Sublime Dark: Fantasy Horror Board Game for 1-4 players
Created by Tristan Hall
A brutal experience in dark terror! Explore the town of Blackfell and uncover the sinister secrets of the eremites.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Sublime Dark Update 20 — UKGE 2026, TGM Interview, Mass Production!
10 days ago
– Tue, Jun 02, 2026 at 10:26:17 AM
Hello there,
Mass Production Copy
Here are some snapshots from the factory of the first copy off the line to keep us all going whilst we wait:
UK Games Expo 2026 — Thank You!
We’ve just returned from UK Games Expo, and despite the inevitable post-show exhaustion, we wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who stopped by Hall or Nothing over the weekend.
It was genuinely lovely meeting so many of you — familiar faces, new faces, long-time supporters, curious passers-by, fellow creators, reviewers, retailers, and generally excellent tabletop humans. These shows are always a whirlwind of demos, conversations, half-remembered names, hurried lunches, and frantic box-shuffling… and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
We had a great time showing off prototypes of Sublime Dark, Night of Wolves, and Ruined Path, and it was especially rewarding seeing people sit down, poke through components, ask questions, and react to what we’ve been quietly working on behind the scenes.
A particular thank you as well to everyone who shared kind words on social about the Kilforth games and Veilwraith, 1066, 1565, 1815, and Kreel Manor — the signal boost for our tiny 2-person team (3 really, with the boy joining us this weekend) is greatly appreciated. It genuinely means a lot to us.
Massive thanks too to the UKGE organisers, volunteers, neighbouring exhibitors, and everyone helping keep the giant tabletop machine running. Biggest ever show this year, with 80,000+ attendees, it was absolutely mental!
Now — after a little decompression, several cups of tea, and perhaps a brief lie-down/coma — it’s back to work. Production continues on Sublime Dark, and there’s plenty more to tuck into with what’s coming next…
Thanks again, guys.
Tabletop Gaming Magazine — Sublime Dark Interview at UKGE 2026
The mighty Tabletop Gaming Magazine were in attendance, and we were lucky enough to be singled out for a spotlight, however galling it is for me to overcome my camera aversion! :D
And that's all for now, stay cool, stay excellent, and play games — freight-slowboat shipping soon...
Cheers,
Tristan
Sublime Dark Update 19 — Printing Commences! UKGE 2026, Wyvern Moor, and More!
24 days ago
– Tue, May 19, 2026 at 06:11:52 AM
Hello there,
Printing Commences!
At last! :D
For those who don’t already know the manufacturing process, after we submit our files for mass production, the printers send back digital proofs — one final opportunity to check everything before the presses roll.
For the most part, we’ve been able to give the green light straight away, though there’s been a little extra back-and-forth on some of the more complex files (we’re juggling a novella’s worth of text here). I spotted a couple of typos, and a few small tweaks were worth making while we still had the chance — for example, updating the Sublime Dark box contents list to reflect all the extra cards and bits that found their way into the game along the journey since the Kickstarter campaign. Nothing game-breaking — just polishing things until they’re exactly where we want them. :D
Artist Spotlight: Carlos Villas
I want to give a special shout-out to our good friend and monster-maker in chief Carlos Villas, who has patiently waited since as far back as 2018 (2018!!!) for his beautifully disgusting work on Sublime Dark's Eremites to see the light of day, or dark of night as it were. Carlos illustrated our entire repertoire of hellishly sublime monsters (as well as most of the Ancients from our Kilforth games), as well as the gorgeously gothic and bleak town tiles for Blackfell and the Harrow. Thanks for your patience and commitment, Carlos, keep up the amazing work!
Here's a quick photo of me emerging from the attic office after finally finishing the design work on Sublime Dark. Either that or it's Whisper, one of the Eremites who didn't make it into the final game — until we found the perfect cameo for him...
UK Games Expo 2026
We’re delighted to confirm that Hall or Nothing Productions will be at UK Games Expo 2026 — Stand 2-904! If you’re attending the show, do come by and say hello. We’ll be bringing along a selection of games, chatting all things tabletop, and — perhaps most excitingly — showing off the prototypes of our latest games:
• Night of Wolves — our dark narrative encounter game of survival, choices, and deadly threats. • Ruined Path — our fantasy deck-builder set in the World of Kilforth. • Sublime Dark — our sprawling fantasy horror experience set within the nightmare town of Blackfell.
This will be one of the first opportunities for many people to see these games in person, get hands-on with prototypes and ask questions, or pick up some sweet deals from our catalogue. Whether you're a long-time backer, curious passer-by, or simply want to see what horrors we’ve been working on behind the scenes… we’d love to see you there!
Hall or Nothing Productions — Stand 2-904, UK Games Expo 2026
What's Next? Wyvern Moor!
And while production continues on Sublime Dark, Night of Wolves, and Ruined Path, we’ve also been hard at work on the next wave of Hall or Nothing projects.
