Review of Elden Ring: The Board Game

In the past ten years, few games have captured the public’s imagination quite like FromSoftware’s Elden Ring. In a trend where video games are increasingly finding new life as board games, it was inevitable that this giant would make its leap to the tabletop. Enter Steamforged Games, the minds behind popular adaptations such as Resident Evil, Monster Hunter World, and Dark Souls, which have taken on the task of bringing Elden Ring to board game form. After a phenomenally successful crowdfunding effort in 2022, Elden Ring: The Board Game is nearly ready to be delivered to backers and is now available for preorder for the rest of us. So, get ready, aspiring Tarnished; it’s time to take up the challenge once more.

Elden Ring is not your typical board game; it’s built around a campaign structure. You and your comrades embark on a journey through various scenarios, leveling up and enhancing your characters as the storyline unfolds. Steamforged has introduced three unique campaigns for players to dive into: Realm of the Grafted King, The Weeping Peninsula, and Stormveil Castle. “Grafted King” serves as the base game, with the other two acting as standalone expansions. You can tackle these expansions independently or continue the adventure post-Grafted King, carrying forward your characters to grow even more formidable. Different box sets offer varied character classes: the Grafted King base game features the Vagabond, Samurai, Astrologer, and Prophet, while Weeping Peninsula includes Hero, Prophet, Astrologer, and Bandit. In Stormveil Castle, you’ll find the Confessor, Prisoner, Samurai, and Vagabond.

The game arrives as a colossal package, teeming with intimidating monster miniatures, an array of cards, cardboard tokens, tiles, and comprehensive books covering rules, combat maps, and scenarios. It’s one of the most daunting additions to my collection, all the more so since I only possess one of these campaigns. Steamforged has truly excelled with the production value of Elden Ring, elevating it with some of the most intricately detailed miniatures and high-quality components I’ve come across.

Elden Ring keeps the gameplay dynamic with a variety of scenarios. These different styles help ensure the experience feels fresh, even if not every scenario type hits the mark. The narrative scenarios, for instance, involve reading excerpts of the story, making decisions that may include skill checks, and then drawing a card to see the outcome. While they’re well-written and include engaging skill checks, they didn’t quite pull me in; if I wanted extensive reading, I’d be more inclined to pick up a book or dive into a game of Dungeons & Dragons.

Conversely, the Exploration scenarios were hands-down my favorite. They encapsulate that thrilling sense of unearthing the unknown, one of the defining features of the original game. You venture across the map, revealing tiles that bring unexpected challenges like enemies or items. This evolving map setup is something I’ve admired in other games like Betrayal at House on the Hill and Clank! Catacombs, as it significantly boosts both the discovery aspect and replayability.

The game also features three heavily combat-oriented scenario types: Gauntlet, Dungeon, and Boss scenarios. Gauntlets are grueling encounters filled with enemy hordes and unique challenges. Dungeons share similarities but always conclude with a major boss battle. Lastly, Boss scenarios push you and your team against elite foes, testing your strategy and collaboration. This game’s combat is robust, making the combat-heavy experience an enjoyable one.

Combat unfolds on grid maps crafted from the game’s ring-bound notebooks, sometimes expanding to span multiple pages for larger battles. Here, strategic movement is key, with attack spells and weapons having specific ranges. Your position on the grid can afford you certain advantages like increased damage or enhanced defense. My friends and I spent lots of time deliberating on positioning to survive waves of assaults, yet the enemies often proved a formidable challenge.

Basic foes have cards that guide their actions, showing where they’ll strike or move. It can take a bit to understand all these icons, but it becomes manageable. Bosses, meanwhile, up the ante with entire decks of actions. Sometimes luck places their devastating blows later in the sequence; other times, you’re caught off guard. With scalable health pools, the boss fights feel challenging but fair, filled with suspense-driven moments as you strive to find openings in their defenses.

A distinctive feature of Elden Ring is that it forgoes dice altogether, opting instead for deck-building. Players use cards based on their weapons, skills, and gear, with damage and special effects dictated by a separate Attribute deck. This system utilizes symbols for player attributes like Strength and Dexterity, influencing the effectiveness of attacks and defenses.

Character growth, a staple in campaign board games, plays a significant role in Elden Ring as well. Beyond leveling up, characters can be customized with new weapons, armor, and traits. This aspect is governed by the Rune system, essentially dictating your equipment limit, which increases as you progress. However, the tracking system for Runes feels cumbersome, with small cards provided that quickly clutter the space. A simple health-tracker-style system would have been more efficient.

Despite the game’s many strengths, my initial foray was a bit daunting, not due to the gameplay but my decision to start with the more complex Stormveil Castle expansion. It quickly assumes you’re already familiar with prior campaigns, and setting it up for fresh players proved overwhelming. Therefore, starting with “Realm of the Grafted King” is highly advisable to ease into the game.