Where in the World Game

Product Information

Description: The War of the Ring board game is a grand strategic simulation of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. While the Fellowship of the Ring advances towards Mordor, the Dark Lord Sauron tries to find the location of the Ring-bearer, and unleashes his armies against the last strongholds of the Free Peoples. Faithful to the epic flavor of the books, characters and strongholds play a major role in the flow of the game and represent the main focus of the action. A simple and fun, dice-based, resource management mechanism is used to determine the various types of action possible for each player. Enter the mysterious world of the Atlantean Empire as 1 of 4 Heroes (or villians) in this expansive world that allows players to conquer lands, steer the wheels of history and give birth to legends in this exciting all in one board game. The 14 artfully designed factions, each having unique special abilities, as well as the exchangeable bonus cards allow for a large number of possible game plays that constantly keep this game entertaining.

The TI gameplay has been refined and redone by original designer Christian T. Petersen. The new design features faster gameplay, and involves players in a far more active game experience with much less down-time. In addition, TI3 will include the new Race Cards, as well a dramatic new approach to the structure of the gameplay itself using the new Command system. Good Dungeon Masters are hard to find, and that’s part of the reason why Gloomhaven has proven to be so popular with fans of board games. Inside Gloomhaven’s nearly 20-pound box is an elaborate, branching narrative campaign set in a unique fantasy world. But the mechanics are what truly make this game spectacular.Runewars takes place in the same popular fantasy universe as the best-selling board games Runebound and Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, and dozens of fan-favorite heroes and monsters play their part. The wars for the dragon runes are beginning, and only one faction will emerge victorious. What would you do to claim the ultimate power? In much the same way, another title that's turning heads is Apiary. Because this is a game from the publisher of Wingspan about space bees, that's probably not surprising. It's not overly aggressive, either. Unlike so many entries on this list, there's less emphasis on screwing each other over. Although it's frustrating when a rival claims a route you were going for, there's usually an alternative with which you can salvage all that time and effort. As such, this is an option we're more than happy to break out if things can get heated on game night. Like our review mentions, it's "the perfect option for newcomers and tabletop veterans alike." Our dedicated team of editors, writers, and freelancers only ever include games in our guides that they truly believe in - and for that, there are a few hoops they need to jump through.

What you need to know: Ever wonder how long you'd last in a horror movie? Betrayal at House on the Hill lets you find out. Setting players loose in a haunted mansion that's quite literally out to get them, it's drenched with tension. It's also unpredictable enough that you're never sure what's going to happen next. Sure, not all of the scenarios are created equal. But if you're hunting down something more mature in terms of both narrative and gameplay, this is one of the top board games for adults. The bottom line: There's a good reason why Pandemic has been on shelves for a couple of decades now - its blend of challenge and elation when you win makes it a classic. While there are countless versions to choose from now, we're still partial to this original game due to how elegant it is. Absolutely nothing is wasted in terms of mechanics and design.

1. Twilight Struggle

In Race Across the World, there’s no prize for second place, and no bonus points for money left over at the end. Spare no expense as you get closer to the finish-line and hope that you don’t have to fork out for a 5-star hotel! Is It Worth My Time? You're expecting something for kids: Despite being based on the iconic, family-friendly movies of our childhoods, Villainous is actually a competitive strategy game with oodles of depth. It's not a good fit for children as a result, and won't jive with family-members who are expecting something very casual either. Description: An age of twilight shall once more spread across the galaxy. A broken empire shall once more be re-forged. Hidden powers from dark space shall come forth to make an ancient claim. War shall rage across space. We hope you enjoyed our rundown of some historic board games – let us know if they've cured your boredom and if you're enjoying playing any by tweeting us @britishmuseum. We've never seen two games go the same way, for instance. Each factions' quirks (and the cards that can influence them) provide a wealth of options each turn, and while this is overwhelming at first, such flexibility makes Root truly compelling in the long-term. It's very replayable.