Defenders of the Realm / Similar games

18 games like Defenders of the Realm

The best games like Defenders of the Realm are Descent Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition), Massive Darkness and Mansions of Madness Second Edition — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Descent Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) shares adventure, fantasy, fighting with Defenders of the Realm.

Check Descent Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) price on Amazon →

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Every alternative below links to its own Defenders of the Realm-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s adventure / fantasy shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Defenders of the Realm’s 2.7 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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  1. Descent  Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) board game cover
    1–5 players · 120 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium · See Descent Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Action Points, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 8 shared tags · 4 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (67%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 5 · ~30 min longer · +0.5 heavier
  2. Massive Darkness board game cover
    1–6 players · 120 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium · See Massive Darkness alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Action Points, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Hand Management +1 more · 9 shared tags · 5 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (83%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 6 · ~30 min longer · 0.2 lighter
  3. Mansions of Madness  Second Edition board game cover
    1–5 players · 120–180 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium · See Mansions of Madness Second Edition alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 7 shared tags · 3 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 5 · ~60 min longer · same complexity
  4. Zombicide  Black Plague board game cover
    1–6 players · 60–180 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium · See Zombicide Black Plague alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers · 7 shared tags · 3 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 6 · ~30 min longer · 0.2 lighter
  5. Eldritch Horror board game cover
    5. Eldritch Horror (2013)
    1–8 players · 120–240 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium · See Eldritch Horror alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Action Points, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Point to Point Movement · 7 shared tags · 4 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (67%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 8 · ~90 min longer · +0.6 heavier
  6. Deep Madness board game cover
    6. Deep Madness (2018)
    1–6 players · 60–120 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fighting, Miniatures, Action Points, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Hand Management +1 more · 8 shared tags · 5 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (83%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 6 · about the same length · +0.6 heavier
  7. Mice and Mystics board game cover
    1–4 players · 60–90 min · ★ 7.3 · Medium · See Mice and Mystics alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers · 7 shared tags · 3 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~15 min shorter · same complexity
  8. Big Trouble in Little China  The Game board game cover
    1–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Action Points, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Point to Point Movement · 8 shared tags · 4 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (67%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · about the same length · +0.2 heavier
  9. Street Masters board game cover
    9. Street Masters (2018)
    1–4 players · 45–120 min · ★ 8.2 · Medium
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Hand Management · 7 shared tags · 3 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · about the same length · same complexity
  10. Arcadia Quest board game cover
    10. Arcadia Quest (2014)
    2–4 players · 60 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium · See Arcadia Quest alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers · 6 shared tags · 2 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~30 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
  11. Kingdom Rush  Rift in Time board game cover
    1–4 players · 45–90 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Cooperative Game, Hand Management, Variable Player Powers · 7 shared tags · 3 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~22 min shorter · +0.2 heavier
  12. Cthulhu Wars board game cover
    12. Cthulhu Wars (2015)
    2–4 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium · See Cthulhu Wars alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Action Points, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers · 6 shared tags · 3 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~15 min longer · +0.4 heavier
  13. Fireteam Zero board game cover
    13. Fireteam Zero (2015)
    1–4 players · 90 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers · 7 shared tags · 3 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · about the same length · same complexity
  14. Shadows of Brimstone  City of the Ancients board game cover
    1–4 players · 120 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium · See Shadows of Brimstone City of the Ancients alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers · 6 shared tags · 3 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · ~30 min longer · +0.6 heavier
  15. Conan board game cover
    15. Conan (2016)
    2–5 players · 90 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium · See Conan alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Action Points, Dice Rolling · 6 shared tags · 2 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 2–4 players · scales to 5 · about the same length · same complexity
  16. Claustrophobia board game cover
    16. Claustrophobia (2009)
    2 players · 45 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-light · See Claustrophobia alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers · 6 shared tags · 2 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: both play at 2 · ~45 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
  17. Warhammer Quest  Silver Tower board game cover
    2–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-light
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Adventure, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers · 7 shared tags · 3 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · 0.4 lighter
  18. Cthulhu  Death May Die board game cover
    1–5 players · 90–120 min · ★ 8.2 · Medium-light · See Cthulhu Death May Die alternatives →
    Shares with Defenders of the Realm: Fantasy, Fighting, Action Points, Cooperative Game, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers · 6 shared tags · 4 of Defenders of the Realm’s 6 mechanics (67%)
    vs Defenders of the Realm: overlaps at 1–4 players · scales to 5 · ~15 min longer · 0.3 lighter

Frequently asked

What game is most like Defenders of the Realm?
Descent Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) (2012) is the closest match to Defenders of the Realm, sharing adventure, fantasy, fighting. It rates 7.7/10 on BoardGameGeek.
What should I play if I like Defenders of the Realm?
Descent Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition), Massive Darkness, Mansions of Madness Second Edition are the top-ranked alternatives to Defenders of the Realm in the MeeplePick database, matched on medium complexity as well as mechanics. All 18 are ranked on this page with the shared mechanics shown for each.
Is Descent Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) harder than Defenders of the Realm?
Compared with Defenders of the Realm, Descent Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) is +0.5 heavier and ~30 min longer (3.2 vs 2.7 complexity on BoardGameGeek's 1–5 scale).

Narrow it down

best 1-player board games · best 2-player board games · best 3-player board games · best 4-player board games · action points games · cooperative game games · dice rolling games · hand management games

Looking for the original? See the full Defenders of the Realm fact page — players, play time, age and complexity.