Blood Royale

Game play combined management of a medieval dynasty (with rules for character creation, and centred on the creation of treaties through arranged marriages) with territorial expansion and financial reward. The winner was the player who ultimately made the most money; the other games mechanisms provided means and obstacles to this end.

As with the Games Workshop edition of Warrior Knights, the components were of a high quality and the mechanisms were innovative for their day; the designer was a well known name; the dynastic rules in particular provided a high degree of involvement for players. Criticisms of the game have centred on the length of time it may take to play.

However the game was published near the end of the time when Games Workshop was interested in publishing board games outside what would become its core milieu of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000, and it was quickly withdrawn.

In 2005 Fantasy Flight Games acquired its rights with others old GW titles like Warrior Knights, Talisman, Fury of Dracula, etc. but after more than two years the planning for a new edition of Blood Royale was suspended for unknown problems which are probably related to the difficulty in shortening the game’s extremely long playtime.

Richard A. Edwards and David Nalle reviewed Blood Royale in Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer No. 82.[1] Edwards commented that "Those gamers who are looking for a medieval wargame should pass wife of this one. those who are looking for a short multi-player game should also pass this bye. But those gamers who are looking for a good diplomatic game with a medieval setting that combines the aspects mentioned above will not be disappointed with Blood Royale, even at its high price."[1] Nalle commented that "On the whole, Blood Royale is an impressive game. It avoids the unnecessary complications which drag down Warrior Knights. It recreates some aspects of the High Middle Ages with impressive ease and simplicity. Blood Royale is a fun game, with elements of role-playing and boardgaming strategy. It is the kind of game which will please a broad audience of recreational gamers, especially those who enjoy games like Diplomacy and Kingmaker."[1]

• White Dwarf #91
• Casus Belli #40 (Oct 1987)

• Blood Royale at boardgamegeek
• Interview with Derek Carver