Want to explore new lands, raid villages, and form an epic shield wall in your next board gaming adventure? Then we’ve got you and your game night crew covered with a selection of the ten best board games with a Viking theme. Whether you like in-depth engine building, worker placement, or dice-based combat, there’s guaranteed to be a few tabletop titles on this list that you’ll love.
10. Explorers of the North Sea
If you like board games that focus on exploration, then you’ll love turning over tiles on the expansive, ever-changing map that makes up Explorers of the North Sea’s board. Gathering and transporting livestock from the settlements you’ve invaded is the easiest way to score victory points. However, you’ll also tally a few from controlling islands and sending raiders to their Viking death. You might want to consider getting the Rocks of Ruin expansion alongside the main game since it greatly improves the efficiency of your turns.
9. Knarr
Do you love Vikings but don’t enjoy combat-heavy board games? Knarr might be the perfect addition to your shelf. Trading and exploration are the keys to victory, but to take these actions, you’ll need to first recruit a diverse mix of crew members. Setting sail for new lands is incredibly enjoyable, and with enough luck and quick thinking, you’ll soon write your way into the great sagas. The rules are easy to learn, and game usually only takes about 30 to 45 minutes.
8. Karvi
Karvi is a complex, slow-burn board game that lets players trade, travel, and raid to their heart’s content. You’ll make three trips around the side rondel with your dice to collect resources, which in turn lets you move around the expansive map with your boat. The mechanics are highly thematic and sometimes funny, especially since you’ll need kegs of beer to do just about anything with your actual Viking fighters. Turns can take a long time during the middle stages of the game, but you’ll always have plenty of interesting decisions to make while you’re on this journey.
7. Hnefatafl
Want to try a board game that’s actually from the Viking era? Hnefatafl is a kind of Viking chess that’s simple, fun, and enjoyable- even today. The rules are easy to learn, and there are tons of beautiful sets out there for tabletop collectors. One player starts in the middle of the board, with their tokens in a group. The other, who takes on the role of the attacker, controls four groups of six warriors, with each group lined up on one of the edges of the board.
6. Northgard: Uncharted Lands
Explore new lands, gather wood, harvest crops, and defeat mythic monsters in Northgard: Uncharted Lands, the tabletop adaption of the hit video game. Here, you’ll also have to face off against your fellow players and defend against their invasions by building watchtowers and recruiting troops. There’s a healthy dose of deck building, and you can use the cards you pick up almost immediately instead of having to shuffle them away or waiting until they come around again from your discard pile. Each clan has its own power for you to work with, and games typically take less than two hours to complete.
5. 878 Vikings: Invasions of England
If you want to try a Viking-themed war board game with epic combat, look no further than 878 Vikings: Invasions of England. Two players or two teams of two players will face off against one another in an attempt to control as much of medieval Britain as possible. One side takes on the role of the Nordic invaders, while the other will fight to defend and retain control of the English kingdoms. You’ll need an even mix of strategic genius and dice-rolling luck to win the day.
4. A Feast for Odin
A Feast for Odin is a complex worker placement game that’s all about gathering resource tiles and fitting them onto your player board to cover up negative counters. Everything from rocks to kegs of ale to bolts of cloth will come in handy, and you’ll of course need enough food to host a feast in your long hall at the end of each round as well. There’s an incredible amount of actions to choose from when it comes to placing your workers, and as a result, there’s no shortage of strategic depth. It’s also a great pick if you like board games that come with a solo mode.
3. Blood Rage
If you’d like to get your hands on a more fantasy-focused Viking board game, Blood Rage is a great choice. The game begins with card drafting, and you’ll have to make a few decisions upfront about what your overall strategy will be for the next few rounds. Then, you’ll spend your rage to move around the board and conquer territories, winning glory for your cause in the form of axes and more warrior tokens in the form of horns. As an alternative action, you can also go on quests. Area control is essential to success, as is nailing the timing of the powers you’re playing during combat.
2. Champions of Midgard
Champions of Midgard blends classic worker placement and resource management with dice-rolling combat to create a uniquely enjoyable experience. The building spaces on the right side of the board change every time you play, which ensures that your worker placement options will always shift somewhat from game to game. The merchant ship and various creature decks also add similar value, which means that, overall, there’s a ton of replayability here. You’ll score points for the monsters you defeat and the ship you build, as well as the objective-like destiny cards you complete.
1. Raiders of the North Sea
When it comes to creating an immersive and engaging Viking board game experience, nothing tops Raiders of the North Sea. On your turn, you’ll gather supplies, recruit fighters, and raid settlements via an easy-to-learn worker placement system. Giving your warriors a valiant death in battle brings rich rewards, as does making an offering at your local chieftain’s longhouse. The different types of settlements that you can fight for all give unique benefits, as do the various boat upgrades and crew member cards. There’s a ton of ways to score points, which means there’s also a ton of ways to win.
