Shadow Brume: A Co-Op Survival Horror Board Game

Welcome to the Brume

Shadow Brume is a cooperative survival-horror board game developed by Binary Cocoa. Your team must explore darkened rooms, manage dwindling light, discover the entity's weak point, and destroy it before the darkness consumes you all. No traitors, no betrayal, just the players fighting for survival against the house.

If even one player is caught in the dark, the house consumes the whole team. You either survive together, or you all fail.

Components

We've taken a lot of time to ensure that Shadow Brume's components are top-quality, highly durable, and incredibly easy to store.

All of the artwork for Shadow Brume is made with ❤️ by humans. The board, character art, and cards are illustrated by Shaun Williams.

The game setup and teardown are painless. Character cards and standees have their own custom slot in the spill-proof insert. The board folds and fits perfectly on top of the insert, followed by the instructions, sitting flush with the lid. If the box is stored upside down, you won't open it to find a mess.

A 24" × 24" double-sided play surface folds neatly into quadrants to fit the insert. One side of the board features the standard game layout, while the reverse offers a more difficult layout for veterans seeking a brutal challenge.

Full-color character trays feature original art. These help you easily track your character's items, awakened abilities, and carried light.

Sixteen full-color acrylic character standees match the tray artwork, making it easy to track positioning on the board. Additional standees are included to track lit fires, portals, and temporary light.

146 high-quality, linen-finish cards feature items and abilities. These 2" x 2" cards shuffle beautifully and perfectly fit standard square sleeves.

The 70 beautiful glass beads that keep you alive are easy to pick up

The game uses 3 dice per turn, but we include 5 color-coded dice. Want to adjust the difficulty? Swap in harder dice to make Shadow Brume more aggressive.

The nightmare begins with 6 locked doors. Open them with a key, with specific character abilities, or by gathering your whole team to force them open.

Instructions: Shadow Brume comes with clear, easy-to-follow rules. Prefer to learn by watching?  We’ll also provide a full how-to-play video, just like we do with our other games.

About the Game

Many cooperative games are about surviving random events, but in Shadow Brume, you face a thinking predator. The house attacks relentlessly, but you control the chaos.

A typical game takes about 90 minutes. The tension stays high because each player's turn only takes about a minute. There's no sitting around waiting for the horror to happen; the house is always moving.

Every game is different. Team composition, the location of items, curses, locked doors, and the house's weak point shift with every play-through, forcing your team to think on their feet.

Gameplay Overview

• Take Action: Each turn, players spend up to three actions: moving from room to room, collecting/using items (like flashlights, batteries, and matches), or triggering awakened abilities.
• Grow Stronger: As you explore, you'll awaken your character's 3 unique ability cards. You decide which order to unlock them. Will you awaken the Mystic's teleport to save a stranded friend or her third eye to reveal a hidden danger?
• Fight the Shadows: At the end of every turn, players roll 3 dice. These dice determine what happens to the lights near the player.
• Destroy the House: Once all players have awakened their abilities, the team must gather at the house's weak point to destroy it.

If at any time during the game a player finds themselves in the dark, all of the players are consumed by the house.

Dedicated Solo Mode

Braving the Brume alone? You won't just be playing "multi-handed." Shadow Brume features a specifically designed solo ruleset where you choose 6 characters and send them through the house one at a time. The true challenge becomes a puzzle of foresight. You’ll plan ahead so one character leaves a safe path and vital items for the next character to find.

Playable Characters

Choose from 16 unique characters pulled from various places and times. Each brings their own distinct abilities and play styles. Team composition changes the dynamics of play significantly, so choose wisely.

Stay tuned for more character reveals in our campaign updates.

The Lost Soldier (1915 AD): A British WWI trench soldier who finds this house of horror worse than the terrors of the battlefield. This rapid-response scavenger excels at quickly clearing rooms and salvaging vital survival items.

The Architect (1998 AD): Once at the top of his field, he's been lured into the void by floating fragments of his own designs. The Architect uses his loyal guide dog, Gehry, to scout ahead, fetch out-of-reach items, and safely lead the team through the maze.

The Astro Anthropologist (~15000 AD): A scientist from the distant future who stumbled upon a dangerous wake in time. He uses advanced tech to bypass locked doors by phasing directly through walls and amplifying the team's dwindling light sources.

The Mystic (2003 AD): A spiritual pragmatist seeking a dangerous empathic connection with the house to find its weakness. She can teleport players and items across the map to save stranded teammates, but her powerful abilities burn through precious light.

