios, players are able to visit towns outside the mines to gamble, go to the doctor and buy gear and other special items.
These basically act like checkpoints that allow characters to prepare for the next delve into the cave.
Character progression in the game is determined by character-specific upgrade trees that allows you to unlock the skills and abilities of your choice, making a truly customized character.
The game has plenty of unique mechanics such as the depth counter, which determines how far down in the mines you are and how hard it is to ‘hold back the darkness’.
Players need to roll dice at the start of each round to keep back the darkness. If RNG-sus is not pleased… the darkness increases in power and ‘darkness events’ start to spawn. These hurt!
There is also a growing dread mechanic and ways to track your wounds (physical health) and sanity (mental health).
The game is very deep, customizable and clever in how it pulls everything off.
Bottom Line:
Shadows of Brimstone is the perfect mix of a wacky horror/western role-playing game that has really unique and well implemented mechanics that will have you and your friends entertained for hours.
The game requires a bit of strategy to get the hang of, but once you do – it’s one hell of a ride!
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 – TAKES AGES (especially if you paint them)
5. Darkest Night 2nd Edition
Players: 1 – 5
Duration: 120mins – 180mins
Time to Learn: 30mins
Darkest Night, like Mage Knight is another RPG game that can be played solo or with a group of up to four people. Unlike, Mage Knight however, the game is fully cooperative and there is no choice to stab your fellow players in the back!
The objective of the game is to defeat a Necromancer who has destroyed your kingdom and reap revenge.
The game is more suited to the hobbyist board gamer as it is quite a difficult game to play.
There is a blight mechanic which requires strategy to avoid and the Necromancer is actively pursuing players on the board. There is a lot happening and newer board game players can become overwhelmed and put off.
If you like challenging games with deep and engaging stories however, Darkest Night is perfect. It is a beautifully crafted and put together board game that has a whole lot of replay value – especially with the 5 expansions included with the second edition.
Gameplay
At the start of the game each player gets to choose between 1 of 29 different heroes. How epic is that? Each of these characters plays completely different to the next and offers an entirely different play style when you play with them.
Each round of the game consists of each player taking turns in an order agreed at the start of the game followed by the AI controlled Necromancers turn.
Note: The game utilizes four heroes regardless of how many players there are.
Each turn the players can do the following:
- Perform an action (travel, hide, attack, pray, meditate or us a card action;
- Use a start of turn ability;
- Draw and use an event card;
- Use an end of turn ability.
Once the players have had their turn the Necromancer has his. He does the following:
- Increases the darkness track;
- Adds a time marker to each quest on the board;
- Moves based on the roll of a dice;
- Blights the land in his current location.
This cycle completes until all players lose, get frustrated with the game and sell it second hand on Ebay.
Just kidding. But it is a seriously hard game to win!
To win the game players need to get three relics to a Monastery or kill the Necromancer while holding a holy relic.
The timer mechanics in the game mean that your characters are always running against the clock. This creates a really intense atmosphere and players try are rushing around finding items and improving their characters to win the game before the Necromancer destroys you all.
Bottom Line
Darkest Night excels in creating a truly engaging atmosphere where you really feel the panic and evil of the game. There is no other choice than to be completely focused and engrossed in the game – or else a loss is just around the corner.
If you like a great challenge – or consider yourself a board game aficionado then give this game a try.
And if like me you aren’t good enough to beat it… the box looks damn pretty on the shelf!
Pros:
- Very premium theme, artwork and minis
- 29 heroes to choose from
- Hugely intense and challenging
- Can be played solo
Cons:
- There is a bit of luck involved with where the Necromancer moves
- Not for new players
- High price point
6. Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Players: 2 – 5
Duration: 60mins – 120mins
Time to Learn: 10mins
In a galaxy far far away…
Okay, I couldn’t leave this game off my list. I am a huge Star Wars fan boy and this game is an epic mix of the Star Wars theme and the brilliant board game mechanics of Descent: Journeys in the Dark.
If you love the sci-fi world of Star Wars. This game is a must have.
