Dungeons & Dragons: The Fantasy Adventure Board Game

A HeroQuest-style dungeon crawl: four heroes versus the Dungeon Master's monsters on a modular grid board, from 2003.

Designers: Barry Yearsley, Amanda Birkinshaw
Published by: Hasbro
Editions by: Parker Brothers, Wizards of the Coast, Parker Spiele

A party of four heroes, a dungeon master and a pile of adventures: Dungeons & Dragons: The Fantasy Adventure Board Game, from 2003, is a dungeon crawl in the spirit of HeroQuest. One player takes the Dungeon Master seat and sets challenges, while the others each lead a hero through a modular board with grid movement, monsters, treasure and dice fights. The heroes bring different abilities to the table, so teamwork matters. Expansions like Eternal Winter and Forbidden Forest added more adventures. It is a simple, miniature-filled, old-school crawl for groups who like the D&D flavor without needing a rulebook the size of a phone book.

One Dungeon Master versus a party of heroesModular grid board with miniaturesExpansions add more adventures

Who it's for

You and a few friends want a dungeon crawl with a real Dungeon Master and a gentle ruleset, and one of you enjoys running the monsters.

Not for you if…

Nobody wants to be the Dungeon Master, or you prefer modern cooperative systems with automatic enemies. It also plays best with a full group.

Vibe's take

Classic and uncomplicated. You open doors, find the monster, roll the dice and hope your weakest hero is still standing, while the Dungeon Master grins behind the screen.