Board games are a fantastic way to cool off at the end of the day or week with a group of friends or just that one special person in your life who also just gets the feeling of sitting down and playing one. They can even blur the lines between hobbies, with many containing miniatures for you to paint and play with.
While simple board games are great, there’s a special place in my heart for the most overly complicated games that require setting up and in-depth knowledge to play. At first, these games are a pain for newcomers because they must be learned and enjoyed, but once you’ve mastered them, they’re so much fun to play. I don’t think it gets much better than starting a game with a blank board and ending it with one filled with miniatures or a giant sculpture everybody’s worked to craft over the last few hours.
Below, I’ve highlighted the best board games with miniatures that I’ve been able to find. I think I’ve included a decent range of titles that should please everybody in one way or another. So, whether you want an easy board game to hop in and out of or one that’ll take you days to complete, you should find something here.
20. Age of Mythology: The Board Game
- Players: 2-8
- Game length: 2 hours
That’s right, there’s an Age of Mythology board game, and it isn’t that terrible. The appeal of this game is that it has hundreds of miniatures for you to mess around with, one set for every army. Obviously, this is based on the video game, so you’ve got units of varying strength that need to be created using buildings.
Certain tech upgrades will be required to make the most powerful units, which you’ll need for combat because it’s very much a rock, paper, scissors system. The game is won when the Wonder is built, but the whole way, you’ll be battling against the enemy nations, trying to secure your victory, exactly as if you were playing the video game.
19. Black Rose Wars
- Players: 2-4
- Game length: 2-3 hours
Black Rose Wars is an epic board game in which players become Magi and fight for control of the Black Rose Magic Academy. The entire academy has become a battleground, and players are fighting for control over the Black Rose relic that will give them the power to rule for the next decade. The game boasts a decent stack of miniatures for you to play with in each game, and the tile sets offer a unique playthrough with each new opponent.
Every room in the academy grants you more strength for your chosen magical art, ensuring that everyone’s power grows as they explore and defeat their enemies. The final battles are always the most explosive, though they could be over fairly quickly if you’ve mastered a particularly potent spell along your journey.
18. Darkest Dungeon: The Board Game
- Players: 1-4
- Game length: 1-2 hours
Darkest Dungeon: The Board Game adapts the gameplay of video games into a tabletop format that anyone can enjoy. Every campaign has 11 missions, and death or madness is certain for the poor adventurers players take with them as they work together to conquer the darkness. You’ve got to compete with monsters, the failing sanity of your crew, and your own ability to comprehend what you’re seeing as you travel deeper into this roguelike dungeon crawler board game.
The miniatures in this title are all inspired by the video game, and there are loads of them. Painting them might just make you mad, but I’d say it’s worth it to create a truly authentic experience for a group of fans who want to delve deeper into the unknown.
17. Monster Hunter World: The Board Game
- Players: 1-4
- Game length: hours+
There’s so much to love about Monster Hunter World, and now you can bring it to tabletop in Monster Hunter World: The Board Game. As with the video game, you’re hunting down massive monsters that are roaming the land and threatening your home. They dictate where you go, and you’ve got to use the right weapons and strategies to take them down.
The miniatures here are spot on, though they won’t all reflect the absolutely mad armor and weapons you’ll craft using pieces of the monsters you kill. Capcom’s monsters in Monster Hunter World are so vibrant and interesting that this game wouldn’t be worth playing if you didn’t paint yours the moment you open the box.
16. BattleTech: A Game of Armored Combat
- Players: 2
- Game length: 1 hour+
BattleTech is about as close to Warhammer 40K without actually playing it, and BattleTech: A Game of Armored Combat is a great place to start. The box contains everything you need for a 2-player battle for domination in the 32nd century using high-tech armored battle mech miniatures.
Each battle mech has its own strengths and weaknesses, as well as advantages on different terrains. Your goal is to wipe out your enemy using any means at your disposal. As you can imagine, with added flavor, painting, and set up, this game can last multiple hours if you let it, and if you’ve put the time in to create something unique, you should.
Be warned, BattleTech is a slippery slope. If you love this game after a few rounds, there are loads of expansions to sink your teeth into, including Alpha Strike and Clan Invasion.
15. Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape
- Players: 1-6
- Game length: 1 hours
Massive Darkness 2: Hellscape is the modern version of Massive Darkness, a board game that was incredibly popular when it launched more than a decade ago. It’s a fully cooperative dungeon crawler in which players must work together as Lightbringers to push back and defeat the darkness.
