Best Dungeon-Crawl Board Games

Dungeon Crawlers have spiked in popularity in recent years. It seems as if almost every other day on Kickstarter I’ll see another campaign for a new dungeon crawler.

They’re some of the most popular games out there today, and today we’re looking at the best dungeon-crawl board games out there. For those of you who haven’t tried one yet, you are definitely missing out.

Our Top Picks for Best Dungeon-Crawl Board Games

In a hurry? Check out our favorites for the best dungeon-crawl board games below.

05/26/2023 04:20 am GMT

Elements of a Dungeon Crawler

“Dungeon crawl” is a relatively broad term in board games and they can come in all variety of flavors, but usually, they involve several key elements.

• Dungeon: Either procedural and random, or preset through a campaign.
• Upgradeable Hero characters: Gotta spend all that loot and treasure on something.
• Monsters or Baddies to fill the dungeon: This can be either board AI or another player character.

Today we’re going to be delving into the best dungeon-crawl board games to see what treasures we can find.

Descent: Journeys in the Dark

Players: 1-5
Playing time: 120 minutes
Ages: 14+

Descent is the quintessential dungeon-crawl board game.

If you’re new to the genre and want to see what its all about, Descent is absolutely where you should start.

How it Works

One player will take the role of the dungeon’s overlord, and it is their job to kill every other player. They’ll control all of the monsters and traps and they’ll have several special abilities that can turn the tables on the adventurer players. After all, it’s no fun being a Mary Sue or Marty Stu.

The adventurer players will try to survive and clear the dungeon by killing everything inside or completing objectives. The stats and equipment of the player characters will usually be higher, but that doesn’t mean you can get complacent.

Because monsters are controlled by a player instead of an AI mechanic, the difficulty can be ratcheted up based on how the Overlord plays.

Upgrade Mechanics

The upgrade mechanics also work both ways. Each player can upgrade their character after every game to make them stronger, or they can save their upgrade points for stronger cards and abilities to add to their arsenal.

The Overlord isn’t sitting around either. With every game, the overlord also gains experience and can upgrade the overlord cards into some pretty nasty abilities for the players.

What we liked

Descent is a great introduction to the dungeon-crawl genre. It’s immersive, it’s expansive and it’s thematic. It’s not that easy to play, but it’s accessible for beginners too. So if you’re really not sure where to begin with a dungeon crawler, you should definitely give Descent a go. 

What could be better

One of the only drawbacks of Descent is its hefty price tag. It raises the question of whether the game is worth it or not. That’s an individual choice, but basically, it boils down to how much commitment you’re willing to make. Don’t invest unless you’re willing to play this game a lot. 

Final Thoughts on Descent

Descent is balanced and adds challenges to almost all levels. Whether you are a beginner or a hardcore enthusiast, Descent deserves a place on your table. If you’ve never played a dungeon crawler and want to know what the hype is all about, then Descent is going to be your best starting point.

Gloomhaven

Players: 1-4
Playing time: 60-120
Ages: 12+

Gloomhaven is one of the biggest boxes in board game history, and it’s no surprise that there are hundreds of hours of gameplay jammed into the box.

What’s in the Box?

In Gloomhaven, players will explore a massive world and take part in altering and changing the world of Gloomhaven through its legacy system.

This is different from other legacy systems in that you’re not required to destroy anything throughout the game, so there always remains the possibility that you can reset the board (with a little bit of effort).

There are approximately 75 scenarios built into the game, but depending upon choices you may only see 50, giving you the incentive to revisit the game with a new party and players.

What we liked

Gloomhaven offers so much in one box. It includes over 70 campaigns. The gameplay is deep and richly textured. It’s essentially a legacy game so decisions matter. When you commit to a campaign of Gloomhaven, it’s for the long haul. And, once you begin, it is a phenomenal gaming experience. 

What could be better

It always needs to be mentioned with games that have such huge scope: Commitment is key. You need a crew of hardcore fans who are willing to make Gloomhaven a major part of their life and will play often. Otherwise, the box will sit there with so much wasted potential. 

