A world with rival houses, big medieval battles, court intrigue, and dragons is undisputedly a fantastic setting for a board game. Many publishers have created tie-ins with both the Game of Thrones TV show and the Song of Ice and Fire book? series to bring the stories of Westeros to the game night table. Some of these iterations are quite good, and others are downright fantastic.

To celebrate the start of House of the Dragon season 2 this weekend, we’re counting down the best Game of Thrones card and board games. Each of these games is a fun way to transport yourself back to Westeros, without having to relive the pain of Game of Thrones season 8.

6. A Game of Thrones: B’twixt

A Game of Thrones: B’twixt is a relatively straightforward party game with a healthy dose of strategy, particularly when it comes to outbidding other players for cards. You’ll need to collect a cast of iconic characters from the books for each of the two councils you have in your play space, which are in part shared with the players to your immediate right and left. The player with the most powerful small council wins ??the game.

5. Risk: Game of Thrones

The Game of Thrones edition of Risk features both a Westeros and an Essos game board, and allows players to select a ruleset that best matches their desired complexity level. If you’ve played Risk before this isn’t anything new, but the core gameplay remains enjoyable ?and the theme wor??ks well.

4. Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne

Building influence, working out truces, and defeating your opponents in one on one conflicts allow you to claim the ultimate prize in this game: the Iron Throne itself. Gameplay is relatively simple compared with the other Game of Thrones board games on this list, but? it’s still a fun party game for three to five players. 

3. Game of Thrones: Oathbreaker

Oathbreaker is somewhat similar to the likes of Avalon, where one player will secretly be a traitor to the throne, another will secretly be the king, and the remaining players will be?? either conspirators or loyalists. The players then go on missions which either fail or succeed depending on which cards are played. If the majority of mis?sions succeed, the King and his loyalists win; otherwise, the traitor and his conspirators reign supreme. 

2. A G?ame of Thrones: The Board Game (2nd Edition)

Fantasy Flight’s board main game tie-in with the Song of Ice and Fire books is at this point an iconic game night staple. You’ll play as one of six major houses in Westeros, marshalling troops and battling spaces controlled by your opponents in a bid to take seven castles at once and thus win the game. With the Mother of Dragons expansion, you can also add an Essos board that brings the Targaryens into the mix and raises the m??aximum number of players to?? eight.

1. A Game of Thrones: The Card Game (2nd Edition)

A Game of Thrones: The Card Game takes the top spot on this ranking because of its strong strategic gameplay, in-depth thematics, and massive expandable card pool. Unlike the other products on this list, it’s a competitive card game, which means you’ll get the most out of it if you know other players who have the game and own a few of the expansions yourself. However, the game’s meta include??s nearly every charact?er and location you can think of from the books, and features plenty of deck building options that ensure a unique experience every time you sit down to play.

Note that while the game isn't being actively produced anymore by Fantasy Fligh??t Games, you can still pick up the second edition core set!

The post The 6 Best Game of Thrones Board Games, Ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

Dominion is an immensely popular deck building adventure that’s been a hit at the game night table since its release in 2008. The simple yet strategic gameplay and wacky medieval theme, along with the opportunity to curse your friends and family, has?? won over many. However, I’d argue that what truly makes the game great is its extensive catalogue of expansions. 

Dominion: Rising Sun, the 16th expansion for the game, is due to drop in June 2024. In addition, many of the game’s earlier expansions have been updated in recent years with second edition printings. That means you have plenty of options when it comes to picking up a new set of kingdom cards. Here are the 10 best Dominion expansions you can add to your collection today.

10. Dominion: Intrigue (2nd Edition)

Cards in the Intrigue expansion em??phasize player choice, which means many of the actions and attacks in the set are more versatile. Secret tunnel and masquerade are standout cards here that offer more advanced strategies. A basic expansion, but a good one nonetheless.

9. Dominion: Nocturne 

Nocturne is one of the bigger boxes in the series, adding thirty-three new kingdom cards, boons, hexes, and a few other non-supply cards. It also introduces one of Dominion’s more advanced mechanics- the night phase. Unfortunately, the cards in this set don’t mix quite as well with the other boxes. However, its theme makes ?for a fun ??experience anyway.

8. Dominion: Adventures

The Adventures expansion for Dominion adds events, the page and peasant upgrade track, and the reserve mat. I wouldn’t recommend it as a first expansion, because it plays best when paired with the platinum and colony cards in the Prosperity box. Beyond that, it’s a good buy.

7. Dominion: Seaside (2nd Edition)

Seaside adds duration cards to the game that produce?? effects immediately when played and at the start of your next turn. The seco??nd edition is also a significant improvement over the first release, which featured a gamebreaking pirate ship card.

6. Dominion: Menagerie 

Animals and the exile mechanic are the highlights of this box. Ther??e are quite a few reaction a??nd duration cards here to play with as well, which means you get a little bit of everything when you pick this one up.

5. Dominion: Empires

The best Dominion expansion packs offer completely new gameplay experiences, and Empires certainly re??presents one of the furthest departures from the core set. Landmarks implement new scoring rules, debt lets you play big turns early, and castles add some extra competition.

4. Dominion: Renaissance

The best new game mechanic in Renaissance is the struggle to keep artifact cards like the flag and the key under your control. Coffers and villagers, which were first introduced in the Guilds expansion, make a welcome return.

3. Dominion: Hinterlands (2nd Edition)

The Hinterlands box adds a range of ‘when gainâ€?effects to the game, plus a wider selection of reactio??n cards compared to the other expansions. Border village and tunnel are personal favorites. 

2. Dominion: Dark Ages

Trashing cards is the name of the game in the Dark Ages expansion. The new ruins and shelters cards requi??re you to focus on cleaning up the rubble that is your deck, which is a complex yet rewarding process.

1. Dominion: Prosperity (2nd Edition)

Prosperity is the most essential Dominion expansion because it scales up the size of the game with platinum coins and colony victory cards. Villages become cities, mines become mints, and cellars become?? vaults. With the cards in this box you’ll be richer than ever. 

The post The 10 Best Dominion Expansions in 2024, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.