The game offers massive scenarios that require multiple sessions to complete them in, and every character has a different class and abilities to use in and out of battle. The miniatures are what you’re here for, and they’re gorgeous. Each is brimming with character and crying out to be painted in your style, adding to and enhancing the gameplay.
14. Cthulhu Wars
- Players: 1-4
- Game length: 1-2 hours
In Cthulhu Wars, players take on the role of Great Ones, ancient and unknowable beings attempting to control Earth and humanity on a scale we simply can’t comprehend. With more than 64 miniatures, this game is shockingly huge, but it still pales in comparison to the stakes you play for.
Depending on which being or beings you play as, you’ll have to master all sorts of strategies and abilities if you want to beat your fellow god-like creatures. The first player of the four major factions to complete six tasks will win the planet, but nobody is going down without a fight.
13. The Witcher Old World
- Players: 1-5
- Game length: 1-3 hours
The Witcher Old World transports you into the universe of The Witcher video game series, where monsters are par for the course whenever you leave a settlement, and everyone is out for themselves, meaning nothing is what it seems.
The board game takes you on an adventure across vast lands where you’ll craft a unique Witcher character and face moral choices that won’t ever have a clear outcome. In fact, you’re likely to have some sort of consequence regardless of what you choose later in your game.
There’s so much to this game, including card-based combat, skill trees, and stunning miniatures. Enjoy The Witcher universe like you’ve never quite seen it in a tactile, physical format that you can paint to create a fully custom experience for you and your friends.
12. Fallout The Board Game
- Players: 1-4
- Game length: 2-3 hours
The Fallout franchise becomes so much more tactile with Fallout The Board Game, featuring high-quality miniatures and interesting mechanics that engross you in the franchise’s universe. Each game begins with players on the edge of an unknown landscape that they must explore and complete missions in as they travel.
There are various quests to complete and factions to side with, each of which can hugely influence how the world changes as you play. This game has tons of replay value and is great for anyone who likes a little D&D character flair in their board games with miniatures. It’s not the cheapest, though, so it’s worth keeping an eye out to see if you can get a good deal on it.
11. Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game
- Players: 1-4
- Game length: 2 hours
I adore the Horizon series, and Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game brings it to life like never before. It’s a semi-cooperative game in which the Hunter’s Lodge assigns players a dangerous mission and must pick a class and tribe before heading out to complete it.
Over the course of the game, players upgrade their characters through skill trees, face off against dangerous machines, and even encounter a massive boss fight. The miniatures in this game are stunningly detailed and can be painted to look exactly like they do in the games. If you want even more from the experience, there’s a plethora of expansions to add onto it, including the Thunderjaw, Rockbreaker, and the Stormbird, all of which come with huge new minis for the game.
10. Ankh Gods of Egypt
- Players: 2-5
- Game length: 1.5-2 hours
Ankh Gods of Egypt is a divine competition between rival gods who want to win the favor of their worshippers, amass more followers, and build the greatest monuments known to man. The game is steeped in Egyptian mythology and will have you learning more and more about it as you play. It’s also got an intriguing turn system that sees you pick two actions for every turn, then watch as your opponent attempts to undo everything you’ve just achieved.
The game has dozens of miniatures to use, but all of them are unpainted and come in varying plastic colors. They look so much better once painted, and the game feels way more interesting when it looks like you’re throwing actual deities around the board.
9. Descent: Legends of the Dark
- Players: 1-4
- Game length: 3-4 hours
In Descent: Legends of the Dark, players embark on a dungeon crawling campaign that’s going to last them 14 quests and the better part of a day if you really want to enjoy it. You choose from six distinct heroes before heading out on your adventure and can work with the game’s companion app to take care of the legwork so you can roleplay and react to what monsters are doing instead of reading everything off of a sheet.
The game has a ton of replayability thanks to its quest set, environments, and the amazing miniatures you get to play with. Some of these models are massive and deserve being fleshed out with your imagination and all the colors you can dream up for their designs.
8. Bloodborne: The Board Game
- Players: 1-4
- Game length: 1.5-2 hours
It’s difficult to choose between the Dark Souls and Bloodborne board games, but Bloodborne‘s is ever so slightly lower on overall ratings from fans. Still, this game offers you another chance to walk the streets of Yharnam as a Hunter and tackle the beasts emerging from hidden corners. The game’s card-based combat system means every encounter is interesting and keeps you on your toes, pushing you to break through and uncover the mysteries of this region before encountering the horrific boss monsters it has in store.
