Last Updated on February 17, 2022 by OoS
If you prefer a more streamlined approach to D&D, we recommend giving the board games a try. You don’t have to think too much because we’ve already provided you with the best Dungeons & Dragons board games that both fans and non-fans will enjoy. We recommend the following: Castle Ravenloft, Lords of Waterdeep and Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate. See more here.
Contents
Best Dungeons and Dragons Board Game: Castle Ravenloft
- 1 to 5 player game
- 60 minutes to play
- Dungeon crawling action and terrifyingly fun quests
- English (Publication Language)
Designed by Rob Heinsoo, Bill Slavicsek, Mike Mearls, and Peter Lee, Castle Ravenlof is regarded as teh best D&D board game according to both fans of the series and board game enthusiasts. This 5-player game takes place in Ravenloft where its master invites you for a dinner you will never forget. Every player can choose 1 of 5 classes: warrior, ranger, wizard, rogue or cleric. Every turn, the players can go deeper in the Ravenloft dungeon and encounter monsters of various shapes and sizes. This coop-heavy game will require strict teamwork in order to level up and ultimate defeat the final boss: the vampire lord.
Pro:
- RPG in a board game
- Simple rules
- Lots of great random encounters
Con
- Heavy RNG-based
- Messy to clean up
- Lesser players is not as fun
Best Turn-Based Dungeons and Dragons Board Game: Lords of Waterdeep
- An exciting Euro-style board game set in Waterdeep, the greatest city and jewel of the Forgotten Realms
- This immersive game casts players as Lords of Waterdeep who hire adventurers to complete quests
- Game play: 1 hour
- Perfect for 2 to 5 players
- Rodney Thompson (Author)
Another board game that many D&D players love is Lords of Waterdeep. Every player will have a chance at gaining secret powers that want to control the Forgotten Realms town of Waterdeep. A player will deploy agents every turn. These agents have to do certain jobs like establishing buildings, getting quests, recruiting random adventurers and play specific cards. These quests are scored depending on the number of adventures spent. This eurogame is one of the most unique turn-based board games made along with some well-crafted splash arts on the cards. It’s a complex game so you might need to take some time to fully understand the mechanics.
Pro
- You get to be a commander
- Unique turn-based mechanics
- High-quality art
Con
- May be too complex for some
- Theme is arguably tacky
- Lord cards lack in variety
Best Underrated Dungeons and Dragons Board Game: HoyBetrayal at Baldur’s Gate
Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate is considered as an underrated sleeper hit. To this day, Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate remains as one of the most engaging and intense board games ever. The game is rather quick (up to an average of 60 minutes), especially if you have a full cast of 6 players with you. The shadow of Bhaal roams over Baldur’s Gate and you – along with other players – must stop this evil. However, one of you is a traitor – hence the name of the game. It is exploration-based per turn to the point where everyone finally gathers enough clues to spot one of them as the traitor. There are only two results: either the traitor wins or the defender of Baldur’s Gate manipulates the traitor’s plans.
Pro
- Investigation/Exploration-type game
- Quick to finish
- Easy to play
Con
- Some powers are underwhelming
- Several Haunts are disappointing
- Requires at least 3 players per game
Alternative Digital Board Games for PC
- Designed for 1 to 5 players
- Features multiple scenarios, challenging quests and cooperative game play
- Contains: 42 heroes and monsters, 13 sheets of interlocking cardstock Dungeons tiles, 200 encounter and treasure cards, scenario book, and 20-sided die
- Rulebook and scenario books
- 20-Sided die
- A heavy shadow falls across the land, cast by a dark spire that belches smoke and oozes fiery lava.
- A cave mouth leads to a maze of tunnels and chambers, and deep within this monster-infested labyrinth lurks the most terrifying creature of all: a red dragon!
- Designed for 1-5 players, this boardgame features multiple scenarios, challenging quests, and cooperative game play.A cooperative game of adventure for 1-5 players set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.
What Would I Buy?
Of course all 3 of these titles are among the best Dungeons & Dragons board games. But if you were to ask one which is the most outstanding out of all of them, we have to give it to Ravenloft. Lords of Waterdeep and Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate are equally good too though.
FAQs
You should go for Castle Ravenloft. It has the simplest board game mechanics and the learning curve is quite low.
A vague question but D&D as a whole is amazing – the books, the board games, the video games, the community – all of it is good.
Yes you can, but D&D is more highly encouraged to be played with at least 3 players.
Some D&D games are hard to understand at first but reading the Player’s Guidebook or playing the board games instead will help you broaden your D&D knowledge.
D&D is very popular due to its engaging and immersive gameplay. Even with just pen and paper, D&D is a unique experience that makes imagination and authentic fantasy combat very exciting.
