Looking for an adventure filled with magic? Experience the unknown world of fantasy with these board game titles.
Finding yourself in another world where magic and monsters exist is a dream come true for the adventurer in all of us. Maybe that’s the reason why the fantasy genre is so popular in books, comics and games. I mean, who doesn’t want to wield a sword and get the chance to slay a dragon, or even be a powerful spellcaster. Some of us may even want to be a normal citizen with a bit of magic up their sleeves. With the fantasy genre, our imagination can run wild.
It’s no surprise that the fantasy genre is also well loved in the board game scene. We’ve put together 15 fantasy themed board games that we think you should try out.
15. Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizard: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre
Wizards have always been a proud class and they worked their way to the top to be one of the most recognized magic users in almost all games. So, what if you put a ton of wizards in one game, all battling just to be recognized as the Ultimate Battle Wizard. All Wizards start the game with 20 life points and it’s up to the players to create spells with the cards in his/her hand to deplete the LP of opponent wizards and collect 2 Last Wizard Standing Tokens to win the game.
What’s fun about Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizard: Duel at Skullzfyre:
- Fun Art, just look at the cover art, it’s probably enough for some of us to buy it.
- Simple, you set 3 cards and see what happens (Healing, damage, etc) the Wizard that survives the round gets the Last Wizard Standing Token.
- Sequels, this is only the first game, if you end up loving this you can buy the others
14.Mice and Mystics
The life of a mouse is never easy, and now you get to experience it first-hand! You have to warn the king, of Vanestra’s evil doings before it’s too late. Vanestra’s minions are just crawling all over the castle—which is now 20 times larger than it was when you were human sized. What are a band of mice supposed to do? Work together to get your objectives done and defeat Vanestra, even if you are in the form of a field mouse.
What’s fun about Mice and Mystics:
- Role Playing is fun, you are now a mouse, how will you react.
- Fun theme, the situation you got yourself into is pretty funny. I’m pretty sure the big bad could have done worse.
- Brodie, the castle cat is literally one of your worst enemies.
13. The Red Dragon Inn
Amazing job adventurers! As promised, here is your reward. Now what does your party plan to do with it? Well, the first thing is to celebrate at the Inn with a round of drinks….maybe a few more rounds. Oops! Looks like one of our party members is down. I guess he wouldn’t mind if we took his share of the gold. This is a drinking game where the party turns against each other to keep the loot for themselves. All you have to do is make sure you stay sober by the end of the night.
What’s fun about The Red Dragon Inn:
- 4 characters to choose from, and they all have their own abilities when it comes to handling their liquor.
- Why not drink? Well, you can make this an actual drinking game, no minors though.
- Party game, well considering the big bad has already been defeated, this is a fun interactive game with fellow adventurers.
12. Blood Rage
How about a little Viking lore in your quest for fantasy board games? Each player gets to control an entire clan of Vikings, these include the leader, warriors and other members of the clan. The Vikings believe that it is almost the end of the world (well, the earth is giving out so it really might be) and wish to earn their place by Odin’s side in the afterlife. All Viking are now in their search for glory, what is your clan’s goal? Will you prove that you are the best clan through battle or through other means?
What’s fun about Blood Rage:
- End of the world, parts of your map will fall to the underworld, if you have units there… well, good bye to them.
- Strategy, you are dealt with cards and you have to make the best with your hand, no luck of the dice here.
- You will eventually fight; well, you are Vikings so you can expect a lot of battle to the death situations.
11. BattleLore Second Edition
Something just for two. Set in the realm of Terrinoth, a battle has just broken out. The Daqan Lords garrison in Nordgard Castle versus the forces of Uthuk Y’llan. Players will choose which side to command and engage in squad battles against the other. This is a game of intense warfare and strategy. What will your side do to sway the tide of battle over to you?
What’s fun about BattleLore Second Edition:
- It’s a wargame, but fantasy in theme, so if you want to try both types in one go—this is the game.
- Easy to learn, for a wargame it seems sort of friendly and teachable to newbies.
- Just for two, at least you don’t need an entire party to play.
10. Defenders of the Realm
Monarch city is in great danger! Orcs, Dragons, Demons and the Dead can be seen making their way to the city’s borders. The King has called you and a few others to defend the city from these creatures. Will you answer his call? This is your chance to be the hero that you’ve always dreamed of becoming, as well as the possibility of you being dubbed as the King’s Champion. Choose your class and battle these creatures and help the villages along the way.
What’s fun about Defenders of the Realm:
- Enemies all around, how will your team tackle them, will you split up or travel as a group?
- Player Interaction, A lot of strategy is involved since the enemies move fast, you lose the moment even one reaches the city.
- Abilities, all heroes have their own and the enemies do too.
9. Gloomhaven
Itching for your own adventure? Welcome to the city of Gloomhaven. You are a band of adventures, each with your set of goals and drive for adventure. Check out dungeons, find the loot and defeat monsters along the way. Once you reach your goal you can retire the character and a new set of characters are available for you to choose from.
What’s fun about Gloomhaven:
- Have you seen how big the box is? I think that promises a lot of fun.
- Characters unlock, you get a bunch of new characters once your old character has fulfilled his/her mission.
- Replayability, there’s a ton of scenarios and even if you replay those, it still feels new.
