Blood Sword News

Hey adventurers,

Big news — Blood Sword has been officially selected to take part in the Turn-Based Thursday Festival 2025, running June 2nd to June 9th! And that’s not all — the fest has been given front-page visibility on Steam as part of a curated spotlight for the event. That kind of opportunity is rare for an upcoming indie RPG like this, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to see Blood Sword standing among the best of the genre like Baldur's Gate 3, Wildermyth and many, many more.

If you're discovering the game for the first time:

Blood Sword is a party-based, story-rich tactical RPG set in a brutal fantasy world of duels, dark gods, ancient tournaments, and branching destiny. Based on the legendary gamebook series by Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson, it’s a faithful but modern reimagining — built for both returning fans and new explorers.

✨ Wishlisting now means everything.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3645170/Blood_Sword/

This week-long event celebrates the full spectrum of turn-based gaming: from classic tactical combat to experimental deckbuilders, chill sims to intricate 4X strategy. The festival will feature hundreds of titles, all built on smart choices, careful planning, and the kind of gameplay that rewards thinking over twitch reflexes.

[h2]For Blood Sword, it’s the perfect fit.[/h2]

• Tense, turn-based battles.
  
• Persistent characters with unique class paths.
  
• A branching story where every encounter matters.
  
• And a game world built on deliberate choices and irreversible consequences.
  

[h2]What’s in the Festival?[/h2]

• Featured on Steam's front page throughout the week
  
• A massive turn-based sale (check out sibling title Fabled Lands while you're at it!)
  
• Over 400 curated games across every subgenre
  
• Twitch & YouTube showcases from top creators
  
• Daily giveaways and Discord discussions in the Turn-Based Games community
  

Why Now?
I'm still early in Blood Sword’s development — with lots more to share this summer — but events like this help make the difference. Every wishlist is a signal to Steam, a potential future player, and a boost to visibility that small indie games like mine rely on.


🐺 Join the official Discord
📺 Follow the festival here
⚔ Wishlist Blood Sword

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3645170/Blood_Sword/

Thanks again for your continued support. The gates of the Palace of Eternal Dusk will open soon...

– Victor

In the north, along the savage coasts of Mercania and Thuland, magic is primal and raw. The shamans and rune-mages there call themselves Elementalists, harnessing fire, wind, water, and darkness through sheer force of will. They are respected - or feared - as tricksters, spirit-binders, and storm-callers. Those who dare to wield darkness are reviled, cursed with spiritual penalties known as geases for walking forbidden paths.

But not all magicians are wild sorcerers of the north. Across the civilized lands of Legend, magic is studied, codified, and bound into parchment. These magicians are Sorcerers - learned, methodical, and always left-handed by tradition. They master scrollcraft, alchemy, enchanted items, and attuned wands. A seasoned Sorcerer may enter battle with a belt of potions, a book of spells, and a wand humming with latent power.



[h2]Skill Trees and New Design Philosophy[/h2]

In Blood Sword, these two magical lineages converge. A major departure from the books, the Enchanter now evolves through the skill tree - choosing whether to follow the raw, instinctive path of the Elementalist or the structured arcana of the Sorcerer.

Rather than locking story interactions behind class choice, spells and special options now depend on what you’ve actually invested in. Acquire the right passives, and you might call lightning, brew healing draughts, or inscribe your own scrolls.

To balance this, you’ll find synergy nodes woven into the combat trees - opening up powerful interactions between your spellcasting and martial abilities. Your Enchanter is not just a caster, but a customizable arcane archetype.



Here’s a glimpse of the Arcane Mastery tree:

Mystic Focus – Raise your Psychic Ability

Arcane Precision – Improve spellcasting reliability

Stormcaller’s Will – Extend and electrify lightning spells

Infernal Pyromancy – Amplify fire spells and ignite enemies

Arcane Supremacy – Cast with unmatched precision - or even auto-succeed

Your magic doesn’t just grow stronger - it adapts to your decisions, shaping itself around your tactics and party synergy.

[h2]Why am I splitting or mixing the Enchanter like this?[/h2]

This is not exactly mixing or splitting, more like layering. I'm taking the Enchanter from the books and building specialization paths on top of it - like the Elementalist and Sorcerer traditions from Dragon Warriors RPG (from the same duo behind the Blood Sword gamebook series. Both are set in the same dark medieval world of Legend). You won't be able to max out everything, so you'll have to choose where to focus. Some spells (like Summon Faltyn or Prediction) are now tied to skill tree passives instead of just your class, and story checks look for specific abilities rather than just "Are you an Enchanter?" It’s a shift, but one that gives more agency and lets players build the kind of caster they imagine.

[h2]What’s Next?[/h2]

More class reveals are coming - the Warrior, the Sage, and the Trickster each bring their own philosophy to the battlefield.

Wishlist the game now to follow the journey!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3645170/Blood_Sword/

Blood Sword has only just been announced, and already it has passed 1026 wishlists in our first week.

To put that into perspective: when I launched Fabled Lands, it had 430 wishlists in the same amount of time.

I'm floored.

Whether you're here as a long-time fan of the books, a tactical RPG enjoyer, or just someone curious about a gritty new fantasy world - thank you. This early support means everything. It gives the project momentum, and more importantly, the energy it needs to reach its full potential.

[h2]A Long Road Ahead[/h2]

Blood Sword is still relatively early in development. It's a big project, and one that I'm taking very seriously. But it's also a passion project. One that I've been quietly building toward for years.

In the weeks ahead, I'll start sharing a mini dev-log series, giving you a peek behind the curtain:

• How I'm adapting narrative gamebook structure to a digital RPG
  
• What's new in the design (including full skill trees for each class)
  
• Combat systems and engine choice
  
• Visual development and UI design
  

These posts won't be massive info dumps - just regular, honest looks at how the game is evolving and what I'm working on each month.

[h2]Memory from the Mahala[/h2]

I still remember hauling the gamebooks down to the neighborhood gazebo and gathering with my friends for what was unknowingly our first ever roleplaying session. Everyone picked a hero, while I took the role of narrator (and monster master, of course). We were five kids, the books were written for four players - so we got creative.

One of my favorite memories? Our Enchanter trying to land Nemesis Bolt over and over again. Every round he’d roll... and fail. But when he finally pulled it off, hitting with those 7d6+7 damage - we all screamed with joy like we’d just beaten the final boss.

Moments like that are why I’m making this game.

[h2]Stay on the Path[/h2]

I don't know how long the road will be, but I know it's the one I want to walk. If you're still reading this, chances are you're someone who feels the same way.

And that makes all the difference.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3645170/Blood_Sword/