Soulspryte Studios Bust Onto Kickstarter With Bloodstone Frontier
April 28, 2016 by brennon
Soulspryte Studios are on Kickstarter right now looking for funding for their 'Pioneer-punk' Wild West game called Bloodstone Frontier...
The game features some nice models and a rather interesting mechanic for gameplay as you'll see below.
Gameplay
Bloodstone is run off a deck of cards. However, unlike in Malifaux where the cards are used for just the tests in the game the cards here also work as your measurements too. For example here is a regular move...
If you wanted to move more then you'd use a red card which allows you to move twice. Shooting is much the same with cards being use to dictate whether or not you can hit an opponent.
You will then use more cards from your deck to decide if your shot was successful or not. It creates an interesting balancing and choice mechanic within the game it seems where you have to work out whether or not you want to use your cards for actual 'play' or to get around the tabletop.
Pretty nifty right?
The Sheriff's Gang
In terms of models they have painted up the first of their gangs, the Sheriff's Office Gang. Here we have...
...and their faithful hound by the name of Eccho.
All of the miniatures from Soulspryte are resin and appear to be around the 28mm to 32mm mark. I really like what we're seeing here with plenty more of the Wild West about the models compared to Steampunk.
Other Crews
As well as these painted models they have designs ready for two more options on the tabletop in Bloodstone Frontier. The first is the Songbird Saloon.
Here we have some well armed ladies and a bartender who looks like he's listened to far too many problems.
The Ol' Spot Gang have also been drawn up and are there for those of you who like the yokle lifestyle out there on the plains.
I quite like the idea of these big pigs being able to take on the likes of the Songbirds - rampaging through their saloon!
The Scrapyard Magnates are also on their way if they can reach their target.
What do you think of the game from first glance?
"...they have designs ready for two more options on the tabletop in Bloodstone Frontier. The first is the Songbird Saloon"
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Looks like a really interesting game. Gonna look into it some more ^^
Must have those pigs!
Some nice models there. Tempted to get them just to paint…
As for the game… The mechanics sound pretty nifty, but I can’t help but fell that the Wild West Steampunk setting is getting a bit to overcrowded these days. Why add Steampunk when the Wild West setting is rich enough on it’s own?
I think this is just one fringe world in a Firefly style universe, what I could interpret. Which definitely opens the way for some new interesting stuff.
Thanks for the comments, guys – glad you like the look of it!
The Pioneer-Punk style (which errs more towards Dieselpunk than Steampunk (related though they are :))) comes a lot from my love of the genre, but was also the perfect fit for what we wanted achieve in the world and background – the card suits and off-kilter technology, for example.
If you’ve got any questions, either I or the pigs will do our best to answer them!
Makes sense to do something you like yourself. 🙂
All I’m worrying about is just that you’ll end up competing in a game niche that already seems to be full.
Or, to put it in other words… Why would I play your game instead of, for example Wild West Exodus?
I don’t think the two games are particularly comparable, bar the frontier root of some of the aesthetics. Bloodstone Frontier is a small-scale Skirmish games that uses entirely card-based mechanics, rather than any dice or a tape measure.
We’ll be getting our play-through video up soon, so hopefully that will be useful to you, too 🙂
I admit that I’m looking mostly at the aesthetics, given that I don’t know much about the mechanics of either game.
I do admit though, that I hope you don’t end up looking too much like Exodus. As far as I’m concerned, they’ve gone way too far into the ‘punk look. But each to his own, of course…
A play-through video would certainly be nice. 🙂
Does the game also allow for custom characters, and using minis from other companies?
All Characters come with a double-sided Persona Card, but there is pre-planned design space for an amount of customisation in the future. If you want to use mini’s from other companies, we won’t hunt you down ;), we’re happy that you’re playing and enjoying the ruleset.”
Good to know. I have a variety of 28mm western minis that need to be used in as many games as possible.
Backed! I really hope this funds, I love the look of that second crew!! Need to get me that, oh and a custom board. Got to love playing on 2×2!
Thanks!