Bloody Board Games To Make Your Blood Boil…With Blood!

Blood. It’s in you to give….it’s in you to TAKE! Considering how much of it is around us at all times, it’s kinda strange how crazy some people get when it ends up on the outside of your body. It’s like when someone spits in the air and then catches it in their mouth again. It’s horrid and disgusting but really, it’s just body fluid and we create litres of it a day and just swallow it down the whole time!

The following are board games with the word Blood in the title. It’s a loose theme, I know. It also features some pretty awesome games. Don’t believe me? You DARE assault my honor? I challenge you then to a duel…..to the first BLOOD!!!

Blood Rage

Publisher: Cool Mini or Not
Players: 2-4
Playtime: 60-90 min

What bloody board game list would be complete without some of that good old Viking charm? Yes, those pesky marauders are at it again only; getting all fired up and bashing each others skulls in. Blood Rage sees players take on the role of Viking clan leaders who have basically found out the world is coming to an end. Yes, that’s right folks….we’re talking Ragnarök in a big way!

So, with the world ending and all that, you’ve all got one last chance to bring glory to your clan and ascend to the great halls of Valhalla to sit and feast with Odin. The path to glory can be attained several ways and you’ll need to cleverly devise your strategy to win. Points are awarded for combat, of course (in fact you get points for winning but you can also get points for dying in glorious fashion)…..so very Viking of you.

Combat aside, you’ll have the opportunity to complete quests or partake in some grande, old pillaging. Players draw cards at the beginning of each round (there are three rounds total before the world goes kaboom-boom) and those cards will help you to put together a plan of glory! Cards include everything from clan upgrades to surprise battle events and even some mythical creatures from Norse legend.

Most of these cards are associated with Norse gods, hinting at the kind of strategy they promote. For example, Thor favours epic battles, Heimdall allows you to surprise your opponents as you glimpse the future. Meanwhile, the trickster Loki rewards you for losing battles, or punishes those who win them.

As the action phase unfolds, players must not only choose their strategies carefully during the draft phase but also adapt to their opponent’s strategies. The outcome of battle is determined not only by the strength of the figures involved, but also by the cards played secretly. You can predict your opponent’s play by observing their actions and allegiances to specific gods, and plan accordingly. In the end, only one clan will claim victory as the world burns. No one gets out of Blood Rage alive, and that is exactly how the Vikings like it!

Blood On The Clocktower

Publisher: The Pandemonium Institute
Players: 5-20
Playtime: 30-120 min

It’s not often you see a game that starts with a minimum of 5 people. That’s a party. A party of 5 (at least). Neve Campbell, whey u aaaaatttt?!?! Believe me when I say, “The more the merrier” as Blood on The Clocktower can easily handle up to 20 players at a time. That’s-a-lotta-mouth-breathers!

At it’s core, this is a game of social deduction, deception, critical thinking and devious trickery. Aside from the moderator (the game referee) players are broken into two teams, the good….and the bad. The good team is racing against the bloody clock to figure out who amonst them is in fact, an evil demon. The problem is that the evil players will do everything they can to blend in with the good guys. Meanwhile, in the shadows, the evil players are secretly helping the demon out!

The game is broken into day and night. During the day, players can openly socialize or sneak off for private conversations. This is also when good guys can try to slay the demon by voting to execute a player. At night, players close their eyes in “sleep” and the moderator then “wakes” each player up to get intel, spread misinformation or kill. Obviously, any killing results in even more blood on the clocktower.

Now, being the first one killed in a game like this is always going to suck and there’s no getting around that. Thankfully, the game designers though about this and added some things to keep dead players engaged. Namely, after death, you still get to vote one final time on the fate of another player.

Some other neat elements of this game are things like how every player’s character gets a unique special ability which makes this game high on the replayability meter. There’s also an awesome work around for anyone who shows up late. Travelers allow new players to hop in without waiting for a new game to start. The same mechanic also allows players a way out of the game if they have to dip.

Lastly. Blood on The Clocktower offers three other variations of the game which all have their own flavour and focus on the different aspects of the game. All in all, this is a solid party game that falls into the general theme of games like Mafia, Deception and Werewolf.

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