
- BGG rank
- BGG #18
- BGG rating
- 8.4
The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2024

2022
Rules assistance for Hellton Palace
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Hellton Palace is a board game released in 2022 for 2 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Jean-Baptiste Pigneur and its main mechanics are Race, Variable Set-up, and Open Drafting.
Somewhere, deep in the underworld, not far from the Styx and Elysian Fields, bellhops are preparing themselves to knock on their guest's doors. And YES : they ARE scared. In Hellton Palace, both players are managing a hotel, hiring bellhops to address their guest needs. But in the end, they know the place is going to collapse at some point... Try to outlast your opponent! An unsatisfied customer would penalize your reputation, but a too enthusiastic legendary creature or god can literally break the pillars supporting the building! Twist your habit by having a new goal: Losing last! On your turn: 1) Welcome a guest in one of the available rooms in the matching row. 2) Dismiss your bellhops by flipping their tile to their "break" side. 3) Hire new ones by paying the cost with your hard-earned money. 4) Move your Bellhop pawn from room #1 to #9. When they reach an empty room, ignore it and move on to the next one. When they reach an occupied room, choose whether to serve the Guest or not. Serving a Guest removes their irritation token and makes them satisfied, which allows you to apply the effects on their door hanger If you decide not to serve the Guest, place an Irritation token on them except if they have one already. In this case, remove it with a Bell token. In this case, remove all irritation token and lose one bell token. 5) Choose between collecting coins (of all satisfied guests/all guests without irritation token) OR gaining a Bell token back. There are two ways of ending the game: A player has no bell token left A player has a column with no pillar token left —description from the publisher
Hellton Palace supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Hellton Palace is 30–45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Hellton Palace for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Hellton Palace has a complexity rating of 2.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Hellton Palace belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Humor, and Racing. Its main mechanics are Race, Variable Set-up, and Open Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Hellton Palace are: Jean-Baptiste Pigneur. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Hellton Palace as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.