It focuses on the civil war between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance after the destruction of the death star.
The game has two modes – a skirmish mode which is similar to an arcade style play and a story campaign mode where one player takes control over the Galactic Empire and the other players are Rebels trying to stop them.
Gameplay
Again, I have covered both Descent: Journeys in the Dark and Star Wars: Imperial Assault in my ‘Best Dungeon Crawl Board Games’ article (surprise surprise). So, I won’t go into too much detail here.
Basically, there are Rebel players who play powerful hero characters and an evil Galactic Empire who controls all the Empire forces and gets to choose all the enemy placements.
If you are playing in campaign mode, the Rebel players fight through objectives and earn XP which allow them to level up and gain new abilities.
There are multiple options available for player progression with choices like saving XP points to purchase a super powerful ability or spend them now to gain 1 or 2 less powerful abilities with more utility.
The objectives of the game is to complete missions. Each mission will have an objective and win conditions for both the Rebel players and the Galactic Empire player.
The Empire player is also able to upgrade his empire forces after each mission and buy strong one-off use effects or effects that persist for the rest of the game.
At the end of each mission players are awarded credits to purchase upgrades to their gear and new weapons.
Bottom Line
If you are into Star Wars – it is so easy to get super involved in the role-playing aspects of this game.
Each character is a unique character from the Star Wars movies, each with their own backstory (shotgun the Wookie!).
The base game comes with 12 unique scenarios for the campaign mode and there are plenty of expansions to add more to this available.
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
7. War of the Ring 2nd Edition
Players: 2 – 4
Duration: 150mins – 180mins+
Time to Learn: 45mins
Are you a fan of Lord of the Rings? Do you like strategy and war games that have role playing aspects?
Then War of the Ring is the one game to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them.
Based in the Tolkien world of middle earth, War of the Ring lets players take control of the free people and the forces of shadow to battle it out between each other fighting to rule Middle Earth.
The game is a magnificent area control strategy war game that absolutely oozes the Lord of the Ring theme through its character and event cards.
The game balances a typical war game style of play with a role-playing aspect that is just perfect for players who want to strategize but still be captivated by its story driven objectives.
Gameplay
First of all, let me say this game is massive. You are going to need a decent amount of table real estate to set everything up.
The rule book is also over 30 pages long, so I will briefly touch over the gameplay at a high level.
Each team (either 1 or 2 players per side) chooses to play either the free people (Rohan, Gondor, Dwarves, Elves and the men of the North – the good guys) and the other controls Sauron and his army of orcs and Uruks.
The goal of the free people is to destroy the one ring by casting it into the crack of doom, while the shadow player is trying to corrupt the fellowship on their quest.
You literally get to role play the Lord of the Rings… how cool is that.
The main mechanic in the game revolves around the action dice. These are specially printed 6-sided dice that are rolled at the start of each round.
The different sides of the dice correspond to different actions:
- Moving troops;
- Recruiting more troops;
- Moving the fellowship; and
- Event cards.
During the game players roll action dice and perform actions until all the dice are used.
There are special characters that can enter the game also which allow special abilities and extra action dice – such as Saruman, Gandalf and even Tom Bombadil!
Combat in the game is dice based and uses regular 6 -sided die. Armies are trying to roll 5’s and 6’s to score hits with cards able to supplement numbers when played.
The game also has a political track that represents different races and nations interest in the war.
Movement of certain armies and characters are limited until they become fully involved in the war.
The game is asymmetrical with the free people starting with a defensive position. However, they also have the ability to summon really powerful characters later in the game.
The win conditions of the game for the free people are when they make it to mount doom and destroy the ring or control 4 points worth of enemy cities.
The win conditions for the shadow player is when they corrupt the whole fellowship or control 10 points of enemy cities.
Bottom Line
If you like the LoTR, then this is the perfect game for you. It is easy to get completely engrossed and fall in love with the details and story of this game.
The artwork is beautiful, the minis are detailed (especially if you paint them – gigantic task btw) and the mechanics of the game are balanced.
