Review of Elden Ring: The Board Game

In the past decade, few games have captured the public’s imagination quite like FromSoftware’s Elden Ring. With a surge in board games inspired by video games, it seemed inevitable that this towering title would leap onto the tabletop. Steamforged Games, known for their adaptations of top video game series like Resident Evil, Monster Hunter World, and Dark Souls from FromSoftware itself, embraced the challenge. And after a thriving crowdfunding campaign in 2022, Elden Ring: The Board Game is on the verge of reaching its backers and is ready for preorder by everyone else. So, arise, Tarnished; the battle beckons once more.

Elden Ring is crafted as a campaign board game, where you journey with your fellow players through countless scenarios, refining your characters and advancing the storyline. Steamforged offers three distinct campaigns for eager Tarnished players: Realm of the Grafted King, The Weeping Peninsula, and Stormveil Castle. Realm of the Grafted King serves as the primary “base game,” while the latter two are standalone expansions that can be tackled solo or after completing the base game. You continue your quest by bringing over your characters for even more powerful adventures. Depending on your choice of box, various classes await—Vagabond, Samurai, Astrologer, and Prophet in Grafted King; Hero, Prophet, Astrologer, and Bandit in The Weeping Peninsula; and Confessor, Prisoner, Samurai, and Vagabond in Stormveil Castle.

The game arrives in hefty boxes, brimming with intricately detailed monster miniatures, countless cards, cardboard tokens, tiles, and a series of rulebooks, combat maps, and scenario guides. It’s an intimidating addition to any collection. Interestingly enough, my own includes only one campaign, and given its overwhelming presence, I haven’t yet ventured into the other boxes or bonus boss sets. When it comes to production quality, Elden Ring stands out. The miniatures are strikingly detailed, the cards have a satisfying feel, and all components are robust.

The scenarios are diverse, ensuring you won’t repeat the same challenges over and over. That said, not each type hits the mark. In narrative scenarios, you read through story snippets, make decisions (sometimes involving skill checks), and draw cards to determine outcomes. While well-crafted, these storytelling elements fell a bit flat for me—if I wanted a tale-rich experience, I’d prefer a novel or a D&D session.

On the other hand, exploration scenarios are a delight. They beautifully capture the thrill of discovery that defines the source material. Here, you and other players wander across uncharted map areas, placing random tiles in your quest to complete missions. These tiles might harbor enemies, items, Sites of Grace, or other secrets waiting to be unveiled. I personally enjoy the dynamic map-building style found in games like Betrayal at House on the Hill or Clank! Catacombs, both for its exploration excitement and the increased replayability thanks to the randomness. These scenarios offer a perfect balance of combat, storytelling, and exploration without feeling overwhelming.

The rest of the scenarios center on combat: Gauntlet, Dungeon, and Boss scenarios. Gauntlets throw you into challenging skirmishes with hordes, spiced up by special rules. Dungeons, bearing a resemblance, end with a powerful boss showdown. Boss scenarios culminate your adventure as you and your comrades face the game’s true titans, testing your cooperative strategy and character builds. Despite its combat-centric nature, Elden Ring doesn’t disappoint here—the action is robust and engaging.

Combat unfolds on grids derived from the game’s ring-bound notebooks. Some encounters require several books opened side by side, forming a complex battlefield where tactical movement is key. The range of attacks, whether through spells or weapons, and positioning can alter the tide—sometimes granting extra damage, rearranging turn orders, or enhancing defense. My gaming group often found ourselves strategizing intensely amidst enemy attacks, only to succumb despite our efforts—these foes are not easy to best.

Standard enemies operate via a card that outlines their moves with symbols indicating actions like attacks and movements. While there’s a learning curve to these symbols, it’s all fairly organized. Bosses, on the other hand, are formidable adversaries with decks full of diverse actions, each contributing to the turn order. Battles may turn dire in an instant, where luck might allow their attack to fall at the end of a turn, or misfortune places it right at the start. Despite the looming challenge, these encounters remain fair, adapting health levels to suit player numbers. Every boss fight is an exhilarating and tense experience, punctuated by the desperate hope of staggering a boss or narrowly dodging a lethal strike.

A standout feature of Elden Ring is its choice to bypass dice for a card-based deck-building system. Players draw from a deck that correlates with their equipped arsenal and gear, but the actual damage, resistance, and special impacts like Bleed depend on an Attribute deck. These cards feature Strength, Dexterity, and other attributes that influence combat dynamics, turning each encounter into a strategic endeavor.

Character advancement mirrors the video game’s intricate growth system. You can level your class, swap gear, and improve your attributes, all while balancing your Rune system, which acts as a cap for customization. While tracking Runes is a bit cumbersome with provided cards, a more streamlined solution would be welcome—a better system could arise from Steamforged or the user community.

Initially, my experience with Elden Ring was challenging, not due to its mechanics but starting with Stormveil Castle—the third campaign—which assumes progression from previous campaigns, requiring more advanced setup adjustments. For newcomers, beginning with Realm of the Grafted King is highly recommended.

If you’re eager to get your hands on Elden Ring: The Board Game, it’s becoming available for purchase, adding a thrilling gaming experience to your collection.