[UPDATE: Skybound Entertainment has cancelled the Bloodstone Kickstarter after receiving feedback. The Kickstarter will now be launched some time this summer. Skybound Entertainment's statement can be read here. Original story follows.]
Druid City Games' James Hudson has high hopes for Bloodstone, a new arena combat board game that hit Kickstarter on Tuesday. Kickstarter has revolutionized the way board games are developed and pitched, but the landscape is competitive to say the least. Hudson's plans for Bloodstone are perhaps doubly ambitious, as Skybound Entertainment is not only pitching a new board game, but an entire fictional universe. "We're launching a franchise. The plan is three board games, three novels," Hudson said in a press meet with Game Rant. Things are off to a promising start, as Bloodstone hit its funding goal in just four hours, but time will tell if the Bloodstone universe has the staying power to become a new tabletop sensation.
At its core, Bloodstone is an arena combat board game that mixes elements of role-playing, tactical card play, and a whole lot of dice rolling. The game can be played solo, competitively, or cooperatively, and is set in a dark fantasy universe where heroic champions have been imprisoned and forced to engage in gladiatorial combat for the amusement of onlookers. Vanira, an evil sorceress, forces them to fight in a coliseum in a live-die-repeat scenario by commanding the power of the titular Bloodstone, an artifact that allows her to raise the recently slain from the dead. It's a premise that draws heavily from the video games that inspired it, and one that also stands to compete with board games based on video game franchises.
The game is currently, and exclusively, available on Kickstarter at a $125 price point, though the companion novel and expansion can be purchased as well for $160, as well as a $200 All-In pledge including limited edition dice, and a special neoprene playmat for the game. When asked about the possibility of a retail release, Hudson explained,
"Most game stores do not carry $100-plus MSRP games...This will be the definitive release. We don't want to nickel-and-dime players with a ton of expansions."
Raid Style Arena Combat
While Bloodstone can be played competitively for murderous, dice-crunching fun, the core of the experience seems to be the cooperative mode, where parties of players will oppose one of eight, "raid-boss"-style monsters. Each of these bosses, as well as the eight playable characters, have their own unique boards describing their abilities. All of the players and several of the bosses have their own set of dice, and some of the bosses come alongside unique terrain obstacles that force the players to regularly reposition. The three=pronged approach of solo, co-op, and competitive play seems to be a crowd-pleasing mix, regardless of board gamers tastes.
Play revolves around a great deal of dice rolling, with a dice matching mechanic determining what abilities player-characters have at their disposal in a given term. "I know a lot of players say, 'Oh no! So much RNG!' but we accounted for that with the initiative system," Hudson explained. The game's initiative system allows the players to draw from a deck of cards to determine turn-order, as well as a bonus effect that takes place immediately, or modifies their turn options, introducing an element of strategy in a game that might otherwise be too random. Hudson stated he wanted lots of "satisfying, chunky dice rolls," but was also concerned with making sure the game rewarded strategic play and smart decision making.
Regarding difficulty, Hudson stated that "the game is hard, but not Dark Souls-hard." Which, given the necessity of house-rules to move along the Dark Souls board game, is for the best. Just like a good MMO raid boss, gamers may suffer a loss or two before triumphing over new enemies, but the focus is on fun rather than frustration. The team's target were "stand up moments," referring to the nail-biting instances where every one around the table stands up to watch the outcome of a crucial dice role.
An Ode to Blizzard
Hudson stated that Bloodstone was inspired by many board games, fantasy novels, and video games, including the Dragon Age franchise and Wil Wheaton's Titan's Grave but one influence stood head and shoulders above the others. "Bloodstone is kind of my love letter to Blizzard," explaining that he loved their aesthetic and that the Bloodstone paid tribute to such titles as World of Warcraft and Diablo. To Druid City Game's credit, the card and board art by David King, which Game Rant was able to view over Tabletop Simulator, looks fantastic, recalling the finest Hearthstone cards from a less fraught era.
When asked about character progression and session longevity, Hudson clarified "We aren't making Gloomhaven," referring to Cephalofair Game's mammoth tabletop RPG and board game hybrid. He further explained that the Druid City Games team was hoping to avoid 40-page plus rulebooks, and lengthy, multi-session grinding. Rather, each boss in Bloodstone is supposed to represent a combat puzzle, similar to raid bosses in MMOs, where players must strategically apply their characters' unique abilities and strengths to triumph.
A Novel Tie-In
In addition to the board game, a dark fantasy novel by Ari Marmell is being released in the Kickstarter. The novel will develop the world of Bloodstone, and serve as the trailhead for a narrative that will span two other books and games. When asked whether all the characters from the first title would be transferring over to the second game and novel, Hudson hesitated, and then asked "Well, what kind of world do you think Bloodstone is?" chuckling. But he went on to praise Marmell's writing, and how much depth the author brought to the world.
For those curious about the series, but skeptical of arena combat, each game in the Bloodstone universe is supposed to stand on its own. But those holding out for a retail or digital release may be in for disappointment. While Druid City Games ported the game assets to Tabletop Simulator for the press conference, Hudson is wary of porting the game to Steam. "We may consider a digital tutorial," but ultimately, he believes the experience is best realized over a table with a group of friends.
Bloodstone is fully funded on Kickstarter, with an estimated delivery date of June, 2022. The pledge period will end on March 12th.