Pros:
- Action dice mechanic is unique and fun
- Asymmetrical game – but very balanced
- LoTR theme is amazing
- Highly immersive gaming experience
- Mini’s oh my god the mini’s!
Cons:
- Not suitable for 3 players. Either 2 or 4.
- If the minis aren’t painted, they are hard to distinguish
- War based strategic game – might not apply to some RPG lovers
8. Sword and Sorcery
Players: 1 – 5
Duration: 60mins – 90mins
Time to Learn: 15mins
Sword and Sorcery is another brilliant fantasy role-playing coop game where players take control of legendary heroes who have been brought back to life to fight evil.
The characters start the game in a weakened state – as you would if you were dead for hundreds of years.
During the course of the game the players grow stronger by playing through story-driven quests and defeating monsters.
Gameplay
Sword and Sorcery has the most character customization in any of the games on this list. At the start of the game players can choose between five classic RPG classes:
- Ranger;
- Knight;
- Rogue;
- Cleric; or
- Wizard
And also choose the characters soul nature. This is effectively the ‘skill tree’ the character has and affects the play style during the game. The different ‘attunements’ are:
- Law;
- Neutral; and
- Chaos
The above choice also affects how interaction between the players characters is handled, the starting abilities, health, power and talent cards each player gets.
This is only the start of the character customization – it gets really deep. Along the way you gain ‘soul ranks’ which allow you to progress and gain more abilities and pair these with weapons and armor you find along the way.
The game is card based and players make their way through scenarios that are packed full of objectives all tied to the story of the game.
Combat in the game is handled by a D10 dice that have sides for hits, misses, blocks and special effects.
After each hero turn, an encounter card is drawn to see which enemies are activated. Each enemy has a unique attack and behavior from target preference to special abilities.
As players progress through the map, they will unlock Waypoints and Story Events. When these are unlocked, players are able to read from the Book of Secrets which moves the story forward by giving you more information about the quest and possibly spawning even more enemies to deal with.
The Book of Secrets will also let you know when you’ve completed a quest.
When a quest is completed, heroes are able to keep all items earned during the scenario and move to the next part of the campaign.
Between scenarios players can spend their coins at the Emporium, which has items helpful consumables that can be used during quests.
Bottom Line
In terms of a roleplaying game where character customization is the aim. This game takes the cake. The fact that there are so many choices – even from the very beginning of the game makes this an epic RPG.
The story of the game is hugely immersive too – and it makes a great coop board game.
Pros:
- The story and lore is immersive.
- Every character in every game feels and plays differently
- Great artwork and quality components
- High replay value
Cons:
- There are so many character types and interactions sometimes its easy to get lost
- Same with abilities – there are just so many, referencing the rulebook becomes a habit
9. Talisman: The Magical Quest Game 4th Edition
Players: 1 – 5
Duration: 60mins – 90mins
Time to Learn: 15mins
Talisman is probably the oldest board game in my list. First released in 1983, the game has had 4 revisions, with a 5th currently in the works.
The game is an adventure board game set in a fantasy world, where characters need to battle monsters and each other to fight their way from the outer worlds towards the center of the board.
There are over 14 characters for players to choose from, each with unique traits, abilities and play styles – meaning there is a whole load of replay value.
Gameplay
At the start of the game, players need to select which player (out of the 14) they are going to play. As mentioned before, each character is different – some excel at combat, others at magic and some are a mix in between.
All characters also have different starting stats (Life, Strength and Craft).
The character customization in Talisman is awesome. Not only is there a huge selection of starting characters, but during the game, players will acquire items and companions (sort of like pets) that will teach new abilities and build on these stats – creating a truly unique character.
The game is very simple to play and is a perfect introduction for those playing board games for the first time – it’s the RPG gateway game version of Catan!
Players play the game on a turn by turn basis. Each turn a player will roll the dice to determine how they can move.
They then need to determine the direction they’d like to travel and whether (if they meet the requirements) they would like to travel to an inner world (one step closer to the center of the board).
