Horrible Guild
Horrible Guild is a privately held Italian publisher founded in 2014 that designs, develops, and produces 30+ board games, tabletop RPGs, and digital game adaptations for hobbyist consumers worldwide, selling direct via EU and US webstores and through 25+ international distribution partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersMilano, Italy
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Horrible Guild does
Horrible Guild (legal entity Horrible Games S.r.l.) is a privately held Italian tabletop game publisher founded in 2014 by Lorenzo Silva and headquartered in Buccinasco (Milan), Italy. The company designs, develops, and produces physical board games, tabletop roleplaying games (RPGs), and digital game adaptations, with a catalog of 30+ products spanning Light, Medium, and Expert difficulty tiers. Signature titles include Dungeon Fighter (dexterity-based dice throwing), Potion Explosion, Railroad Ink, Similo, Evergreen, The King's Dilemma, The Queen's Dilemma, and Vampire: The Masquerade – Vendetta (a licensed adaptation of the Paradox Interactive IP). The RPG portfolio comprises Wilderfeast, Vileborn, One More Quest, and MemoryCore, and digital adaptations of Dragon Castle, Potion Explosion, Railroad Ink Challenge, Similo, and Evergreen are available on smartphone, tablet, and desktop.
The company monetizes through unit-priced sales of physical games (€10–€40 standard, €105–€155 collector editions), RPG core books and digital PDFs (€20–€50), digital video games, accessories (dice sets, target boards, cloth bags), and bundles. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce via separate EU and US webstores, backed by dedicated fulfillment warehouses in Leipzig, Germany and Orlando, Florida, with wholesale-style distribution through 25+ international localization partners including Asmodee, Devir, Iello, HeidelBÄR Games, Ghenos Games, Swan Panasia, and BoardM Factory. Distribution-side reach extends across Europe, Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Israel, UAE), and South America (Chile, Brazil). The company operates with a compact team of 12 across design, narrative, editing, sales, marketing, project management, and digital product development functions, with no disclosed external funding and no parent company.
Horrible Guild differentiates on distinctive gameplay mechanics (dexterity dice-throwing, cooperative deduction, roll-and-write, tile-tree abstract strategy) combined with a recognizable visual style, and pursues a multi-format franchise strategy that pairs physical games with RPG expansions in the same fictional universe and digital adaptations on mobile and desktop. Marketing is conducted through a broad organic social presence (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, Discord) plus email newsletter and direct webstore traffic, with no paid-acquisition scale signals in the available data.
Horrible Guild firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Horrible Guild
- Legal name
- Horrible Games S.r.l.
- Website
- https://horribleguild.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Horrible Guild is a privately held Italian publisher founded in 2014 that designs, develops, and produces 30+ board games, tabletop RPGs, and digital game adaptations for hobbyist consumers worldwide, selling direct via EU and US webstores and through 25+ international distribution partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Horrible Guild industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tabletop Board Games and RPGs
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers (CRALALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Strategy/Euro Board Games Retail (CRALALAC), Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming) (CRALAFAH)
Keywords
Where Horrible Guild is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milano
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Horrible Guild business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Physical Board Game Sales: Direct sales of physical board games through company e-commerce stores (EU and US websites) and through distribution partners worldwide. Products include core games, expansions, collector editions, and accessories.
- Roleplaying Game Products: Sales of RPG core books, collector editions, scenario books, digital downloads (PDF), and accessories (dice sets, screens, reference decks) for proprietary RPG lines including Wilderfeast, One More Quest, Vileborn, and MemoryCore.
- Digital Games: Digital adaptations of board games for smartphone, tablet, and desktop including Dragon Castle: The Board Game, Potion Explosion: The Digital App, Railroad Ink Challenge, Similo: The Card Game, The King's Dilemma: Chronicles, and Evergreen: The Board Game.
- Bundles and Deals: Bundle products offering discounted combinations of games for budget-conscious gamers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Board Games |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Collector Editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Core Books |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Digital Products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Accessories |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Horrible Guild product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Horrible Guild designs, develops, produces, and publishes tabletop board games, roleplaying games, and digital video game adaptations sold through owned EU and US webstores and a global network of regional distribution partners. The catalog includes 30+ board games across Light, Medium, and Expert difficulty tiers, four original RPG lines (MemoryCore, One More Quest, Vileborn, Wilderfeast), and six digital adaptations (Dragon Castle, Potion Explosion, Railroad Ink Challenge, Similo, The King's Dilemma: Chronicles, Evergreen).
