There are some tabletop games which have complex rules and features, making even the most experienced player think twice about their next move. Sure, if you master them, you can bend them to your will, but that's going to require a lot of playtime and determination. However, it's not always only the rules that make tabletop games difficult or easy.

Some games just end up being unfair because they're balanced in a way to give you bad rolls or just leave a lot for you to decide on your own. Regardless, these games continue to be fun and engaging despite their difficulty. If you and your friends want a challenge, you should try out some of these board games.

Updated on December 21, 2023, by Vaspaan Dastoor: Everybody loves a good challenge, especially for their minds. With the new year on the horizon, we suspect a lot of you may want to try advanced level board games, so we've updated this list with just a few more. Various tabletop games can be difficult for different reasons. While some may have complicated rules and gameplay loops, others might feature lore and story elements that are hard to keep track of.

The hardest part about Terraforming Mars is figuring out your route to victory. There are so many diffe﷽rent paths you can take or, conversely, need to defend yourself from. Victory or defeat can come from anywhere, and you need to pay attention to this while taking care of your colony.

However, the scariest part about Nemesis is the noise mechanic. You'll need to roll for noise while performing certain actions, and should you fail, you're going to have a knockoff Xenomorph on your tail. Then it's about doing everything you can to shake it off. The dice rolls are quite unforgiving in this one.

The difficulty in Call of Cthulhu isn't in its basic gameplay - which is that of a tabletop RPG - but in the lore and mechanics itself. For instance, there are many other ancients besides Cthulhu, but newer players may not be familiar with them, or the way the world works in this universe.

There's no such thing as playing Magic: Ther Gathering casually. You need to be aware of all the latest happenings, constantly update your decks, and be in the know-how of any alterations to the rules. Besides all that, it's also pretty expensive to keep your MTG sets fully updated and stocked. But, when there's a chance of pulling The One Ring, you might feel lucky.

The creators of Scythe took almost every situation into consideration; even going as far as creating a system whereby you can play the game without any human opponents. A separate rulebook describes how to set up AI decks which will simulate players of varying difficulty. With rules and features so intricate, you're going to take a while before you learn how to use them to your advantage.

Axis & Allies takes the meaning of grand strategy to another level. It's not enough merely attacking and defending, but you also have to make sure that the cogs of total war are continuously turning, if you want to be victorious. There are so many aspects that you need to pay attention to, and so many avenues of winning and losing; if you're not one for multitasking, this game may be beyond you.

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is a tabletop game that's quite easy in terms of gameplay. All you have to do choose what action you want to take, and go to the relevant entry in the case files. However, the hard part is deciding what action you want to take. There aren't many prompts, only information, and you have to decide what you want to do with it.

It's not easy trying to solve a mystery when an ancient god with tentacles is blocking your part. Even so, the most complex part about Arkham Horror is the leveling up mechanics. If you're not a seasoned tabletop RPG player, you're bound to be confused by the many attributes and abilities you need to keep a track of.

Gloomhaven is one of the first names that pop up when talking about TTRPGs. And as with this genre, it involves a lot of rules and mechanics, especially when it comes to leveling up your character's attributes. It is undoubtedly a game that should only be played by experienced campaigners; and even then, it's not going to be a walk in the dungeon.

FAQ

What is the world's most famous board game?

Monopoly is the most famous board game in the world. You'll see it localised for almost every region, along with a number of collaborative editions as well.

What is the oldest board game?

The Royal Game of Ur 🍰is believed to have originated 4,600 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia, making it the oldest k🐻nown board game in the world.

Which is the toughest board game in the world?

While not featured on this list, chess is the hardest🐽ღ board game as there are so many different ways to play it.