5 Fantasy Board Games to Play When DnD Night Is Canceled

Lauren Darnell

What do you do when another Thursday night has begun and half of your DnD party rolled too low on their initiative to leave their house after work? We’ve got five fantasy board games to satisfy the party without starting a whole new campaign or endless side quests. 

These fantasy board games can be found at major retailers, but we ask that you give your local game store a chance first. They offer games at the same price as the box stores but will appreciate your business so much more.

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Talisman: The Magical Quest Game – 5th Edition (2024)

Unpainted, grey fantasy figures on game board with coin and counting tokens.

If you are a fantasy board game player, then chances are you have played some version of Talisman. I like to use this game as a gateway game to tip players from intermediate play to more advanced campaigns. As the hero, you set forth on an adventure, racing to be the first to obtain a Talisman, reach the Crown of Command in the center of the board and defeat the elder dragon to win. The game scenarios play like a grand, epic quest but the accessible style of the board and card system means a game can be finished in a couple of hours. 

This is also a visually appealing game. The art for Talisman: The Magical Quest Game – 5th Edition is especially dynamic and compelling with a vibrant red overtone for the board with blue accents to contrast it. The fully assembled figures are heavily detailed sculpts of staple high-fantasy tropes that make the game world feel familiar. Don’t forget to check out the “Fate Beckons” expansion to extend the campaign. 

Game Mechanics: 

  • High fantasy theming with detailed figures
  • Strategy/Roleplaying elements
  • 100s of cards for varied gameplay
  • Hasbro 
  • 2-6 players
  • 60-100 minute playtime

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Small World

World map game board laid out around Small World game box.

Small World is another fantasy board game that has been around for a while and there are several versions that all have a fantasy flair, but the original is my favorite so it gets the spot. Speaking of spots, there isn’t nearly enough room on the board for everyone. 

Small World is inhabited by a zany cast of characters such as dwarves, wizards, amazons, giants, orcs, and even humans, who use their troops to occupy territory and conquer adjacent lands to push the other races off the face of the earth.

Picking the right combination from the 14 different fantasy races and 20 unique special powers, players rush to expand their empires – often at the expense of weaker neighbors. Yet they must also know when to push their own over-extended civilization into decline and ride a new one to victory.

Game Mechanics: 

  • Fantasy Terrian Building/Battle elements
  • Area Majority/Strategy gameplay 
  • Created by Philippe Keyaerts (creator of Vinci)
  • Days of Wonder
  • 2-5 players
  • 40-60 minutes

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Mice and Mystics

Our next fantasy board game isn’t a race to the top but rather, a cooperative campaign. If you grew up obsessed with The Secret of NIHM like I did, then Mice and Mystics will feed your soul. Your team, once a band of brave knights, were cursed and transformed into mice, must now traverse the rough rodent world. This is a great starter game too if you have younger players or people new to fantasy roleplaying games. 

Mice and Mystics is a cooperative adventure game in which the players work together to save an imperiled kingdom. They will face countless adversaries such as rats, cockroaches, and spiders, and of course the greatest of all horrors: the castle’s housecat, Brodie. 

Mice and Mystics is a boldly innovative game that thrusts players into an ever-changing, interactive environment and features a rich storyline that the players help create as they play the game. The Cheese System allows players to hoard the crumbs of precious cheese they find on their journey, and use it to bolster their mice with grandiose new abilities and overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Heavy Play Mechanics
  • Cooperative Fantasy Adventure
  • Plaid Hat Games
  • 1-4 players
  • 60-90 minutes

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Gloomhaven

Brown notebooks and cards with tokens on white background (Gloomhaven)

Gloomhaven isn’t for the faint at heart and should only be attempted with a seasoned play party.  It’s a fantasy board game of Euro-inspired tactical combat in a persistent world of shifting motives. In Gloomhaven, players will take on the role of wandering adventurers with their own special set of skills and their reasons for traveling to this dark corner of the world.

Players must work together out of necessity to clear out menacing dungeons and forgotten ruins. In the process, they will enhance their abilities with experience and loot, discover new locations to explore and plunder and expand an ever-branching story fueled by the decisions they make. The complexity of the campaign means that Gloomhaven can easily become a running game over several sessions. 

Game Mechanics:

  • Tactical Combat/ Fantasy Adventure
  • Evolving/Dynamic gameplay elements
  • Single Shot or Multisession campaign 
  • Cephalofair Games
  • 1-4 players
  • 60-100 minutes

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Roll Player

Character boards with dice slots and tokens on wooden table (Roll Player).

Roll Player is the most meta fantasy roleplaying-themed board game you’ll ever play as it is about the character creation step of gaming. We all know that great heroes aren’t born, they’re made with expert dice rolls. There is no elaborate exposition to read, no fights to roll through, no dungeons to imagine. It’s just the good stuff. 

In Roll Player, you will compete to create the greatest fantasy adventurer who has ever lived, preparing your character to embark on an epic quest. Roll and draft dice to build up your character’s attributes. Purchase weapons and armor to outfit your hero. Train to gain skills and discover your hero’s traits to prepare them for their journey. Earn Reputation Stars by constructing the perfect character. The player with the greatest Reputation wins the game.

Game Mechanics: 

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Lauren Darnell
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