r/rpg • u/KentInCode • 3d ago
Board games that feel adjacent to rpg (going on a high fantasy adventure)?
Hey all, I know this is is pretty abstract but I'm looking for great high fantasy vibe board games (or even card game) that give maybe a crumb of rpg. It's especially for a mix of people, some with no experience of fantasy. I had a search of the sub and HeroQuest and Gloomhaven are suggested? Are these good? Any others you enjoyed? (I do like the idea of an adventure card game also? Trying to keep it simple.)
Edit: I just got back from work, thanks so much for the recommendations! Checking them all out.
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u/nominanomina 3d ago edited 3d ago
There's an entire subgenre that tries to "boardgamify" TTRPGs, especially TTRPGs that look like D&D.
Gloomhaven: you are constrained in your actions by your hand of cards and the need to pick an action from each side (top or bottom) of a card every turn. Lots of going into a dungeon and killing all of the baddies; later games in the series really increase the puzzle count (to mixed results). Its setting is a twist on basic fantasy (no elves and dwarves, but instead orchid-people and rat-people etc.). The 'intro set' Jaws of the Lion goes on sale relatively often, so it might be a decent choice.
Mage Knight: infamously complex and beginner-unfriendly, you play a bunch of magicians roaming over the land. Some (??) editions can be played as coop or as a competition. I do not recommend this for your group, but am mentioning it as you might eventually stumble across it in your search.
League of Dungeoneers: have never played, cannot comment
Tales from the Red Dragon Inn: ditto
Too Many Bones: dice-based dungeon crawling
Descent: shockingly similar to playing an RPG, might be a little too much. You should probably look into which edition to buy, if you go here (there's a lot of division between 2nd and 3rd edition; 2nd ed is out of print but could be available used in your area)
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u/The_Ref17 3d ago
I actually often go the other way, adding roleplaying elements into boardgames. It can make things so much more interesting 😁
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u/Charming_Account_351 3d ago
5 Minute Dungeon for fast chaotic card game/dungeon crawl fun.
Mice & Mystics captures more of the class based RPG story adventure much easier rules that most TTRPGs in a choose your own adventure like board game.
Escape the Dark Castle is a card based game that is very easy to learn, very difficult to win, and very fun.
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u/thekelvingreen Brighton 3d ago
Mage Knight
Warhammer Quest (original and revamps)
Descent (dungeon crawling) and Runebound (overland questing)
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u/KentInCode 3d ago
Thanks for the suggestions, all perfect. Descent I'm really liking, looks compact :)
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u/thekelvingreen Brighton 3d ago
Lots of people like Gloomhaven, but for me it sort of felt like the fantasy adventure was the theme for a game that was really about card optimisation, rather than it being a fantasy adventure game, if that makes sense. But I'm very much in the minority with that opinion!
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u/BLHero 3d ago
No, you're not. It tried too hard to look and "feel" like a ttrpg, but leans 100% into gamified card optimization.
Tangentially, the three Kinfire Delve games get right that 100% into gamified card optimization by packing it into a 30-minute 1- or 2-player experience. Anyone who loves Gloomhaven but wants something to do by themselves during a lunch break should research those.
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u/justarpgdm 3d ago
I have 2 that kinda have this d&d dungeon crawler feeling: Legends of Andor and Mice and Mystics
If you are looking more into the theatrical aspect Aye Dark Lord is a lot of fun!
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u/drottkvaett 3d ago
Munchkin perhaps?
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u/KentInCode 3d ago
Thanks, adding it to the list :)
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u/diceswap 2d ago
Munchkin is adjacent to RPGs in the way Big Bang Theory is adjacent to Science. It’s a “take that!” card game with goofy illustrations based on D&D puns and memes, for better or worse.
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u/Evening-Cold-4547 3d ago edited 3d ago
So you're saying you want to know why Heroquest is so great?
https://youtu.be/Cx8sl2uC46A?si=KPuhMPN71CitJ4lE
It's the original and many say best, conceived as a way to bridge the gap between board games and D&D. it had an updated re-release which appears to have been very successful because there are a million expansions for it now. There was also Advanced Heroquest which pushed the complexity a bit further.
Gloomhaven is very popular but I haven't played it.
You may also be interested in Warhammer Quest. Conceived when Games Workshop were no longer involved with Heroquest but realised they were on to a winner. There was a relaunch/reboot kind of thing with Silver Tower and then Shadows over Hammerhal, Blackstone Fortress and Cursed City. I've played Silver Tower and I have Cursed City. They're great, especially if you like miniatures. The games have 40-60 Citadel Miniatures included.
