Variable Player Powers Games
Variable Player Powers is a mechanic that grants different abilities and/or paths to victory to the players. To illustrate, here are some notable examples.
In Ogre, one player controls a single powerful piece, and the other plays many weaker units. The net effect is a balanced game.
In Cosmic Encounter, each player is assigned a random special ability at the beginning of the game. Although each player has the same victory goal (establish colonies on five planets in other players' systems), their abilities enable differing means to the end.
In Here I Stand, each player controls a political power with unique ways to score victory points. Some focus on military conquest, some on religious influence, etc.
Player powers may change throughout the game, as in Small World or Sunrise City.
- from Board Game Geek
Sorted by location in the store - Casual Games | Cooperative Games | Middleweight Games | Value Games | Heavyweight Games
Updated February 1, 2025
Casual Games:
7 Wonders - 2-6+ Players
Card Game, Drafting, Economic, Set Collection, Best Seller
Age of Wonders: Planetfall - 2-6 Players
Card Game, Drafting, Sci Fi-themed, Set Collection, Worker Placement
Bites - 2-5 Players
Set Collection
Blueprints of Mad King Ludwig - 1-5 Players
Drafting
Cascadia - 1-4 Players
Tile Placement
Cash n' Guns - 4-6+ Players
Bluffing, Card Game, Party Game
Clank! Catacombs - 2-4 Players
Deckbuilding, Drafting, Fantasy-themed, Push Your Luck, Tile Placement
Colt Express - 2-6 Players
Memory, Take That
Colt Express Big Box - 2-6+ Players
Cosmic Encounter Duel - 2 Players
Bluffing, Card Game, Sci Fi-themed, Take That
Cosmoctopus - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Fantasy-themed, Staff Pick
DC DBG Dark Nights Metal - 2-5 Players
Card Game, Deckbuilding
DC DBG Flash vs Reverse - 2 Players
Card Game, Deckbuilding
DC DBG Injustice - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Deckbuilding, Drafting
Dead Cells - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Fantasy-themed
Dice Throne Cursed Pirate vs. Artificer - 2 Players
Card Game, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Dice Throne Gunslinger vs. Samurai - 2 Players
Card Game, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Dice Throne Monk vs. Paladin - 2 Players
Card Game, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Dice Throne Seraph vs. Vampire Lord - 2 Players
Dice, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Dice Throne Treant vs. Ninja - 2 Players
Card Game, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Divinus - 2-4 Players
Dice, Fantasy-themed, Tile Placement
Dodos Riding Dinos - 1-6+ Players
Dice, Take That
Downforce - 2-6 Players
Bluffing
Dragon Castle - 1-4 Players
Drafting, Tile Placement
Dragonbond: Lords of Vaala - 1-4 Players
Dice, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures
Dreadful Meadows - 1-4 Players
Economic, Worker Placement, Tile Placement
Escape From Aliens in Outer Spa - 2-6+ Players
Party Game, Sci Fi-themed
Everdell - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Drafting, Fantasy-themed, Set Collection, Best Seller, Staff Pick
Feed the Kraken Deluxe - 5-6+ Players
Bluffing, Card Game, Miniatures, Party Game
First in Flight - 1-4 Players
Push Your Luck
Furnace - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Drafting, Economic
HeroQuest - 2-5 Players
Dice, Miniatures
Jaws - 2-4 Players
Justice League Dark - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Deckbuilding, Drafting
Kabuto Sumo - 2-4 Players
Staff Pick
King of Tokyo 2E Monster Box - 2-6 Players
Dice, Drafting, Push Your Luck, Sci Fi-themed, Take That, Staff Pick
Knight Fall - 1-6 Players
Cooperative, Fantasy-themed
Kutna Hora: The City of Silver - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Economic, Tile Placement
Maul Peak - 2 Players
Namiji - 2-5 Players
Set Collection
Neuroshima Hex 3 : Year/ Moloch - 1 Player
Sci Fi-themed, Tile Placement
Obscurio - 2-6+ Players
Bluffing, Party Game, Staff Pick
Planet Unknown - 1-6 Players
Sci Fi-themed, Tile Placement
Rauha - 2-5 Players
Red Rising - 1-6 Players
Card Game, Dice, Drafting, Sci Fi-themed, Set Collection, Take That
REM Racers - 2-5 Players
Dice, Miniatures, Sci Fi-themed
Res Arcana - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Drafting, Fantasy-themed
