An insight into the making of Blasphemous: The Board Game

I spoke to Andrea Colletti, Creative Director of Ludus Magnus Studio and his colleague Diego Fonseca who is a game designer. Ludus Magnus Studio is named after the ancient arena where the gladiators trained and as you may realise, the studio is also located in Italy and more specifically Rome. At Ludus Magnus Studio, they focus on delivering experiences that combine strong storytelling, strategic game mechanics and high-quality components. Both Andrea and Diego explain that their interest in board games was sparked by character games from Games Workshop, for example.

Diego:
I grew up playing role-playing and strategy games, spending my days playing Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and HeroQuest, while holding on to my passion for Games Workshop titles like Necromunda and the legendary Blood Bowl. Combining my love for board games with my interest in video games, I opened my eyes to game development and started experimenting and creating my first prototypes.

Andrea:
I worked for five years for Games Workshop as a sales representative in northern Italy, which helped me build a valuable network. The dream of creating my own game came later, at about the age of 35.

How did you get the idea to make a Blasphemous board game?
Andrea:
We had actually been looking for a licence that would suit our style for a long time, but when it came to Blasphemous it happened almost by chance. We were approached by the team at The Game Kitchen to explore the possibility of bringing Black Rose Wars into their All on Board VR board game platform. We simply saw our chance and proposed the idea of creating a Blasphemous board game. As we quickly felt a strong connection and synergy, the process became surprisingly smooth. We were lucky.

Diego:
During the period when the company was looking for video game licences, I suggested several titles that I myself was passionate about and where I already had ideas about how the mechanics could be transferred to board games - for example Hades, Darkest Dungeon and Blasphemous. The fact that we got the licence for Blasphemous came as a bolt from the blue. When we got the news, I'd already played the game three times and was completely engrossed in it. Turning it into a board game has been an amazing experience - a dream come true.

A Hades board game Diego - that sounds fantastic. Is that something you have in the works?
Diego:
Unfortunately not for Hades - the rights have already gone to another company. But we are definitely interested in developing new board games based on video game licences. There is already something in the pipeline, but we can't talk about it yet...

How long have you been working on this project?
Diego:
The development of Blasphemous took a long time, including meetings with The Game Kitchen to refine the concept. The game went through at least three iterations before it took its final shape. A project of this scale requires at least 12 months of work before the product is ready for production.

Do you want to make the board game faithful to the original or create something new in the Blasphemous universe?
Andrea:
The board game cannot be a direct adaptation of the video game for several reasons. One of the biggest differences is that Blasphemous is an entirely solo experience, whereas the board game needed a system for up to four players. Another thing we couldn't fully replicate is the high death rate - dying every two minutes is part of the challenge in the video game, but in a board game it would quickly become frustrating.

Diego:
Translating the video game experience into a board game was an exciting challenge. One of the first difficulties was adapting a solo adventure to a system where four Penitents share the same world. The collaboration with The Game Kitchen helped us find solutions to integrate multiple players, but the real challenge came next: maintaining a competitive gameplay experience without violating the game's lore, where Penitents share a fraternal community and a common penance.

What emotions do you want the players of the board game Blasphemous to feel?
Andrea:
I think the 'frenetic' action of the video game is the key element that we wanted to carry over to the board game, while maintaining a strong narrative component. The combat system is designed so that a single dice roll covers both attack and defence, eliminating waiting time and keeping the pace engaging - a mechanic I find particularly interesting. As for the story, it is always presented in short segments to avoid losing the attention of players who might be less invested in the story. This way, the game keeps its pace without losing its atmospheric depth.

Diego:
Players need to feel the weight of an oppressive and unrelenting world, just like in the video game. At the same time, they must immediately understand that they have the tools to face and overcome the challenges set before them, even when they seem insurmountable. Death, personal sacrifice and even helping a rival are deeply rooted themes in the Blasphemous experience, and those who have played the game will recognise them in our board game version.

You work closely with video game developers The Game Kitchen to make sure they like what you do. Does this also mean that you involve the fans of the game, or is everything based solely on the developers' reactions?
Andrea:
The game is already well adapted for solo play. There are small narrative texts to read that enhance the experience, much like in a gamebook. In addition, the ability to occasionally ask for help during battles is an important mechanic - if handled well, it can help players overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. There is also a good balance between the absence of other Penitents, who in multiplayer help clear the map of enemies, and the almost certain possibility of completing quests that provide powerful upgrades without competition from other players. This creates a solo experience that feels both challenging and rewarding.

