Blood on the Sands is a game of gladiatorial combat
Back the Kickstarter, enjoy the interview
“Today I saw a slave become more powerful than the Emperor of Rome.”
~Lucilla
The team at Dead Again Games have captured the imagination of history buffs and tabletop gaming enthusiasts alike with an impressive gladiatorial combat game called Blood on the Sands. It blends elements of SAGA and BattleTech and evokes the strength and honour you would expect to see in a brutal arena clash.
An exclusive interview with Dead Again Games
Q: Can you both briefly introduce yourselves and Dead Again Games?
A: I’m Frank Sultana and I’m the creator of Blood on the Sands – my first serious tabletop gaming project. I’ve been an avid wargamer for over 40 years, and have been tinkering with rule-writing since I can remember. In addition to this, a close friend and I run a small company that specialises in 1/30-scale diorama accessories and terrain pieces.
I love building terrain at all scales, and over the years I’ve crafted some massive table layouts – many of which have featured at local conventions, where my mates and I have showcased various rulesets. For a long time, I searched for a publisher willing to take on Blood on the Sands, but it wasn’t until recently that the right person came along …
I am pleased to introduce N. R. (Nic) Jenzen-Jones, an established publisher, creative director, editor, and arms historian, with whom I have been working for a while now to bring Blood on the Sands to life. Nic has run several successful Kickstarter campaigns, and brings to the table a lot of experience in managing complex projects through their lifespan – from design and development, to manufacturer and delivery.
He is also a keen gamer, playing just about everything from card games and board games through to skirmish wargames and large tabletop battles. Nic is helping me bring this game to Kickstarter, and then bring it to life!
Nic and I are the team behind the collaborative project we are calling Dead Again Games. We are committed to making engaging, beautiful games of the highest quality, that respect players’ time and investment.
Q: What inspired Blood on the Sands, a historical game of gladiatorial combat?
A: I’ve always been fascinated by gladiators and their portrayal in popular media, from the movie Gladiator to the Starz series Spartacus. This naturally led me to try and recreate those experiences in a tabletop game. I explored many older rulesets and, while each had its merits, none truly captured the feeling of being locked in a desperate gladiatorial duel. This desire – to play an engaging, tactical gladiator combat game that truly felt like fighting for survival in the arena – became the driving force behind Blood on the Sands.
The game’s mechanics draw inspiration from several sources. The Action Dice were influenced by games like SAGA, while the gladiator boards take cues from classic BattleTech. However, the core themes and balanced combat mechanics of Blood on the Sands are primarily based on historical accounts of gladiators and their combat techniques.
Q: How long have you been working on this project? The attention to detail is incredible.
A: Blood on the Sands has been my passion project for many years. What began as a fascination with gladiators and a simple desire to develop rules for some arena combats with my mates quickly grew into a full-fledged game designed for a wider audience. Little details became important in shaping the game, drawing from whatever historical references I could find. After countless playtests and tweaks, the rules have been honed and fine-tuned, resulting in the dynamic and immersive system we have today.
Q: I noticed the core box contains miniatures made by Wargames Atlantic. What can you tell us about this partnership?
A: We initially reached out to Wargames Atlantic because of their expertise in producing high-quality plastic miniatures. To our surprise, they were aware of Blood on the Sands already and were excited to collaborate with us. Together, we’ve developed the first-ever sprue of multi-part, hard plastic gladiators, working closely with them to ensure the miniatures are as historically accurate as possible. The Wargames Atlantic team have been a pleasure to work with, and we are very proud of the product.
The prototypes look incredible, and examples have been beautifully painted by the talented Matthew Leahy. People should have a lot of fun putting them together and painting them.
Q: The game features dynamic 1V1 combat and fatigue appears to be an important resource to manage. I imagine the gameplay is quite tactical and playing aggressively may not always be wise?
A: It’s a bit of a cliché, but Blood on the Sands truly fits the ‘easy to learn, hard to master’ style of games. Every combat presents meaningful choices, both on attack and defence, and as players gain experience, they’ll develop deeper tactics based on the unique strengths of each gladiator class and their fighting styles.
Victory isn’t just about landing the final blow – outlasting your opponent is just as important. Fatigue acts as a relentless ticking clock, forcing you to manage your stamina carefully. Some gladiators, like the heavily armoured Secutor, struggle against its effects, while others, like the nimble Retiarius, use it to their advantage. You can claim victory with a single decisive strike or wear your opponent down through relentless attacks – but this could leave you open and vulnerable yourself.
