Most board game players don’t like the idea of purposely changing or breaking their game pieces. The best Legacy board games, which change physically over the course of several rounds of a campaign-style game, have become more popular in recent years, with two of them reaching the #1 spot on BoardGameGeek.
On the plus side, they can give players truly unique and unforgettable experiences as they go on a journey together over the course of several game sessions. When a legacy game is over, the players usually have a game board and characters that another group playing the same game could not copy.
On the other hand, they may be hard to enjoy because you have to play the same game with the same group of friends, which can be hard to do when people have different schedules and times. Below we have mentioned some of the best Legacy Board Games.
Best Legacy Board Games Comparison Table
| Game | Platform | Key Features | Visit Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloomhaven | Tabletop | Epic campaign, tactical combat | Visit Website |
| Risk Legacy | Tabletop | Evolving gameplay, permanent changes | Visit Website |
| The King’s Dilemma | Tabletop | Narrative-driven, impactful choices | Visit Website |
| Betrayal Legacy | Tabletop | Haunting story, legacy mechanics | Visit Website |
| Pandemic Legacy Series | Tabletop | Cooperative gameplay, evolving storyline | Visit Website |
| My City | Tabletop | City-building, legacy campaign | Visit Website |
Gloomhaven
Features
- Epic cooperative campaign adventure.
- Tactical combat and exploration.
- Persistent world and evolving storyline.
- Unique character classes and abilities.
- Challenging scenarios and strategic decision-making.
Gloomhaven is one of the best-known legacy games. It is a dungeon-crawler RPG with a dark fantasy setting and lots of hack-and-slash action. Not only because it weighs about 20 pounds, which is about the same as a pug. When certain conditions are met, you can choose to tear up cards, write in the books, put stickers on the map, and open mysterious sealed envelopes.
It’s up to you in the end, since there’s an app or sticker system you can use so you don’t have to break your expensive parts. Still, a lot of players find the fact that the game can’t be changed to be a big part of the fun. Gloomhaven is perfect for fantasy and role-playing game fans who want to go on a long journey to other worlds. Overall, this is one of the best Legacy Board Games you can suggest you friends.
Pros
- Offers a deep and immersive campaign experience.
- Features a rich and evolving world with a branching storyline.
- Provides a wide variety of character classes and gameplay options.
Cons
- Can be time-consuming and require a significant time commitment.
- Requires a dedicated group of players to fully enjoy the campaign.
- Setup and teardown can be lengthy and complex.
Risk Legacy
Features
- Classic game of world domination with a twist.
- Permanent changes to the game board, cards, and rules.
- Unlockable content and hidden surprises.
- Evolving factions and narrative elements.
- Legacy-style campaign with lasting consequences.
Risk Legacy was the first Legacy game, and it has been reprinted, so you can now find a copy that has never been played. Risk Legacy starts out like a normal game of Risk, but things quickly get wild. After each game, the player who won gets to change their army and give it bonuses. The losers will be able to choose from a different set of powerful bonuses to help them in the next game.
Even though everyone gets something, you want to be the one who wins. This does make the game a little more fair so that one player doesn’t start out with a huge lead. As you play, the world will change as people fight wars in different places. Some places may become more dangerous, easier to defend, or even completely destroyed. Currently, this is one of the best Legacy Board Games.
Pros
- Introduces innovative and dynamic gameplay elements.
- Offers a unique narrative-driven experience.
- Provides lasting changes to the game board and rules with each playthrough.
Cons
- Limited replayability once the campaign is completed.
- Can lead to imbalanced games depending on the outcomes of previous sessions.
The King’s Dilemma
Features
- Narrative-driven strategy game.
- Engaging political and diplomatic decision-making.
- Evolving storylines and consequences.
- Hidden agendas and secret objectives.
- Cooperative and competitive gameplay.
In King’s Dilemma, each player takes on the role of a different house in the Kingdom of Ankist that is in charge of running the government. Similar to the little-known TV show Game of Thrones. There are several different ways the story can end, and each choice you make will affect your house and the kingdom around you, which is always changing.
You and the other players will talk about, bargain, or even bribe each other to decide whether to say “aye” or “nay” to dilemmas as they get harder and harder. These can range from “free the slaves” to “arrest the cannibals” to “search for forbidden treassure.”
In the long run, what you do could lead to war, riots, famine, or even worse. As you play, the deck changes and grows into a story web that is revealed through a lot of small sealed envelopes. Overall, this is one of the best Legacy Board Games.
