Gauntlet: The Twenty Trials

created by Lee Stemkoski

http://stemkoski.net/g20

Gauntlet is a hand-management, puzzle-driven, abstract fantasy-themed card game in which a Challenger must endure twenty trials devised by a cunning Trialmaster. Each trial is defeated by playing a pair of action cards that meet varying conditions. Will the Challenger conquer the Gauntlet, or collapse from exhaustion and yield to the Trialmaster?

• Players: 1 or 2
• Ages: 8+
• Playing time: 10 minutes
• Components: A specialized deck of cards (printable files provided below).
• Current version: 4.0
• Files updated: January 7, 2026

Gauntlet was originally developed for and entered into the BoardGameGeek.com 2025 54-Card Game Design Contest, sponsored by Side Room Games. Special Jury Prizes were awarded by the team at Side Room Games, and Gauntlet won second place! At that time, the game design was at version 3.0, which has been archived here.

Since then, development work has continued to version 4.0, which is no longer based on a standard deck of playing cards, instead fully embracing a custom card deck with a new art style, enabling the following changes:

five different types of trial cards

redesigned action cards

character cards replaced by modifier cards
that integrate with the new iconography

For more information and updates, visit the work-in-progress webpage, which includes design notes and feedback.

• Challenger Mode: the primary version of the game, a solitaire mode where you play as the Challenger, striving to complete all twenty trials before becoming exhausted.
• Trialmaster Mode: a solitaire mode where you play as the Trialmaster, manipulating the sequence of trials to exhaust the Challenger as quickly as possible.
• Moderator Mode: a solitaire mode where you play as the Moderator, a third party that attempts to sequence everything so that the actions and trials are in perfect balance.
• Versus Mode: a two-player competitive variant, where one player is the Challenger and the other is the Trialmaster, competing head-to-head in a strategic showdown.

• Rulebook
• Card Images

• Challenger Mode
• Trialmaster Mode
• Moderator Mode

• Optimized for desktop/laptop computers (not smartphones)
• Controls: click and drag cards from one area to another; click potion card to use
• Note that the web version does not strictly enforce all of the rules.
The web version handles:
• setting up and shuffling the cards
• verifying cards are only dropped into correct areas
• using refresh cards (resetting action deck and dealing a new hand)
The web version does not handle:
• checking the total number of drawn cards is correct
• verifying trial conditions are met when discarding
• supporting "undo"/"take-back" functionality (so be careful!)