10 Most Entertaining RPG Board Games – Fun for All Ages

Gloomhaven by Cephalofair Games Players is a tactical combat game that will keep everybody interested from beginning to end. Each player in the game adopts the role of a wandering mercenary who has their own unique skill set and their own justifications for venturing into this remote corner of the world.

The game requires players to work together to navigate menacing dungeons and forgotten ruins. During this process, players develop various skills and abilities while discovering new locations and an ever-changing storyline. This game is designed to be played over a number of sessions to form something resembling an adventure book. In this cooperative game, players come up against automated monsters and order of play is determined by a unique card system.

Gloomhaven requires players to play two cards from their hand, with each card indication a top and bottom power. Players must then decide whether to use the top power of one card or the bottom power of another when aiming to clear a dungeon. Watch out, if you take too much time clearing the dungeon your player will become exhausted and less powerful in the game.

Designed for ages 14 and above, Gloomhaven provides great family fun RPG board game that is jam-packed with twists and turns that will keep everyone entertained. Game time varies from an hour to two hours, which is long enough for the substantial experience and not too long to bore everyone. The game can be played individually with a maximum of four players being able to play the game at one time.

What are our favorite features?

• Substantial game features and content
• Great for families
• Ideal game time

What could be better?

• Slightly complicated – requires a few run-throughs
• Heavy game set – not ideal for transporting

Dark Souls: The Board Game is a complex miniatures exploration game for 1-4 players. The game requires players to select a number of core characters that they will follow into a variety of different dangerous and challenging locations where there endless amounts of ‘dark souls’ waiting to meet them, including monsters and treasures. The core characters that are selected have various strengths and weaknesses which players may wish to think carefully about before making their choice.

One of the best aspects of the Dark Souls board game is its ability to simulate the real gaming experience. Providing players with a variety of different levels of difficulty to satisfy hard-core gamers while at the same time being accessible for newcomers. The strategic element of Dark Souls also adds to the overall appeal of the game. If you are classic ‘button-pusher’, you will not be rewarded in this game. Success requires deep examination and understanding of enemy behaviours.

Every time you decide a new location on Dark Souls there are new and unique dangers for you to explore. This keeps the game consistently stimulating and challenging. It is no wonder Dark Souls is known for being such a tough game to excel at. To be successful, players need to be very strategic and have a good awareness of their player’s stamina.

Dark Souls is targeted at players from the age of 14 years and above and if played with multiple players is a cooperative game. The game is particularly challenging and is perhaps best suited to those who relish a challenge. This is not for those wanting a relaxed board game experience.

What stands out?

• Accessible for hardcore gamers and beginners
• Great variety of challenges
• Requires skill to be successful

What cons did we manage to find?

• Very challenging game concept
• Intense game

The WizKids Mage Knight Board Game: Ultimate Edition is a game designed by some of the best-known game designers. The game contains a combination of conventional board game elements, RPGs and deckbuilding, and the same time they are able to accurately capture the full and potted history of the Mage Knight Universe. The Mage Knight Board Game has been very popular with solo gamers as well as groups of up to five.

After the original version received critical acclaim, the ultimate addition of Mage Knight adds to the original game by including three expansions: The Lost Legion, Krang and Shades of Tezla. In addition to these expanded locations, the ultimate edition also includes a detailed rules text, five completely new cards and new paint jobs.

One of the best additions to the Mage Knight Ultimate Addition is the accessibility of the game in a variety of different languages. This new version is available in English, Spanish, Polish, Czech, German, French, Russian, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese, and Italian. That is pretty useful for the game to gain a stronger global audience.

While the game contains different parts, it is renowned for being relatively straightforward to understand. The game comes with a really easy-to-understand instruction manual for new players to follow. The game takes a minimum of one hour, with no specified end time. If you love a long game, the Mage Knight Ultimate Addition could satisfy your tastes.

What makes it stand out?

• Easy to understand
• Improvement on the original game
• Available in a variety of different languages

Which disadvantages must you keep in mind?

• Potential for being a long game

The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords is a fun adventure cooperative strategy game that is perfectly suited for children due to the relative simplicity of the game. The game involves players launching a campaign to strike against the evil forces that have infiltrated the fictional land of Varisia.

Players adopt ‘heroes’ who are required to defeat a variety of evil forces, ranging from traps, monsters, evil magic and other foes. The excitement is sustained by having many different scenarios for players to encounter during the course of a game.