The Journalist (1998 AD): Armed with her camera and her wits, she stepped into the dark to uncover the truth. She is highly resilient and can render herself completely immune to the house's curses as long as she holds an artifact to study. She can also observe other characters and temporarily learn their abilities.

What Early-Access Players Are Saying

"Shadow Brume is an amazing co-op experience. I love the intensity of the gameplay. The state of the game can turn at any time. You never know when the lights are going to go out. It is really fun to figure out ways to manipulate the lights with your character abilities. It feels so satisfying when you manage to escape the house. It is always really close at the end. I don't think I have ever played a round of Shadow Brume where we aren't laughing the whole time. This has definitely become one of my favorite games to play." — Scott H., Idaho

"I’ve been playing Shadow Brume at conventions for the past 5+ years and never pass a chance to play again. Victory, I promise you, is never assured! It’s fast-paced enough to keep everyone’s eyes on the dice rolls and off their phones, which makes every turn a spectacle. Cooperation and communication are required if you want to stand a chance against this house! Great for family and friends!" — Kory M., Utah

"Shadow Brume is an eerie, beautiful, and mechanically tight game that provides an immersive experience. The success of the cooperative aspect hinges on genuine interdependence, rather than 'quarterbacking'. Players have the ability to make individual decisions and strategically share crucial items... Because the entire group fails if one soul is lost to the dark, every decision feels heavy." — Sean W., Utah

"This is exactly the kind of game I enjoy the most, cooperative rather than competitive and always challenging! There are seemingly infinite combinations of teams, abilities, tools, curses, and artifacts so that no two game experiences are the same. Shadow Brume provides a unique opportunity for the entire family to interact together in a fun and bonding game experience!" — Kim C., Arizona

The First 48 Hours: The "Lost Souls" Ledger

Back within the first 48 hours of the campaign to immortalize yourself in the Brume!

Everyone who pledges at a physical tier during the first two days of the campaign will have their name permanently printed in a special "Lost Souls" acknowledgment section at the back of the official Shadow Brume rulebook, and the Companion Story if unlocked! It's our way of saying a massive thank you to the first backers who helped us push back the dark right out of the gate.

Reward Tiers

We want to keep the reward tiers incredibly simple. Choose your level of survival:

The Survivor Tier: Base Game - $65

You’ll get the core retail board game, which includes a double-sided board, a custom insert, and all the incredible illustrations by our in-house artist, Shaun Williams.

The Deluxe Survivor Tier: Base Game, Minis, and Sleeves - $110

For those who want the ultimate tabletop presence. Includes the core retail game, the full set of 16 Unpainted Character Miniatures created by Mike Evans, and a custom pack of 2"× 2" protective card sleeves.

Add-Ons: Build Your Nightmare

Shadow Brume has been 5 years in the making. It's our most ambitious project to date. We created these highly-curated add-ons to let you customize and upgrade your physical experience.

• Custom 2" × 2" Card Sleeves - $10: Protect your game from the darkness and snack-covered fingers. This add-on includes a full set of high-quality clear sleeves to exactly fit all the cards in the box.
• 16 Unpainted Character Miniatures - $56: Bring your survivors to life in 3D! This add-on includes 16 highly detailed, unpainted miniatures by Mike Evans to represent each character in the game. You will receive these minis in addition to the standard acrylic standees.
• Digital Maker's Bundle (STLs & Woodworking Plans) - $25: Have your own 3D printer or woodworking shop? Grab the digital STL files for all 16 character miniatures, plus a collection of 3D printable furniture and environmental props to decorate your rooms! We're also throwing in the complete DIY woodworking plans and instructions so you can build your own custom Shadow Brume briefcase from scratch. (Recommended for DIY folks.)

• Make Your Own Shadow Brume Briefcase Kit (DIY) - $150:  If you don't have a laser cutter or the woodworking skills, this DIY flat-packed kit comes with everything needed to assemble a gorgeous, blank wooden briefcase that unfolds into a full 24" × 24" 3D play surface. It includes all necessary hardware, wooden room dividers, pre-cut acrylic panels, and a Premium Vinyl Sticker Pack so you can easily texture the floors and walls without needing to paint! (Note: Strictly limited to 50 backers. Recommended for DIY folks.)
• 16 Painted Character Miniatures - $400: This add-on includes 16 highly detailed, painted miniatures. You will receive these minis in addition to the standard acrylic standees. (Note: Strictly limited to 10 backers.)
• The Artisan Shadow Brume Briefcase (Pre-Assembled & Painted) - $600: Don't have the time to build but still want the ultimate deluxe experience? This premium version of the briefcase comes fully assembled and beautifully hand-painted by a local artist. It arrives as a stunning, ready-to-play 3D masterpiece right out of the box! (Note: Strictly limited to 10 backers.)
• Signed 8" x 10" Art Print - $15: A gorgeous, high-quality 8" x 10" art print featuring the fantastic artwork of Shaun Williams, hand-signed by the artist. Fits perfectly inside the core game box for safe, easy shipping!

