Heroes of the Unknown – Board Game
Chiara Pucci
Category
Game + Graphic Design
Scope
Naming
Neurodivergent & Neurotypical Research
Game mechanics & testing with peers
Game Voice Design
Game Visual Identity Design
Cards, map, boards, packaging Design
Type
Bachelor's Thesis
Tools
Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Blender, Huion Kamvas 13
Year of completion
2023
As my Bachelor's thesis, Eroi dell’Ignoto (that is, Heroes of the Unknown) is a board game that immerses players in ADHD characteristics, simulating chaos, distraction, and anxiety, with resulting impulsivity and hyperactivity, which a neurodivergent person of this type experiences every day.
Overall, the game underwent several changes, passing through 3 other versions to obtain its final shape. The testing and improving of each version was possible thanks to 6 testers.
Characters' pose refence
According to data collected by Asmodee Italia, a board game publisher, since 2021, Italians' interest in board games has increased between 50% and 70%, particularly for brief though highly engaging 'party games' and role-playing games, such as the famous Dungeons&Dragons.
Heroes of the Unknown is a good compromise between these two genres.
Suprise cards (in yellow), Object cards (in blue), Shadow cards (in black), Token, DaGo (normal die), DAIM (die with circle and square)
The overall appearance of the game recalls craftsmanship, with bright and distinct colours, also designed to help people with visual colour disorders (CVD) enjoy the game as well.
The Heroes
The Heroes, as defined by Campbell, are those people (here, neurotypical players) who go beyond their knowledge and capabilities to explore and come to understand the Unknown, namely the ADHD mind.
This way, players become better people and contribute to improving social inclusion.
The game mechanics require players to stay active throughout the game. While Heroes of the Unknown is originally in Italian, an English version is under development. My intention is to develop the game so it can be published and enjoyed by anyone.
The packaging is made up of a box containing 9 Heroes, 58 Surprise cards, 25 Object cards, 9 Shadows, 9 DAIMs (dice to aim), 1 DaGo (normal die), 1 Token (to represent all players at once), 27 Hero Units (to mark abilities), 3 Shadow Units (to mark Shadow's abilities), 9 Symbol Coins (which symbol of DAIM effects the player), 9 Summary cards (for rules clarity) and 1 Instructions Manual.
The text on the inner-upper lid of the box translates to 'The use of this board game contributes to a more inclusive world, in the name of amusement'.
End of Game
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Posted Dec 18, 2025
Heroes of the Unknown is a board game that makes players immerse themselves with ADHD characteristics.