The replay-ability of Rise of the Runelords is particularly high because of the continual nature of the game. After each game, characters from the game gain in experience, strength and knowledge. They acquire certain magic skills, equipment and special powers designed to enhance their overall character in the face of future battles. The game can really be a draw for those gamers who look to be part of a narrative.

A great aspect of the Rise of the Runelords game is that it is straightforward to understand and play. The game features approximately 500 cards with 7 different class of character to choose from. These cards also detail the skills, attributes and enemies that you will encounter. Turns are determined by 5 polyhedral dice.

Rise of the Runelords is the perfect game for children who like magic or the fantasy genre more broadly. Having such a variety of characters and scenarios is undoubtedly helpful in forming and developing the imagination of those who play the game.

What stands out?

• Easy to play
• Accessible for younger children
• Strong continual narrative

What cons did we manage to find?

• Less strategic and intellectually stimulating

The Mansions of Madness Board Game is an app-enhanced horror game that draws inspiration from the work of H.P. Lovecraft, the writer of The Dreams in the Witch House. Geared towards adults and children above the age of 14, this RPG board game takes you and your fellow players through a deeply distressing adventure through the dark and eerie streets of fictional Arkham.

This version is the second edition of the game brings the enhanced app feature to forefront of the experience, as players playing the role of investigators seek to tackle four different scenarios containing mystery, intrigue and a little bit of horror. This edition of the game follows many of the successes of the original edition but adds new and unique maps, complex puzzles and updated versions of the harrowing monsters that await your arrival.

As players/investigators, the aim of the game is to collect information, tools, weapons, engage in combat and solve puzzles. This is no small task. Being successful requires a strong degree of versatility, requiring players to be handy at a variety of different aspects. For those who like some brain stimulation when playing a board game, Mansions of Madness certainly delivers in this regard.

The game comes with 32 plastic figures, totalling over 450 different components as well as one rule book to guide all players. Mansion of Madness can either be played individually or groups up to five. Be warned, this game normally exceeds two hours, often verging on three. If you prefer shorter games, this particular horror RPG board game may not be suitable.

What are its best features?

• Perfect for fans of the horror genre
• Intellectually stimulating with different challenges
• Four different campaigns

What could be improved?

• Too many components that are easy to lose
• Long game duration

Runewars: the Revised Edition is an epic battle fantasy game that is designed for 2 to 4 players. Unlike many other RPG boards, Runewars cannot be played individually because of its cooperative nature. The game is suited for players age 14 years and above and contains a variety of confrontation scenarios.

The purpose of the game is for players to build armies, engage in resource-gathering activities and compete to gain the highly acclaimed dragon runes which are very difficult to come by. The universe in which the game operates is known a Runebound.

Playing Runewars can be quite a time commitment. The minimum time for a standard game tends to be at least two hours, with many games lasting up to four hours. The game comes with a large number of components, including 196 plastic figures, 235 tokens and markers…in addition to 204 cards.

Runewars is certainly intellectually stimulating and is perfectly suited for gamers who love strategy and tactics. For video gamers, those who like to play Call of Duty may well find the strategic and battle confrontations appealing in this board game.

If you are unfamiliar with the Runewars setup, the game may not be ideal for beginners to easily grasp. This is due to the detailed nature of the universe that has been created which is so well done that experience of the Runebound universe can give players an advantage. After one game, you’ll soon get the hang of it.

What makes it stand out?

• Great for strategy and battle tactics
• Good for competitive individuals
• Intellectually stimulating

Which disadvantages must you keep in mind?

• Cannot be played individually
• Complex to understand

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of The Past Board Game is a scenario-oriented board game that contains narratives from the well-known comic. Featuring the iconic Ninja Turtle brand, this game inevitably attracts huge interest globally.

The aim of the game is for players to adopt the role of their favorite Ninja Turtle and to take this character through a series of missions lasting approximately 60 to 90 minutes. During these missions, the characters used by the players develop their strengths, style of combat as well as gaining equipment to assist them during missions.

The game features fan-favorite characters such as Casey Jones and Alopex throughout the game concept which certainly comes as welcome news to those who love the comic. The game is designed by highly-respected designer Kevin Wilson. Knowing that this level of expertise has gone into the design concept, should leave you reassured that every last detail of the game has been thought about in-depth.

The Shadows of The Past Board Game features over 40 miniature sculptures, 12 different maps as well as over 100 cards which have been designed with new and original artwork. The attention to detail in the game design is something certainly worth respecting.

