Hellborn Trail

A warrior faces a Corrupted Waygate in a dark forest

The Game

One hero. A world on the brink.

"Multiple ancient Waygates have been corrupted, unleashing twisted creatures upon the land. Caught unprepared, many try to retreat behind city walls as horrors spread across the wilderness. Find and destroy the Corrupted Waygates before it is too late."

Hellborn Trail is a solo tabletop board game set in a dark fantasy world. Navigate corrupted forests and bogs, manage your ever-changing trait bag, and make every decision count — resources are scarce and the darkness does not rest.

Solo Play 45 – 90 min Age 14+ 5 Classes 15 Skills

Components

138 Cards 90 Tokens 10 Dice 30 Markers 4 Bags

Victory

Close all 3 Corrupted Waygates and defeat every enemy currently in play.

Defeat

If your Wounds or your Fear reaches the limit shown on your class card, the trail claims you.

How to Play

Core Rules

A unique token-bag mechanic that grows and evolves with every decision you make. No luck of the dice — only the traits you've built and the choices you dare to make.

Draw & Match

Draw 5 trait tokens from your bag and match them to actions on the Row, your Skills, or Enemies. Each repeated action costs an additional token — forcing careful planning and constant adaptation.

The Row & the Trail

Items are found in the Row as you move through forests and bogs. Each time you spend a Progress token to move to a new location, all cards in the Row refresh — new ground, new options.

Wild Paths

Wild Paths grant speed and power — but at the cost of slowly changing who you are. Your bag evolves as you gain new traits, items, and corrupted tokens along the way.

XP & Skill Upgrades

Earn XP for defeating enemies and spend it to unlock powerful skill upgrades mid-run. Upgraded skills change how they work entirely — transforming a useful ability into a game-defining tool.

The Waygates

Three Corrupted Waygates must be found and closed. Each is guarded by a powerful Guardian enemy. Enemy boost tokens flow from the Portal bag into the Enemy bag — making foes grow stronger the longer you take.

Wound & Fear

Enemy attacks deal either Wound or Fear damage. Fail to block it and that token is added to your own bag — clogging it, weakening your draws, and dragging you closer to defeat with every round.

Your Arsenal

Trait Tokens

Six traits define your hero. Build your bag, draw your tokens, and combine them into powerful plays. The tokens you carry reflect the hero you are becoming.

Courage

Dexterity

Power

Discipline

Cunning

Leadership

Rare Rewards

Dual Tokens

As you travel Wild Paths and overcome great challenges, you may earn Dual Tokens — powerful tokens that count as two different traits at once. They are rare, sought-after, and can tip the balance in your darkest moments.

Courage / Cunning

Discipline / Dexterity

Leadership / Power

The Price of Failure

Wound & Fear

When an enemy attack goes unblocked, a Wound or Fear token is placed into your bag. These corrupt tokens do not help you — they take up space, dilute your draws, and push you closer to the limits shown on your class card. Let too many in, and the trail will break you.

Wound

Fear

Choose Your Path

Classes & Skills

Five unique classes, each with 3 skills — choose 2 before you set out. Every class plays differently, with its own bag composition and upgrade path.

Barbarian

In battle he leads the hunt — every strike pressed into advantage. Builds Rage to devastate enemies in explosive bursts.

Skill — Rage

Knight

Through oath and discipline, hardship becomes strength. Stores tokens as Tenacity and converts endurance into power.

Skill — Tenacity

Thief

From shadows and snare, he strikes when the moment is right. Uses traps and cunning to control the battlefield.

Skill — Set Trap

Necromant

Death is not an end — it is a resource. Raises fallen enemies as allies and turns the enemy's own numbers against them.

Skill — Call the Fallen

Witch

Demons, storms, and fate itself bend to her call. Channels dark power to unleash devastating fire-based abilities.

Skill — Infernal Pact

Each New Location

The Row

Every time you spend a Progress token to move to a new location along the Trail, the Row refreshes — a new spread of cards presenting what this place has to offer. The Row can contain Items to equip, Wild Paths to take, or a Waygate offering passage to Stonehold.

Found in the Row

Items

Shadowbane

One-Handed Weapon

Wind Cloak

Armor

Bonecarver

Two-Handed Weapon

Flaming Codex

Off-Hand Item

Seers Mask

Headgear

Pyroclast

Two-Handed Weapon

Many more weapons, armour pieces, and relics await in the full game.

Found in the Row

Wild Paths

As you move through the wilderness, Wild Path cards appear in the Row alongside items and events — tempting detours that diverge from the main trail. Each Wild Path demands a price: cull one visible token from your bag to take it, then choose between two rewards.

The tokens you gain through Wild Paths accumulate and slowly shift who you are. Over time your bag — and your hero — will reflect the choices you made along the way. Power comes at a cost, but sometimes the path less travelled is the only one that leads to victory.

Defend the Village

Wild Path

Courage

Wild Path

Insight

Wild Path

Might

Wild Path

Lead to Safety

Wild Path

Also in the Row

Waygate — Stonehold

Not every card in the Row leads deeper into darkness. When a Waygate appears, it offers passage to Stonehold — a fortified town where survivors have retreated behind stone walls.

Discard items you have gathered along the trail and choose your reward: draw from the main deck to restock your hand, equip new gear, or gain a token to carry forward. A moment of respite — and preparation — before the trail calls you back.

A Corrupted Waygate blazing with red energy in a dark swamp

What Lurks in the Wilderness

Enemies & Guardians

Twisted creatures roam the trail between you and the Waygates. They grow stronger over time — boost tokens flow from the Portal bag into the Enemy bag, powering them up with every passing turn.

Each enemy's attack type is revealed by the flip of a Wound/Fear token. Block the incoming damage or it enters your bag — clogging your draws and eroding your ability to fight back. Defeat enemies to earn XP and grow stronger before you face what waits at the Waygates.

Trail Creatures

Enemies

Gallows Scavenger

Forces item discard on attack

False Lamb

Disrupts token draws on summon

Waygate Defenders

The Guardians

Each Corrupted Waygate is defended by a Guardian — an elite enemy of exceptional strength. Defeating them is the only way to close a Waygate.

Guardian

Thyrax the Shepherd

Buffs all enemies & revives fallen foes each turn

One hero. A world on the brink.

See How It Plays

Core Rules

Draw & Match

The Row & the Trail

Wild Paths

XP & Skill Upgrades

The Waygates

Wound & Fear

Trait Tokens

Dual Tokens

Wound & Fear

Classes & Skills

Barbarian

Knight

Thief

Necromant

Witch

The Row

Items

Shadowbane

Wind Cloak

Bonecarver

Flaming Codex

Seers Mask

Pyroclast

Wild Paths

Defend the Village

Courage

Insight

Might

Lead to Safety

Waygate — Stonehold

Enemies & Guardians

Enemies

Gallows Scavenger

False Lamb

The Guardians

Thyrax the Shepherd

Download the Rulebook

Follow the Trail