Roll Player - 1-4 Players
Dice, Drafting, Fantasy-themed, Set Collection
Santorini - 2-4 Players
Shake That City - 1-4 Players
Tile Placement
Small World - 2-5 Players
Dice, Fantasy-themed, Best Seller, Staff Pick
Tales of the Arthurian Knights - 1-4 Players
Cooperative
Talisman Batman - 2-6 Players
Dice, Fantasy-themed
The Captain is Dead - 2-6+ Players
Cooperative, Drafting
The Werewolves of MH The Pact - 9-47 Players
Bluffing, Party Game
Tokaido (10th Anniversary Ed) - 2-5 Players
Set Collection, Worker Placement
Tokaido 5th anniv ed - 2-5 Players
Set Collection, Worker Placement
Unmatched Adventures: Tales to Amaze - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Fantasy-themed
Unmatched Buffy Vampire Slayer - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Unmatched for King and Country - 2-3 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Unmatched Hell's Kitchen - 2-3 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Unmatched Houdini V The Genie - 2 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed
Unmatched Jurassic Park Dr TRex - 2 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed
Unmatched Jurassic Park Raptors - 2 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Unmatched Redemption Row - 2-3 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Unmatched Teen Spirit - 2-3 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Unmatched The Witcher Realms Fall - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Unmatched The Witcher Steel & Silver - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Unmatched Witcher Realms Fall - 2-3 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures
Unmatched: Little Red V Beowulf - 2 Players
Fantasy-themed
Unmatched: Slings and Arrows - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed
Unmatched: Sun's Origin - 2 Players
Card Game, Miniatures
Victorian Masterminds - 2-4 Players
Miniatures, Worker Placement
Villainous Marvel Mischief and Malice - 2-3 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed
Villainous SW Power Dark Side - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Sci Fi-themed, Take That
Villainous: Intro to Evil - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
War Chest - 2-4 Players
Wonder Book - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures
Staff Picks and Best Sellers
7 Wonders
7 Wonders lasts three ages. In each age, players receive seven cards from a particular deck, choose one of those cards, then pass the remainder to an adjacent player. Players reveal their cards simultaneously, paying resources if needed or collecting resources or interacting with other players in various ways.
Cosmoctopus
The engines you can build with your Scriptures, Hallucinations, and Relics are amazing! The game is like Sesame Street meets H.P. Lovecraft. - Kat
Kabuto Sumo
This is such a fun game! My teenager niece that "hates games" asked me to bring it over to play again. Who doesn't like playing with bugs?! - Kat
Obscurio
A great cooperative game! It's like Dixit with puzzles and a traitor. - James
Cooperative Games:
A Touch of Evil - 1-6+ Players
Cooperative, Dice
Aeon's End 2E - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Fantasy-themed, Sci Fi-themed
Aeon's End: Legacy of Gravehold - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Deckbuilding, Drafting, Fantasy-themed, Sci Fi-themed
Aftermath - 1-4 Players
Dice, Miniatures, Sci Fi-themed
Alien: Fate of the Nostromo - 1-5 Players
Cooperative, Miniatures
Arkeis - 1-5 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures
Arkham Horror 3rd edition - 1-6 Players
Cooperative, Dice
Arkham Horror The Card Game Revised - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Deckbuilding, Fantasy-themed, Horror-themed, Staff Pick
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood of Venice - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Miniatures
Astro Knights - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Sci Fi-themed
Astro Knights Eternity - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Deckbuilding, Drafting, Sci Fi-themed
Carnival Zombie 2E - 1-6 Players
Cooperative, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures
Chronicles of Crime 2400 - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Sci Fi-themed