During the game, players can move into spaces that contain monsters, encounters or other players.
Generally, when landing on a space there will be cards drawn which will depict weapons, companions or other items along with some creatures.
To get access to the items, the player needs to defeat all creatures.
If you move onto a space with another player, there is an optional choice of whether to attack that player – Let’s be real this happens the majority of the time! Everyone for themselves!
If the other player is defeated, they lose a life and an item of the attackers’ choice. If the defending player wins, the attacker only loses a life.
Players start the game in the outer world, and move around this world progressing their characters and collecting items to then move into the middle world and finally have access to the center of the board by activating the talisman quest.
In the center of the board lies the crown of command. Once one player has the crown of command, all other players start to slowly die and must rush the player holding the crown to take them down before they finish the rest of the players off.
Bottom Line
The game is a super fun lighthearted RPG that is a heap of fun to play even for beginners.
Pros:
- Huge character selection;
- Large amount of unique spaces on the board;
- Beginner friendly
Cons:
- The game is roll and move / random – hobbyist gamers will not like this;
- Role playing elements aren’t as prevalent as other games in this list.
10. Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of Runelords
Players: 1 – 4
Duration: 90mins
Time to Learn: 10mins
Pathfinder is a popular board game that has been adapted from a traditional pen and paper RPG of the same name.
The game is a cooperative deck building, battle-driven RPG card game that can be played either solo or up to 4 people (it’s best played with 4 people).
Pathfinders is a game I have included in the list that is a bit light on story, with players having to piece together the background solely by flavor text included on scenario cards.
However, the game does have in depth character customization and progression which makes it a role-playing game in my eyes.
It’s a great easy to learn game where you don’t have to think a huge amount.
If you are wanting a more in-depth role-playing experience then I would try one of the other games in the list.
Gameplay
Pathfinder Adventure Card game is a game played entirely with cards and dice.
At the beginning of the game, players choose a character from the pathfinder universe. They can choose to be a:
- Rogue;
- Wizard;
- Fighter;
- Cleric; and more.
Depending on the character choice each player will start with a unique deck of cards – each character gets a certain number of card ‘types’ to choose form.
The way the game works is that players play through scenarios. Each scenario has a villain that players need to chase down and defeat.
In order to do this, heroes must battle their way through location decks, until they find the villain of the scenario. They then need to make sure all means of escape for him are gone before defeating them.
There is a limited time to do this however so players need to work together and strategize effectively.
If successful, characters are rewarded with new abilities and cards to help progress their characters and their decks.
A players’ turn is completed in five parts with steps 1 and 5 being optional:
- Advance the Blessing Deck – This is the game timer. If the deck ever runs out – the players lose.
- Transfer a card to another player – This is a great strategy to take advantage of in the game.
- Move the character
- Explore – A player flips over a card in the exploration deck and enters an ‘encounter’.
- Reset the hand – Players are able to draw cards up to their hand limit.
Encounters in the game are determined by the location deck. These cards are usually monsters or can be player upgrades such as weapons, items or buffs.
The villain is also found in the encounter deck – players need to defeat henchmen and stop the villain from being able to escape.
If players are able to defeat the villain then the game is won. If players all die or run out of blessing cards – the game is over and they lose.
Bottom Line
If you are looking for a classic RPG that is light on story but big on character customization then this is the game for you.
Pros:
- Character progression is awesome
- Quick games once everyone knows the rules
- Can be a really fun campaign style game
Cons:
- Light on story
- Rulebook is a nightmare to read
- Replay value relies on expansions
Final Thoughts
Role playing board games are the absolute best board games to experience story and allow you to escape into a fantasy where you play a hero on an epic quest for glory.
I love being immersed in a game. Often times when playing an RPG I will look at the time and realise hours have literally flown by.
While nothing beats the tradition pen and paper Dungeons and Dragons campaigns – board games like Gloomhaven are coming pretty damn close.
Above I have listed some of my favorite RPG board games. These are games I believe to be the top 10.
There are plenty of games that only just missed the cut for one reason or another, and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
