Some of the most beloved board games are also some of the most difficult ones to learn, but there’s nothing like a breakthrough on game night to electrify you, right? Watching your friends get the hang of your favorite board game is a rush almost as good as winning that game yourself.

We’re hoping you’re something of a master at these complex board game rules, though, since the games in this list are renowned for their difficulty in some regard. Fun to play but tough to master, we think these games are worth the time you’ll spend scratching your head.

Septima

Learn To Take Over Your Witch Coven

We love a good fantasy board game, even if it takes a while to learn, so we were more than happy to strap in and sink our teeth into Septima. You’ll need to earn the right to take over the title of High Witch of your coven by learning enough to accumulate Knowledge as you brew potions, perform your rituals, and more.

It’s kind of an involved game to get the hang of, though, with so many things to keep track of along the way. You’ll need to manage your cards, your coven, and your suspicion of your friends to win.

Twilight Imperium

Learn To Rule An Alien Planet

Do you and your group of three to six players have an entire day to spend trying to take control of a galaxy and usurp a throne to win the game? We’d recommend checking out Twilight Imperium, then, but don’t say we didn’t warn you how long this game takes to play.

You can choose to work with or against your friends as you work to establish dominance on the planet Mecatol Rex, required to focus on the military, your political moves, advancing your available tech, and so much more.

Decrypto

Learn To Read Your Friends

There’s bound to be some interesting clues that come in Decrypto, a game about working in teams with your friends to deduce what the heck is going on with your code, but man, is it hard to teach to a group of friends on a more casual board game night.

You’re bound to have people stop the game to ask a few questions, so plenty of players recommend playing a practice round or two to give newcomers a taste of what’s to come. Try playing with obviously bad clues to teach them what not to do when the game starts.

Spirit Island

Learn To Fend Off Invaders

If you’re playing Spirit Island with a group of friends, you’d better hope they’ve got a solid grasp on this complex set of rules – it’s pretty well-known for having a depth that takes some time to really comprehend. That said, once you do know how to play, it’s a great game with tons of replayability. It's not much easier if you play alone, though, either...

You and your friends will become the gods of your own islands, working together to keep incoming invaders away from everyone’s precious lands. Grow your presence on your island and keep the people safe.

Once you have the rules down for the base game, consider adding one of its several expansions to mix things up even further.

The Campaign for North Africa

Learn To Be Patient - It's a Long One

If you’re into wartime strategy board games, then you’ve no doubt heard the legends of how complex The Campaign for North Africa can be. You’ll need nine other people to play it with you – and gathering a group of ten players at the same time is hard enough without needing to commit more than 1,000 to a game.

That’s because the whole point of The Campaign for North Africa is detail, since this series of battles actually did take place in history. Granted, there’s a good amount of humor involved, but there has to be if you’re trying to keep an audience that long.

Squad Leader

Learn To Win A War

If it’s you and another dedicated board game aficionado on board game night, consider adding Advanced Squad Leader into the mix – if you have the time to learn the heavy detail added for each kind of unit, leader, terrain and so much more, that is.

To succeed in Advanced Squad Leader, you’ll need to have a solid grasp on all of these things and more if you hope to make choices that’ll lead to your victory in the end. When a board game offers a starter kit, you know it’s got to be involved.

Root

Learn To Play Again And Again

The complexity of playing Root, a game that sees you and your friends competing for control over a forest, comes in learning what each faction is able to do and which one is best suited for your own board game playing style.

But when factions are as involved as the ones in Root, though, you’re essentially learning a whole new version of the game each time you try to change things up. There’s fun in changing your faction, but there’s plenty of challenge to doing so as well.

Mage Knight

Learn To Fight And Conquer With Cards

If deck-building games are more your speed no matter the difficulty required to truly master the ways to make the very best deck possible, consider Mage Knight for your next game night. Exploring this fantasy world and learning to improve your skills in combat are crucial if you’d like to survive to the end.

There’s a good amount of risk assessment involved in Mage Knight, too, since you’ll need to watch out for things like your player level, fame, and more. Build the strongest deck and conquer cities before your friends.

Gloomhaven

Learn To Handle Any Scenario

Easily one of the most popular board games on the market today, Gloomhaven is not only renowned for its excellent cooperative gameplay, but for its steep learning curve and relatively staggering setup time. If you can get through those, though, you’re in for a treat!

Choose from the various scenarios in the game (and man, are there tons of them), draw your cards, and take your turns to fight your way through a campaign-heavy board game. Can your players complete the most goals and quests before they retire? Tons of scenarios means you'll be playing Gloomhaven for quite a while.

Betrayal At House On The Hill

Learn To Betray Your Friends

If you’re as good at digesting the rules of complicated board games as you are at casually deceiving your friends, then Betrayal at House on the Hill is well worth the head scratching you’re likely to do as your group begins playing the game.

The group explores the mansion on the board for a while, until one player becomes a traitor to the group. The rest have to either escape the titular house before the traitor manages to complete their goals. Can your friends make it out of the rulebook, and out of the mansion, alive?