I have no association with this beyond having played a pre-production version of the rules and enjoyed it so much that I've backed the Kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bloodonthesands/arena?ref=cpwnid

With 27 days to go it's already fully funded.

It is aimed at historical match ups between historical gladiator types so is two player, as historical matches were.

It is possible to play multiplayer with additional sets and "club" options are available in the Kickstarter.

The rules include running a series of games, with each player having a stable of gladiators, so you are potentially lanista as well as gladiator.

I've played solo and I think the dice mechanism gives enough randomness to make it possible.

There's a "How to Play" video on YouTube for those interested

Gladiators.....Looks very interesting Mike. If you like the system then you should literally give it the thumbs up and back it 

I've had mixed results myself with the very few kickstarter games I've backed. Two of them have delivered within their estimated delivery periods and are exactly as advertised. I'm very happy with them.

The third is finally in prototype production but is over 2 years late and with the current international trade issues who knows when furfilment will occur. The latest estimate is April 2025, but the goalposts have shifted a few times already I'm still confident that it will get over the finish line but its been a very frustrating experience and I am not enticed to back further kickstarters myself until I actually receive what I have signed up for.     

I backed it within minutes of it going live.

You know me Peter, See it! Want It! Buy it!

My experience with Kickstarters and the like is also mixed. Never had one fail to deliver (so far!) but one took five years more than originally planned and most took longer than expected.

My view is that I should never pledge more money than I could afford to lose, that I should expect the KS to take at least 10% longer to deliver than planned and that without Kickstarters many products would never see the light of day.

I'm wary of Gladiator 1 on 1s. How is this not just rolling dice? (not being funny - what makes this one a good game?)

You roll 6 dice at the start of the turn, less any lost due to wounds or demoralisation.

Different gladiators have different dice swap options, though you can always trade any two dice for a different type. So dice management is important.

Dice faces are basically Move, Attack, Special Attack, Defend, Recover and Wild.

Different gladiators have different options on Special Attack and also on perks.

If you play the campaign game then deciding which gladiator to put into the arena becomes important.

The wild die not only counts as any other face but lets you bring dice lost temporarily back into play, lets you taunt your opponent or lets you show off to the crowd.

Assuming your gladiator isn't actually slain then crowd favour can be important in deciding if he lives to fight another day or bares his neck to the opposing gladiator for the quietus.

The Youtube video does a pretty good job of showing off the essentials, though the need to explain as they go along does make it a bit ponderous.