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Official ABG guide 20 ranked games Mechanisms

Best Dice Board Games

Chance you can plan around, push, draft, and manipulate.

The complete ranking

20 games to consider

Top dice-driven games that turn uncertain rolls into meaningful choices.

  1. 01 Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition box art

    2017

    Twilight Imperium: Fourth Edition

    Why it made the list

    Negotiate, expand, and command asymmetric factions across a sprawling galaxy.

    8.6 rating 3–6 players 240–480 min 4.3/5 weight
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  2. 02 Twilight Struggle box art

    2005

    Twilight Struggle

    Why it made the list

    Manage card events and influence in a tense Cold War tug-of-war.

    8.3 rating 2–2 players 120–180 min 3.6/5 weight
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  3. 03 The Castles Of Burgundy box art

    2011

    The Castles Of Burgundy

    Why it made the list

    Use dice to claim tiles and develop a compact Burgundy estate.

    8.1 rating 2–4 players 30–90 min 3.0/5 weight
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  4. 04 Eclipse: Second Dawn For The Galaxy box art

    2020

    Eclipse: Second Dawn For The Galaxy

    Why it made the list

    Explore space, customize ships, and fight for galactic control.

    8.5 rating 2–6 players 60–200 min 3.7/5 weight
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  5. 05 Nemesis box art

    2018

    Nemesis

    Why it made the list

    Survive hidden objectives, ship failures, and alien threats with uncertain allies.

    8.3 rating 1–5 players 90–180 min 3.5/5 weight
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  6. 06 A Feast For Odin box art

    2016

    A Feast For Odin

    Why it made the list

    Place workers across a huge action board to grow a Viking livelihood.

    8.2 rating 1–4 players 30–120 min 3.9/5 weight
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  7. 07 Wingspan box art

    Board game

    Wingspan

    Why it made the list

    Build bird habitats and chain card powers into efficient scoring engines.

    8.1 rating 1–5 players 40–70 min 2.5/5 weight
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  8. 08 Root box art

    2018

    Root

    Why it made the list

    Fight for woodland control with factions that play by different rules.

    8.1 rating 2–4 players 60–90 min 3.8/5 weight
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  9. 09 Mage Knight Board Game box art

    2011

    Mage Knight Board Game

    Why it made the list

    Build a hand of actions to explore, battle, and conquer a fantasy map.

    8.1 rating 1–4 players 60–240 min 4.4/5 weight
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  10. 10 Too Many Bones box art

    2017

    Too Many Bones

    Why it made the list

    Build dice-driven characters through tactical encounters and branching adventures.

    8.4 rating 1–4 players 60–120 min 3.9/5 weight
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  11. 11 Anachrony box art

    2017

    Anachrony

    Why it made the list

    Borrow from the future and place exosuits to prepare for a looming cataclysm.

    8.1 rating 1–4 players 30–120 min 4.0/5 weight
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  12. 12 Mansions Of Madness: Second Edition box art

    2016

    Mansions Of Madness: Second Edition

    Why it made the list

    Investigate app-driven mysteries while rooms, clues, and horrors unfold.

    8.0 rating 1–5 players 120–180 min 2.7/5 weight
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  13. 13 The Quacks Of Quedlinburg box art

    2018

    The Quacks Of Quedlinburg

    Why it made the list

    Push your luck by drawing ingredients into a bubbling potion bag.

    7.8 rating 2–4 players 2.0/5 weight
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  14. 14 Star Wars: Imperial Assault box art

    2014

    Star Wars: Imperial Assault

    Why it made the list

    Play tactical missions where heroes and imperial forces trade objectives.

    8.0 rating 1–5 players 60–120 min 3.3/5 weight
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  15. 15 Cthulhu: Death May Die box art

    2019

    Cthulhu: Death May Die

    Why it made the list

    Interrupt rituals with wild dice combat and escalating investigator powers.

    8.2 rating 1–5 players 90–120 min 2.4/5 weight
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  16. 16 Grand Austria Hotel box art

    2015

    Grand Austria Hotel

    Why it made the list

    Draft dice to serve guests, prepare rooms, and chain hotel bonuses.

    7.9 rating 2–4 players 60–120 min 3.2/5 weight
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  17. 17 Mechs Vs. Minions box art

    2016

    Mechs Vs. Minions

    Why it made the list

    Program mechs together through chaotic scenarios and cascading command lines.

    8.0 rating 2–4 players 60–120 min 2.4/5 weight
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  18. 18 Kingdom Death: Monster box art

    2015

    Kingdom Death: Monster

    Why it made the list

    Hunt monsters and develop a settlement through brutal campaign choices.

    8.5 rating 1–4 players 60–180 min 4.3/5 weight
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  19. 19 Eclipse: New Dawn For The Galaxy box art

    2011

    Eclipse: New Dawn For The Galaxy

    Why it made the list

    Explore, research, and customize fleets for a compact galactic conflict.

    7.8 rating 2–6 players 60–180 min 3.7/5 weight
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  20. 20 The Voyages Of Marco Polo box art

    2015

    The Voyages Of Marco Polo

    Why it made the list

    Use dice actions to travel, trade, and exploit powerful character abilities.

    7.8 rating 2–4 players 40–100 min 3.2/5 weight
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Buying advice

What makes a strong pick?

Dice are most interesting when they create a problem rather than solve one automatically. These games let players allocate, modify, draft, combine, or press their luck around uncertain results.

01

Who this list is for

Players who enjoy tactile play, probability, tactical adaptation, and moments of shared suspense.

02

What stands out

The list ranges from light push-your-luck games to strategic dice placement and conflict simulations.

03

What to consider

Tolerance for randomness varies; use complexity and player-control details to distinguish chaotic fun from mitigated strategy.

Our methodology

How this guide is built

Games must use the Dice Rolling mechanism. Ordering uses catalog rank, Bayesian rating, and rating depth rather than rewarding randomness alone.

Ratings and rank are useful signals, not the whole recommendation. ABG keeps the URL stable and refreshes the ordering as its catalog evidence improves.

Questions, answered

About this list

How were the games on this list chosen?

Games must use the Dice Rolling mechanism. Ordering uses catalog rank, Bayesian rating, and rating depth rather than rewarding randomness alone.

Who is this list most useful for?

Players who enjoy tactile play, probability, tactical adaptation, and moments of shared suspense.

How often is this list updated?

ABG refreshes official lists as catalog rankings, ratings, specifications, and classifications improve. The URL stays stable when the order changes.