# Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery

Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery is a board game for 3–4 players. It plays in 120–180 minutes and is meant for ages 17 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 7.1 out of 10 by 78 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $56.96 (United States).

- **Players:** 3–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 120–180 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 17+
- **Complexity:** 2.7 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2012
- **Categories:** Negotiation, Movies / TV / Radio theme, Fighting, Miniatures, Dice, Ancient
- **Mechanics:** Hand Management, Variable Player Powers, Auction / Bidding, Betting and Bluffing, Movement Points, Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, Bribery, Trading, Sudden Death Ending
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.1 out of 10, from 78 reviews
- **Owned by:** 118 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 202
- **Unique players:** 319

**Designers:** Sean Sweigart, Aaron Dill, John Kovaleski

**Artists:** Starz Entertainment, Darko Stojanovic

**Publishers:** Gale Force Nine, LLC

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zatu Games | 33.95 £ | https://zatu.com/products/spartacus-a-game-of-blood-and-treachery-2021 |
| World of Board Games | 499 kr | https://www.worldofboardgames.com/spartacus_a_game_of_blood_och_treachery |
| Games Empire | 71.99 $ | https://gamesempire.com.au/products/spartacusagameofbloodtreachery |
| Fantasiapelit | 50 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_204709 |

## Expansions

- [Spartacus: The Serpents and the Wolf Expansion Set](https://www.ludoya.com/games/spartacus-the-serpents-and-the-wolf-expansion-set)
- [Spartacus: The Shadow of Death Expansion Set](https://www.ludoya.com/games/spartacus-the-shadow-of-death)
- [Spartacus: Acerbitas Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/spartacus-acerbitas-promo-card)
- [Spartacus: Hadrianus Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/spartacus-hadrianus-promo-card)
- [Spartacus: Champions of House Batiatus Card Set](https://www.ludoya.com/games/spartacus-champions-of-house-batiatus-card-set)
- [Spartacus: Zephyros Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/spartacus-zephyros-promo-card)
- [Spartacus: Dolor Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/spartacus-dolor-promo-card)
- [Spartacus: Magnetius Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/spartacus-magnetius-promo-card)
- [Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery – House Calavius](https://www.ludoya.com/games/spartacus-a-game-of-blood-and-treachery-house-calavius)
- [Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery – Arena Legends](https://www.ludoya.com/games/spartacus-a-game-of-blood-and-treachery-arena-legends)

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## Rules questions

### Are my gladiator's dice both their stats and their health — how do wounds remove dice?

Yes. Each Attribute's dice pools are both the Combatant's stats and its total health (total dice = health); when you take Wounds you must surrender that many dice from any pools, reducing future rolls, and losing dice down to zero triggers defeat levels (Yield/Injury/Decapitation). (see p.15–17)

### How do opposed attack rolls work — what's a "Dice String" and what about unopposed dice?

Attacker and defender roll their current ATK/DEF dice, sort each set highest-to-lowest into Dice Strings and compare pairwise — a Wound occurs when the attacker's die is greater than the defender's and ties go to the defender; any unopposed attack dice cause a Wound on a roll of 3 or more. (see p.16)

### How is Initiative decided each combat round and what if it's tied?

Each round both players roll all available Speed dice and total them; the higher total wins Initiative and chooses to go first or second that round, and any tie is re-rolled. (see p.15)

### Can I choose which dice to lose when wounded, and what is the "Rule of One"?

Yes — when surrendering dice for Wounds you may choose dice from any Attribute pools, but the Rule of One prevents reducing any pool below one die until all pools are at one; reducing a pool to zero ends the match and causes defeat. (see p.16–17)

### When can I trade or sell Gladiators, Equipment or Guards to other players — Intrigue or Market?

Only during the Market phase's Open Market may Gladiators, Slaves, Equipment and Guards change hands between players; Intrigue Cards may never be traded and Asset Cards may not change hands during the Intrigue Phase. (see p.10; Intrigue restrictions on p.6)

### How do auctions and concealed bidding work, and what happens with ties or failed auctions?

Auctions use concealed bids (place Gold in hand, reveal simultaneously); highest bidder wins, tied highest bidders enter additional concealed rounds adding to their previous bids until one leads, and if everyone bids zero the auction fails and the card is discarded — for Hosting ties in a Failed Auction tied bidders roll dice to determine the Host. (see p.10–11)

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/spartacus-a-game-of-blood-and-treachery)
- [Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/spartacus-a-game-of-blood-and-treachery)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/128671)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._