Tin Helm

The small dungeon crawl you can bring everywhere.

Thin Hem: Card Setup

The Game

If you’ve never heard of it, Thin Helm is a pocket-sized dungeon crawler that you can literally bring anywhere. It’s quick, fun, and fits in the palm of your hand.

Character creation is simple but clever. You get two cards: one for your species, one for your class. Combine their stats to set your starting HP and Energy, grab a weapon and a piece of gear, and voilà—you’re ready to dive into the dungeon.

For my first run, I went with the Kroling Marauder. The Kroling gives me a once-per-level power: I can flip a die and change its result (super clutch in tight spots).

The Marauder, on the other hand, is all about big damage if you’re willing to burn more than one Energy on an attack.

The dungeon itself is five levels deep, with six rooms per level. To win, you need to collect three shards, which can be found in loot, by defeating certain enemies, or even by trading with “the pigman”.

Every enemy you meet has their own quirks, attacks, and health pools. You attack first unless told otherwise. You have to spend at least one energy per attack, and roll 2d6. You then subtract the result of each die, together (this is the damage you deal + the number related to the energy spent). You fail if both dice show the same result. This works the same for the enemies.

You track your progress using cards, colored cubes, and a tiny meeple—it’s tactile in the best way.

What I love most is how easy this game is to pick up and play. I’ve run dungeons on my lunch break, in cafés, even while traveling. The size is part of the charm, but the real hook is the replayability: thanks to random draws and different character combos, no two runs feel the same.

Here is a look at the classes and species you can play.

Grey Gnome Games makes a whole line of these tin-sized adventures, and Thin Helm is just one gem among them. They also publish Iron Helm, a beefier dungeon crawl I can’t wait to crack open once I have more free time.

So, what about you? Have you tried Thin Helm yet? Do you enjoy solo board games? If yes, drop your favorites—I’d love some new recommendations.

Cheers!