A dungeon crawler board game is a cooperative, turn-based strategy game that pits players against the game's Mapthe board itself. Think of it as a video game in board game form: As players move their tokens around the map, they encounter enemies and puzzles to solve. The ultimate goal is to complete the quest given by the master — usually to retrieve an item or kill an enemy.
The earliest dungeon crawlers date back to 1975 and were textual computer games, but many more followed throughout tabletop gaming history. These days, you can find dungeon crawler board games for all ages and groups sizes — from quick-playing party games with simple mechanics to complex strategic challenges that demand multiple playthroughs before you begin to understand them fully.
How you approach a dungeon crawl depends on your style of play and how competitive (or patient) you are as a player. Some options feature push-your-luck elements that put pressure on players' patience, while others offer plenty of downtime so everyone can catch up if they get stuck behind one particularly challenging puzzle or battle.
How We Choose
We've rounded up the best dungeon crawler board games so you can enjoy exploring dark depths and battling monsters with friends.
From cooperative adventures where you work together to defeat a powerful boss, to competitive games where each player is trying to be the first to achieve their objective, there's a dungeon crawler for everyone.
Whether you prefer fantasy or sci-fi settings, want a game that's lightweight and easy to learn or want something deeper with lots of replayability, we've got you covered.
The Gloomhaven box set is one of the largest and most expensive board games on this list, but it's worth it. The game features a story-driven campaign mode with multiple playable characters, as well as competitive multiplayer modes.
The game is an adventure RPG that pits players against increasingly difficult challenges using a variety of monsters and traps. A card system determines how you can move around the board each turn, and you'll need to build up your character if you want to survive. You'll also need to manage your health in this game, as injuries can make it hard for you to keep playing at higher levels.
You have plenty of ways to earn points in this game – from exploring dungeons for loot and crafting items, collecting trophies or completing quests – so there's always something going on that keeps the action moving forward. The only real drawback is the price tag – at nearly $230 for just two copies of the base set (and no expansions), this is not a cheap purchase!
Dungeons and Dragons: Castle Ravenloft is a cooperative game in which players take on the roles of adventurers attempting to defeat the evil wizard, Maximzor. Players will have to work together if they want to overcome the challenges that stand between them and victory.
The game itself takes about 60 minutes, and each adventure has a different set of monsters or traps that can be added to it from various expansion packs. The core box contains 40 plastic figures along with 13 dungeon tiles, 200 encounter and treasure cards, a rulebook, scenario book, 20-sided die, and a four-sided die. There are no pieces for this game other than some tokens used during gameplay.
Each figure has its own stats on the character sheet that determines what kind of attacks it can make against enemies when attacking them directly or when using items like weapons or potions. Monsters also have their own sheets where their stats are recorded as well as their special abilities such as flying or being resistant to certain types of damage. Each player's sheet is kept face down so that only the active player sees his character's current stats at all times while they're playing the game.
Betrayal at Baldur's Gate Board Game
Hidden Traitor Game, Fantasy Game for Ages 12 and Up
When you think of dungeon crawling games, the D&D world is probably the first thing that springs to mind. That's because Wizards of the Coast has an enviable track record when it comes to these games. The company's Betrayal at Baldur's Gate game is still one of our favorites for introducing new players to fantasy roleplaying, and its adaptation for a more family friendly table top experience does not disappoint.
This game uses plastic miniatures rather than cardboard, but they're still beautifully sculpted with great detail and a variety of different poses - even including some movement where you can get them swinging their weapons around as if they were in combat in real life. They come pre-painted too so you'll be ready to play straight out of the box.
Each character has a special power which can be used during gameplay - such as 'Draw 3 cards', or 'Move 1 space' - making this ideal for larger groups who want some choice over how they want to explore each scenario during play, while ensuring everyone gets a chance to use these powers if they want too. This makes it easy for beginners who might feel overwhelmed by how many options are available when picking characters from a book full of adventurers without any guidance on what choices are best suited to their play style.