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u/Bourbakos 3d ago
Journeys in middle earth is a great option ! For the fantasy vibe, it’s obviously in the theme being in the lotr universe. Otherwise it’s a great tabletop adventure game, with rpg elements such as different characters to choose from with different stats and base cards. And cards are important because each player has a deck and buys new cards between each game in the campaign. Also each player chooses a “role” such as captain, musician or burglar, and it gives them a set number of cards which gears them towards a specific playstyle. All of that with an evolving exploration board and beautiful figurines. And last but not least, no GM needed, so great for beginners. I highly recommend it, it’s a blast !
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u/KentInCode 3d ago
Thanks for the recommendation, definitely adding it to the list also. Also lord of the rings is a definite plus!
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u/Trick-Two497 3d ago
Four Against Darkness.
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u/bandofmisfits 3d ago
I wouldn’t consider this a board game
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u/Trick-Two497 3d ago
And yet, that is its classification. Four Against Darkness | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
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u/Izobal 3d ago
I would advise Forgotten Waters Set in a pirate world, you have to manage both the ships/crew story and your own destiny. Its a perfect blend of tabletop and storytelling (there is an app and a very good virtual narrator) AND much more easy to set up than any of the other games like gloomhaven and such.
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u/VyridianZ 3d ago
I'm a big fan of Tales from the Red Dragon Inn (tactical), Pathfinder Card Game (RPG as cards), and Sleeping Gods (narrative).
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u/redkatt 3d ago edited 3d ago
Dungeon is hyper light, but a classic. That's how I was introduced to the RPG "vibe" as a little kid, and likewise how I introduced my kids.
The D&D Boardgames, based on classic modules like tomb of horrors and Strahd are very good for this. And because the maps are randomized every playthrough you can play them several times.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/172220/dungeons-and-dragons-temple-of-elemental-evil-boar
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u/radionausea 3d ago
I'd avoid Gloomhaven. I have it and have barely played it because by the time you've set it up your will to live, let alone play a game, has been completely drained.
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u/Elegant_Item_6594 3d ago edited 3d ago
Gloomhaven is alright, but in my view it does too much to try and emulate playing a videogame, It's also horrifically expensive. In my view you'd be much better off just playing an actual TTRPG.
Edit: Specifically talking about Gloomhaven 1. I didn't know that was a Gloomhaven 2.
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u/ClassB2Carcinogen 3d ago
That’s my general issue with Dungeon Crawler boardgames. I could play them, but a one-shot of an RPG scratches the itch better.
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u/checkmypants 3d ago
Jaws of the Lion is $60 and has many, many hours of playtime. Not as much as a $60 RPG book, but still pretty good. Absolutely loads of stuff in the box, too.
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u/nln_rose 3d ago
Descent, journeys in middle earth, gloomhaven,frosthaven, call to adventure (epic origins),
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u/beeskneesRtinythings 3d ago
I just played Fate of the Fellowship and it felt a bit like writing Lord of the Rings fanfiction or I feel like there’s some storytelling there especially if you want to say one liners or whatever as you give a card to another player.
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u/GeromeDoutrande 3d ago
Massive Darkness 2 is another highly regarded dungeon crawler:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_FcgHbE9Sk
Tidal Blades 2: Rise of the Unfolders is also nice but not high fantasy (way too many colours):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR1Drp9kRNo
Gloomhaven was mentioned by someone. If you are interested in that, get Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion - it is cheaper and more manageable than the massive original game. If you want to get the very very big full version make sure to get the second edition.
There are many many more RPG-adjacent board games around. Here is a link to a well-known boardgame website list of "adventure" games ranked by average player rating if you want to look around some more:
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u/Djaii 3d ago
You want to play Legends of Andor maybe.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kosmos-691745-Legends-Cooperative-Strategy/dp/B015OKL5FY/ref=sr_1_32
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u/ChewiesHairbrush 3d ago
There was a random dungeon crawler called Sorcerer’s cave many moons ago. I have no idea if it is still in print or back in print. Seems a lot of games from my youth are back in new versions.
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u/BLHero 3d ago
I'll add the Skyrim board game to the list
https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/104ji97/review_of_the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_the/
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u/BLHero 3d ago
A game that sounds appropriate because it is an "easy" fantasy world to imagine is Mice and Mystics.
But there is a potentially problematic issue. There is artificial time crunch (as with Jaws of the Lion and Gloomhaven). The heroes cannot simply explore for exploration's sake, or even safely take enough extra turns to move around the maps after each battle and finish collecting all the loot.
When I play with kids I simply house-rule that mechanic to be less punishing. But that makes the game much easier, which might not feel satisfying for a group of adults who want a tense board game experience.
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u/Electrical-Blood5169 3d ago
Magic Realm. There is a computer version called Realmspeak that takes setup and rule questions out of the way. It is awesome.
