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Diceless Combat Board Games

Game list created by Paulo Júnior

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No dice

Truly diceless

Judge Dredd Helter Skelter

A rebranding of the skirmish game Wildlands.

Adrenaline

Skirmish game.

Kemet

It's similar to Risk in many things. Combat is almost as immediate, you don't decide to attack, but you move into a region and combat starts at once, which is almost the same thing.

Gearworld: The Borderlands (2013)

Scythe (2016)

Lords of Hellas

Inis

Heroes of Land Air and Sea

Wildlands

Skirmish game.

Hyperborea

Warpgate

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Second Edition

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game - Second Edition... (2013)

It's a bit distanced since it's after everyone puts their secret units that 'combat' occurs.

Cry Havoc

It's a bit distanced since it's after everyone puts their secret units that 'combat' occurs (in a different phase of the turn).

Battle for Rokugan

It's a bit distanced since it's after everyone puts their secret units that 'combat' occurs. Also, the fact all combat units are removed before the next round is a bit anticlimactic.

Fractured Sky

It's a bit distanced since it's after everyone puts their secret units that 'combat' occurs.

Rising Sun

It's a bit distanced since it's after everyone puts their secret units that 'combat' occurs (in a different phase of the turn). Further distancing is created by the players not even choosing where a battle might happen, they can only knowingly choose to be there.

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Mitigated Dice

Dice aren't the end all be all

Tiny Epic Tactics

In this skirmish game, dice mostly only add bonuses or quirks to the battle system, aren't the deciding factor.

As someone that played Risk (actually, brazilian's version, War) while growing up, I tend to be interested in "Risk but better". I really dislike the luck/randomness factor in games. But I really like several things in Risk, that are punchy and intense. Several combat games are "Risk but better, but not in everything". I really like the secret objectives and that some of them are to outright defeat another specific player, very few games do that. I like that the secret objectives are ALSO endgame conditions, not just giving points, but giving victory when fulfilled. I like how there's no distancing, no separation between player and combat, it's not "if you move into a region, combat starts", it's not "at the end of this phase, if two players are in the same spot, combat happens", it is "I am attacking this territory", it's the player deciding when, where and how to attack and doing it immediately. Also, you can attack again and again and again if you have the troops and the desire to. Also several discs or troops show up on the map, which makes it also seem intense, less abstracted. Besides, in these combats units remove enemy units from areas (not just area majority, actually area control).

Those are divided into two subcategories: Area Control with armies, and Skirmish games with single units.