Escape The Dark Castle Board Game
Cooperative Strategy Game, Ages 14+ for 1-4 Players
Escape the Dark Castle is a cooperative dungeon-crawler adventure game for 1-4 players. It's designed to be played in around 45 minutes, and this box contains everything needed to play it right away.
The game itself is quite intuitive, with an easy rulebook that explains how to move around the board and fight monsters. You'll have dice at your disposal, as well as cards that you can use to help you overcome obstacles and defeat monsters – although some of these cards are only useful for certain types of monster.
There are a number of ways that you can win Escape the Dark Castle, from just getting out alive all the way up to defeating both bosses at once! The game isn't super long but it does get pretty intense towards the end – so make sure everyone has time to finish playing before they start if you plan on taking them through all three campaigns!
The diversity of terrain in Descent: Journeys in the Dark second edition means that no two games will be alike, making it a hugely replayable game. The double-sided modular board pieces mean that each game will look and feel very different to its predecessor, too.
Descent: Journeys in the Dark second edition is for solo players only - there's no option to play with more than two heroes at a time. This does make things slightly trickier as you'll need to plan your moves carefully if you want to survive against all those nasty monsters, but it also gives the game a real sense of danger and tension.
The game has plenty of expansions as well as official add-ons like Runewars packs, which allow you to play using additional factions and maps. If you're looking for a great dungeon-crawling strategy board game that can take on any number of challengers, don't overlook Descent: Journeys in the Dark second edition!
Best Dungeon Crawler Board Games FAQs
There are some fantastic board and card games out there, but it can be tough to know where to start.
There are a lot of different board game genres, each with their own sets of rules. There's an abundance of questions running through your head as you look over all these new board games, but don't worry! We've got the answers you're looking for right here.
Below we've compiled a list of the most Frequently Asked Questions about dungeon crawler board games so that you can make the best choice possible for yourself or for the gift recipient in your life! With this information, you'll be able to confidently choose which is the best game for you or your loved ones to enjoy this holiday season, birthday, or special occasion.
What Is A Dungeon Crawler Board Game?
A dungeon crawler board game is any title that features a high degree of exploration. As players venture through dungeons, caves, and other areas in search of treasure and glory, they must fight off monsters along the way – hence the “crawler” portion of the name.
In many ways, these games are similar to role-playing video games in that they offer a great deal of freedom to players as they move through their environment. Unlike computer-based games, however, dungeon crawler board games usually feature physical components such as dice and cards.
What Makes A Good Dungeon Crawler Board Game?
It's a challenging question. Dungeon crawlers are very much a subgenre of role-playing games, and as such they all share certain features: character development is incremental rather than instantaneous; dungeon exploration is turn-based rather than real-time; combat plays out on grids or using dice; the dungeon itself is represented by cards, tiles, or dice rather than computer software.
Some entries in the genre emphasize puzzle solving above all else; others focus almost entirely on strategic combat. Some encourage players to create their own characters from scratch; others offer pregenerated heroes that can be upgraded and customized over time. What matters most to you will depend largely on how you've liked other games in the past, but it's also worth considering what kind of experience best suits your group.
Is Frosthaven A Sequel To Gloomhaven?
Yes and no. As you might expect, the two games share some thematic elements and mechanics, but Frosthaven is a standalone game set in the same world as Gloomhaven. Rather than being an expansion or spinoff, Frosthaven is its own self-contained adventure with a similar flavor to Gloomhaven's Euro-inspired take on dungeon crawlers. If you're looking for more of the same gameplay without having to purchase another copy of Gloomhaven, then Frosthaven is your game.
Conclusion
Dungeon crawler board games are an exciting way to get your role-playing fix without having to invest in expensive materials or spend hours creating a character. Whether you're new to the genre or a seasoned veteran, there's sure to be something out there that fits your preferences and schedule. Just make sure to read reviews before purchase so you can ensure quality customer service should any issues arise. Happy gaming!
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