Product overview
Horrible Guild is an Italian board game and RPG publisher offering a portfolio of physical board games across Light, Medium, and Expert difficulty tiers, tabletop roleplaying games, and digital video game adaptations of select board games. The board game lineup includes party games (A Carnivore Did It!, My Murder Mystery, Sound Box, Spotlight), strategy games (Dragon Castle, Railroad Ink, Evergreen, Flower Fields), dexterity games (Dungeon Fighter Second Edition), deduction games (Similo), and expert titles (The King's Dilemma, The Queen's Dilemma, Alone). Their roleplaying game catalog features MemoryCore (32-bit-era anthology), One More Quest (dexterity comedy RPG), Vileborn (nobledark TTRPG), and Wilderfeast (monster hunter/chef RPG). Digital offerings include adaptations such as Dragon Castle: The Board Game, Potion Explosion: The Digital App, Railroad Ink Challenge, Similo: The Card Game, The King's Dilemma: Chronicles, and Evergreen: The Board Game for smartphone, tablet, and desktop. The company also publishes accessories and digital downloads including dice sets, target boards, scenario books, and collector's editions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Horrible Guild: Primary brand name under which the company publishes board games, roleplaying games, and video games.
Products and services
- A Carnivore Did It! A light-weight party board game for casual tabletop play with friends.
- My Murder Mystery A murder mystery party board game for social gatherings.
- Potion Explosion A board game where students at a sorcery academy collect and combine ingredients to create potions.
- Quicksand A light strategy board game.
- Rocking Raft A cooperative survival board game.
- Similo A cooperative deduction card game where players help others guess a secret character using clues.
- Sound Box A memory and music-based party game.
- Spotlight A hidden roles and spotlight-shining party game.
- Tiny Turbo Cars A light racing board game.
- Dungeon Fighter Second Edition A party-dexterity-adventure-humor board game where players use focus and dexterity to throw dice at a target board to fight monsters and defeat the final Boss.
- Dragon Castle A tile-taking board game freely inspired by Mahjong Solitaire where players take tiles from a central castle and create sets.
- Evergreen A tree-growing abstract strategy board game where players build a lush ecosystem by planting seeds, growing trees, and placing other elements.
- Flower Fields A tile-laying garden-building board game.
- Railroad Ink A roll-and-write board game focused on route planning where players connect exits around their boards.
- Railroad Tiles A route-building tile-laying board game expansion focused on railroad connections.
- Sunrise Lane A neighborhood-building roll-and-write board game.
- The Amazing Journey An adventurous journey-planning board game.
- The Great Split A strategic splitting and resource management board game.
- Unicorn Fever A racing board game featuring unicorns.
- Vampire: The Masquerade – Vendetta A competitive card board game for 3–6 players where each player leads one of the Camarilla vampire clans of Chicago, scheming and fighting over three rounds to gain influence and become the new Prince.
- Alone An expert-level cooperative dungeon-crawling board game.
- The King's Dilemma An expert-level legacy-style strategy board game where players lead a kingdom's council for generations, with decisions determining the kingdom's resources and political standing.
- The Queen's Dilemma An expert-level cooperative legacy board game for 3–6 players, sequel to The King's Dilemma, where players navigate royal decisions and dilemmas across generations.
- Dragon Castle: The Board Game (Digital) Digital adaptation of the Dragon Castle tile-taking board game for smartphone, tablet, and desktop.
- Potion Explosion: The Digital App Digital app version of the Potion Explosion magical ingredient-collecting game for smartphone, tablet, and desktop.
- Railroad Ink Challenge Digital roll-and-write game focused on connections and route planning for smartphone, tablet, and desktop.
- Similo: The Card Game (Digital) Digital version of the Similo cooperative deduction card game for smartphone, tablet, and desktop.
- The King's Dilemma: Chronicles Digital game where players lead the King's Council for generations as the consequences of decisions decide the kingdom's resources and political standing. Developed by Horrible Guild and Big Trouble Game Studio.
- Evergreen: The Board Game (Digital) Digital adaptation of the Evergreen tree-growing abstract strategy board game for smartphone, tablet, and desktop.
- MemoryCore A curated anthology of 32-bit-era-inspired tabletop RPGs designed by Claudio Pustorino, each paying tribute to a classic of the disc age.
- One More Quest A dexterity comedy tabletop RPG set in the Dungeon Fighter universe where players don't roll dice but throw them at targets, assuming the role of dungeon fighters navigating comedic dungeon-crawling adventures.
- Vileborn A nobledark tabletop RPG designed by Claudio Pustorino that evokes a coming-of-age fantasy story, with players assuming the role of Vileborn young half-blood heroes.
- Wilderfeast A tabletop RPG designed by KC Shi where players assume the role of 'wilders', monster hunters/chefs who wield gargantuan kitchen implements and gain mutations from hunting monsters to create recipes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Products available in 25+ countries through localization partners
Companies that use Horrible Guild
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Horrible Guild technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Horrible Guild partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DevircoreSpanish distributor localizing Horrible Guild games including A Carnivore Did It! for the Spanish market.
- IellocoreFrench distributor localizing A Carnivore Did It!, Dragon Castle and other titles for the French market.
