The base set of 144 cards was released on August 18, 2005 at the annual Gen Con Indy.

The game is unique in its use of five-sided, stackable cards made of durable plastic as opposed to conventional paperboard.

[1]: 188–189  The original concept for the game is credited to Paul Barclay, Brandon Bozzi, Mike Elliott, Aaron Forsythe, and Robert Gutschera.

The game was available for purchase in comic and hobby game oriented stores across the United States and internationally (but only in English), its 144-card set sold in starter sets of 40 random cards[1]: 188–189  (MSRP $12.99) and booster packs of 13 additional cards (MSRP $4.99).

[2] One of the game's designers has unofficially cited the rising cost of oil (used in the manufacture of the plastic cards) as part of the reason for the discontinuation.

[1]: 188 The cards in Hecatomb draw from a variety of sources from ancient myth to the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, though some are generic creations of the designers of the game.