Q: What can players expect to see in a typical bout?
A: Gameplay in Blood on the Sands is driven by Action Dice, which determine your gladiator’s options each turn. These dice represent the opportunities or openings available at any given moment in the bout, ensuring that every combat feels fresh and unpredictable.
The dynamic movement system keeps players constantly repositioning their gladiators across the hex-grid board, striving for the best position, choosing the right moment to strike, and navigating obstacles and hazards — all while battling the ever-present danger of being backed against the wall. As the match progresses and gladiators become fatigued, hindered, or wounded, they will lose access to some of their Action Dice, limiting their actions each turn and bringing them closer to defeat.
Eventually, whether through exhaustion, blood loss, or by a decisive blow – they must appeal to the crowd for mercy. Victorious gladiators will gain the rewards of fame and experience, but even defeated combatants will learn valuable lessons from their encounter – if they survive.
Q: There's even a laser-cut MDF Roman arena playing board from Sarissa Precision. Sounds like you receive everything you need to play in the box?
A: As soon as Nic and I started preparing for the production and sale of the game, we were both on the same page: it was critical to us that everything you need to play Blood on the Sands comes right in the box – no extra purchases required, aside from maybe some glue and paint for your miniatures if you would like.
That said, we also wanted to make sure there was room for hobbyists to develop their gaming experience further, and make Blood on the Sands even more immersive. To that end, we have also partnered with Sarissa Precision, known for their beautiful, award-winning MDF terrain. They have created a stunning rendition of a Roman provincial arena and a hex-grid playing board, both made of laser-cut MDF. These are perfect for those who want to take their game to the next level and fully immerse themselves in the spectacle of the arena.
We are also working with Sarissa to offer a printed MDF token upgrade option, of the sort which has been very popular with gamers in recent years. This token set is currently running neck-and-neck with our own Saturnalia Pack (offering an expanded campaign experience for 2–6 players) as the most popular add-on in the Kickstarter.
Q: In addition to standalone battles, you offer multiplayer and narrative experiences as well. How do these variations of the game differ from the standard 1V1 and what are some of the bonus features that excite you the most?
A: Blood on the Sands can be played as a quick pick-up game, with most matches lasting an hour or less. Where it really shines, however, is in the longer campaign mode, in which each player takes on the role of a lanista (trainer) managing a stable of gladiators for their gladiator school (ludus). Players generate gladiators from different backgrounds, with different traits, and then shepherd their fighters through a series of matches over the course of the campaign.
The emergent narratives are fantastic, and crushing victories, last-minute defeats, and the ire of the crowd all make for fun social gaming. The process of matchmaking, in deciding which gladiators will face-off against your opponents', becomes a strategic challenge in itself. A narrative develops both in and outside the arena as your gladiators gain experience and fame. You’ll manage your gladiators, develop your favourites, and watch as your underdogs rise or fall. Will you protect your best gladiators, limiting their time in the arena, or will you throw them to the mob at every opportunity? Can one of them win the title of Champion? These decisions and the narratives they generate are at the heart of Blood on the Sands.
The game is specifically designed to simulate one-on-one gladiatorial duels, staying true to history. However, some players have experimented with multi-gladiator battles, and we’ll provide simple guidelines for running these larger bouts outside the standard rules. We hope to offer some expansion content in one or more future supplements, which will introduce gladiator classes for which there is less historical evidence and possibly open up the field a little!
Q: Did anything surprise you during development?
A: The excitement that can be generated during a match by both players and spectators. We’ve had onlookers gathered around the game cheering on the combatants or booing at their reluctance to fight. It can be quite a special thing. Harnessing some of that energy has led to further refinements in the game design and, as a result of a whole lot of playtesting, we now have a tabletop game that is just great fun to play and watch. Give it a go!
Q: Is there anything else you would like to mention?
We would just like to thank everyone who has supported the project so far! Developing Blood on the Sands has been a long journey, and it has been amazing to see such enthusiasm for this game from the community. If you love tactical skirmish games and historical combat, then Blood on the Sandsi s for you.
Keep an eye on the Kickstarter, check out the Facebook group, and join us in the arena!