Final Thoughts on Gloomhaven

Gloomhaven is one of the newer entrants into the dungeon-crawler realm, but it has quickly jumped to the top of many gamers’ must-haves and wish lists.

Arcadia Quest

Players: 2-4
Playing time: 60 minutes
Ages: 13+

Who’s sending all of these people into dungeons? Well, in Arcadia Quest, that gets to be you.

Arcadia Quest puts you in charge of a guild of adventurers to loot a dungeon. The only problem is that every other player has also been put in charge of a guild to loot and raid the same dungeon, and as we know from Highlander “THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!”

How it Works

The game has very cute artwork and is really fun to look at. If you’ve been staring at a Kingdom Death or Dark Souls board and are sick of looking at and hearing about dismembered bodies and super gruesome death, this might be a good break.

The gameplay mechanics are also pretty standard fare. Check the attack and check the defense and roll to see who wins.

That doesn’t mean that this is a Candy Land-esque game where everybody gets along. Keep in mind every player controls a rival guild and everyone is a target.

Each game will have a set goal and such as to kill a specific monster, but if a rival guild is going to get there before you, there’s nothing stopping you from sneaking up behind them and bopping them on the head. In fact, it’s encouraged.

What we liked

Arcadia Quest is a lot of fun. It’s easy to teach and quick to set up. It’s fast-paced and you can beat the whole campaign in a day (if you play all day). It makes it quite easy to set up and organize a campaign when comparing it to something like Gloomhaven. 

What could be better

The game can encourage players to make alliances and stab others in the back. If you’re not a fan of being targeted by the combined powers of a sneaky alliance, this aspect of the game can be frustrating. 

Final Thoughts on Arcadia Quest

Arcadia Quest barely qualifies as a dungeon-crawler, but I thought it was such a fun game that those of you looking for an awesome game to play would appreciate it. It’s more arena than dungeon, but it still has some of the same mechanics as a traditional dungeon crawler. (Plus, it has some awesome minis.)

The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth

Players: 1-5
Playing time: 60-120 minutes
Age: 14+

When I hear Middle Earth mentioned it always piques my attention. Anything that claims to immerse you in a fully realized version of Tolkien’s fantasy world is always worth a look. The lore is already there and so many of us have so much love and familiarity with it. 

But, of course, execution is everything.  So what’s different or special about The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth? 

The game sees you adventure across Middle Earth, slaying deadly enemies, making difficult choices, and following an extensive narrative. The game’s theme and artwork is fantastic and it includes an app to help guide you through the gameplay and storyline. 

What we liked

Introducing an app to a board game is always going to be a controversial choice, so the execution needs to be pitch-perfect. Well, the app actually adds a lot to the game. It makes setup a lot quicker and easier. The app helps to guide and structure the game which offers a lot of clarity on the rules. Overall, the app is a winner. 

What could be better

That all being said, some gamers just aren’t going to approve of the introduction of apps into board games. We will see it happening more and more, but it doesn’t mean we have to or should accept it. This game offers you a binary choice: If you’re OK with an app guiding your experience, play it. If not, don’t. 

Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Players: 1-5
Playing time: 120 minutes
Ages: 14+

Another game that draws on a fantastic theme is Star Wars: Imperial Assault. This game does a great job of tying together a complex board game with a universally recognized theme to create an excellent gaming experience. 

Although a strong love of Star Wars is definitely going to keep you interested in this game, it’s not going to be enough to carry everyone through. You also need to be quite a skilled board game player in order to beat the game. In fact, just as a board game, Star Wars is an engaging, complex achievement that will keep you engaged on its own terms. 

The campaign mode will pit the Galactic Empire against the Rebel Heroes in an epic space battle — one might say —  star war.  You can also try the skirmish mode where players face off in a tactical battle. 

