Dungeon Tryouts: The Party Game of Fantasy Misadventure
Created by Peter Chiykowski
Adventure fantasy meets unhinged all-ages party game! Pitch wannabe heroes for hilarious quests to make your friends laugh and win!
The premise? You run an adventuring agency where you try to find quests for wannabe adventurers.
The problem? The heroes in your roster all have "quirks" that make them hard to hire. They aren't exactly the cream of the crop–and neither are the gigs you have for them.
Dungeon Tryouts is designed for 3-6 players of all ages (or up to 10 players with the Big Jobs Expansion).
Latest Updates from Our Project:
12 HOURS LEFT + New Guest Artist (and Guest Art) + $190,000 and counting
11 months ago
– Fri, Aug 15, 2025 at 08:46:13 AM
It's the LAST DAY of our Kickstarter campaign - but we've still got plenty of awesome news to share in our latest update. Today we have:
A new guest artist reveal
A new guest card reveal
A livestream reminder
Even MORE ridiculous D&D character ideas
$190,000 (and counting)
This is your LAST CHANCE to share the active Kickstarter link if you want to tell a friend about the game and help us hit a few more stretch goals. Don't forget that the Gold Box Edition of Dungeon Tryouts is also a Kickstarter exclusive, so it won't be around much longer if you want to upgrade to shiny loot!
Meet the final boss
A new guest artist appeared!
We unveiled six new stretch goals earlier this week, one of which was a guest art card from a MYSTERY ARTIST. We're now thrilled to reveal that that mystery artist is none other than War & Peas!
At $230,000, this card is basically the final boss of Dungeon Tryouts stretch goals. We've only got 12 hours to get there, so visit our Kickstarter page to help us take down the big bad of our campaign!
Happiness is new guest art
We just got back the guest art card from Rob DenBleyker (Cyanide & Happiness), and we think this one speaks for itself.
They're not trapped in a glass case of emotion with you. You're trapped in a glass case of emotion with them!
Our mime's forcefields are felt but not seen. This monk's attacks are seen but not felt.
They're also drawn by Dungeon Tryouts guest artist and graphic designer Zach Schuster, whose art really packs a punch. Even when the character doesn't.
Wrap party tonight @ 10:30pmET
Our Dungeon Tryouts wrap party kicks off at 10:30pmET tonight!
Join us on YouTube as we count down the last hour of the campaign, play a few rounds of Dungeon Tryouts, and celebrate a successful launch with special guests Zach and Dungeon Tryouts artist AC Stuart.
Worst. RPG Party. Ever.
The Dungeon Tryouts main deck will ship with 500 cards - and every single Adventurer has their own ridiculous story to tell!
Here are more hilarious RPG character ideas!
$190,000 (and counting)
Dungeon Tryouts is at 2,500 backers and $190,000, which means we're already crossing bonus stretch goals off the list.
We're thisclose to $200,000 and a guest card from Emory Kjelsberg, and less than $20,000 away from our Too Silly to Print outtakes expansion.
Spread the word to help us close out our Kickstarter campaign in style!
36 HOURS LEFT + Sarah's Scribble unlocked + Livestream Reminder + MORE Terrible RPG Characters
11 months ago
– Thu, Aug 14, 2025 at 09:09:20 AM
The Dungeon Tryouts Kickstarter campaign ends in just 36 hours, at 11:59pm ET on August 15. That's still an eternity in crowdfunding time! In this update, we have:
The realm needs saving and your only hope is... a witch who constantly has to take her familiar to the vet?
You just unlocked card #16 for the Dungeon Tryouts guest art booster, and we can already show you what Sarah Andersen (aka Sarah's Scribbles) drew for the game!
We absolutely love a witch who has her pet priorities in order - along with these other cards from our esteemed guest artists:
Another witch!
The soup in this drawing from Lar DeSouza may look appetizing. But it's probably best to avoid any soup that gets served to you from a sentient cauldron.
This bard from Denaseey has his own agenda, but we'll allow it for someone with this much sparkle energy ✨✨✨
We also ❤️❤️❤️ the detail of the little fairy holding the tour poster!