Coraquest - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed
Cthulhu: Death May Die Fear of the Unknown - 1-5 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Horror-themed, Miniatures
Day Break - 1-4 Players
Cooperative
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong - 4-6+ Players
Bluffing, Party Game
Descent Legends of the Dark - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures
Disney Animated - 2-4 Players
Cooperative, Drafting
Dorf Romantik - 1-6 Players
Cooperative, Tile Placement
Elder Sign - 1-6+ Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed
Flash Point - 2-6 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Staff Pick
Flash Point Fire Rescue - 2-6 Players
Cooperative, Dice
Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Miniatures
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Deckbuilding, Fantasy-themed, Staff Pick
Horrified: American Monsters - 1-5 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Horror-themed, Miniatures
Magic Maze - 1-6+ Players
Cooperative, Fantasy-themed
Magic Maze Kids - 2-4 Players
Cooperative, Fantasy-themed, Set Collection
Mansions of Madness - 1-5 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Miniatures, Best Seller, Staff Pick
Marvel Champions LCG Core Set - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Best Seller, Staff Pick
Marvel United - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Miniatures
Marvel Zombies Core Box - 1-6 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Miniatures
Massive Darkness 2 Hellscape - 1-6 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures
MLP Adventures in Esquestria - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Deckbuilding
Monster Pit - 1-5 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed
Mysterium - 2-6+ Players
Cooperative, Party Game, Best Seller, Staff Pick
Nemesis - 1-5 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Miniatures, Sci Fi-themed
Pandemic - 2-4 Players
Cooperative, Set Collection, Best Seller, Staff Pick
Pandemic Hot Zone N. America - 2-4 Players
Cooperative, Set Collection
Pandemic Legacy Season 1 Blue - 2-4 Players
Cooperative, Set Collection
Pandemic Legacy Season 1 Red - 2-4 Players
Cooperative, Set Collection
Pandemic The Cure - 2-5 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Push Your Luck, Set Collection
Pandemic: Rapid Response - 2-4 Players
Dice
Return to Dark Tower - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Push Your Luck
Robinson Crusoe: Collector’s Edition - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Worker Placement, Tile Placement
Scooby-Doo! The Board Game - 1-5 Players
Cooperative, Miniatures
Sentinels of the Multiverse - 1-5 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Staff Pick
Spirit Island - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Fantasy-themed, Set Collection
Star Wars The Clone Wars - 1-5 Players
Cooperative, Sci Fi-themed, Set Collection
Stuffed Fables - 2-4 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures, Staff Pick
Tamashi: Chronicle of Ascend - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Deckbuilding, Dice, Miniatures, Sci Fi-themed
The Initiative - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Best Seller
The Spill - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Dice
Thorgal - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle
I just enjoy the way you can build your deck up and still create something thematic to the movie. It offers simplistic goals and it has been easy to teach to non-gamers. - Nolan
Mansions of Madness
Mansions incorporates the gritty suspense of Lovecraftian fiction with the action-packed board game of Betrayal at House on the Hill. As you explore a new area, you lay down tiles and encounter new faces. The engine of this game is the fact that the story is ran through a story-telling app. You can download it on your phone or computer. Definitely recommend for fans of science fiction and horror. - Eric R.
Marvel Champions
The game is relatively simple to learn and to get into. The customization options for your decks and the villain decks make for different and challenging scenarios each time you play. - Matter Miller
Stuffed Fables
A table-top role-playing-game in a box geared for families, but with enough complexity for adults to enjoy. It's like Toy Story meets D&D! - Richard
