Sometimes, only epic will do. Whether it’s a marathon of your favorite films, books, or TV, you need a broad sweep to conjure the right sense of scale and majesty for the subject matter. And as is often the case, what’s true of media is also true of board games.
All of the games below will give you that feeling of immensity. Some may do it in an evening, some may take all day, but none of them will sell you short on strategy along the way. Gather some friends, get the snacks and drinks together, and settle in for a long haul thrill ride. (For those short on time, check out our favorite short board games with fast play times).
A few tips to help longer games run smoothly. If you can, get a pdf copy of the rulebook — most publishers make them freely available — and have everyone read it before the game. Insist players do “admin” tasks like sorting their hands or counters outside their turn. You may also want to impose a time limit per turn if all players agree. Now, on with the games.
Twilight Imperium IV
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Games don’t get more epic than this all-day affair of sci-fi civilization building. It’s got everything you could want from the genre. A range of bizarre aliens research technology and build fleets to fight over a random galactic hex map. There’s inter-player diplomacy, of course, but also in-game political decrees to vote on. Yet while dealmaking is important, it rests on a rock-solid strategic core to challenge you. The strategy card system, where each player picks a special focus each round, is a particular mechanical gem. This fourth edition retains the sweeping scope but trims lots of fat, making it more accessible.
Dune
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Dune is a very different kind of futuristic game. Based on Frank Herbert’s famous novel and first released in 1979, it was years ahead of its time. There’s little randomness in Dune. Instead, the game rests on a fascinating balance of hidden information. Each player takes the role of a faction from the book, with asymmetric special powers. The Atreides, for example, get to peek at cards as they’re auctioned off blind, while the wicked Harkonnen know all the secret traitors in play. The result is an astonishing evocation of the narrative and political themes of the novel. This new edition has cleaner rules and spanking art.
Star Wars Rebellion
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Star Wars Rebellion takes a more liberal approach to reconstruct a favorite franchise on your table. It’s clearly Star Wars. The Rebellion player is the underdog, trying to survive militarily while winning planets over to their cause. The Empire, meanwhile, wields the power of huge armies to crush the slightest sign of dissent. It’s a fascinating asymmetric struggle, peopled by well-known characters and events from the movies. But beyond the famous faces, the unfolding narrative is up to you. It’s all woven together with tight strategic strings to ensure each turn is full of challenge and variety. For more, check out the best Star Wars board games.
Root
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One of the shorter games on the list, Root is a bold design that throws asymmetry to the fore. There are four factions fighting for control of the woodland realm, each with its own unique rules and feel. The Marquise de Cat and the Eyrie play standard, if quite different, conquest games. The Woodland Folk are guerrilla fighters against those invaders. Finally, the Vagabond is a lone trickster-hero. Don’t let the cute theme and quirky art put you off — this is a red-blooded game of brutal strategy, where each play asks big questions about politics and governance in the real world.
A Game of Thrones
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Speaking of politics, this game re-creates all the conniving and backstabbing of the books and TV show. To do so, it borrows a trick from classic Diplomacy: only one player can win, but no player has the resources to win alone. Alliances and eventual treachery are thus inevitable, keeping everyone on a knife-edge. It’s governed by a thrilling secret order system, meaning you can’t know your opponent’s intentions until it’s too late. Atop this time-tested formula are lots of sweet bells and whistles from the world of Westeros to add strategic interest. A great game in its own right, it’s a must for fans of the franchise.
War of the Ring
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Another top title for lovers of the source material, this is by far the best of the many attempts to board-game Tolkien. At its heart is a brilliant division into two games on the same board. First is the epic clash of armies across Middle-earth, as the free peoples wake up and resist the threat of the dark lord Sauron. Beneath is the quest of the Fellowship to throw the One Ring into the fire before Sauron conquers all. The genius of this design is the way the two halves interweave at every turn, leaving a tricky tactical balancing act for players to master.
Mythic Battles / Mythic Battles: Pantheon
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Technically this is a tactical skirmish game more than a strategy one. But when you’re skirmishing with all the glorious gods and monsters of Greek myth, it counts as an epic either way. Pantheon also boasts epic gameplay with a clever mix of card drafting and hand management. Once you’ve drafted your units, you activate them by playing their cards. With activations limited by the number of cards each unit has, forward planning and clever play are essential. Pantheon is a re-release of the original Mythic Battles with some cool rules tweaks and awesome miniatures. It was a Kickstarter exclusive, unfortunately, but the original is good enough to earn its spot on the list.
Mare Nostrum: Empires
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The original Mare Nostrum was a sadly overlooked gem of quasi-historical civilization building. Players took the role of one of the great powers of the ancient Mediterranean. Using modern, streamlined board game mechanics they traded, built and fought their way to victory. The core of the game’s appeal is the tension between the clever strategic levers on offer and good, old-fashioned piling on the leader. Along the way, you get to employ the heroes and gods of classical myth alongside the armies, navies and wonders of the ancient world. This new Empires edition boasts cracking components and a complete overhaul of rules and game balance.
Friedrich / Maria
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Both these related games are set during the central European wars of the mid-1700s. Yet for all their niche subject matter, they are superb strategy games, rich and deep yet accessible. Both use a similar, simple core system of movement and supply. Battles get resolved via a novel system using a deck of playing cards that rewards careful choice of ground and timing. To win at either, you’ll need to master fighting on multiple fronts, hoarding resources for key encounters. Maria is a little longer and more complex, but you won’t go wrong with either. Get past the setting and get stuck into some historical gaming.
Here I Stand
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If you want history on a grand scale, how about this grand game that reconstructs the European-wide reformation. It takes all day, but Here I Stand is a tight lattice of every enjoyable gaming genre. If you want diplomacy, there’s a timed negotiation window built into every turn. If you want strategy, there’s continent-spanning movement and clashing of armies. If you want mechanics, there’s an intriguing tension between playing cards for their historical event or their points. These events fill the already engaging war-game skeleton with rich historical meat. It was designed by Ed Beach, also responsible for the Civilization VI on PC; gaming doesn’t come much more epic than this.
Source: IGN.com The Best Strategy and War Board Games