Stttrrreeetttccchhhing for the finish line
Sarah Andersen's card was originally our final stretch goal, but we've been doing so well that we had to add a few more!
The new stretch goals can bring the the guest art booster pack to 18 cards with pieces from Emory Kjelsberg and War & Peas, and get us an outtakes deck full of non-illustrated cards that were too silly for the main game.
Let's see how many goals can we unlock before time runs out!
Special guests are coming to our wrap party
Don't forget that we'll be counting down the last hour of our campaign on a wrap party livestream tomorrow night.
The livestream begins Friday at 10:30pmET on YouTube. Tune in for a few rounds of Dungeon Tryouts with our special guests, artist AC Stuart and guest artist and graphic designer Zach Schuster!
More terrible...er, AMAZING character ideas
Pizza Time isn't just a meal schedule. It's also a state of mind - and a kobold with some sick skateboarding tricks!
Here are some more ridiculous characters you can find in Dungeon Tryouts!
Wrap Livestream + Interview Questions Unlocked + Terrible RPG Character Ideas + A project we love: Cube Creatures
11 months ago
– Wed, Aug 13, 2025 at 08:59:34 AM
There's so much happening in the last few days of our Kickstarter campaign! In this update, we have:
The Dungeon Tryouts Kickstarter wraps up Friday, August 15 at 11:59pm ET, and we'll be hosting a wrap party to count down the last few minutes of the campaign.
The livestream begins at 10:30pmET. We'll be talking about the game, the next steps for the campaign, and playing a few rounds of Dungeon Tryouts with our friends.
Tune in on YouTube to join the festivities and help us celebrate a successful campaign!
What's your greatest strength?
Don't know what to ask during the job interview?
We've got you covered with our $170,000 stretch goal! You unlocked a bonus PDF full of interview questions that quest givers will be able to ask while playing Dungeon Tryouts.
Use these questions to keep your friends off balance. Just make sure you remind them to pledge so we can reach our next stretch goal - a guest art card from the one and only Sarah Andersen!
A project we love: Cube Creatures
Cube Creatures is a battle trading card game for players of all ages - and they really do mean all ages. The game is developed by DJ Burdick and his 7-year-old son Porter, and is already a hit with adults and players as young as 5!
The creature designs in Cube Creatures come straight from Porter's imagination, while DJ is responsible for the gameplay and behind-the-scenes production. The game itself can be learned in 5 minutes and played in 15, and everything comes in a convenient, portable package for families who want to play when they travel.
Dungeon Tryouts is rapidly approaching its last two stretch goals - but the party doesn't end when we unlock our guest card from Sarah Andersen!
We've announced six new stretch goals, including two more guest artists, more PDF resources, and MOAR PENGUINS. The full list is:
A guest card from Emory Kjelsberg
A guest card from a MYSTERY ARTIST
Free D&D character sheets for 3 Adventurers
An outtakes PDF featuring non-illustrated cards that were too silly to print
Adopting another 10 penguins through SANCCOB (x2)
Tell your friends they still have three more days to pledge and help us close out our campaign with a bang!
Check out these Guest Art Cards
We've been unlocking new guest cards for our Guest Art Booster throughout the campaign, and we're thrilled to be able to share some of the finished results!
Matthew J. Wills (Swords Comic) only agreed to draw a half-elf who's always writing embarrassing poetry on the condition that "I'm allowed to split them vertically down the middle" and we immediately said yes.
Because who doesn't love a visual pun?
This card was our $100,000 stretch goal, and Nick Seluk (The Awkward Yeti) absolutely NAILED the prompt. We couldn't be happier with this sticky little monstrosity of a bee-person who keeps vomiting honey!
Stay tuned for more from our growing roster of guest artists!
A project we love: Ducks in a Row
Can you get your ducks in order?
Find out in Ducks in a Row, a new game of deducktive reasoning from Graph Games! In Ducks in a Row, the Conducktor arranges the 7 Ducks of Legend in a secret line, and the rest of the players play cards to get clues and determine the true order. Players get more points for getting more ducks in position - but the game can end in an instant if someone draws the Goose!