Middleweight Games:
51st State Ultimate Edition - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Economic, Sci Fi-themed, Worker Placement
Agricola Revised - 1-4 Players
Drafting, Economic, Worker Placement
Ahoy - 2-4 Players
Fantasy-themed, Worker Placement, Tile Placement
Apiary - 1-5 Players
Worker Placement
Architects of the West Kingdom - 1-5 Players
Drafting, Worker Placement, Best Seller
ARCS - 2-4 Players
Dice, Sci Fi-themed
Ark Nova - 1-4 Players
Drafting, Economic, Tile Placement, Staff Pick
Betrayal at Baldur's Gate - 3-6 Players
Dice, Miniatures
Breaking Bad the Board Game - 3-6+ Players
Bluffing, Card Game, Economic, Push Your Luck, Take That
Cangaceiros - 2-5 Players
Card Game
Clash of Cultures Monumental Ed - 2-4 Players
Dice, Economic
Cosmic Encounter - 3-5 Players
Bluffing, Card Game, Sci Fi-themed, Take That
DnD Onslaught Core Set - 2 Players
Dice, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures
Dune Imperium - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Deckbuilding, Sci Fi-themed, Take That, Worker Placement, Staff Pick
Endless Winter Paleoamericans - 1-4 Players
Deckbuilding, Set Collection, Worker Placement
Evenfall - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Worker Placement
Expeditions (Standard) - 1-5 Players
Deckbuilding, Worker Placement
Fallout the Board Game - 1-4 Players
Dice, Miniatures
Firefly Misbehavin' - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Sci Fi-themed
Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala - 2-4 Players
Set Collection
Imperium Classics - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Deckbuilding, Take That
Imperium Legends - 1-4 Players
Card Game
Imperium: Horizons - 1-4 Players
Card Game, Deckbuilding
Last Light - 2-4 Players
Dice, Economic, Sci Fi-themed
Life of the Amazonia - 1-4 Players
Set Collection, Tile Placement
Lords of Ragnarok Core Box - 1-4 Players
Dice, Drafting, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures, Sci Fi-themed, Worker Placement
MIND MGMT Psychic Espionage Game - 1-5 Players
Cooperative
Monumental Core Box - 1-4 Players
Set Collection
Mosaic A Story of Civilization - 2-6 Players
Drafting, Economic, Set Collection
Nemesis Lockdown - 1-5 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Horror-themed, Miniatures, Sci Fi-themed
Northgard: Uncharted Lands - 2-5 Players
Dice, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures, Tile Placement
Pax Emancipation - 1-3 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Drafting, Worker Placement
Queen By Midnight - 3-6 Players
Card Game, Deckbuilding, Dice, Fantasy-themed
Reef Project - 1-4 Players
Set Collection
Revive - 1-4 Players
Deckbuilding, Sci Fi-themed
Rising Sun - 3-5 Players
Bluffing, Drafting, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures, Set Collection, Take That
Risk Shadow Forces - 3-5 Players
Dice, Miniatures
Root - 2-4 Players
Dice, Fantasy-themed, Take That, Staff Pick
Scythe - 1-5 Players
Economic, Sci Fi-themed, Take That, Best Seller, Staff Pick
Skymines - 1-4 Players
Deckbuilding, Drafting, Economic, Sci Fi-themed, Worker Placement
Star Wars Outer Rim - 1-4 Players
Dice, Sci Fi-themed
Survival of the Fattest - 1-4 Players
Deckbuilding, Set Collection, Worker Placement
Talisman 5th Edition - 2-6 Players
Dice, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Tapestry - 1-5 Players
Dice, Drafting, Push Your Luck, Take That, Tile Placement
Terra Nova - 2-4 Players
Fantasy-themed
Terraforming Mars - 1-5 Players
Drafting, Economic, Sci Fi-themed, Take That, Tile Placement, Best Seller
Trudvang Legends - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Fantasy-themed, Miniatures
Twilight Imperium 4th ED - 3-6 Players
Dice, Economic, Sci Fi-themed
Viticulture Essential Edition - 1-4 Players
Dice, Fantasy-themed, Set Collection, Staff Pick
Western Legends - 2-6 Players
Dice, Miniatures, Take That
Whistle Mountain - 2-4 Players
Worker Placement, Tile Placement
Wondrous Creatures - 1-4 Players
Drafting, Fantasy-themed, Set Collection, Worker Placement
Architects of the West Kingdom
Points are gained by constructing various buildings and advancing work on the Archbishop's cathedral. Throughout the game, players need to make a lot of moral decisions. However, only at game's end will their virtue be judged.