- HeidelBÄR GamescoreGerman distributor localizing Dragon Castle, Dungeon Fighter, and other titles for the German market.
- Ghenos GamescoreItalian distributor for Dragon Castle, Evergreen, Sound Box and other titles. Also localizing Wilderfeast and One More Quest for Italy.
- AsmodeecoreMajor international games distributor operating local subsidiaries across Spain, Germany, Italy, Korea, Chile and other countries. Distributes multiple Horrible Guild titles including Dragon Castle, My Murder Mystery, Evergreen, and Similo.
- Swan PanasiacoreChinese distributor for Potion Explosion localization.
- BoardM FactorycoreKorean distributor for Potion Explosion localization.
- Big Trouble Game StudiocoreDevelopment partner for The King's Dilemma: Chronicles digital game adaptation.
- Ulisses SpieleminorGerman partner localizing Vileborn RPG for German market.
- Need GamesminorItalian partner for One More Quest RPG localization.
- Cranio CreationsminorItalian partner localizing Dungeon Fighter, Railroad Tiles, and Spotlight.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Horrible Guild competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Iello: French board game publisher and distributor (King of Tokyo, Crazy Time). Comparable as a European mid-sized publisher that also serves as a distribution partner for Horrible Guild titles in the French market.
- Stonemaier Games: US-based indie publisher of premium strategy and family board games (Wingspan, Scythe, Tapestry). Comparable in being a founder-led publisher with strong original IP, Kickstarter-driven launches, and DTC direct sales.
- Czech Games Edition (CGE): Czech publisher of strategy/Euro games (Codenames, Through the Ages, Galaxy Trucker). Comparable mid-sized European publisher competing in the same premium strategy segment and leveraging broad international distribution.
- Devir: Spanish publisher and distributor with a strong European and Latin American footprint. Comparable as a regional publisher that both competes in similar game categories and distributes Horrible Guild's localized titles in Spain.
- Cranio Creations: Italian board game publisher of similar size and origin, also localizing Horrible Guild titles (Dungeon Fighter, Railroad Tiles, Spotlight) for the Italian market. Comparable indie publisher profile with a similarly broad family/strategy catalog.
- Free League Publishing: Swedish tabletop RPG and board game publisher (Vaesen, Tales from the Loop, Mörk Borg). Comparable in operating a premium tabletop RPG catalog with international distribution and analog-plus-digital product strategy.
- CMON: Board game publisher with a Kickstarter-heavy model and a miniatures/campaign-driven catalog (Zombicide, Blood Rage, Marvel United). Comparable in publishing model and use of collector editions, but with a much larger employee base and revenue scale.
Broad incumbents
- Asmodee: Global board game publishing and distribution leader with subsidiaries across Europe, North America, and Asia. Comparable as both a distribution partner (multiple territories) and a powerful incumbent that competes for retail shelf space and consumer mindshare.
- HeidelBÄR Games: German publisher and distributor with a broad portfolio across family and strategy games. Comparable as a partner that localizes Horrible Guild titles for Germany and as a competitor in the broader hobby game retail space.
- Pegasus Spiele: German publisher of family and strategy board games with broad retail reach. Comparable as a larger European publisher competing for similar shelf space and consumer hobby spend across the same categories.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Horrible Guild social profiles
Digital presenceHorrible Guild financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Horrible Guild leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Horrible Guild funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Horrible Guild M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Horrible Guild
What does Horrible Guild do?
Horrible Guild designs, develops, produces, and publishes tabletop board games, roleplaying games, and digital video game adaptations sold through owned EU and US webstores and a global network of regional distribution partners. The catalog includes 30+ board games across Light, Medium, and Expert difficulty tiers, four original RPG lines (MemoryCore, One More Quest, Vileborn, Wilderfeast), and six digital adaptations (Dragon Castle, Potion Explosion, Railroad Ink Challenge, Similo, The King's Dilemma: Chronicles, Evergreen).
Is Horrible Guild a public or private company?
Horrible Guild is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Horrible Guild founded?
Horrible Guild was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Horrible Guild based?
Horrible Guild is headquartered in Milano, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Horrible Guild make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Physical Board Game Sales are the primary driver. The others are roleplaying Game Products, digital Games and bundles and Deals.
Who are Horrible Guild's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Iello, Stonemaier Games, Czech Games Edition (CGE), Devir, Cranio Creations, Free League Publishing and CMON. Broad incumbents are Asmodee, HeidelBÄR Games and Pegasus Spiele.
Does Horrible Guild have an API?
No public API is recorded for Horrible Guild.
What industry is Horrible Guild in?
Horrible Guild's product category is Tabletop Board Games and RPGs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALALAA, Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers, with a secondary code of CRALALAC, Strategy/Euro Board Games Retail. Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 5945.