Retailers

We love working with retailers and are happy to send you our retail options. Please message us through this Kickstarter page or email us at hello@binarycocoa.com. Please include your company name and physical shipping address (including your country) so that we can send you the right information as quickly as possible.

Group Pledges

If you want to get multiple copies of the game in one pledge, we have an add-on specifically for that purpose. Just keep in mind that they must all be shipped to the same address.

Stretch Goals: Pushing Back the Darkness

As more survivors enter the Brume, we will be able to unlock incredible upgrades for everyone! Here are a few projects hiding in the dark that we hope to reveal as the campaign pushes past our funding goal:

• The "Shadow Brume" Ambient Soundtrack: A looping atmospheric track of creepy house noises, fading drones, and heartbeat tempos to play in the background.
• The Companion Story (Digital Graphic Novel): A stunning, 100-page digital graphic novel exploring exactly how these characters ended up trapped in the house together.
• The Custom Survivor Web App: Want to put yourself, your friends, or your favorite fictional characters into the Brume? We will build a dedicated web app where you can input custom abilities, upload your own art, and instantly generate a perfectly formatted, print-and-play PDF character tray to use in your home games!
• Premium Hardcover Upgrade: An exclusive physical, hardcover printing of the Companion Story!

Shipping Estimates

To ensure we can offer the most accurate and fair shipping rates, shipping and applicable taxes/VAT are NOT included in your Kickstarter pledge. They will be calculated and collected after the campaign ends through our pledge manager.

The following table provides estimated shipping costs for the base game. Please note that adding physical add-ons (like the DIY Briefcase) will increase the size and weight of your package, which will adjust the final shipping cost.

United States: $15 - $20
Canada: $20 - $25
United Kingdom: $20 - $25
European Union: $20 - $25
Rest of the World: $35+

Note: UK and EU backers will also be charged applicable VAT in the pledge manager based on their country's current rates.

The Timeline: Escaping the House

Because we have already completed so much of the pre-production and prototyping work, the game mechanics are locked in. We aren't waiting for the campaign to close to finish the game. Our team is working on the remaining artwork in parallel right now! Here is our expected schedule to get Shadow Brume onto your table:

• Campaign Ends, Pledge Manager Opens: April 13th, 2026
• Artwork Finalization and Polish: Expected Completion September 2026 (estimated 6 months total)
• Final Files Sent to Factory and Final Sample Produced: October 2026
• Mass Manufacturing Begins: November 2026
• Manufacturing Complete and Ocean Freight: February 2027
• Fulfillment Centers Receive Games: April 2027
• Fulfillment to Backers Begins: May 2027

Our Promise to You: Unprecedented Transparency

If a delay happens, whether it’s a ship stuck at a port or a misprinted card that needs to be redone, we’ll tell you. We’re committed to posting regular, transparent updates every step of the way from the moment the campaign ends until the game is safely on your table.

But we want to take that transparency a step further. Anyone who backs this project at any level will be given visibility into our internal project management software. You'll be able to see exactly what tasks are left and where the project stands in real-time. Plus, our door is always open. You’re welcome and encouraged to reach out to us directly on our Discord before, during, and after production!

Thank you for trusting us to bring the Brume to life!

About the Creators: The Architects

Binary Cocoa has been designing and self-publishing original tabletop games for over 11 years, including our biggest hit, Mondrian: Color in Motion. But for the last 7 years, we’ve been quietly building Shadow Brume.

• Design and Testing: Brian Grigsby, Joseph Brower, Zachary Cardon
• Artwork and Videos: Shaun Williams, Glen Moyes, Stephen Gygi, Brian Grigsby
• Lore and Companion Story: Joseph Brower, Brian Grigsby, Braiden Cox
• Support, Patience, and Polish: The rest of the Binary Cocoa Team, our Families, and the Gaming Community.
• Miniature Sculpting: Mike Evans

Join the Brume

Want to chat with the creators, ask rules questions, or just hang out? Come find us!

• Website: https://binarycocoa.com
• Official Discord: https://discord.gg/cMZkM5DbqN
• Facebook: https://fb.com/binarycocoa
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/binarycocoa/