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 the trend of turning popular video games into tabletop experiences on the rise, it was only a matter of time before Elden Ring made the leap. Enter Steamforged Games, known for their adaptations of titles like Resident Evil, Monster Hunter World, and the iconic Dark Souls. They’ve taken up the challenge to bring Elden Ring to life on your kitchen table. Following a blockbuster crowdfunding campaign in 2022, Elden Ring: The Board Game, which we’ll just call Elden Ring for simplicity, is almost ready for backers and is now up for pre-order. Get ready to rise, Tarnished, for another epic battle awaits.

Elden Ring is structured as a campaign board game. You and your friends will navigate through a series of scenarios, leveling up your characters as the story unfolds. Steamforged Games offers three distinct campaigns for players to immerse themselves in: Realm of the Grafted King, The Weeping Peninsula, and Stormveil Castle. The Grafted King serves as the base game, while The Weeping Peninsula and Stormveil Castle are standalone expansions you can dive into independently. Whichever path you choose, your characters can evolve and grow stronger as you progress. Depending on your campaign box, you’ll access different character classes. For instance, the base game includes the Vagabond, Samurai, Astrologer, and Prophet, while the expansions introduce other unique class options.

This game is a true heavyweight, arriving in sizable boxes packed with intimidating monster miniatures, a wealth of cards, cardboard tokens, tiles, and piles of books filled with rules, combat maps, and guides for each scenario. It’s one of those games that demands your full attention, and I must admit, it’s in a class of its own among my collection. The level of detail in the miniatures and the quality of the components is truly impressive, a testament to Steamforged’s commitment to quality.

The scenarios vary significantly, ensuring a fresh take each time you play, though not every scenario type hits the mark. Narrative scenarios are rich with storytelling, requiring you to read through stories, choose actions, and draw cards to see the outcomes. While I appreciate the effort in crafting these narratives, they didn’t quite capture my attention. If I wanted deep storytelling, I’d probably stick to reading a novel or playing a session of Dungeons & Dragons.

Exploration scenarios, on the other hand, are fantastic. They perfectly encapsulate the thrill of discovery that the video game is celebrated for. During these scenarios, you and your allies explore different regions on the map, flipping tiles and uncovering surprises, whether they’re enemies, items, or sites of interest. The replayability of these scenarios is a standout feature, with their random tile placements offering new challenges and adventures every time.

The game features three combat-centric scenario types: Gauntlet, Dungeon, and Boss battles. Gauntlets pitch you against formidable enemies with special rules to keep things interesting. Dungeons ramp up the challenge by throwing a boss your way at the end. Boss scenarios are where you truly test your team’s strategy and mettle, culminating in epic showdowns that require every ounce of teamwork and tactical planning. The combat is well-designed, living up to the game’s high standards.

Combat plays out on grid-like battlefields pulled from the game’s ring-bound notebooks. Occasionally, you might need multiple pages spread out to fit the complexity of certain battles. Fighting involves strategic placement and tactics, where the choice of row or column can give you a crucial edge. Whether it’s dealing extra damage or playing out your moves before an opponent, every decision counts. The enemies within the game are notoriously tough, with basic foes following set actions that you’ll learn to navigate over time. Bosses, however, are every bit the challenge you’d expect. Their unique action decks keep you on your toes, creating a dynamic battleground filled with tension and the potential for exhilarating victories.

Perhaps most intriguingly, the game skips dice altogether, opting for a deck-building mechanic instead. This card-driven system involves decks that encompass your equipped weapons, skills, and gear, with a separate Attribute deck handling damage and special effects. It’s an innovative approach that keeps the action engaging and fresh.

Character advancement is another essential aspect, echoing the video game’s RPG roots. You can level up, swap equipment, and adjust your strategy on the fly. Managing these elements involves navigating the Rune system, which serves as your limit for customization. Unfortunately, the method provided by Steamforged for tracking Runes falls short, giving rise to a bit of cluttered card management. I found that sticking to a simple paper tracker worked best, though I hope for a more streamlined solution from the community or Steamforged themselves in the future.

While Elden Ring offers a satisfying depth and immersive experience, my initial foray was challenging, mainly because I dove straight into the Stormveil Castle campaign. This expansion presumes prior completion of earlier adventures, making it tricky for newcomers to get up to speed. If you’re looking to dive in, starting with Realm of the Grafted King is the way to go for a smoother introduction.

Thinking about where to get your hands on this epic board game or curious about other video games turned into board games? There are plenty of options available to expand your tabletop collection!