I love the characters of this universe, and the board game has some incredible miniatures for you to admire every time you open the box. These are truly breathtaking, though a lot of that has to be attributed to FromSoftware for designing them in the first place. Painting these will be tricky but so worth the end result when a boss fight becomes all the more terrifying for all the blood and gore you add.
7. Dark Souls: The Board Game
- Players: 1-4
- Game length: 2 hours
As if Dark Souls wasn’t punishing enough, there’s now a board game to throw yourself into and get completely destroyed by. The miniatures in Dark Souls: The Board Game‘s core set and every expansion are amazing, with a lot of detail on each enemy to make them look just as gross and imposing as they are in the video games.
This is a dungeon crawl board game in which player spick a character class and venture forth to tackle the enemies blocking their path. At the end of it all, as you might expect, is a big old boss to take down. You’ve got to learn how to manage your stamina and health before hitting the boss so you can face it without getting completely annihilated. There are a lot of systems at play in this board game, so it isn’t for the faint of heart.
6. Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City
- Players: 2-4
- Game length: 2 hours
Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City is a board game heavily inspired by the video game. It’s a competitive game in which players take on the roles of gang leaders in Night City. You’ll recruit members and use them to complete quests. Choices really matter here and will impact the story as you play, but it’s your overall Street Cred that determines whether you win or not.
There are quite a few miniatures in this game, and the only thing that sets them apart is the plastic color. They could definitely do with a lick of paint to make them unique and give each gang a distinct visual style on the board.
5. HeroQuest
- Players: 2-5
- Game length: 1-2 hours
In HeroQuest, you’ll tackle epic adventures as you explore monster-filled dungeons with four heroes who have answered the call to push back against evil. It’s a cooperative dungeon crawler with more than 65 detailed miniatures for you to analyze while you play, if you can put them down that is.
As a group, you’ll work through 14 quests in the core game and must make tactical decisions to, hopefully, emerge victorious when all is said and done. Death can come swiftly in a dungeon, though, so you need to keep your wits about you as you fight each foe and try to avoid every trap that awaits you.
4. Nemesis
- Players: 1-5
- Game length: 1-2 hours
Imagine the Alien franchise as a board game, and you’re pretty close to what Nemesis feels like to play. The crew awakens from their cryo-slumber to realize one among them has been ripped form their habitation pod, and there are disturbing noises in the vents.
You’ve got to choose your characters wisely because each one has a distinct set of skills that will be crucial for the game ahead. The idea is to work together as you face the alien threat and attempt to escape, but one among you has a different agenda.
Nemesis has some amazing miniatures for you to paint or leave as they are. They’re incredibly detailed and keep you going when mastering the complex mechanics and dealing with being backstabbed by that one player who always tries to screw everyone over.
3. Blood Rage
- Players: 2-4
- Game length: 1.5-2 hours
Prepare for the ultimate battle in Norse mythology with the Viking board game with miniatures Blood Rage. The goal of the game is to fight through ages, drawing new cards each time and then summon mythological beasts to help fight for control over various territories.
Spilling blood is part of the game, and the miniatures will certainly help you do that with their sharp designs. This is a board game with miniatures that are crying out for a good paint job, so do yourself a favor and give them some blood and warpaint while you’re customizing them for your fist game.
2. Rising Sun
- Players: 3-5
- Game length: 2 hours
Rising Sun sees players arrange their armies and fight for control of the provinces of Japan. However, it’s not all about winning the war through sheer force. The game’s unique combat involves bluffing, forming alliances, and talking your way into victory just as much as having your soldiers use a sword to take it.
The miniatures in this game are absolutely stunning and incredibly detailed. Anyone can have hours of fun just from painting them, but getting to use them multiple times as you rope more people into playing is probably the most satisfying thing about it. Expansions are available for those who want to make more of the experience, but the core set is more than enough to get started with.
1. Star Wars Legion
- Players: 2
- Game length: 2 hours
Star Wars Legion is one of the best board games with miniatures out there. It allows you to fully immerse yourself in the Star Wars universe and control an army in some of the ultimate battles between good and evil. You can assemble your forces and drop into whatever conflict you fancy simulating, be it Hoth, Endor, or a lesser-known battle you want to bring into the light.
Each miniature in the box comes unpainted, ready for you to make your mark on it. The core set has everything you need to learn how to play and get hours of enjoyment from the game, but this is just the beginning you can expand the game with additional core sets and so much more when you’re ready to paint them up and send them out to the front lines.
Published: Jul 16, 2024 02:59 pm