Spartacus A Game of Blood and Treachery

Product Information

In Spartacus, you control a Domus – an Imperial Roman house - looking to increase its influence at the expense of its rivals. Through dastardly intrigue and through the victory of its gladiators in the arena.

The game is for 3-4 players. Each player is a Dominus of one of four rival houses. You will build your influence, buy slaves and guards and gladiators, and ultimately send them out to fight for you in the arena. The game is mad simple. The Market Phase is when players buy, sell and trade Assets (Gladiators, Slaves, Equipment and Guards). Players also bid against each other to acquire new Assets at Auction. Wealth is not the only path to success as players bluff and bargain with each other to acquire the Assets they covet. Hitting shelves at your FLGS or favourite online retailer in a matter of weeks... WAVE VIII the latest releases for World of Tanks: Miniature Game. Bring on the Artillery!

In Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery, an exciting game of twisted schemes and bloody combats inspired by the hit STARZ Original series, each player takes on the role of Dominus, head of a rising house in the ancient Roman city of Capua. Each house is competing for Influence to gain the favor of Rome. Through a combination of political schemes and glorious battles on the arena sands your house will rise in fame and stature. As Dominus, you have a variety of resources at your disposal. Guards protect you from schemes launched by rivals. Slaves run your household and earn gold. Gladiators compete to bring glory to themselves and influence to their Dominus.

Whatever readers feel about board game themes of ancient times, it’s undeniable that often the conquest of people external to one’s own group often resulted in their enslavement. The Romans and other contemporaneous civilizations saw other cultures as inferior, and their enslavement was seen as a natural outcome of conflict. Couple this with the Roman fascination with violent gladiatorial games and you have a situation where women and men were used, often violently, for the pleasure and sport of others. The market phase is next. It combines player to player trading but also has three auctions for randomly drawn assets. These might be gladiators themselves, who will fight in the arena. Or equipment for your gladiators to fight with. Or slaves, who affect your domus’ assets. Simple blind-bidding keeps this a pacey and enjoyable competition, with a bit less bite but no less tension. Particularly when a really plum gladiator comes up for auction. Death Or Glory Outside of the arena, players can also hatch schemes to undermine their rivals and acquire more wealth. Whilst some schemes require very little to pull off, others may even force players to convince an opponent to help them - either through bribes or promises. In Spartacus, you control a Domus – an Imperial Roman house – looking to increase its influence at the expense of its rivals. Through dastardly intrigue and through the victory of its gladiators in the arena. Gameplay rattles along and these three phases le round until one player has earned sufficient Influence. This is done through card play, hosting arena combat, and winning the gladiatorial fights. Group DynamicsDuring the Arena Phase, the Host player invites two other players (the Host can also select themselves) one at a time to participate in combat. A player may decline, but then they lose an influence point. If they accept, they offer up a gladiator or slave to fight in the Arena. The board game that brings the EPIC TV series to life on your very own table top. Betrayal, deception, merciless, honour, glory, legendary. All words that can describe, but not nearly do justice to this incredible boardgame Spartacus. Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery was designed by Aaron Dill, John Kovaleski and Sean Sweigart - the same creative team behind Firefly: The Game, movie board game Star Trek: Ascendancy and the party board game Family Guy: Stewie’s Sexy Party Game. BUT – don’t be an ass about it. Everyone plays games to have a good time. Ultimately, you’re playing to have fun with your friends – keep that in mind as you’re plotting to destroy their house.

Starting with novice fighters, players can acquire more powerful gladiti by winning gold through betting on the winners of competitions and seeing their own fighters become victorious. Players can also train their existing gladiti to improve their stat dice and make them more formidable opponents in the arena. If, however, thematic elements are beside the point and readers just want to know if this is a good game, it’s best to first know that Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery (Spartacus) is for the narrow player count of 3-4. In addition, a playtime of 2-3 hours is pretty accurate. Gameplay Overview: Amazingly, the last phase of each turn flings in a solid competitive battle mechanic. Plastic miniatures on a hex board, moving around, rolling dice. The whole deal. Like everything else in this game, the mechanic is simple and streamlined. Each gladiator has three stats, and these tell you how many dice you throw. These dice also act as hit points. As you take hits, you lose dice from your pools. It works brilliantly, and is a fun game in itself.

Get in touch

YES, this means that you can do the whole thumb-up/thumb-down thing at the table, executing an opponent's gladiator. This game is NASTY. You're surprised, right? I know I was. Film and TV tie-in stuff is supposed to be crap. That's the law of gaming. So the minute I saw this thing in the shop, my crap alarm went off. Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery plays out like a series of mini-games. Each phase of the game features its own unique competitive twist. While they don’t always come together for the better benefit of the whole, they are all fun and interesting in their own right. Upkeep Phase – Is an opportunity to refresh cards, heal injured gladiators and balance the books.Intrigue Phase – The scheming phase to play cards aiding your cause, whilst at the same time trying to ruin your opponents. Another opportunity to earn some valuable coin.