8. Clank
You and your friend are out to steal some precious artifacts deep within the dragon’s lair. There’s so much loot scattered all around in every corner of his lair. How far will your thieving abilities take you? We can’t stay too long and we have to stay quiet because one misstep could cause a—CLANK! Careful! You might alarm the dragon. Go through the lair, be as quiet and as quick as possible before the dragon figures out where you are.
What’s fun about Clank!:
- Pressure, keep noise to a minimum….does it feel like A Quiet Place yet?
- Fantasy theme, you are thief type adventurers out for loot in a dragon’s lair.
- Deckbuilding, with all the card options and then ones you will acquire later gives you a bunch of options for strategy building.
7. A Game of Thrones (Second Edition)
A Game Of Thrones: The Board Game Box
Probably because I still haven’t gotten over Game of Thrones. With King Robert Baratheon dead, the Houses of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros are battling it out for the control of the Iron Throne. It takes more than military might to win. Will your house use brute force, acts of diplomacy or other means for power? Spread your influence over Westeros to claim the Iron Throne.
What’s fun about A Game of Thrones:
- For the fan, based on the novel series or even if you aren’t into the novel and just watched the series.
- Replayability, play around with other factions and with different numbers of players.
- Negotiating, it’s not all about military might.
6. Stuffed Fables
Now this might be different from the others in the list but fits well with what “Fantasy” is. Stuffed Fables is a fantasy adventure game where the players take on the roles of stuffed animals who protect a little girl they love. In a way, it’s a choose your own adventure game where your choices affect the happenings of the story. As one of the stuffed companions of the child you get to witness and explore several of the child’s milestones.
What’s fun about Stuffed Fables:
- Badass Stuffies, Who would have thought? Now I wish to relive my childhood with these types of stuffies.
- Immersive, it’s a board game book and you feel like you’re pulled in.
- Toy Story the boardgame, it probably is but it kinda looks cooler.
5. Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of Ashardalon
Dungeons and Dragons has probably shaped the fantasy genre when it comes to tabletop gaming, but it might be a bit intimidating to start for a few us. If you aren’t too sure with D&D yet, you can at least try out Wrath of Ashardalon and see if it’s your cup of tea. You and your fellow adventurers find yourselves at Firestone Peak where Ashardalon has made his home in a nearby volcano. You must journey in the volcano labyrinth, defeat lurking monsters and finally slay the red dragon.
What's fun about D&D: Wrath of Ashardalon:- Intro to D&D, parts of me would have wanted to start here instead of throwing myself into D&D without reading.
- Simple, pretty straightforward and objectives are pretty clear. If you’re not ready to think out of the box yet or do any major RPing, this is an okay game to get.
- No DM needed, I love my DM and his homebrews but sticking to campaigns are also welcome and we have a game even without the presence of someone veteran enough to be a DM.
4. Legacy of Dragonholt
Anxiety and dread is what fills your mind for the last couple of days as you journey towards a village called Dragonholt on a request by your previous partymate, Celyse. Her letter to you is vague, you only know that the village may need your help soon. The more troubling part of her letter is she mentioned she has sent a previous letter and to refer to it. You have not received any prior notes. What could have happened to her first letter? Did it get intercepted? You’ll figure out the rest of the tale once you reach your destination and your own adventure takes shape.
What’s fun about Legacy of Dragonholt:
- Create your own, Character and Story, the choices you make affect how the story will twist.
- Intro to Role Play, well if you want to dip your feet into RPing you can start off with this game.
- Narrative, no matter what you choose, everything just seems to fit.
3. Swords & Sorcery
Your story has yet to end, even in death. The world needs you once again as the forces of evil are approaching. Through some powerful sorcery you, a deceased hero has been brought back to life to face the threats the living world is under. The problem is that the spell has left you powerless. You and other heroes who have been brought back to fight the evils must complete quests and stories to regain your former power.
What’s fun about Swords and Sorcery:
- Back from the dead, I don’t mean just from the premise. If your hero drops to zero, your partymates can actually revive you again (heroes can’t catch a break!)
- Game looks good, the custom dice, the map, the miniatures all look pretty awesome.
- New to Dungeon Crawling, I think this is an okay game to start with and even veterans to Dungeon Crawls still might feel this is interesting enough to play.
2. Massive Darkness
Evil is once again crawling in every corner, remnants of the previous war maybe? Now it is up to you, the new generation of lightbringers to once and for all destroy the darkness. Dungeon Crawl your way through the quests and gain experience from facing monsters of all types and sizes. If the previous lightbringers manage to quell the evils, then so can you and your new band of heroes.
What's fun about Massive Darkness:- Shadow mode, a mechanic in the game that allows you to enter shadow zones which gives you shadow abilities.
- 2 options, a single shot game and a full-blown campaign.
- Disengage, you can actually run away from an encounter
1. Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition
When it comes to fantasy board games I think the one game that everyone would have in their list would be some version of Mage Knight. Here, you are already a powerful mage with your own arsenal of spells ready to defend your kingdom but you can always pick up additional tricks and items along the way. Your quest can vary from conquering cities, defending a city, overthrowing a king and several other scenarios in the box.
What’s fun about Mage Knight:
- Balance, a good balance of hand management and puzzle solving in game. If you want games that make you think I’d throw Mage Knight in the list even if we weren’t looking at a fantasy theme list.
- All-in, the base game and the expansions, no wonder why it’s called the “Ultimate” edition.
- Fun solo, fun as a group.
You may also be interested in:
- Top 50 Fantasy Board Games for Adults
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- 15 Best Tabletop RPGs Loved by Millions Worldwide
