Ethnos / Similar games

18 games like Ethnos

The best games like Ethnos are Abyss, Lords of Waterdeep and Onirim (Second Edition) — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Abyss shares fantasy, card drafting, hand management with Ethnos.

Every alternative below links to its own Ethnos-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s fantasy shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of Ethnos’s 2.0 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

As an Amazon Associate, MeeplePick earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

  1. 1. Abyss (2014)
    2–4 players · 30–60 min · ★ 7.3 · Medium-light · games like Abyss →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Hand Management, Set Collection · 3 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (75%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · +0.3 heavier
    View Abyss on Amazon →
  2. 2–5 players · 60–120 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium-light · games like Lords of Waterdeep →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Set Collection · 2 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–5 players · ~38 min longer · +0.4 heavier
    View Lords of Waterdeep on Amazon →
  3. 1–2 players · 15 min · ★ 7.1 · Medium-light · games like Onirim (Second Edition) →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Hand Management, Set Collection · 3 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (75%)
    vs Ethnos: both play at 2 · plays solo · ~37 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
    View Onirim (Second Edition) on Amazon →
  4. 4. Ex Libris (2017)
    1–4 players · 45 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium · games like Ex Libris →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Hand Management, Set Collection · 3 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (75%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · about the same length · +0.5 heavier
  5. 5. Res Arcana (2019)
    2–4 players · 20–60 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium · games like Res Arcana →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Hand Management · 2 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~12 min shorter · +0.6 heavier
  6. 2–4 players · 30 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium-light · games like Dale of Merchants The Guild of Extraordinary Traders →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Hand Management, Set Collection · 3 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (75%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~22 min shorter · same complexity
  7. 7. Blue Moon City (2006)
    2–4 players · 30–50 min · ★ 7.0 · Medium-light · games like Blue Moon City →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Area Majority / Influence, Hand Management, Set Collection · 3 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (75%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~12 min shorter · +0.3 heavier
  8. 2–5 players · 30–45 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium-light · games like Century Golem Edition →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Hand Management · 2 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–5 players · ~15 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
  9. 9. Hero Realms (2016)
    2–4 players · 20–30 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium-light · games like Hero Realms →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Hand Management · 2 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~27 min shorter · same complexity
  10. 10. Roll Player (2016)
    1–4 players · 60–90 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-light · games like Roll Player →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Set Collection · 2 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~23 min longer · +0.4 heavier
  11. 11. Smash Up (2012)
    2–4 players · 45 min · ★ 6.7 · Medium-light · games like Smash Up →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Area Majority / Influence, Card Drafting, Hand Management · 3 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (75%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · same complexity
  12. 2 players · 30 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium-light
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Area Majority / Influence, Card Drafting, Hand Management · 3 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (75%)
    vs Ethnos: both play at 2 · ~22 min shorter · +0.3 heavier
  13. 13. Viceroy (2014)
    1–4 players · 45–60 min · ★ 6.8 · Medium · games like Viceroy →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Hand Management, Set Collection · 3 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (75%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · about the same length · +0.6 heavier
  14. 14. Nidavellir (2020)
    2–5 players · 30–60 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium-light · games like Nidavellir →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Set Collection · 2 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–5 players · about the same length · +0.2 heavier
  15. 3–5 players · 30–45 min · ★ 6.9 · Medium-light · games like Bloodborne The Card Game →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Hand Management, Set Collection · 3 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (75%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 3–5 players · ~15 min shorter · same complexity
  16. 16. Fantasy Realms (2017)
    3–6 players · 20 min · ★ 7.5 · Medium-light · games like Fantasy Realms →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting, Set Collection · 2 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (50%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 3–6 players · ~32 min shorter · 0.3 lighter
  17. 2–4 players · 90–120 min · ★ 8.7 · Medium · games like Clank! Legacy Acquisitions Incorporated →
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Card Drafting · 1 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (25%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~53 min longer · +0.7 heavier
  18. 18. Dragonrealm (2019)
    2–4 players · 20–30 min · ★ 7.2 · Medium-light
    Shares with Ethnos: Fantasy, Area Majority / Influence, Card Drafting, Hand Management, Set Collection · 4 of Ethnos’s 4 mechanics (100%)
    vs Ethnos: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~27 min shorter · 0.5 lighter
Check Abyss on Amazon →

As an Amazon Associate, MeeplePick earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Frequently asked

What game is most like Ethnos?
Abyss (2014) is the closest match to Ethnos, sharing fantasy, card drafting, hand management. It rates 7.3/10 on BoardGameGeek.
What should I play if I like Ethnos?
Abyss, Lords of Waterdeep, Onirim (Second Edition) are the top-ranked alternatives to Ethnos in the MeeplePick database, matched on medium-light complexity as well as mechanics. All 18 are ranked on this page with the shared mechanics shown for each.
Is Abyss harder than Ethnos?
Compared with Ethnos, Abyss is +0.3 heavier and about the same length (2.3 vs 2.0 complexity on BoardGameGeek's 1–5 scale).

Narrow it down

best 2-player board games · best 3-player board games · best 4-player board games · best 5-player board games · best 6-player board games · area majority / influence games · card drafting games · hand management games · set collection games

Looking for the original? See the full Ethnos fact page — players, play time, age and complexity.