A Blood Bowl article

With the new season of Blood Bowl upon us at the club, I found myself with a small dilemma – what team am I going to field this time? Having scored moderate success in previous competition with my Beastman team, the Bloody Wasters. While bludgeoning opposing players until they can no longer oppose you is hugely enjoyable, this time I wanted a team that could achieve something more than simply smashing opposing players’ skulls open. Being a long time Empire general, I opted for a human team. This is their story.

For those who’ve never played or even heard of the game, this is how it works : Blood Bowl is a combination of American Football, Rugby and beating the living hell out of the opposition. Each player field a team of up to sixteen players, with a maximum of eleven on the field at any one time. Their objective of Blood Bowl is to get a small, oval shaped inflated pig’s bladder (sometimes referred to as “the football”) into the opposing team’s end zone, scoring a touchdown. This can be achieved by running the ball into the end zone, catching the ball while in the end zone, or picking up the ball while it is in the end zone. The team with the most touchdowns at the end of the game wins. A game of two halves, each half consists of eight turns for each player. If the game is drawn at full-time, one of two things will happen. In league or friendly play, the game is considered a draw. In knockout tournaments, overtime is played, with the first team to score declared the winners.

Given the limited number of players who will see the ball each turn, many others will be involved in trying to knock players over in order to create space for runners, prevent defenders from threatening valuable or ball carrying players, or simply trying to put the opposing side’s players out of commission. Attacking an opposing player is called throwing a block, or simply blocking. Certain teams are better at the blocking, running, attritional side of play. These teams tend to be strong and well armoured, but not very agile or skilled. Throwing a block can result in knocking an opponent to the ground and injuring them, simply pushing them backward, or even the blocker tumbling to the earth himself as a result of a well-placed counter block or sidestep. Players who are knocked to the ground, whether as a result of being blocked, failing to dodge away from the opposition, tripping when making an attempt to move faster than normal, or for any other reason, may get hurt. This is where armour comes into play, a check is made against the player’s Armour Value and if failed, the player may be stunned, knocked out or even seriously injured. In league play, seriously injured players must roll on the injury chart. (In non-league games, all that is important is that they will miss the rest of the game). Injuries range from minor injuries (dead leg, gashed arm etc.) which keeps them out of the rest of the game, more serious injuries (cracked ribs, groin strain) which makes them miss the next game, to serious injuries which reduce stats, and even death.

Games of Blood Bowl are fast, often bloody and very enjoyable. Cheer the successes of your players, boo that referee who missed the blatant foul on your star Catcher, and be prepared to laugh when the opposing team’s Minotaur successfully intercepts your pass. If you can laugh at your own player’s failings, it can make for a very enjoyable hour or more.

The sound of tearing fabric could be heard throughout the training facility at the Tornado Stadium. To his left, Coach Hans Jaeger of the Talabheim Tornado could see a leg and a head protruding from beneath the pile of wool and leather, which had, moments before, been a crash tackle bag and Lineman Anders Mannheim. Team Captain Kurt Hauptmann stood nearby, his expression torn between amusement and concern. Catching the eye of his coach, Hauptmann smiled briefly and said “I think Thog’s going to work out just fine”.

Humans are fortunate in that they will always have an advantage over any opponent they will face. While not quite as agile as Wood Elves, as quick as Skaven, as tough as Dwarfs or as hard-hitting as Chaos, Humans have something else they are better at. Humans are not the best at anything, but they are good at everything.

When starting off with a new team, there are many important decisions to be made with regard to selection. 1,000,000 crowns may seem like a lot at first, but does not last long. Two different Human coaches will possibly pick very different teams. There are five different options available to human coaches. These are Blitzers, Throwers, Catchers, Linemen and Ogres.

These players will develop in different ways, so that over time you can have two very different Blitzer players with different skill sets. Below each player I have highlighted skills which I feel will benefit different players. The first list is the skills from the categories the player has access to, while “On a Double” refers to skills which the player can’t normally learn, and are therefore only available to him when the player is lucky enough to get a double on his advancement roll.