The Shadows of The Past Board Game cannot be played individually. It is suitable for 2 to players which should make the game fun and sociable experience for all involved. For kids who love the comic, this game can be a really great opportunity to explore their favorite characters in greater depth.

What makes it special?

• Explore with well-known comic characters
• High-quality component design and detail
• Short duration

What cons did we find?

• Lacks strategic and tactical elements
• Not hugely adult friendly

Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition is a multi-player board game that sees one player adopt the role of treacherous overlord who is pitted against up to four other players who are known as heroes. The aim of the game is for the heroes to stop the overlord from succeeding in carrying out his evil plot.

In their attempts to stop the overlord, heroes have to embark on various quests, engage in combat with monsters, navigate ancient ruins, dungeons and cursed forests.

For those who love a strong narrative board game, Descent: Journeys in the Dark will certainly float your boat. This game is a fully immersive, story-driven campaign in which the fantasy world is very rich in detail, vibrant and unpredictable. The heroes team must have good teamwork in order to overcome evil forces.

Descent: Journeys in the Dark has been one of the most popular RPG games created by Fantasy Flight Games in the last decade. This is due to the high standard of gameplay and attention-to-detail of the various components. The detailed components have been created by leading designer Kevin Wilson, leaving game experts relaxed in the knowledge of the quality of components. The game is known for being highly engrossing, with players almost guaranteed to play it again.

The game lasts a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 3 hours, leaving players with a substantial game duration to explore the fantasy world. The game is really geared for lovers of the fantasy genre and those who love a great narrative.

Why did it make our list?

• High engrossing story
• Components and fantasy world are rich in detail
• Good team game

What is not ideal about it?

• Long game duration
• Cannot be played individually

Zombicide: Black Plague is an affordable cooperative scenario game that places the zombie apocalypse phenomenon into a medieval setting. The game requires players to defeat the Necromancers who have brought on a zombie invasion. As some of the few survivors, players embark on a journey where they have first of all remain alive and second attempt to reclaim the realm that has been so cruelly taken from them. Players can also seek to punish those responsible for creating the zombie apocalypse.

The ‘survivors’ vary from dwarves, magicians, knights and paladins who are armed with a mixture of crossbows, swords and magic spells. As players navigate the game they have to equip their survivor to be able to cope and defeat the undead. Items survivors can pick up include armor, shields and books containing crucial magic spells.

Zombicide: Black Plague is really suited to those who love zombie apocalypse, doomsday-style fantasy, as well as fans of the medieval era. This edition is a revamped version of the original game but maintains most of the classic features and components that made the original such a popular game. Known for its endless action sequences, incredible tense atmosphere and straightforward rules, the game is perfectly suited for those who want an uncomplicated fantasy RPG board game.

Zombicide: Black Plague can be played individually or in a group of up to 6 which gives the game great flexibility in terms of numbers of players. Playing time is a minimum of one hour which is also suited for those who do not like board games that take forever to complete.

What are our favorite features?

• Played individually or a larger group
• Affordable
• Easy rules to understand

What could be better?

• Lacks a challenging strategic component

Legacy board games have been a famous go-to for many gamers. The betrayal legacy is the newest release of the series, and it kind of gives the vile, blood-soaked tales vibe that lovers of horror movies would like to play out with their friends.

You know how terrifying and stressful moving to a new place can be? The transition can be a little devastating as you have to get used to doing stuff differently. Well, brace yourself because betrayal legacy is about moving into a new house over and over again until forever.

This new house is filled with sordid stuff like portraits that leak blood, ghosts with skeletons in their spectral closets, and an attic filled with sleazy things like infested gremlins.

The game requires 3 to 5 players to take the roles of families obsessed with the house to uncover its terrible truth. It can be played by anyone above 12 years, and its set up is quite promising for a legacy game.

There are over 14 games that should be played to create the unique story of the house. Each new play adds or destroys cards that require you to write on the board and make permanent changes to the components. Like a series or movie, every game has thematic ties to the last one, and you wouldn’t be burdened by elaborate mythology or consistent characterization.

Overall, betrayal legacy is the kind of game that can satisfy a gamer with interests in adventure with cool fights, a one-versus many horrors, traitors, or spooky jokes about ghosts. It fills a unique niche and gives the thrill of consistent frustration-filled fun.

Why is it special?

• Easy to play
• All-around satisfaction for gamers with different interests

What are the flaws?

• Some gamers complained that the game is a bit dull because its basic mechanics are super-easy to follow