Root
It's a quick and easy to learn game that's Fun and easy for all ages! All you need is to learn how to play as your current character/Faction! It also has multiple Expansions to enrich your experience! - Steven
Scythe
It combines well refined mechanics, a 4x playstyle, and excellent art into a game that feels polished and exciting. One of my personal top five games of all time. - Richard
Value Games:
7 Wonders Duel - 2 Players
Economic, Set Collection, Best Seller
Bang! The Dice Game - 3-6+ Players
Bluffing, Dice, Party Game, Push Your Luck
Boss Monster 10th Anniversary - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That, Staff Pick
Citadels - 2-6+ Players
Bluffing, Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Set Collection, Take That, Staff Pick
D&D Dungeon Mayhem Mons Mad - 2-6 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Dead Man's Draw - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Push Your Luck, Set Collection, Take That
Dungeon Academy - 1-6 Players
Dice, Fantasy-themed
Dungeon Mayhem - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That, Staff Pick
Dungeon Rush (2018) - 2-5 Players
Card Game, Set Collection
FateFlip: Washed Ashore - 1-6+ Players
Card Game
Forbidden Island - 2-4 Players
Cooperative, Fantasy-themed, Sci Fi-themed, Set Collection, Tile Placement
Forbidden Jungle - 2-5 Players
Cooperative, Fantasy-themed, Sci Fi-themed, Set Collection, Tile Placement
Forbidden Jungle - Survive the wild - 2-5 Players
Cooperative, Fantasy-themed, Sci Fi-themed, Set Collection, Tile Placement
Fuse Countdown - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Dice
Gloomhaven Buttons & Bugs - 1 Player
Fantasy-themed, Miniatures
Guns or Treasure - 2-6 Players
Bluffing, Card Game, Party Game, Take That
Inside Job - 2-5 Players
Card Game
Lord of the Rings Duel for Middle-Earth - 2 Players
Economic, Set Collection, Best Seller
Munchkin - 3-6 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Party Game, Take That, Staff Pick
Munchkin A Mighty Nein Critical Role - 3-6 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Munchkin Age of Sigmar - 3-6 Players
Card Game, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Munchkin Disney - 3-6 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Take That
Munchkin Marvel - 3-6 Players
Card Game, Take That
Munchkin Rick & Morty - 3-6 Players
Card Game, Take That
One Deck Dungeon - 1-2 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed
Radlands - 2 Players
Card Game, Sci Fi-themed, Take That
Rear Window - 3-5 Players
Cooperative
Sail - 2 Players
Card Game, Cooperative
Shuffle Grand Prix - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Take That
Smash Up - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Fantasy-themed, Sci Fi-themed, Take That, Staff Pick
Smash Up Marvel - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Take That
Stop Thief! 2E - 1-5 Players
Cooperative, Memory, Take That
Summoner Wars 2e Starter Set - 2 Players
Card Game, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Take That
The Grizzled - 2-5 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Push Your Luck
The Werewolves of Miller's Holl - 8-18 Players
Bluffing, Party Game
Tiny Epic Crimes - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Push Your Luck, Set Collection
Tiny Epic Dungeons - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Dice, Fantasy-themed, Tile Placement, Staff Pick
Trash Cult - 2-4 Players
Card Game, Set Collection, Take That
Ultimate Werewolf Extreme - 3-6+ Players
Bluffing, Card Game, Party Game
Ultra Tiny Epic Kingdoms - 1-5 Players
Bluffing, Fantasy-themed, Take That, Worker Placement
We're Doomed The Game of Global Panic - 4-6+ Players
Card Game, Party Game
Boss Monster 10th Anniversary
Have you ever thought to yourself that you could build a better dungeon than you friends and family? Well with the power of Boss Monster now you can, build your own unique dungeon with a variety of cards and lead your Boss to victory! - Eric T.
Munchkin
It is a game where you develop your hero as you go. You can play in many different worlds which makes you feel like you are combining different worlds. Marvel allows you to have Iron Man's Armor with Cap's Shield for example. Each game is different and fun to solve the challenge as you try to become the strongest hero in the game. - Nolan
Tiny Epic Dungeons
Co-op game running through a dungeon, like D&D but a lot easier to set up. Challenging difficulty but enjoyable. - Nathan
Heavyweight Games:
Age of Innovation - 1-5 Players
Fantasy-themed
Anachrony: Essential Edition - 1-4 Players
Dice, Economic, Miniatures, Sci Fi-themed, Worker Placement
Civolution - 1-4 Players
Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City - 1-5 Players
Miniatures, Sci Fi-themed, Set Collection
Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory - 2-4 Players
Economic, Worker Placement
Mage Knight Ultimate Edition - 1-5 Players
Card Game, Cooperative, Deckbuilding, Drafting, Fantasy-themed, Tile Placement
Minos: Dawn of the Bronze Age - 1-4 Players
Dice, Drafting, Economic
Nucleum - 1-4 Players
Economic, Sci Fi-themed
Scythe Expeditions: Ironclad Edition - 1-5 Players
Deckbuilding, Worker Placement
Voidfall - 1-4 Players
Cooperative, Economic, Sci Fi-themed