Blood on the Sands **NEW** Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears...

[Marine0846]

Sorry to hear about more problems with the game.
Could you do a, (dare I use the word) kick starter?
I don't know if this could be of some help, I do know
someone at Mayfair Games.
Just thinking out loud.

[Justin Buck]

I know I would throw in to get a copy.

[Lowtardog]

Yup kickstarter would work I think

[Vulca]

What do you mean a board game? It's a gladiator game. Not monopoly.

[WillieB]

Kickstarter +1

Don't let this extremely promising game be ruined by a publisher.

[Mad Doc Morris]

A great game indeed. Still hoping it will be released someday.

The version I played (a long time ago, to be honest) had a rather boardgamey feel to it: a lot of chits and charts and things happening beside your model arena. It's the best representation of gladiator combat I've come across, regarding historical feel as well as playability. Like with most gladiator games, however, gaming with miniatures is reduced to a (minor) aspect of the whole experience. Based on that I can understand why a potential publisher would want to sell it as a boardgame instead of targeting a niche market in wargaming.

Like said, here's hope that Furt will persevere and score a well-deserved success.

[YPU]

I have to agree with MMM, there is no reason anything from the game would be lost if it was published in the same sort of boardgame format as say descent. It could perfectly well skip over models for the gladiators and just use chits. On the other end we could simply replace the pieces with miniatures to our liking and miss nothing.

What do you mean a board game? It's a gladiator game. Not monopoly.

Bit of a oversimplification there mate, saying all boardgames are like monopoly is like equating all miniatures to green army men. 

[rumacara]

Kickstarter +2.
Go for it Frank.

[LeadAsbestos]

This is indeed a great game, but again, a gladiator game does not require minis. They show up,.move into touch, and then you play the actual.game. The minis add nothing. And this from a confirmed mini addict! I sold my whole ludus after i tried to actually play, and realized the terrible truth.

[Elbows]

Last I spoke to Furt he was a little dismayed with the up and down of the project.  Understandably so as it's a hell of a lot of work putting something like this together.

Having played a lot of BOTS...probably more than most here, it's definitely not 100% suited to being a board game.  That being said, sure you don't need miniatures...but we use miniatures because they're damn cool and any gladiator game would become boring without them.  Add to that I use miniatures and bits to make up all the counters needed, and it's definitely more enjoyable with miniatures.

I do still fully support that this game is absolutely worth a PDF Kickstarter.  Or heck, just a PDF outright.  Polish up anything you're not comfortable with Furt, update stuff with those pretty graphics you showed a while back and sell it for $14.95 on a number of sites and you'll do very very well.

My only other bit of advice - don't hem and haw trying to make it perfect.  It'll never get there.  At some point, just bite the bullet and go.  Gamers will house-rule/fix/figure out anything that ends up wonky.  The game is solid as-is.  I played this just the other week and forgot to post up about it.

(prints up stickers: "B.O.T.S. 2016")

[LeadAsbestos]

You use miniatures in a regular wargame to show movement of units, draw lines of fire, measure charge distances, flank attack, wave pretty banners...

Gladiators move about a bit, then contact, then stand in the same spot while the game gets played. No need to move them, no retreats, or casualty removal, or feigned flight. Just standing, or a shuffle here and there while you imagine the battle, and great gouts of blood and roaring crowds.

Dare I say it, a better subject for a video game...

[fastolfrus]

Would it be worth asking Osprey if they would publish it?
They are putting out a lot of rules at present.

[OSHIROmodels]

Whatever you do Frank, know that myself and my fellow lanistas (Nick and Mark) will support you 

cheers

James

[Elbows]

Would it be worth asking Osprey if they would publish it?
They are putting out a lot of rules at present.

The only problem here is that the standard Osprey rules have to fit into a 68 page book, and unless a special project (ala Frostgrave) they don't include cards etc.  Now, if they offered a bunch of stuff via PDF to back a printed rulebook, I'd be okay with that - but as it stands the project doesn't really fit into the Osprey rapid-fire rules project they've been doing a lot lately.

[Justinianus]

Hi.  For what it's worth I signed up to LAF after coming across this thread for the primary purpose of learning more about Blood in the Sands.  I'd kickstart a copy if that'd help - indeed, I'm hoping to buy a copy however it eventually gets distributed.  This certainly looks like a great game and I really hope it gets made.