The idea of playing a board game only once may sound absurd. Tabletop games typically give the impression of being replayable, otherwise, why should someone invest in such a hobby? Yet with so many new projects being released each year, it’s no surprise that there are new twists and approaches to game design.
Like most video games that feature narrative storytelling and campaigns, board game designers have implemented a similar feature in some of their releases. Instead of single one-off sessions, these legacy tabletop games offer a personalized narrative experience where sessions progress a story and where player choices dramatically affect future scenarios. Yet all things must come to an end and that rings true for any legacy game. However, the experience they deliver is something players will remember for years to come.
8 Risk Legacy Put Legacy Games On The Map
Most people are probably familiar with Risk. As one of the first and most popular area control war games centered on diplomacy and conquest, Risk would go on to inspire classics such as Kemet and Blood Rage.
However, Risk Legacy introduced persistent warfare with factions that evolved abilities over time. Players would also tear up cards, make permanent physical changes to the board, and write on components, something that was previously unheard of for a game of Risk. Although Risk Legacy wasn’t the first legacy game and isn’t considered among the best, it still set the mark and helped popularize the concept.
7 Unlock! Modernizes Escape Rooms
Where most other escape room board games will ask players to cut, tear, or fold cards to progress, Unlock! uses a mobile app and has participants solve puzzles.
People might be surprised by how the game continues to evolve and be challenging. With over 2-3 dozen scenarios to choose from and experience, players will be spoiled for choice and can select how difficult or complex they want their storyline to be. Players can even gift their game to others upon completing the challenge too, making it a good investment.
6 My City Is City Building Meets Tetris
My City is a cute yet competitive 2-4 player legacy game that has parties develop their city through the ages within 24 sessions. Players will create their own personalized gaming experience by adding cards and various elements to their board as their city progresses from pre-industrialization to the industrial age.
Featuring Tetris-like tile-laying, players will attempt to squeeze in as many buildings and features as they can onto their board to score the most points. My City also offers an alternative side on the board for repeat sessions for those people who don’t wish to play the legacy variant. For people short on time, this game is ideal as a match usually lasts 30 minutes.
5 The King’s Dilemma Is Game Of Thrones In A Box
In The King’s Dilemma, players take on various house leaders on the King’s council and must make difficult decisions for a very shaky kingdom. Like Game of Thrones, players will get to experience being on a small council, discussing and voting on various topics.
The King’s Dilemma features branching paths and a deck of cards that evolve with the player’s decision-making. Players must balance their interests whilst seeking to undermine their opponents to get ahead, all the while resolving tough choices on the King’s behalf. The group will get to tell their own story, making this legacy game a fantastic choice for players who enjoy politics, diplomacy, and seeing their friendships go up in smoke.
4 Charterstone Has Players Create Their Own Unique Game
Charterstone is a competitive legacy game where participants must construct medieval buildings and share a village. Although the game starts slow and players have limited options, the various decisions taken and buildings constructed soon create a bustling village atmosphere, filled with many possible actions. This is done through the use of adding stickers onto the game board and the unlocking of new cards.
Played through a series of 12 sessions, Charterstone concludes with players having created their own unique village worker placement game with plenty of utility and viability.
3 T.I.M.E Stories Is Time Travelling Board Game Masterpiece
T.I.M.E Stories is a narrative game where players, as agents, must protect the planet from temporal faults and strange rifts that threaten to tear the fabric of space and time apart. With a player capacity of up to 4, gamers will assume the role of agents with different abilities and stats as they explore various scenarios.
Whilst the base game only includes the first scenario, that story alone has over 120+ cards that feature various items, enemies, riddles, and potential calamities. The game has over nine scenarios that differ vastly from one another. From exploring a 20th-century asylum to searching for a dungeon within a medieval fantasy city to infiltrating secret Christian societies and stealing artifacts, T.I.M.E. Stories is one heck of a ride.
2 Gloomhaven: Jaws Of The Lion Is Gloomhaven Lite
A self-proclaimed prequel to the original Gloomhaven board game, Jaws of the Lion offers a less intense but still authentic experience than the vanilla version. Jaws of the Lion is more streamlined and simplified as it does away with board game tiles and has players engage directly with the campaign book.
Although it does remove several features such as personal quests, prosperity, and enhancement features, the prequel still incorporates game-changing decisions, stickers, and unlockable miniatures. What’s also interesting is that characters from Jaws of the Lion can be brought into Gloomhaven campaigns making it the perfect launch point into the original game.
1 Pandemic Legacy Changed The Face Of Board Games
Pandemic Legacy is based on the classic game, Pandemic, in which players must race against time to eradicate and find the cure to several rising epidemics. Pandemic Legacy starts similar to the original. However, throughout 12-24 sessions, players will unlock new components and rules that will significantly alter the course of the game.
As mentioned previously, players will have to alter cards, destroy them, and make permanent changes on the board. Parties will also develop their characters, gaining new abilities or even losing them to the events of the game. A heart-tugging thrill ride, Pandemic Legacy is considered to offer one of the most incredible experiences in board gaming (currently ranked as the no.2 best board game of all time on Board Game Geek). The first issue of the game was so popular that it spawned additional sequels that are also highly regarded and play very differently.