We love the adorable art, engaging gameplay, and heavy use of duck-related puns. Go ahead and check out their campaign to get in on the quacktion!
Full deck unlocked + 2000 backers + Big Jobs Expansion + Project We Love: Shadowdark Secret Tomes
11 months ago
– Mon, Aug 11, 2025 at 11:17:43 AM
Dungeon Tryouts has passed 2,000 backers!
A huge thanks to everyone who pledged and got us to this point. The campaign wraps up this Friday, August 15 at 11:59pmET, so tell your friends they've still got four days to join the party!
In this update, we'll also cover:
The full main deck is unlocked
The story of the Big Jobs Expansion
A project we love: Three New Battlezoo Secret Tomes for Shadowdark from Roll for Combat
Quest entries due today
Full main deck unlocked
We crossed $160,000, and that means we've officially assembled the full version of Dungeon Tryouts! The main game will ship with 500 cards thanks to our latest stretch goal, which added the final 20 cards to the finished deck.
Up next is $170,000 and a set of interview questions, and $180,000 for guest card #16 from Sarah Andersen.
The Big Jobs Expansion (aka, "We're gonna need a bigger party")
The Dungeon Tryouts Big Jobs Expansion grew out of two design challenges:
We knew we wanted large groups to be able to play the game.
We knew we wanted quests that would require heroes to team up.
Pitching Adventurers is what makes Dungeon Tryouts fun, but it also puts a limit on the size of the game. Once you get above six, it can take a long time to get through a round when every player is making a pitch and going back and forth with the quest giver.
So what if players had to improvise pitches as a team?
Big Jobs is perfect for big groups of 7-10 players. You form teams at the start of the game. Each player has their own hand, and when a new quest is drawn, everyone has a short window to pick one Adventurer card before they have to improvise a pitch with their partner with almost no prep time. The results are hilarious, and it keeps the game running faster!
You can also play Big Jobs with groups of 3-6. Every player simply pitches a tag team of 2 adventurers drawn straight from their hand.
Team quests are a fun way to increase the number of possible interactions with the cards. Sometimes two Adventurers who don't seem like much on their own can combine in a unique (and ridiculous) way that makes them perfect for a two-person job.
The challenge was coming up with quests that felt worthy of that distinction. The regular quests are already zany, perilous, and ridiculous. How much sillier would things have to get to warrant a second hero? And how do you make those jobs stand out when every card already has a funny illustration?
It turns out that the answer was going bigger, in every sense of the word. First we stumbled across the name. What is a two-person job if not a Big Job? Then we followed that to its conclusion. The Quests in the Big Jobs Expansion are literally bigger than regular Quests, since they're printed on larger Tarot-sized cards. They also have art and content to match, with everything scaled up to epic proportions.
The other nice thing? AC Stuart's art really pops in the larger format. We absolutely love the Big Jobs Expansion. Hope you've got the right team to get the job done!
Projects we love: Three New Battlezoo Secret Tomes for Shadowdark
The full set consists of three hardcover books designed by legendary third-party Shadowdark designer Michael Putlack, each one with a distinct standalone theme. Monster Hunt showcases massive nightmare beasts. Strange and Unusual features monsters that twist the rules of magic. Elemental Storm introduces creatures spawned from storms and other natural disasters.
Together, the three books clock in at more than 1,000 pages, with 15 new character classes, 12 one-page dungeons, and hundreds of unique monsters. Those monsters also come with original lore and abilities, and can even be turned into new gear thanks to the Battlezoo Monster Parts crafting system!
The three third-party books are fully compatible with existing Shadowdark rules. Go ahead and check out their Kickstarter to dive into a deeper, deadlier, shadow darkness!
Contest entries due today
Today is the last day you can enter our Dungeon Tryouts Quest contest!
To enter, just pick an Adventurer from the hand above and send us a 60-second pitch to tell us why we should hire them for the quest. We'll announce our favorite pitch during our closing night livestream on Friday, and the winner will get a Party Time t-shirt and an alpha copy of Dungeon Tryouts. Read the full rules in our previous updates. Submissions will close at 11:59pm ET tonight.