Your game contains a lot of incredible-looking miniatures - is that something you consider an important part of a good board game?
Andrea:
After more than a decade as a publisher, I can say that thumbnails aren't always necessary, and in some cases they can even be redundant. But for the types of games we create - story-driven experiences where we strive for deep immersion - thumbnails are invaluable. They enhance storytelling and help players connect more strongly with the world we are building.

Diego:
I wouldn't say that miniatures are 'necessary' for a good board game, but I definitely think they are important, at least for the immersion. Our games, like the ones I personally enjoy playing, are heavily focused on theme and story. In that kind of experience, it's crucial to fully immerse yourself in the game world and its characters, and miniatures are a great tool to spark players' imaginations and transport them to a vibrant and dynamic world.

The video game graphics are pixel-based and have a rather unique style. Is this something you bring to the board game?
Andrea:
At first, there was definitely the temptation to incorporate the pixel art style into the board game. As an art director, it would have been an exciting challenge to explore how the unique aesthetic could be implemented into the game's elements. However, after discussions with The Game Kitchen team, we agreed that a more painterly and evocative art style - similar to the one we developed for our previous projects - would provide a stronger visual impact. I can reveal a little behind-the-scenes detail; we ended up redesigning almost all of the game's concepts, especially the characters, with references from their art books. In many cases, it was quite difficult to interpret specific details from the pixel art graphics, so we had to rely on original art from the studio that was not used in the final game. This led to the creation of concepts that are slightly different from what players see in video games, but which provide a fresh perspective while remaining true to the soul of Blasphemous.

What are you most proud of about Blasphemous and what would you say sets it apart from other board games?
Diego:
Personally, I loved developing the core mechanics of the game and streamlining the turn structure with simple but well-defined actions, which nevertheless open up countless possibilities thanks to well-thought-out rules. It was precisely because of these finely honed mechanics that I was able to design the highly varied Pilgrimages (scenarios), which make each game feel unique.

Andrea:
I think the most unique thing about Blasphemous is its combat system. With a single roll of the dice, you can determine attacks, parries, and weaknesses, making each encounter quick and smooth. In many adventure and exploration games, a lot of time is spent deciding where to move, reading texts and completing quests. In addition, if you have long combat phases, game rounds can easily last 4-5 hours, which in my opinion can discourage some people from picking up the game on the table.

Congratulations on the very successful crowdfunding campaign. Did you expect the campaign to be as successful as it was?
Andrea:
Thank you so much for the kind words! We are incredibly happy that the campaign has reached such an amazing milestone. Blasphemous: The Board Game is now our most successful project to date in terms of crowdfunding, and we couldn't be prouder of the work we've done.
Did we expect this level of success? Our goal was to reach at least €100,000, so surpassing that by almost 100% was an amazing surprise. These 21 days of the campaign have been an incredible journey, only made better by an amazing and engaged community.

While we're on the subject of crowdfunding, how do you see the division between base games and expansions?
Andrea:
Unfortunately, there has been a perception that some projects are deliberately withholding content from the base game to sell it as expansions. But that's not how we work. If you compare the content of one of our base games to similar titles not funded through crowdfunding, like Descent, you'll see that we offer a comparable - if not greater - amount of content at a similar or lower price. Crowdfunding allows us to reduce costs, such as distribution fees, at least during the initial launch phase.

Diego:
When designing a game, my main goal is always to create a complete and well-rounded experience in the base game. Expansions and crowdfunding rewards should be just that - additions that introduce more depth or variety, without feeling like they were missing from the start.

When is the game expected to be available in shops?
Andrea:
Good question. Honestly, I'm not sure if the game will even be released in retail. Due to the large number of components and their high quality, the price will be high. This makes it uncertain whether publishers would be willing to take such a big risk.

They inform me that after the campaign ends, a so-called 'late pledge' will be activated, which means that even after it ends, you will be able to chip in money to be able to get the game home once it is ready for production and to be shipped out to customers. I am extremely grateful that the guys at Ludus Magnus Studio took the time to talk to us and give us such a great insight into the work on the game - which also looks extremely promising. This whole discussion took place during the very intense work in the final stages of the campaign.

Link to Blasphemous: The Board Game on Gamefound