What we liked

Given that this is a Star Wars board game, it’s going to attract fans of the series who will care a lot about the trajectory of the campaign. Star Wars: Imperial Assault does the franchise justice in this regard. The campaign is well structured and fits nicely into the Star Wars universe. The theme is well-executed and the artwork is awesome. 

What could be better

If you’re a fan of character progression, Star Wars: Imperial Assault will not satisfy that particular itch. Sure, you can develop your hero. But only within pretty narrow parameters. As long as you go into the game being aware of this, it’s not a huge negative.

Mice and Mystics

Players: 1-4
Playing time: 60-90 minutes
Ages: 7+

Mice and Mystics is an incredible story-driven cooperative dungeon crawler that was inspired by children’s stories. To that end, many of the components of the board have storybook elements and it’s an excellent game to play with family and young children.

In Mice and Mystics, the prince has been imprisoned along with several of his loyal followers. The only way to escape the dungeon is by having Maginos, the court wizard, turn everyone into mice and escape into the sewers.

What we liked

As a kid-friendly dungeon crawler, Mice and Mystics is excellent. It draws really well on its theme. The artwork is gorgeous and engaging. The storyline is immersive and will keep players interested for quite a few sessions. The production levels are also fantastic. The gameplay itself is fast-paced, with very little downtime between sessions. 

What could be better

Although the storyline is brilliant, once it’s been played it can’t be unplayed. That is, the game lacks replayability. Once you’ve seen everything the game has to offer, from a narrative perspective, the gaming mechanics don’t offer enough to keep players coming back for more. 

Final Thoughts on Mice and Mystics

The game is silly and whimsical, yet is still a ton of fun to play especially with younger kids. The story unfolds in a booklet that reads like an actual fairy tale and really draws you into the world.

Ready to transform into mice? Check out our in-depth review of Mice and Mystics before you play.

Mansions of Madness

Players: 1-5
Playing time: 120-180 minutes
Ages: 14+

“The skies are haunted by that which it were madness to know; and strange abominations pass evermore between earth and moon and athwart the galaxies. Unnamable things have come to us in alien horror and will come again.” ―Clark Ashton Smith

If you need a little more horror-inspired fantasy options, Mansions of Madness drops you right into the shoes of a Lovecraftian investigator, attempting to thwart the elder gods before they go insane or are unleashed upon the world.

How it Works

With the second edition of Mansions of Madness, the game has been immensely streamlined. There is now a companion app that turns setup into a breeze and helps run the game by prompting players when they need to make certain rolls/checks, what new room tile to put down, and how to set it up.

I’m not normally a fan of technology-enhanced games. I know they’re going to be a bigger and bigger part of games as time goes on, and this app didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. It’s very helpful and an excellent way to get new players into more complex games.

What we liked

All of the elements of Mansions of Madness combine to make an extremely thematic dungeon crawler that offers a great gaming experience. The app adds to the theme and allows you to focus on the gameplay. The mechanics are excellent and help create some brilliant gaming moments. 

What could be better

It does take a long time to set up, and potentially a long time to play. If you’re looking for a quick fix then look elsewhere as Mansions of Madness is a big time commitment. But, if you’re willing to commit, then this game is extremely rewarding. 

Final Thoughts on Mansions of Madness

If you’ve ever looked at any of Fantasy Flight’s rulebooks for any of their Lovecraft-inspired games, you’ll know they all basically come with a novel-sized rulebook. Without the app, you would need a dedicated player to read the rulebook front to back and would be constantly referring to it throughout the game.

With the app, you get some awesome thematic music and a prompt whenever you need to draw a card or make a check. The only real downside is that you might want to use a tablet instead of a phone to get the full visual effect of the app.

Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft

Players: 1-5
Playing time: 60 minutes
Ages: 12+

If you want to try out a D&D-themed board game, but only have an hour to spare then maybe consider Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft. It’s a popular board game for a reason. You and up to four companions will explore the castle and deal with dangerous surprises along the way. 

