Best Dungeons and Dragons Board Games 2023 (2023)

D&D is a great game in more ways than one. It's the original tabletop RPG that has grown in popularity year after year, spawning countless fantasy tropes that have seeped into the pores of pop culture. But he also broadened his reach at the table, spawning a series ofBoard games Dungeons and Dragons.

Better yet, many of themdnd board gamesthey are almost outstanding and move outside our timebest board gamesList. Some rationalize thatTabletop RPG's core mechanic in new systems, while others reuse the classicD&D Statsinto something completely different. In other cases a classicD&D configurationis used as the thematic foundation on which to build an exceptional standalone game, including excellentcooperative board games;Dungeon Crawler Games; and even a solid reinvention of a classichorror board game.

If you don't have time to start another campaign or just don't feel the appeal of RPGs, try one of these games and you'll capture the same magic. So count those spell slots and roll for initiative because...

These are the best Dungeons and Dragons board games 2023:

• Dungeons and Dragons: The Temple of Elemental Evil
• Betrayal at Baldur's Gate
• Dungeons and Dragons: Conquest of Nerath
• Herren von Waterdeep
• tyrants of the underdark

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Dungeons and Dragons: Temple of Elemental Evil

Dungeons & Dragons: Temple of Elemental Evil is a cooperative dungeon crawler that brings together the best bits of fast-paced D&D combat in a series of modular settings. It is the fourth installment in the D&D Adventure System series of board games. It works much like any typical RPG campaign: team up with your friends, choose a hero, and head into the dungeons while killing enemies, earning treasure, and XP along the way.

But like the other board games in this series, Temple of Elemental Evil eschews character role-playing and narrative campaign progression in favor of combat. Kick down the dungeon door and swing your sword against the terror that awaits you on the other side. There's some vague text as to why you stumble upon this seemingly inhospitable temple complex, but don't worry about that. This board game is all about combat.

However, the game improves a bit on its predecessors. The game is the first in the series to feature a persistent campaign setting, the game keeps track of your character levels, and its loot system better accommodates changing players. Traps will also be modified to increase complexity. While it may not be the deepest dungeon crawler out there and doesn't quite match Gloomhaven's slick deck-building system, it aptly captures the D&D formula. If you are running out of players or running out of DMs, this can be replaced with a well-optimized campaign.

It is also a gold mine for. Adventure System board games have long been a treasure trove for players looking for an easy way to acquire visually appealing miniatures for their campaigns. If you include ghosts, cultists, elementals, troglodytes, a giant, and a black dragon, you get a great tabletop game, as well as some super sculptures.

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Betrayal at Baldur's Gate

Betrayal at House on the Hill is one of the bestboard games social deductionaround, and this D&D spin-off brings its treacherous flair for B-movie horror to the Forgotten Realms. In the city of the same name, your group of adventurers will explore its dark alleys and suspicious passageways, discovering the sinister and supernatural events that lurk in the shadows.

Walk around the modular map, discovering rooms and searching their contents for useful items. You will surely need them as the pace of the game quickly changes from suspicious exploration to terrifying escape. One of your friends will fall victim to the forces of evil and turn against the rest of the crew. Every sane adventurer must try to escape avoiding the darkness that threatens his life and the life of the city.

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Nearly identical to its predecessor, Betrayal at Baldur's Gate simply swaps out the classic haunted house theme for supernatural terror. But there are some notable changes, most of which are welcome improvements. Ghosts are activated later in the game, avoiding the irritating and unfair early-game excitement, and adventurous players gain important specializations.

While the game doesn't try to replicate D&D in the slightest, a few nods to items, spells, races, and classes keep it from feeling like a new generic fantasy skin. Betrayal at Baldur's Gate is a fantastic option if you want to take up a D&D board game for the theme instead of gameplay.

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: THE CONQUEST OF NERATH

For all its character development and focus on the personal struggles of heroic adventurers, D&D is sometimes better when it's big. When the fate of entire cities is at stake; when entire empires are crushed by dark forces and vast armies of peoples fight for supremacy over the known world. If that's your thing, then Conquest of Nerath is worth a look.

A game of territory conquest (or "guys on a map" if you're really feeling your nose), four players build a force to spread out across the map and fight as they conquer territory, fuel their war machine, and finally, safe enough points. of victory to win. The core gameplay will be familiar to anyone who's played Risk or Axis and Allies, complete with different rules for unit movement, alliance building, and attacking on land or sea. But some novel rule changes highlight the capture of Nerath. Players can send out brave heroes to complete side quests in search of valuable treasure, and event cards will shift the balance of power in a crucial battle.

It may not be the most innovative map grabbing game, but it's a solid all-around option. However, keep your playing style in mind. You will not lure your opponent into clever and calculated defensive traps, you will simply advance once your troops are on the field. Above all, aggression is rewarded.

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Herren von Waterdeep

Waterdeep is a classic Forgotten Realms city, and Lords of Waterdeep has become something of a classic D&D board game. He assumes the role of one of the city's secret rulers and fights to influence his illegal business interests.

At its core, Lords of Waterdeep is a worker placement game. Assign agents across the board to purchase new buildings for your crime syndicate, hire adventurers to complete quests, save resources, and complete quests for additional rewards. Intrigue cards allow you to throw a curveball at your opponents, disrupt their plans, or empower them to change course. Each player assumes the role of a different lord, granting different opportunities to earn points and directing their intrigues throughout the game.

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But Lords of Waterdeep isn't the complex Eurogame it seems; it's actually quite easy. Neither shallow enough to be overwhelming nor challenging for the most seasoned Eurogamers, it's positioned just right for D&D fans looking to explore the tabletop outside of the Theater of the Mind.

And the town of Waterdeep makes a wonderful backdrop. Rich and cosmopolitan, their lords live in luxury and govern a city of enviable cultural richness and historical importance. But the downtrodden commoners below eke out a meager existence, in debt to crime syndicates backed by the city's secret rulers. Those who have explored its seedy nooks and seedy corridors while role-playing will especially enjoy the board game's ability to recreate the business intrigue and insidiousness of Splendor's City.

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tyrants of the underdark

An enticing mix of genres, Tyrants of the Underdark blends area control and deck building into one furious combat game. Under the banner of the evil elves of D&D, you take command of a powerful drow house and fight for supremacy in your sunless homeland.

The territory control half of the game comes into play on the board as you spread out minions in different locations. Deploy to capture more territory and resources, or reinforce thick troop lines to repel incoming attacks. Your cover, meanwhile, is used to call in more troops, assassinate your enemy, or reinforce your forces. The trick is that you need more cards to get more troops, but to add more cards to your deck, you need to take more territory and deploy the troops to maintain them.

Its delicate balance between deck healing and area expansions makes for a heady combination of tense decision-making and one that will have you racking your brains trying to think of the next best move. Check it out if you're looking for a deckbuilder with a lot of player interaction or a turf control game with a twist.

Also check out our guide to the best ones.dnd video gamesif you want to see some of our digital recommendations.