Blood Wars (card game)

Blood Wars is an out-of-print collectible card game produced by TSR, based on the Planescape campaign setting from Dungeons & Dragons.[1]

Blood Wars
Artwork that appeared on the back of each card
DesignersSteven Schend
PublishersTSR, Inc.
Players2-8
Playing timeapprox 90 min.
ChanceSome
Age range12+
SkillsCard playing
Arithmetic
Basic Reading Ability

Publication history

The game was released in March 1995 as part of TSR's 20th anniversary.[2] The original release contained 334 cards in the set, sold in 15-card booster packs and two 50-card dual decks.[3]: 4  Card art was designed by various artists, including Tony DiTerlizzi, Newt Ewell, Henry Higgenbotham, Paul Jaquays, Dana Knutson, Rob Lazzaretti, Robin Raab, Robh Ruppel, and Dave Sutherland.[4]

A series of expansion sets called escalation packs were scheduled for publication.

Set[3]: 4 [5]: 19 Release dateCards in setPackagingNotes
Factols & FactionsJune 1995134[6]: 15 15-card booster packs[6]: 15 
Powers & ProxiesAugust 1995125[7]15-card booster packs[7]
Insurgents of the Inner PlaneMarch 1996This set was not released.
Weapons & Warmongers1996This set was cancelled.
Hand of Fate1996This set was cancelled.

Insurgents of the Inner Planes never materialized and was halted at the printer in February 1996.[8]: 8 

The player guide Warlord's Tactical Manual was published in January 1996.[5]: 19 

Gameplay

Players use cards representing Warlords and Legions for combat to claim Battlefield cards.

Reception

The game was said to play "pretty well as a multi-player game, and it's much better than TSR's Spellfire" according to Allen Varney of The Duelist.[9]

Reviews

Legacy

Blood Wars was notable for the aggressive stance TSR took against fan websites displaying artwork from the game. The result was to suppress popularity of the game while it was still being published. This was in contrast to Wizards of the Coast, which allowed fair use reproduction of Magic: The Gathering copyrighted images online. The collectability of its chase cards was also notable across CCGs, especially "The Lady of Pain."

The card game is not associated with the Blood Wars Polish online MMORPG, which is not based on Planescape.

References
  1. Miller, John Jackson (2003), Scrye Collectible Card Game Checklist & Price Guide, Second Edition, pp. 99–102.
  2. "The History of TSR". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2005-08-20.
  3. "Product news". InQuest. Wizard Entertainment. 1995. pp. 4–8.
  4. "Blood Wars checklist". Scrye. No. 6. April–May 1995. p. 64.
  5. Varney, Allen (February 1996). "Reports on trading card games". The Duelist. Vol. 3, no. 1. pp. 19–21.
  6. "On the shelves". InQuest. No. 2. Wizard Entertainment. June 1995. pp. 13–16.
  7. Hannes, Jeff (November 1995). "Expansions Game Reviews: Powers & Proxies". InQuest. No. 7. Wizard Entertainment. p. 50.
  8. Varney, Allen (May 1996). "Reports on Trading Card Games". The Duelist. No. 10. p. 8.
  9. Varney, Allen (February 1997). "Inside the Industry". The Duelist. No. 15. p. 83.
  10. "The Duelist #5". 1995.

Further reading


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