Most of the board, card or dice games are equally suitable for young and older players. Especially in long-standing and experienced playgroups, board players want complex board games with thick rule books, a long playing time and a mostly adult presentation of the board game. The recommended age is not automatically beyond the magical limit of 30 years, but can also correspond to conventional board games. So don't be surprised if the new zombie board game should be playable from the age of 10. It is not uncommon for good board games for veterans to be available exclusively in English. Thanks to the Internet, there are also good tutorial videos or translated instructions for foreign-language games. Relevant search engines can help. In my current blog article I would like to introduce my personal top 5 best board games for adults from the Fantasy and Adventure category. Further categories will follow in future top lists. You are also welcome to let me know your wishes. The main focus was on a somewhat more extensive set of rules. But something also applies to more adult games: First and foremost, they need to be well entertained. I hope you enjoy the following text.
Dungeon Fighter
Dungeon Fighter is a board game for 1 to 6 players and is aimed at particularly brave heroes who don't mind exploring dark dungeons. Skill and a thirst for adventure decide between victory and defeat. It owns Dungeon Fighter a very special charm, which is created in particular by the wonderfully weird monster mix. The cooperative board game from the house of the Heidelberger Spieleverlag gets better from game to game, because the steadily increasing gaming experience also increases the tactical skills within the group during the colorful monster hunt. Even if the game is recommended for ages 10 and up, seasoned adults have numerous funny moments at the gaming table thanks to the great joke of Dungeon Fighter. If you like it fast, colorful and cooperative, you can't go wrong with the purchase of Dungeon Fighter. Released extensions provide variety and are also quite cheap with purchase prices of less than 15 €. 45 - 60 minutes of fun are guaranteed with this board game. But Dungeon Fighter landed at number 5 on the top list.
The dwarfs
The board game The dwarfs from the game publisher Pegasus Spiele is based on the book series by cult author Markus Heitz, which is well known among fantasy fans. Also cooperative and with great drawings The dwarfs a classic fantasy board game based around our favorite dwarf Tungdil Goldhand, who already showed an extraordinary sense of adventure in the book. All players in the board game round, which consists of 2 to 5 players, take on roles known from the books. The playing figures are processed in great detail and each dwarf (and one dwarf) has an individual character card that provides information about the values - typical role-playing game. During the game, equipment is diligently collected in order to be able to complete the scenario victoriously. On the other hand, the group of heroes cannot cope with dead dwarves; if one of the protagonists dies, the game round is lost. This brings the necessary tension to the gaming table and protects against overly careless moves. The expansion that is already available extends the gaming experience and complexity, so that long-term fun is guaranteed. It costs around € 34 The dwarfs, a good price that is worth every penny of the purchase. Congratulations on ranked 4th on the list of the top 5 best board games for adults.
Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed Island
The Pegasus strikes again. Again cooperative and seasoned with a lot of classic adventure feeling. The name Robinson Crusoe should sound familiar to one or the other player and indeed, it is thematically about shipwrecked people, a lonely island and the naked struggle for superiority. Collecting resources and finding the best place in the camp are two of the tasks that 1 to 4 players, ages 14+, have to face. The highlight of the board game Robinson Crusoe are the six different scenarios that turn every game into an exciting adventure. In addition to an extensive rulebook (40 pages have to be read. Many doctor's novel readers might be jealous of this), the game also contains numerous accessories in the form of dice, resource dice or character sheets. In addition, the game board can be set up variably and thus offers visual highlights for the game group. Robinson Crusoe Adventure on the Cursed Island is currently one of the best co-op board games and deserves a bronze spot on the top list. For only around 34 €, adventurers can get a lot of entertainment, the only downer is an extensive preparation phase.
The iron throne
The game for thrones continues, on the kitchen table at home, which becomes the venue for numerous intrigues and power games. George RR Martin's book is currently experiencing a hype that is second to none. Some say rightly, others completely exaggerated. The fantasy board game in the second edition is nevertheless a stunner and almost as extensive as the text template, which has now grown to ten volumes. The price of around 70 €, which initially appears steep, is initially frightening, but it subsides as soon as you see the playing time of 2 - 4 hours. The iron throne is not a board game for low-concentration board gamers and requires not only theoretical knowledge of strategic war bases but also an iron seat - because the one who gets up first loses!*
The equipment of the game is incredibly good and catapults 3 to 6 experienced players directly into a medieval ambience, which is impressively staged, above all, by the gigantic game board. The game authors Kevin Wilson and Christian T. Petersen come up with all sorts of small parts and a great game idea, the central element of which is tough negotiations, without which the game for thrones cannot be won. The revised second edition contains numerous expanding elements that previously came from expansions, but are now part of the basic game. That puts the somewhat higher purchase price into perspective. The iron throne from Heidelberger Spieleverlag fills board game evenings with crackling excitement and breathtakingly long entertainment. Definitely allude.
Descent: The Journey into the Dark
Drum roll. First place in the top list of the five best board games for adults in the Fantasy and Adventure category goes to: Descent - Reise ins Dunkel in the second, revised edition. I deliberately chose this variant because the revised details also enable beginners to get started with the game easily and the price is also a lot more attractive. The board game costs just under 45 € and the brave players won't regret a cent of it. Descent is a terrific dungeon crawler that can easily take on the classic representatives of this genre. And that's kudos when you look at the stiff competition of the 90s that consisted of such excellent tabletop board game titles as HeroQuest or StarQuest. Descent is finally a board game again, in which one of the players is allowed to be really nasty and slip into the role of the overlord, whose task it is to close the hero's eyes as quickly as possible and thus win. On the other hand, the other players try to cooperate as a hero group to pass their quests. Descent unfolds its full potential with the maximum number of players of 5 tabletop or dungeon fans. The game set is full of beautiful figures, markers, game boards and dice, which turn the price of 45 € into a real bargain. If you factor in the fun of the game, Descent is even dirt cheap. The second edition of Descent estimates a pure playing time of 60 to 120 minutes, which is a decent reduction compared to the first edition, but ensures more variety on the gaming table in the long term. Incidentally, jointly responsible for the placement on the highest step of the winners' podium are the successful extensions, which all integrate great additional features into the main game and ensure even more gaming fun. So if you are looking for a good mix of tabletop and board game that is set in a fascinating fantasy universe, you will be with us Descent - The Journey into the Dark and his great Extensions spot on. Have fun trying!