This is great for people who want a story that goes on and on and that they can really shape. It also has a lot of bludding features, which means that, like in Game of Thrones, you can lie and bribe your way to the top if you want to. Not for the weak-hearted.
Pros
- Offers a compelling and immersive narrative experience.
- Features impactful and meaningful choices that shape the game world.
- Provides a strong emphasis on diplomacy and negotiation.
Cons
- May not appeal to players who prefer more traditional board game mechanics.
- Requires a consistent group of players to fully enjoy the campaign.
Betrayal Legacy
Features
- Legacy version of the popular Betrayal at House on the Hill.
- Uncover the dark secrets of a haunted house across generations.
- Unique story-driven scenarios and evolving map.
- Unlockable content and persistent changes.
- Combines exploration, cooperation, and betrayal.
Give Betrayal Legacy a try if you want your next game night to have a scary vibe. The Betrayal series of board games has always been about the story. As a group, you explore a large manor and run into ghosts and other scary things. At some point, the haunt will start, and one or more of you will turn on each other. At this point, the game has been turned upside down, and it’s a mad dash to stay alive.
In the legacy edition of this scary but fun game, you’ll play through 13 chapters that build on what you’ve already done. The main idea of the game is that you play as the same family of characters who keep coming back to the same scary house. The history of this game adds to the story and makes it a must-play for people who liked the original game. For now, this is the best Legacy Board Games.
Pros
- Combines the unique storytelling elements of Betrayal at House on the Hill with a persistent campaign.
- Offers an intriguing and evolving narrative.
- Provides new scenarios and mechanics as the legacy campaign progresses.
Cons
- Some scenarios or haunts may feel unbalanced or repetitive.
- Requires a consistent group of players to fully enjoy the campaign.
- Setup and teardown can be time-consuming due to the modular game board.
Pandemic Legacy Series
Features
- Cooperative game where players fight against global threats.
- Evolving storyline and campaign.
- Permanent changes to the game based on player choices.
- Unlockable content and surprises.
- Challenging gameplay and strategic decision-making.
Pandemic is an old board game about stopping deadly viruses from spreading around the world. The standard version of the cooperative game is fun on its own, but it can get boring once you’ve figured out how to save the world and stop the virus from spreading.
The legacy version of the game will keep adding new parts and a lot of tension because the fate of the whole planet depends on whether you win or lose each time. It is an exciting version of the original game with enough changes to keep you interested. Overall, this is one of the best Legacy Board Games you can suggest you friends.
Pandemic Legacy can be played in several different ways. Since each experience is different, you might want to try them all. The standard Pandemic Legacy format has two seasons. But if you want to change things up even more, try Pandemic Legacy Season 0, which has spies as part of the fun. No matter which version of Pandemic Legacy you choose, you’re in for a thrilling, surprising adventure.
Pros
- Provides an exciting and challenging cooperative gameplay experience.
- Offers a compelling and evolving storyline.
- Features permanent changes to the game state based on player decisions.
Cons
- Limited replayability once the campaign is completed.
- Requires a dedicated group of players to fully enjoy the campaign.
- Can be challenging and potentially frustrating for new or casual players.
My City
Features
- Legacy-style city-building game.
- Create and develop your own city over multiple sessions.
- Changing rules and objectives as the game progresses.
- Unique story-driven campaigns and scenarios.
- Engaging tile-placement and resource management mechanics.
My City is a cute but competitive legacy game for 2–4 players in which each group builds a city over the course of 24 rounds. As their city moves from the pre-industrial age to the industrial age, players can add cards and other things to their board to make the game more fun for them. Currently, this is one of the best Legacy Board Games.
Putting down the tiles is like playing Tetris, and players will try to fit as many buildings and features as they can on their board to get the most points. People who don’t want to play the legacy version of My City can also use the other side of the board for repeat games. This game is great for people who don’t have much time because a match usually only lasts 30 minutes.
Pros
- Offers a streamlined and accessible legacy experience.
- Provides a range of interesting spatial puzzles and challenges.
- Features a progressive storyline that unlocks new content as the campaign progresses.
Cons
- May lack the complexity and depth found in other legacy games.
- Limited replayability once the campaign is completed.
- Some players may find the puzzles repetitive or predictable.
FAQs
A legacy game is a type of tabletop board game in which the rules are set up so that the game itself changes in a permanent way over a number of sessions.
Some people might say that Gloomhaven is more of a campaign or Dungeons Crawling game than a legacy board game. That might be true, but it still has all the things I like about legacy-style games, like locked secret boxes, weird secret envelopes, progress, rules that change, and a story that keeps getting better.