In terms of gameplay and theme experienced players and beginners alike should find a nice balance. Each game is only an hour long and the D&D theme is evident throughout. As you progress through the dungeon, you’ll earn points and level up your hero. If you work together, you might just make it out alive. 

What we liked

The learning curve is pretty gentle in Castle Ravenloft. You can gently introduce total beginners to the mechanics and rules of the game and slowly up the difficulty. As you progress through the adventures, the difficulty will increase accordingly. It never gets too overwhelming, and players from any level can enjoy the game.  

What could be better

There are two potential problems in this game. First, success relies on rolling dice. This has obvious drawbacks and if you’re not a fan of fate then there’s no getting around it. The other problem is that for a dungeons and dragons game, there just isn’t much roleplaying.

Welcome to the Dungeon

Players: 2-4
Playing time: 30 minutes
Ages: 10+

Welcome to the Dungeon is not necessarily a dungeon-crawler. It, however, is a very fun quick game with a dungeon theme, so I decided to add it to the list anyway.

Welcome to the Dungeon is a press-your-luck bluffing game where each player secretly looks at the monsters in a dungeon and bets on whether or not it can be completed.

How it Works

As players take their turns they’ll discard items and “bet” that they can still complete the dungeon based on what hidden cards they’ve seen. Some players may even be discarding cards to intentionally make the dungeon run harder in order to hurt other players.

If you don’t think the dungeon run is winnable you can always pass on the round. When only one player is left in the round, they take what cards are left and try to complete the dungeon.

If they successfully make it through, they receive 1 point. If they die, they’ll lose 1 life. The first player to successfully complete 2 dungeons, or the last player standing, wins.

What we liked

As a quick and easy dungeon board game, this game excels. It’s very fast-paced and the push-your-luck mechanic keeps everyone engaged at all times. It’s not a game to take seriously, so it can work between more serious gaming sessions to give everyone a breather and have a good laugh. 

What could be better

The game works as a great filler but isn’t big enough to carry a gaming night by itself. It can’t work as the centerpiece of the evening. It can only work in between other games. That’s fine, of course. Variety is the spice of life. But it’s definitely something to be aware of.

Final Thoughts on Welcome to the Dungeon

As I said, it’s not really a dungeon crawl, but I like to use it in between longer games to break up the pace with something light. It’s nice to have a small game that can be completed relatively quickly after sitting at a table for a few hours or before a longer gaming session to get everyone in the mood.

DOOM

Players: 2-5
Playing time: 120-180 minutes
Ages: 14+

Doom was by no means the first shooter game, but it was the first major success and has been credited as being one of the most influential games in gaming history. Even if you know nothing about Doom it may still be worth checking out the board game.

How it Works

Doom is a fast-paced, head-to-head dungeon crawler, where one player will control demonic monsters, and the other players will create a team of marines to run in and shoot demons in the face.

The gameplay for the board game actually follows the original Doom to a certain degree, and by that I mean, there’s relatively zero story or campaign mode. The marine player characters are named Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta respectively.

The game is about straightforward combat. There are scenarios but you’re not going to find much more than objectives here.

Tactics FTW

If you’re a fan of Doom you’ll naturally be drawn to the game, but gamers who aren’t shooter fans or Doom fans can find a lot to love here as well. The game is clear-cut and easy to get into, and there is enough strategy to keep both sides interested.

What equipment you take into a mission allows marines to shoot more demons, add more strength, and speed up, or slow down players, depending on how much gear they bring in.

Demons, on the other hand, will be able to spawn from portals and can use different tactics to try and kill the marines. Do you rush in all at once, using hit-and-run tactics? Or do you throw in a big meat shield while a bunch of smaller demons swarm to attack?

What we liked

DOOM is just a really entertaining game. It has a bit of something for everyone. Of course, if you’ve played the video game there is a natural appeal to the board game. But whether you played the video game or not doesn’t really matter. The aesthetics and illustrations really bring the theme to life and the gameplay is fast-paced and easy to follow. 

