Filmmaker Anand Gandhi (Ship of Theseus, Tumbbad) and game designer Zain Memon (SHASN, AZADI) are launching Trials of Maya, the first tabletop game set in the Maya narrative universe on Gamefound on 8th September. It arrives days after the global retail release of the universe’s debut novel, Maya: Seed Takes Root, the highest-funded debut novel in crowdfunding history, championed by an early-reader community of 5,378 readers and $547,896.
The novel introduced the concept of Maya, the planetary network of trees that everybody on Neh tethers to for play, fable, and the company of the living and the dead. Trials of Maya now takes players inside the roots of the network, which touch every mind that was and will be. In its endless visions, greatness is forged and forgotten. You never enter the same trials twice.
A game system years in the making
Trials of Maya fuses the mechanical and strategic depth of three beloved genres into a single system. Players pick a champion, construct a custom deck of 24 to 40 cards drawn from that champion’s traits, and battle across distinct game modes on a hex-grid arena.
The game is built upon the Trials system, designed to be modular and expandable from day one. The base game ships with four asymmetrical champions and the flagship MOBA-style game modes Siege: 2v2 (a tactical teamfight experience) and 1v1 (a head on duel). Additional game modes include Headhunters, a free-for-all bounty hunt for 2-4 players, Depths of Kaav: a co-op roguelike, and a solo mode by celebrated designer Dávid Turczi. Across its expandable sets, the Trials Game System spans nine champions, seven species, eight classes, 340+ unique illustrated cards, and multiple enemy minion types. The game has been illustrated by a team of artists across the USA, China, India, Mexico, and New Zealand. Miniatures are sculpted by Edgar Skomorowski (Warhammer 40k, Rising Sun, Kingdom Death: Monster).
Developed and playtested over two and a years, Trials of Maya has been exhibited at Gen Con, Essen Spiel, PAX Unplugged, and game stores and cafes across the US. Players and early reviewers have hailed the system’s modularity (“Each of the different game modes feel different, like they were designed with the player-counts and different variations in mind! They’re like different games!” – Tom, Never Bored Gaming), the core cardplay (“I love the cardplay system in Trials of Maya! It lends this game so much strategic depth while still keeping the actual rules overhead to a very manageable level.” – Shea Parker, RTFM), and the MOBA-style gameplay (“Captures the classic joy of lane battlers in an offline format. Gameplay is intuitive and the range of champions promises a fresh experience each game.” – Randy, Legendary Tactics.)
The Trials system also offers a Game Design Sandbox, allowing players to create their own experiences on the same engine. “There’s a bigger bet that I’m placing with this,” said Zain Memon. “I’m confident that the best game built on the Trials System won’t come from me or my team, but from a corner of the world that we’re not even paying attention to right now.”
“With Trials of Maya, players can embody the characters they grew to love in the novel, and encounter legendary figures they have yet to meet,” added Anand Gandhi. “Every champion, every card, and every minion is a new foothold into the lore we’ve built over five years.”
In a deliberate departure from common practice in the trading card game space, every box of Trials of Maya ships with a fixed, fully transparent card list. There are no booster packs, no random pulls, and no exclusive gameplay content. All early backer rewards are cosmetic. The core box is a complete, competitive experience, designed to remain accessible to any new player joining years after launch.