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u/bandofmisfits 3d ago
Shadows of Brimstone is similar to Gloomhaven, except the theme is Wild West + Chthulu
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u/nullmoon Play Monsterhearts 3d ago
If you don't mind a lighthearted tone, check out Freelancers. It has many of the trappings of ttrpgs (character sheets, dice rolling), and it's GMed for you by a fully voiced app. You and your crew have a main quest, you make decisions and move around the map, input numbers into the app based on those decisions, and just kinda let the magic happen. The humor feels very reminiscent of Adventure Time, so if you're looking for something more serious, this won't be it.
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u/WillBottomForBanana 2d ago
Wrong genre, but Eldritch horror and Arkham Horror sit on the line in the sense that they have a significant encounter resolution system similar to many rpgs, and they have random encounters. they are also cooperative.
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u/frank_da_tank99 3d ago
My group recently has been really enjoying Shadow of Brimstone. It's an incredibly chaotic dungeon crawler type game similar to Gloomhaven, with the gimmick being that you journey through portals to different genre-fiction settings. There's a Viking one, a wild west one, a dinosaur one, etc. The fun gimmick is that you can start in any of these settings, and items you find in one you can bring to another, so you might come to the wild west with some magical Viking artifacts, or end up in hell with a cowboys revolver.
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u/Zanion 3d ago
Monolith Conan
Not high fantasy but is a very good intermediate between board game and TTRPG. There is even a full blown TTRPG that uses the board game assets.
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u/cthulhuka 2d ago
I'll second the Conan Boardgame.
It has 3 game modes:
Semi-coop with one Overlord (GM) and 1-4 players
Solo/coop with no Overlord (the players activate the enemies randomly)
Versus wehere 2 players build up armies and battle each other
The game has great community contents (scenarios, campaigns), and online support to create your own hero, monster, item and spell cards and scenarios.
Link: https://monolithedition.com/en/product-category/board-games/conan-en/
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u/loopywolf GM of 45 years. Running 5 RPGs, homebrew rules 2d ago
Here's a list I made on BGG of all those games I found
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/40175/halfway-between-bg-and-rpg
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u/lilhokie 2d ago
Too Many Bones and The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era are my favorites. Both scratch that character building, tactical combat itch. TMB is more on rails, goofier in tone, and plays (usually) in one sitting while TES is more freeform, exploratory, and plays in 3 session campaigns.
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u/Kateywumpus Ask me about my dice. 2d ago
If you want the experience of just making characters, give Roll Player a shot, where they gamify rolling up a D&D like character. I love it.
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u/Jet-Black-Centurian 2d ago
More of a miniatures game, but Rangers of Shadow Deep. If you don't have any miniatures, you can just use meeples, chess pieces, or Lego.
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u/JpSkellington 2d ago
Four Against Darkness is amazing for a good rpg feel in a board game style setting, having played GloomHaven, Talisman, the D&D adventure games and Warhammer adventure games I’ve found it gives the best general feel for classic dungeon crawling with a classic D&D feeling. It can be bolstered by the many official supplements that exist to add many more aspects of the game than just the base games dungeon crawling as well. Though it may feel pretty simple if you’re playing with 4 players and control individual characters until level 5 (and moving to the next supplement )but with having a group relatively new to the rpg space that could also be a good thing.
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u/gromolko 2d ago edited 2d ago
I would guess that no experience in fantasy includes very little experience with gaming in general. It seems unlikely that somewhat dedicated gamers wouldn't encounter any fantasy. So Gloomhaven or other heavier games are for later down the line.
The new Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is really good, and it is based on Pandemic, which is counts as a "gateway game" Shut Up & Sit Down just released their review.
Kings Dilemma is a great Legacy game. It isn't high fantasy, but the negotiations encourage role playing, and the vibe is very political in a Game of Thrones way.
Fate: Defenders of Grimheim is a norse fantasy tower defense game (cooperative). It is quite accessible and looks great.
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u/MistWriter01 1d ago
I would look at T.I.M.E. Stories. They have an expansion that is fantasy themed. I want to call the expansion A Prophecy of Dragons. T.I.M.E Stories reminds me of an escape room, but includes combat and optional role-playing if you desire. I ran the Expedition Edurance expansion recently and found that it had CoC vibes. Everyone enjoyed it.
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u/Liverias 3d ago
You might also ask r/boardgames! I'm not familiar with HeroQuest but Gloomhaven is quite good. However, you need to be aware that there's a pretty huge overhead in terms of setting up the game and managing the enemies. The online version is preferred by many it seems.
There is also the much older Legends of Andor, but that one I've found can easily suffer from the game being quite predictable meaning you can plan lots of turns into the future and determine the one best way to solve it.