What could be better

DOOM does suffer from a few limitations. It’s not particularly difficult so if you’re looking for a more complex dungeon crawler this isn’t it. Also, there’s a  lot of dice rolling and a high degree of randomness that won’t appeal to everyone. 

Final Thoughts on DOOM

Doom has been a huge hit with my casual gamer friends. It’s face-paced and unambiguous, with enough of a strategy that it’s not just a numbers game. For more experienced dungeon crawlers, you might find it lacking in lore and depth, though.

I still remember playing Doom on Windows 95 on a 3.5in floppy disc, so even with the new Doom games and board game makeover, it still has some nostalgia for me.

Myth

Players: 2-5
Playing time: 120 minutes
Ages: 12+

You may recognize Myth from its massive Kickstarter campaign. In recent years, Kickstarter has opened up the board game scene to a ton of designers and has greenlit many new dungeon crawlers to the market.

Myth: Demystified

There’s a lot of conflicting information about Myth so I’ll try and clear some of the confusion so that you can get to what’s really important: rolling dice and stabbing monsters.

First, let’s look at the production value of the game. The miniatures are excellent. All the hero characters and minions look amazing, and the boss monsters look intimidating. At a glance, it’s easy to see who is who, and having the bosses tower over the other players gives it a nice aesthetic.

How it Works

The game itself is very fun to play and heavily focuses on teamwork and cooperative play. It is fully cooperative with card AI dictating enemy movement. If you try it solo without consulting a team you’re going to run into a Leroy Jenkins situation.

You’ll never really run into a situation where one character is the powerhouse. Everyone has a very balanced skillset but is also unique enough that they perform better in certain situations.

Worldbuilding is very fun and gives you a lot of freeform options as to what you want to do and where you want to fight. There is a campaign/scenario that allows players to level up and retain persistent upgrades, and I do like the loot system.

You’ll be facing swarms of monsters from a generator on the board that continually vomits up minions until you destroy it, but for every 3 monsters you kill, they’ll drop some loot. And who doesn’t like loot?

Rulebook Issues

The major issues with the game can be summed up in Myth’s golden rule. If you don’t know how to do something or if the rules aren’t clear then just make it up.

The rulebook is massive and complex. The learning curve is steep and it’s not something you can pick up and learn on your own within 20 minutes.

Considering its high production value, you’d expect the rules to be a bit more polished. The rules seem to be designed as if they were written for a close friend that knows all of their inside jokes.

I can respect the notion that if something doesn’t make sense you should power through it for the sake of game flow, but there should be something later that I can reference to clarify the rules after the fact, and there simply isn’t much of the time.

What we liked

The actual gameplay and mechanics of Myth are loads of fun. As a fully cooperative game, it has a lot to offer. The adventures are engaging and it’s really rewarding working through them. At the end of it all, Myth evokes a sense of collective achievement that will leave your group coming back for more. 

What could be better

When you hear about Myth there’s a good chance you’ll hear about convoluted rules and a messy rulebook. There’s no getting around it: The rulebook is the weakest point of the game.

But just be aware of this and don’t worry too much if you don’t understand something. As long as you find a way to make it work for everyone it really doesn’t matter. 

Final Thoughts on Myth

Myth is a very fun game. Its cooperative play is very well done, and the equipment, upgrade system, and combat is very fun… as long as you don’t get caught up in the rules. If you come across something that doesn’t make sense, just house-rules it and enjoy the game for what it is.

If that doesn’t bother you then it’s going to be a fun ride. If you need the structure or if you want a game that you can jump right into you may want to look at Descent or some of the other games on the list.

Massive Darkness

Players: 1-5
Playing time: 120 minutes
Ages: 14+

Massive Darkness is one of the newer entrants to dungeon crawlers, but it made a big splash when it arrived on the scene.

It’s developed by CMON Games (cool mini or not) so you know that you are going to be getting a ton of high-quality miniatures with the game.

