Ham Helsing
Adventure · Fighting

Ham Helsing

Based on the best-selling graphic novel about a reluctant monster-hunting pig, Ham Helsing is a co-operative adventure board game. Join Ham, Ronin, Malcom, and Lobos as they attempt to save the world! Using a deck-crafting system with transparent cards, you'll protect locations from endless swarms of minions while improving your skills. Can you power up fast enough to stop the villain from destroying Mud Canyon and save the day?

1–4 players90 minages 10medium difficulty
About the game

What is Ham Helsing

Based on the best-selling graphic novel about a reluctant monster-hunting pig, Ham Helsing is a co-operative adventure board game. Join Ham, Ronin, Malcom, and Lobos as they attempt to save the world! Using a deck-crafting system with transparent cards, you'll protect locations from endless swarms of minions while improving your skills. Can you power up fast enough to stop the villain from destroying Mud Canyon and save the day?

Pick a character and grab your starting deck; each character has a special ability and their own deck with custom cards that fit their style of play. On your turn, use the symbols on the cards in your hand to travel to new locations (some of which allow special actions), to defeat minions before they overrun a location (each of which has a limit), and to use Knuckles (the "fearless" mercenary bear) to scare off minions. When battling minions, you need to match the colors of the minion with the color of your attack to defeat them. There are four different colors to match, and some minions take two colors to defeat, so plan your card play carefully, and don't get pig-headed. Some minions will bite back, so keep an eye on your health as well.

For each minion defeated, you gain skills and money, and with enough skill points, you'll get free attacks. Spend your cash to buy attack cards and special cards at the Rat Market. Ham Helsing may be a co-operative game, but the buying is a free-for-all, so be a greedy pig and grab your gear quick — or help everyone think through the best cards for the different decks, you do you.

Attack cards let you do more damage in battle, move, heal, and more. Special cards are where things get interesting with combos, shared bonuses, and damage boosters. Upgrade cards are transparent, so if a symbol can fit on your card, you can slip that upgrade into the sleeve of a starting card. Not only is it a pig deal that you are literally upgrading your deck as you defeat minions, but you're improving the cards you'll use on your next turn!

Specs

Game details

Players
1–4
Age
+10
Duration
90 min
Difficulty
Medium
Type
Board game
Year
2025
Mechanics
Cooperative Game · Deck, Bag, and Pool Building · Dice Rolling
Categories
Adventure · Fighting · Novel-based
Designer
Justin De Witt
Publisher
Fireside Games
Images

Ham Helsing gallery

Community data

Ham Helsing on Meeplay

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8.0Average rating
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FAQ

Everything about Ham Helsing

How many players is Ham Helsing for?

Ham Helsing plays with 1–4 players.

How long does a game take?

A game takes about 90 minutes.

What age is it suitable for?

It is recommended from age 10.

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