Hush in the Hollow

About the Game

Hush in the Hollow is an interactive board game set in a magical forest overtaken by a goblin town. Move carefully to avoid alerting the goblin army as you journey through the ever-changing forest. Collect treasures, defeat enemies, and emerge as the victor of the forest.

How to Play

Objective

Be the first player to reach 50 Mana Points.

Setup

• Each player chooses a Character Card.
• All players begin at the outer edge of the board on one of 5 white tiles.
• Shuffle all decks, keeping each color separate.

Turn Structure

1. Roll the dice.
2. Move until you light up a tile.
3. Pick up card.

Tile Encounters

Enemy Tiles - Green

• Draw an Enemy Card and roll.
• Success: Gain XP.
• Failure: Weakened next turn.
• Damage: Roll again.

Treasure Tiles - Blue

• Draw a Treasure Card.
• Success: Gain treasure.
• Failure: Goes to bottom of deck.
• Destroyed: Lost.

Resource Tiles - Yellow

• Draw a Resource Card:
• Gold Coins
• Potions
• Armor / Weapons
• Sellable Resources

Goblin Army Tile - Red

When the goblin town is alerted a red card is drawn. Players around the board may choose to join or decline.

• Success: Mana points are shared.
• Failure: All players are injured next round.

Player Combat

• Players on same tile initiate duel.
• Players bet Mana Points.
• Winner takes all.

How It Was Made

The Board

The board was constructed from layered laser-cut wood to form the hexagonal tiles while allowing space for internal wiring and electronics. A laser-cut acrylic top layer was added for a clean finish. The electronic system is controlled using an Arduino, powered by a rechargeable 5V battery. It uses Neopixels for lighting effects and Hall effect sensors to detect player movement. Each player piece contains embedded magnets, which trigger the sensors and activate the corresponding Neopixels when placed on specific tiles.

The Forest and Town

The trees and buildings were made from laser-cut cardstock. The paper town and witch’s hut were first modeled in 3D software, then translated into physical pieces through laser cutting and assembly.

The Trees

Adobe Illustrator was used to design the tree shapes. They were then laser cut from cardstock and assembled into layered 3D forms.

The Witch’s Hut

Using Sketchup 3D modeling software the pieces of the witches hut were created. They were then laser cut and assembled into the final design.

The Goblin Town

The goblin town was also created in a 3D modeling software and then lazer cut. The small buildings were then glued together to create the full town design.

The Characters

Each character was first hand-drawn and then converted into a digital format. Their designs were based on their specific character classes and themed around different animal types. These animal inspirations were used to reinforce each character’s abilities, personality, and role within the game.

Final Video