How it Works

Massive Darkness follows many of the traditional mechanics of a dungeon-crawler, but they deal with death in an interesting way. Every time a character dies they respawn at the beginning of the dungeon, and a token is taken off of the lifestone card. It basically acts as a life counter.

Every time a player dies a token is removed from the game, and the difficulty can be adjusted up or down by adding or removing tokens from the lifestone.

As you kick down doors and explore rooms monsters players will be prompted to spawn monsters and treasure depending upon the scenario.

Leveling Mechanics

Probably my favorite mechanic and something Massive Darkness does well is leveling. For most dungeon crawlers it takes multiple games to level up and gain all the abilities that you want for a character. You can do that in Massive Darkness as well, but you can also complete everything in a single session.

Modes of Play

There are two modes of play: campaign and single-shot. In campaign mode, your characters will level up slowly, but their levels and equipment are persistent between gaming sessions, giving you a natural story progression.

The single shot is exactly as it sounds. Players will advance much quicker, but characters can be made and unmade in between sessions, allowing for a quicker game and much less of a time commitment.

What we liked

The fact that there are two modes of play is really appealing. It basically increases the appeal and accessibility of the game depending on who you are playing with and what level of commitment they are ready to make. If you want a long drawn-out campaign, then perfect.

If you just want a quick game that’s done and dusted in one session, that’s covered too. 

What could be better

Packing the box away can be a bit of a nightmare. There are so many components, which is excellent. But you need to pay close attention when packing it all back into the box. Everything has its place technically, so just make sure you put things exactly where they are supposed to go. 

Need more Massive Darkness? Check out our full, in-depth review here.

Escape The Dark Castle

Players: 1-4
Playing time: 20-45 minutes
Ages: 14+

As the name of the game suggests, the key challenge in Escape the Dark Castle is to find a way out. It’s a cooperative adventure game where you and your companions have been wrongfully convicted and need to work together and find a way out of the evil prison. 

The gameplay is fast-paced and centers around overcoming challenges represented by random chapter cards. Each chapter requires a different strategy and players need to deliberate and decide on the best course of action with each encounter. 

You win and lose together. If anyone loses all their health everyone loses. But if you defeat the final boss, everyone wins. 

What we liked

Escape the Dark Castle is very easy to learn but quite hard to beat. This, coupled with the quick game time, means that the replayability factor is high. You will understand the rules almost immediately. You won’t win every game, but you can keep on trying. This will keep you coming back for more.  

What could be better

There isn’t a great level of backstory to the characters. Actually, there isn’t really much depth to this game at all. For such a compact and small game that is to be expected. But it definitely needs to be mentioned. Escape from the Dark Castle works well with other games, but cannot stand in on its own as the sole reason for game night.

Claustrophobia

Players: 2
Playing time: 45 minutes
Ages: 14+

Claustrophobia is a lighter mechanic game with a different take on dungeon themes.

How it Works

You will take control of a character called the Redeemer who conscripts nameless prisoners and fighters to go beneath the city to combat a Demon infestation threatening to kill everyone. I thought the theme was a little refreshing.

You honestly don’t see many religious/demonic themes too often. That being said some players may be turned off by the religious theme, but I personally didn’t see anything that would offend; each to their own, though.

The demon miniatures look awesome. They all look like something I would not like to be facing in a dark corridor and the player characters all look like hardened warriors, which makes it a shame that they’re all generic nameless characters.

Dice, Dice, and More Dice

The gameplay is mostly traditional dice-rolling and the rules are very easy to pick up and play, making it a very good game for new players and those that just want to sit down and roll some dice at the table.

The game is 2-player and works very well. The demon player has an interesting way of using their dice. They’ll roll all of their dice and consult a chart. Dice are then allocated to spots on the chart depending upon the roll and can give the demon player a variety of options like additional demon spawns or buffs.

The Redeemer player also has a similar mechanic in that they’ll allocate dice to their character board to determine their stats. They have several options, but as the character gets injured they will have less desirable options and they are more limited in stats, which is a very unique way of showing damage and fatigue of characters.

