The best storytelling games - making up stories 2024

MicroMacro: Crime City – Full House is a captivating detective game that expands upon the original MicroMacro: Crime City. Players become sleuths, examining a giant city map (75 x 110 cm) filled with intricate details to solve various crimes. This edition includes 16 new cases, each offering a unique story and set of challenges that require players to scrutinize the map to uncover hidden information and trace suspects' movements.

Dixit Odyssey combines the essence of a standalone game and an expansion for the award-winning Dixit by Jean-Louis Roubira, renowned for winning Germany's Spiel des Jahres award in 2010.

Dixit is a beautifully imaginative and simple card game that emphasizes creativity and interpretation. Each turn, a player becomes the storyteller, selecting a card from their hand and giving a sentence or phrase inspired by the card’s image. The other players then choose cards from their hands that they feel best match the storyteller's sentence.

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong offers a riveting game of deduction and deception designed for 4-12 players, providing an immersive experience in approximately 20 minutes.

Detective Club is a social deduction and party game that involves both cooperation and deception. Players are drawn into rounds of intrigue, where one player secretly passes clues to their accomplice to reveal a secret word, while others, acting as detectives, try to unveil the conspiracy. Creativity and persuasion play crucial roles as players discuss and defend their choices to avoid suspicion.

Destinies is a unique blend of board gaming and digital app integration, offering a rich, competitive, story-driven experience set in a dark medieval-fantasy universe. It is the first game in a series utilizing the innovative Destinies system.

Legacy of Dragonholt is an innovative narrative adventure game that transports players to the enchanting Realms of Terrinoth, offering a unique blend of role-playing, adventure, and storytelling without the need for a game master. Designed for one to six players, this game stands out by utilizing the Oracle system to create a rich, interactive story where every decision impacts the unfolding narrative.

Forgotten Waters is a captivating board game that plunges players into the whimsical and unpredictable world of pirate adventure. Blending storytelling and strategy, this game stands out for its immersive narrative and engaging gameplay.

When I Dream is a whimsical and imaginative board game that delves into the world of dreams, blending elements of storytelling, deduction, and teamwork in a playful setting.

Embark on a thrilling cooperative adventure with Chronicles of Crime, a unique blend of crime investigation, board game excitement, and a touch of Virtual Reality. Picture yourself at the heart of criminal investigations, where the seamless integration of an app with physical components creates an immersive experience.

Unlock! Kids: Detective Stories brings the beloved Unlock! game system to younger audiences, allowing families to enjoy the thrill of escape rooms from the comfort of their homes. This edition is tailored for children aged 6 and up, offering a simplified experience that encourages teamwork, problem-solving, and imaginative play without the need for an app.

Chronicles of Crime: 1400 invites players into the heart of medieval Paris, where they embody Abelard Lavel, a knight with a prophetic gift for solving crimes. As a standalone game in the Chronicles of Crime series, it combines familiar investigative gameplay with new elements to create a unique, narrative-driven experience. Players utilize Vision Cards to gain insights into crimes, relying on both futuristic and historical scenes to guide their investigation.

Unlock! Timeless Adventures offers a trio of captivating "escape room" scenarios packed into one tabletop game. This cooperative card game draws players into immersive adventures requiring teamwork, puzzle-solving, and quick thinking, all facilitated through a blend of physical cards and a digital companion app.

Witness is a unique cooperative board game designed for exactly four players, based on the intriguing universe of the Belgian comic series Blake and Mortimer by Edgar P. Jacobs. The game revolves around solving mysteries through a clever yet challenging communication system where players can only share information in a very restricted manner.

The King's Dilemma presents a captivating blend of narrative storytelling and strategy, set in the fictional Kingdom of Ankist. As players, you step into the roles of leaders of various noble houses, each with your own agendas and influence, making critical decisions that shape the fate of the kingdom.

The Adventures of Robin Hood offers a refreshing and innovative approach to board gaming, immersing players in the legendary tales of Robin Hood and his merry band in 1193 England. This game distinguishes itself with a dynamic game board that evolves and changes, reflecting the players' actions and choices throughout their quest against the tyranny of Prince John and his minions. With a unique movement mechanism and a story-driven gameplay that forgoes traditional cards for a narrative-driven hardcover book, players will find themselves deeply engaged in the forests and villages of Nottinghamshire.

Mysterium is a cooperative mystery-solving game set in the 1920s, where players take on the roles of mediums trying to solve a murder at a Scottish mansion, guided by a ghost who communicates through visions.

Mysterium Park beckons with its mysterious aura, set against the backdrop of a 1950s US fairground with a dark twist. The disappearance of the park’s director has left behind a haunting presence, prompting a group of psychics to uncover the truth before the carnival disappears. This cooperative game engages players with visions provided by the ghost, requiring interpretation to eliminate suspects and locations, leading to the revelation of the director’s fate.

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures is a captivating standalone expansion to the renowned detective game Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. This expansion brings updated graphics and adds ten new cases set in Victorian-era London for players to solve. It includes essential detective tools such as a "London Directory," a map of London, and newspaper archives to aid in the investigation.

Snake Oil offers a refreshing twist on party games, where creativity, quick thinking, and persuasive skills reign supreme. Players transform into cunning salespeople, concocting bizarre products from a random assortment of word cards to pitch to various "customers" drawn from a deck of unique character cards. The aim is not just to sell a product but to tailor the pitch to the whims and needs of an ever-changing clientele, ranging from pirates to zombies.