Saber & Blood – a card and miniature based board game, that we covered few weeks ago, is about to enter the biggest crowdfunding platform on the planet.
Lately, the “tabletop” category on Kickstarter is being dominated by huge projects. Some rely on powerful licenses like Batman, Street Fighter or Pacific Rim. Others belong to long running series like Zombiecide or Kings of War. Many creators begin to use the platform like a regular store, offering finished products and missing the original point of Kickstarter – a place where regular people could create incredible things with the help of others.
A Handmade Project
Saber & Blood seems to be closer to that original idea. A project by 3 passionate guys, handmade from the beginning till the end, without expensive licenses and support of multinational brands.
After few years of casting metal figurines, they have decided to create something bigger and make their own tabletop game. Their passion for history was a huge help. It inspired them to pick the XVIIth century setting and season it with a dash of fantasy. While working on the game they consulted the lore with university professors, so that the atmosphere of XVIIth century Eastern Europe could feel as characteristic and grim as it had originally been.
Making Yourself Stand Out
The project feels authentic and full of heart, which is visible especially in the figurine department. Nowadays miniatures are becoming an inseparable part of board games sold on crowdfunding websites. Many joke, that without few pounds of plastic you can forget about finding buyers for your game.
The situation of Saber & Blood is quite the opposite. Miniatures aren’t made from plastic or resin in some factory few continents away (like most market players do nowadays). Instead they are casted from tin in a foundry owned by the game’s creators. Tin makes them feel more premium, less heavy and really solid.
Saber & Blood miniatures are closer to craftsmanship than mass production. 28 millimeter hero figurines come assembled and glued, so that you don’t have to put them together yourself. This approach is pretty rare, as most producers ship their miniatures in parts – Games Workshop style.
A Certain Dwarven Workshop in Middle Poland
Kazrak, a one eyed dwarf with a scarred face, is a mascot of a place where figurines for the project are born. We’re talking about the Kazrak Miniatures foundry, established by the very authors of Saber & Blood.
The motto of the company says: “dwarven precision and craftsmanship”. The place has already been operating for over five years and plenty of tabletop games (including some Kickstarter titles) use their figurines. Their miniatures have been a part of historical wargames and a series of metal collectibles. They even worked on medals in a charity oriented X-Wing Miniature Game event held locally.
If you’re curious about how their manufacturing process works, check out this video.
Saber & Blood – Crafted with Heart
While the figurines are being casted, Peter, Lukasz and Mateusz are waiting for their friday debut on Kickstarter. The campaign draft has been updated with new stretch goal details like new factions (Wolf Maidens and Musketeers) and metal wolf miniature replacing a regular token. Authors are preparing some video materials to promote and explain the game. You can watch one of the gameplay sessions right here.
The authentic feel and all heart put into the project made us give it our “Project Crafted with ❤” award. Good luck and… ready your swords!
If you have an idea for authentic, original tabletop game, don’t hesitate to tell us! 🙂
