tante
Looking for a good dungeon crawler-y board game where the rules are simple enough to play it with smaller kids. (I have been playing a bit of Mice and Mystics with my 5 year old and he's super into the whole thing.
Any recommendations (only games you played, consider I know how to use internet searching)
Nov 19 at 3:07pmWeb
Show threadPiers BeckleyNov 19
@tante HeroQuest
Show threadEasyNov 19
@piersb @tante Another vote for HeroQuest 🙂
Show threadzahlenzauber*in Nov 19
@tante Karak, very few rules, the kid loved it.
Show threadlausNov 19
@tante doom board game is quite nice
Show threadtanteNov 19
@zauberlaus but that's not great for a 5 year old, is it?
Show threadlausNov 19
@tante duh. the rules may be simple enough but that’s not appropriate i guess. it’s not as gruesome as the video game but the minis do look scary
Show threadFrederik Braun �Nov 19
@tante Karak for sure!
Show threadT.FishNov 19

@tante

I have not played any of the modern incarnations of it to see how they differ but “Dungeon!” was a great baby’s first dungeon crawler board game.

Show threaddstuNov 19
@tdotfish @tante seconding Dungeon!, which my six-year-old grasped quickly, and which the four-year-old was very interested in and could sorta do. Take turns, roll dice, match numbers and colors, ... that's the core of it. Putting on a DM hat to narrate what happens is extra, if the kids will stand for it.
Show threaddstuNov 19
@tdotfish @tante for a slightly older kid (8 years old, maybe? old enough to pay attention during a longer game session and engage in collaborative roleplay), Dragon Strike was basically TSR's version of Hero Quest. Four game boards, a bunch of minis, and a book of scenarios to run. I spent a lot more time thinking about playing this than actually playing it, but it might be suitable for your needs. Here's the instructional VHS feature it came with: https://youtu.be/FF1_IHliRhI?si=CNQ13l31FJoUnVLu
Dragonstrike Instruction Video (High Definition)

YouTube
Show threadStaffan HesselbomNov 19

@tante Karak! Playing a lot with my kid at 6-7 years old.

Also the swedish game "Drakborgen" (don't know about translations). Fun game for all ages, also played a lot with my kid.

Next up I am going to try HeroQuest since there is a compainon app that can be the game master, but haven't played it with my kid yet, but it feels like a game you can adjust a bit if it's to hard.

Show threadOldCoderNov 19
By board game, do you mean physical board game or 2D computer games?

If computer games are acceptable, review "Powder", the roguelike from ZincLand and not the physics simulation. The roguelike is an SDL-1 game from the 2000s and 2010s that might fit the bill.

See the attached screenshot. Note: The screenshot is Powder running in my Linux distro [Laclin]. The game's website is still online at the following link:

http://www.zincland.com/powder/

The site is dated 2018, so the binaries might be too old to work for you. However, the game has low dependencies. If the binaries don't work for you, it should be easy to build the game from source.

Another roguelike that has been popular and even beloved for decades is NetHack. That one might be better for children who are a few years older.

NetHack is unique in that the graphics are text characters. This reflects its origins about 45 years ago. "d" is a dog or canine and "D" is a dragon. Frequent players get to the point where they jump when a "D" enters the room.

Note: The Powder website uses http and not https. Your browser may therefore refuse to connect unless you authorize it as a special step. If you're not able to connect, indicate this and I'll provide the source code myself.
Show threadtanteNov 19
@OldCoder physical games. I wanna play with my son
Show threadOldCoderNov 19
I haven't played physical board games much for 50 years, so I can't comment much on those. However, an associate of mine who's published two related gamebooks says that he'll text his game group. If they respond with suggestions, I'll post them here.
Show threadOldCoderNov 19
The game group has responded.

You asked for games that people had played themselves. I'm not familiar with this one myself, but the suggestion comes from a group that at least plays Dungeons and Dragons on a regular basis:

"Light roguelike for all ages with premade characters included: Betrayal at House on the Hill." My #gamer associate describes it as a "roguelite". "roguelites" have simpler rules and are more suitable for children.

I'm actually familiar with the publisher as they were around decades ago. It's Avalon Hill.

FWIW It looks like the figures used come pre-painted, but players apparently repaint them. There is a small ecosystem around the game at Etsy and EBay etc. related to repainted figures and other merchandise.
Show threadStefan IhringerNov 19

@tante Magic Maze: https://pegasus.de/Magic-Maze-deutsche-Ausgabe-Nominiert-Spiel-des-Jahres-2017/57200G

We borrowed it from the library once. We only played the intro campaign and it felt a little bit complicated. Maybe not for 5 year olds, unless they have played some dungeon-style games before (box says 8+).

The setting is kinda weird: D&D characters (barbarian, archer, dwarf) are moving around a modern shopping mall. I don't see how this idea was developed except for the publisher saying "nice game but no moldy dungeon please" :-)

Magic Maze (deutsche Ausgabe) *Nominiert Spiel des Jahres 2017* | 57200G

Was tun, wenn man keine Ausrüstung hat, um in dunklen Verliesen nach sagenumwobenen Schätzen zu suchen? Da bleibt nur eins: Dem örtlichen Magic Maze-Einkaufszentrum einen „Besuch“ abstatten. In einer Nacht-und-Nebel-Aktion schleichen sich daher ein Magie…

pegasus.de
Show threadRoss WintleNov 19

@tante Look up CoraQuest. There are quite a few rules, but it’s nicely constrained and very kid friendly. We’ve played it and love it.

Created by an 8 year old and her dad in Covid Lockdown times and then Kickstarted.

https://www.coraquest.com/

Welcome to CoraQuest - Keep on Questing! - CoraQuest - Keep on Questing

CoraQuest, a dungeon-crawling co-operative family board  game for one to four players.

CoraQuest - Keep on Questing
Show threadSchnackofantNov 19

@tante another vote for Karak. We used to play it in a slightly easier mode when the kid was five, but now with six/seven the regular rules are just fine.

VerrĂĽcktes Labyrinth is also very popular now, though slightly different genre

Show threadHart of the WudNov 19

@tante Andor Junior.

Was quite popular here for a couple years. Also nice as it's a cooperative game.

Show threadTripTilt /// ttNov 19

@tante

HERO QUEST!!!
ogginol aus dem letzten Jahrtausend ist recht teuer auf ebay, aber damned cool.

Show threadKoljaNov 22

@tante Die Chroniken von Avel ist ein nettes, kooperatives Spiel das bei uns gut läuft. Die Regeln sind weniger ein Problem für die Kinder als die Länge einer Partie, aber mit Erwachsenen, die das ganze zusammen halten, klappt das gut.

Ein paar Runden zwecks Loot Monster metzeln, dann kommt ein Boss.