Board games with campaigns can be a great way to have some fun and escape the daily grind. More often, they’re much shorter than typical RPGs (role playing games) and thus much easier to commit to playing for folks that are busy. If you’re looking for one, you’re going to love what’s on this list…
Let’s check out the games…
Gloomhaven
- It offers 60 to 120 minutes of play for one to four players.
- The players use the scenario book to put together a string of different adventures.
- Any scenario revealed in the game can also be played as a stand-alone experience if desired.
- Players have to work together in order to be able to clear out any forgotten ruins and menacing dragons.
- As players play, they enhance their abilities and skills, find new locations, and expand the story.
- Every decision that a player makes has a huge impact on the future of the game as well as future play sessions.
When players work together, they can enjoy teamwork bonuses.
Risk Legacy
- Not only do choices that players make affect the current game but they also roll over and affect future games so strategy and thinking ahead is important.
- As in the classic game of “Risk”, players explore and try to take over areas of the world but there is much more to this version.
- Players who win multiple games will unlock different components.
- Winners can name major cities or continents.
- Each player has his or her own set of military forces to move and to control.
- Because of how many ways this game can be customized, there aren’t any two games that will be alike no matter how many times it is played.
Dungeons and Dragons: Tomb of Annihilation
- There are multiple scenarios included in this game that allow players to take on difficult quests and battles in an effort to win.
- It can be played by a single player if desired but also works really well for a larger group.
- The game offers 60 minutes of playtime.
- Each player is an adventurer who has weapons, spells, and special abilities that he or she uses when exploring a tomb and a jungle.
- With 40 interlocking dungeon tiles, it’s easy to see how the game won’t ever be the same twice.
- There are 225 cards, more than 300 tokens, 42 miniatures, standees, and hero and villain tiles.
- All components are high-quality and designed to last.
Blood Bowl
- Miniatures aren’t painted, which allows players to have a lot of control over the final appearance of their game.
- It includes everything that two players need to be able to play this game.
- A fantasy game of football, this game requires players to act as coaches and has them choosing their teams and then battling for glory out on the field.
- The rulebook is long but very easy for most people to understand.
- All of the components included, such as the dugouts, dice, miniatures, and foldout card pitch, are high-quality and designed to add to the overall enjoyment of the game.
Aeon’s End: Legacy
- This full campaign game is a deck-building game where players must slowly build and improve their characters over the course of several games in order to have the most powerful and useful character possible.
- Characters are used to fight off enemies in order to take and hold the final bastion of humanity.
- When each game is over, players get to choose new upgrades for their characters.
- Powerful player cards are added to the deck at the end of each game, allowing players a lot of choice when customizing their players and making improvements.
- Other cards added include new characters and new nemeses.
Descent: Journeys in the Dark
- One player acts as the treacherous overload while the other players are all heroes who are fighting together to win the game.
- During the game, the heroes embark on adventures together and travel into dungeons, caves, and ruins in an effort to complete various quests.
- The board pieces are modular and double-sided, which means that the board can be designed in many different ways.
- There are numerous combinations of skill and hero combinations.
- The story-driven campaign is interesting and will keep players feeling involved.
- Thanks to the cooperative gameplay, this is a great option for new players who may not feel confident playing on their own or against their friends.
Near and Far
- There are four game modes in this game, making it a great choice for players who aren’t interested in ever playing the same game twice.
- The first adventure mode is great for beginners, the campaign mode has 10 games that are linked together, the story mode features three or four games that follow the fate of one character, and the arcade mode is fast and relies on random encounters, not the storybook.
- There are eight different characters that players can choose to play as and there are 11 different maps to enjoy.
- With fantastic artwork and character stories, this game is incredibly immersive.
Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of Ashardalon
- Between one and five players can enjoy this game at a time, making it great for when one person wants to play by himself or herself or when hosting a larger group.
- There are multiple scenarios included in this game as well as incredible quests and the reliance on cooperative game play.
- Only by working together are players going to be able to defeat this game and come out triumphant in their battle against a red dragon.
- Players venture through a cave mouth and down through chambers and tunnels, fighting against monsters and arming themselves in preparation to meet the red dragon.
Hornet Leader – Carrier Air Operations
- One huge part of this immersive game is mission planning; players must be able to decide not only what pilots are the best options for them to send on a mission but also how they will arm their aircrafts.
- Understanding how to balance pilot fatigue and ability is important as pilots will gain experience each time they fly but will also become tired and their skills can degrade.
- Missions can be quickly resolved and players must focus on realism and on speed.
- Even though the gameplay is fast and very easy to understand, this game can be played over and over without the quality suffering.
First Martians: Adventures on the Red Planet
- There are not only three campaign modes with this game but also three basic gameplay modes, making it great for new players as well as for more advanced players.
- It offers 60 to 90 minutes of gameplay.
- Players are immersed in life on Mars and have to try to survive by fighting back against the hostile environment in addition to challenges and adventures.
- There is an integrated app that keeps the game challenging and maintains balance of gameplay, making the experience even more exciting.
- An open world option allows players to explore the planet as long as they can survive.
Mice and Mystics
- It is great for just one player to enjoy by himself or herself but can be played by up to four players for 60 minutes of playtime.
- Players act as characters who are loyal to the king but are trying to escape the clutches of a mysterious queen.
- The queen has turned players into mice and each one has his or her own character and features.
- Players need to work together in order to warn the king of danger and defeat the evil queen.
- Since the environment is interactive and always changing, players won’t easily become bored and will enjoy the rich storyline.
Shadowrun Crossfire
- There are many dangers in the world including ghouls, mages, gangers, corporate raiders, dragons, and police officers.
- Players rely on their friends, their wits, and their bravery.
- All players work together to hack the Matrix, create spells, and try to tackle the monsters in the game.
- This is a cooperative deck-building game where between two and four players work together to survive in a fantasy world.
- As a team, players work to protect clients or fight evil creatures.
- Each game causes the decks to be improved, allowing players to fine-tune their powers and their abilities and improve the overall gameplay and experience.
Galaxy Defenders
- This is a cooperative sci-fi battle game where players take control over agents that are equipped with unique powers.
- Perfect for one to five players, all players have unique powers and fight against alien invaders.
- The playtime lasts between 60 and 180 minutes, depending on the type of campaign that the players choose to run.
- Each player can be in charge of more than one agent if necessary to keep the game moving quickly.
- There are 38 miniatures, custom dice, modular maps, profile sheets, encounter cards, and more.
- The battle continues through rounds of play, making the game immersive and exciting.
Krosmaster: Quest
- Featuring cooperative play for two to six players, this game is great for new players who don’t have a lot of experience in fighting against each other and want to work as a team.
- All of the figures are high-quality, detailed, and brightly colored, adding to the interest and fun of the game.
- Players develop their characters in the modular world, fighting to slay monsters, get money, fight with allies against enemies, and increase power to become the rightful king.
- The game can be expanded by using figures from previous releases if desired.
- The scenarios make it easy for players to follow along and be guided through the game.
Spy Club
- Great for younger players who are 10+, this cooperative game requires players to work together to try to capture a culprit.
- Each time the
game is played, players are able to unlock new adventures that will affect gameplay in the future. - The shorter playing time of just 45 minutes makes it a great introduction to campaign games.
- The five different games that form the campaign are all connected but can be enjoyed separately.
- There are eight different characters to choose from and players get to name their own characters, giving younger players a sense of ownership.