The Dungeon Guardian.

The idea grew out of playing HeroQuest and wanting more freedom in how the dungeon could be configured. Twenty-five room tiles are placed face down at random and revealed as players move.

Each room is designed to connect with its neighbours in any position or rotation. Modularity makes the layout flexible; the hidden tiles keep the next room uncertain.

Players begin as a character called “Nobody”. Their first objective is to find the tombs of the main heroes, each with different stats and special abilities.

A Destiny card determines what a newly discovered room contains: a passage, an encounter or treasure. A short narrative sets the context, while the rest of the card describes the possible enemies.

Rune cards activate special abilities. Required runes are shown on the character sheets, with colour helping players recognise them. The artwork represents powerful marks carved into ancient stone.

Defeating an enemy earns a Loot card: potions or treasures of different rarities. A torn bag and a blood-stained purse make the artwork feel like something picked up from the dungeon floor.

Relics lie in the heroes’ tombs. Their gold-covered backs show which tombs still hold treasure; when the relics are collected, the tomb is left empty.

Beside a character sheet, the cards continue its visual language.

After designing the mechanics and art, I built a prototype to playtest with friends. The rules went through repeated redesigns in search of a consistent balance.

The project brings together my interest in fantasy and game design, with influences including HeroQuest, Catan, Carcassonne, Atmosfear and Vampire. Adventure, mystery, companionship and strategy run through both the rules and the artwork.