What we liked

Claustrophobia just looks fantastic and plays flawlessly. The painted miniatures and impressive artwork just draw you in immediately. There’s no waste here. There are no additional or superfluous parts. It’s a simple, beautiful game that provides a lot of immersion and entertainment for 2 players. 

What could be better

Ultimately, Claustrophobia lacks depth. It’s great for what it is but cannot sustain a whole evening of gaming. It isn’t complex or hard or long. You’re not going to feel an incredible sense of accomplishment after completing a run-through of the game. But, combined with other more immersive dungeon crawlers, this game adds a lot.

Final Thoughts on Claustrophobia

You actually won’t feel claustrophobic on this map. The map tiles are huge and you’ll be getting a lot of them. The artwork on each one is beautifully designed and adds a very dark atmosphere to the game.

Claustrophobia is very fun and very easy to learn. The dice mechanics try to limit the complete randomness by giving both players some options to allocate the dice instead of simply reading the results, which I appreciated.

Players looking for a heavier game and scenarios are not going to find it here. It’s fun and quick-paced, excellent for beginners, but the religious tones and lack of complexity may turn off hardcore gamers.

Shadows of Brimstone

Players: 1-4
Playing time: 120 minutes
Ages: 12+

Shadows of Brimstone is a crazy mashup of themes that are so odd that they somehow work well together. Shadows of Brimstone is a western-themed game filled with eldritch horrors and monsters. It’s something I would never have put together, but I’m glad they did.

The thing that brought Shadow of Brimstone to my attention was the weird themes of the game, and it delivers a fantastic experience. The story campaign, the role-playing aspects of the characters, and the stories that come from a few rounds of this game are just pure fun.

How it Works

The game is very dice-heavy, so if you only want to play games with highly tuned mechanics then you might not enjoy how much luck plays a role in this game. You’re going to be rolling dice for almost everything.

If you get a mutation, injury, or move, there’s a dice roll and possibly a chart to see the results. It can sometimes bog down the game, but it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.

The miniatures look cool, especially the Harbinger model, but they are a pain in the butt to put together. If you’re hamfisted like me and just jam things together, you might have a little bit of trouble.

Leveling Mechanics

The upgrade and leveling system is very cool. Each character can have their own separate levels and after each mission is completed, everyone will have a chance to spend money and upgrade points in town. Each player has all kinds of options for how to spend their points and money (you may have to roll dice though).

What we liked

Shadows of Brimstone packs a lot of variety into its gameplay and overall theme. For some, this will seem like too much of a mishmash. But when it works it really works. To be a truly competent player you need to combine tactical gameplay with dice rolling. You need to master the leveling-up mechanic. And you need to adapt to the crazy situations the campaign will throw at you. 

What could be better

Shadows of Brimstone involves throwing a lot of dice. It’s a defining feature of the gameplay. If you hate this mechanic, you have been given fair warning. It’s definitely not for everyone. 

Final Thoughts on Shadows of Brimstone

For all of its flaws, Shadows of Brimstone is just a fun game. It’s challenging without being overtly rule-heavy and the thematic elements and storytelling keep me wanting to pull it off the shelf to see what happens on the next mission. It’s not for everyone, but I’ve never had a bad time playing it.

Ready to give it a try? Check out our in-depth review of Shadows of Brimstone before you buy.

Wrap-Up

As the Perma DM for our Dungeons & Dragons group, it’s nice to be able to run through a dungeon without being distracted every five seconds by someone yelling, “I want to loot its pockets!” or “How much XP do we get for slaughter?” (It’s a rock golem, Kendra! It doesn’t have pockets!”).

The best dungeon-crawl board games still give that same experience of trekking through the unknown and vanquishing evil as a team. Most don’t require a Dungeon Master (DM or rules overlord), and everything is streamlined allowing players to jump right in and start exploring.

What do you think are the best dungeon-crawl board games?

If I missed your favorite, or you just want to talk board games leave a comment below.

We’d love to hear from you.