Looking further ahead, development continues on Wyvern Moor: The Dungeon Crawl Card Game — our upcoming return to the World of Kilforth and sequel to Kreel Manor. So, if you’d like a glimpse of what lies beyond, you can follow the pre-launch Kickstarter page for our new standalone dungeon crawl card game, Wyvern Moor, here:
Really enjoyed this — a great rundown of true solo board games (single-character, no multi-handing). Very kewl to see Kilforth and Kreel Manor included too. :D Worth a watch if you’re into solo gaming...
Sublime Dark Update 18 - Files Approved & Production Imminent!
about 1 month ago
– Tue, Apr 28, 2026 at 04:13:02 AM
Hello there,
A quick but important update — we’ve now completed our full review of the digital samples for Sublime Dark, Night of Wolves and Ruined Path, and everything has been approved by both Francesca and myself. That means all files are now finalised and have been sent over for final printing.
Final Checks Complete
Over the past month we’ve gone through everything in detail — cards, components, rulebooks, and the full body of text across all three projects, not to mention the absolute behemoth that is the Sublime Tales Storybook. Any final tweaks and corrections have now been made, and we’re confident everything is where it needs to be. It’s a massive amount of content, and we’ve put a lot of care into getting it right.
What Happens Next
We are now moving into mass production. At this stage, we’re just waiting to receive the final production timelines from our printing partners, which will confirm:
Production duration (~30-40days after printing commences)
Estimated print completion (June)
Freight duration (~30-40days)
As soon as we have those locked in, we’ll share them with you. Based on current estimates, we’re aiming for delivery into your hands this summer.
Final Safeguard
As with all our projects, we’ve also requested an early mass production copy. This gives us one last opportunity to confirm everything has come through correctly before full quantities are completed and shipped.
Where We’re At
This is a big milestone. The long stretch of design, development, and proofing is now behind us — and we’re about to move into the phase where these games are physically made at scale. We’ll update again as soon as timelines are confirmed. It’s genuinely exciting to be at this point, and we’re really looking forward to getting these into your hands. :D
Sublime Dark Update 17 - Digital Samples Have Arrived!
3 months ago
– Thu, Mar 26, 2026 at 03:43:27 PM
Hello there,
We’ve got them in hand! The first digital print samples for Sublime Dark, Ruined Path, and Night of Wolves have arrived, and they’re looking seriously tasty. Before anything else — these are not mass production copies. These are pre-production samples and colour proofs, printed digitally rather than via the final offset process. Their purpose is purely to let us physically review everything before we give the green light on full production.
What We’re Checking
This stage is absolutely critical for us, and we take it seriously — even if it means spending an eye-watering amount on samples. Over the next couple of weeks or so we’ll be going through everything with a fine-tooth comb:
Component quality
Every card — layout, alignment, colour balance
Rulebooks — clarity, formatting, final polish
Overall usability — does it all feel right at the table
All text — typos, grammar, consistency, and with the Sublime Tales Storybook that's basically a novel's worth of text, so we beg your continuing patience!
This is our last chance to catch anything before we lock the files for mass production.
What Happens Next
Once we’re satisfied:
We submit any final corrections
Files are locked for production
Mass production begins
We request an early mass production copy to double-check there are no manufacturing issues
Only then do we move into full-scale printing and freight.
First Impressions
Initial reaction? We’re dead excited. Seeing everything physically together — the cards, the tiles, the insane art, the sheer presence of these games — is a big moment. It’s the point where these projects stop being files on a screen and start becoming real, tangible things. There’s still work to do, but this is a major step forward.
Couple of cool, initial notes:
The Sublime Dark Caro Boards gave me a shiver — they are amazing to look at and hold.
The Sublime Dark Promo Pack cards are dead immersive — when you find a cool Relic outfit and get to physically upgrade your character portrait it feels great.
The Playmats for all the games are super luxurious. Our artists (and printers) have outdone themselves once again.
Sneak Peek (Spoiler Alert)
Here’s a look at what just landed on our table:
Note: the Sublime Dark box in these samples does not yet include the spot UV finish — this will be added in mass production.
Next Update
We’ll report back once we’ve completed the full review and confirmed production timelines with our printing partners. As always, thanks for sticking with us — we’re getting very close now. :D
Cheers,
Tristan
Sublime Dark Update 16 - Chinese New Year
4 months ago
– Mon, Feb 23, 2026 at 04:39:54 AM
Hello there,
Just a quick update to say thank you to everyone who added the promo pack and/or playmat, and an extra thanks to those who also went in for Night of Wolves with the combined shipping, you guys are awesome.
We did get all the files in beforehand, but we're in a holding pattern until March now as we wait for the factories to reopen after Chinese New Year. I’ll be back with more news next month once things start moving again.
There’s still time to add items to your order whilst we wait, so do drop me a message ([email protected]) if you’d like anything from the last update.
In the meantime, have a glorious rest of the month, and check out Sam Raimi's Send Help if you want a quick horror fix full of gory laughs — I loved it! :D
