Stephen Baker, the celebrated designer behind the iconic dungeon-crawler HeroQuest, has returned to the tabletop with a new project. His latest game, Saurozoic Warriors Arena, is a gladiatorial combat board game featuring dinosaur warriors. The project, which marks the first tabletop game from action figure company Boss Fight Studio, launched on Kickstarter.
The game pits players against each other in an arena described as being “perched atop an active volcano”. Gameplay combines tactical card play with a push-your-luck dice mechanic. Players use custom Fight Dice to activate abilities from their chosen gladiator’s 16-card action deck.
A key mechanic involves winning over the crowd; earning ‘Fan Cards’ unlocks more powerful ultimate abilities as players fill the arena seats. The volcanic arena itself is a hazard, with potential eruptions and terrain shifts adding tension to the combat.
The theme is a direct extension of Boss Fight Studio’s existing Saurozoic Warriors action figure line, and the game reflects this with large 54mm miniatures for the dino-gladiators. The Saurozoic Warriors universe is a sci-fi-fantasy world inspired by classic cartoons and toys of the 1980s and ’90s.
For Boss Fight Studio, primarily known for its high-quality, articulated figures and original IPs like Vitruvian H.A.C.K.S., this project represents a significant first step into the tabletop gaming market. The company was founded in 2013 by former Hasbro designers and sculptors.
“We’ve always wanted to expand Saurozoic Warriors beyond the action figure shelf—and this was the perfect opportunity,” said Andrew Franks, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Boss Fight Studio.
Chris Oliveri, Design Director, added:
“Our goal was to create something that matched the bold and dynamic tone as our Saurozoic action figure line. This game lives up to that heritage and expands the story with larger than life characters, dramatic gameplay, and great replay-ability.”
Stephen Baker, whose design credits also include Battle Masters and Space Crusade, explained the design choices in a press release:
“With Saurozoic Warriors Arena, we wanted to give players meaningful choices every turn, whether it’s timing the perfect attack, playing to the crowd, or braving the volcano for a shot at glory. This project challenged me to merge tactical gameplay with a world that’s bursting with personality. Working with Boss Fight made it easy to push creative boundaries.”
The Kickstarter campaign for Saurozoic Warriors Arena is now live. For those who wish to examine the mechanics before pledging, Boss Fight Studio has made the current rulebook available for free via Dropbox.