Instead of skills, sometimes a player will gain the option to take a characteristic advance. Blitzers and Catchers will benefit from extra Movement (MA), while Linemen, Throwers and Ogres may be best off taking a skill, particularly on a double. An extra point of Strength will be appreciated by all players, as will an extra point of Armour. An agility advance can be useful for Throwers, Blitzers and especially Catchers, however Linemen and Ogres again may prefer the skill. It is mostly down to the preference of the coach.

Blitzers are the mainstays of the Human team, and for this reason I would advise any Human coach to recruit the maximum of four. Blitzers come with a very useful MV of 7, allowing them to score in two turns without having to ‘Go For It’. They are also the only Human players to start with one of the best skills in the game, Block. Block gives you protection from the “Both Down” result on the Block dice, which makes it more likely that the Blitzer will remain standing. This is vitally important when the Blitzer is carrying the ball, as he will not lose possession of the football. Blitzers can be used as runners, blockers and even reasonable throwers and catchers. Since they will be causing casualties and scoring touchdowns, they will skill up rather quickly.

Good Skills for Blitzers : Dauntless, Strip Ball, Guard, Mighty Blow, Stand Firm, Tackle.

On a Double : Dodge, Side Step.

Throwers are highly useful players, they have Lineman stats, but come with two very useful skills, Pass and Sure Hands. Pass allows the thrower to re-roll failed passes (Excelling at this skill is what makes him a Thrower after all), while Sure Hands allows him to re-roll failed attempts to pick up the ball (Making the Thrower an excellent choice to recover scattering footballs). These skills are often used in combination when a quick touchdown is required. On the defence, Throwers have the same stats as Linemen, meaning they can be used to block the progress of a cage, make a last gasp Blitz attempt on a ball carrier who has broken through, or simply put tackle zones on opposing catchers. Hopefully, they can obtain skills quite quickly, with all the completed passes you would expect them to make. I would suggest that all human teams start with a Thrower on the roster, maybe even two. (Which is the maximum allowed)

Good Skills for Throwers : Accurate, Leader, Nerves of Steel, Hail Mary Pass, Kick-Off Return, Block.

On a Double : Strong Arm, Dodge.

Catchers are the players that cause huge debate amongst Human coaches. While some coaches consider them a luxury, others believe they are essential to any successful human team. At first glance, Catchers seem highly fragile, with a pitiful ST of 2 and one point lower AV than the rest of the roster, these guys are sure to take a pasting from opposing players. If this was the case, why bother? It is their skills that make these players worthwhile. With a MV of 8, they can start the drive three squares inside the Human half and still reach the end zone in two turns. Catchers must also avoid being hit at all costs by opposing players. Seeing as most coaches are less than obliging when it comes to leaving space for a speedy player to exploit, Catchers need to make use of their Dodge skill. The vital re-roll granted by this skill allows a Catcher to run through narrow gaps. This helps with getting into position to receive the all-important touchdown pass. (Which is also where the handy Catch skill comes into play). It is important to never use a Catcher as a ball carrier. If a Catcher has possession of the football, he should be in reach of the end zone. A Catcher who is holding the football in the opposing team’s turn is very likely to lose it.

So, should a coach include Catchers or not? Those who consider Catchers a luxury will purchase Catchers only after several matches, because they will have other players available to protect the Catchers. I, on the other hand, like to include Catchers in my team, but I would start with two. This keeps the opposing coach guessing as to where the passing play will occur. While an experienced Human team should have four Catchers in their squad, no more than two should appear on the pitch at any one time, unless no other options remain, as Catchers are limited in what they will achieve on Defence.

Good Skills for Catchers : Block, Pass Block, Sure Feet, Sprint, Diving Catch, Side Step.

On a Double : Nerves of Steel.

The humble Lineman. Cheap, unskilled and mediocre. The journeyman pro of your team, looking at the team roster, this player comes with only one thing to recommend him. He’s cheap. Linemen are those players who do the unglamourous work, exerting tackle zones, providing fodder for the cage plays, or lining up opposite the opposing side’s hungry Minotaur.

Linemen tend to do the donkey work on a team, and are therefore unlikely to skill up very quickly. Many of them will spend time in the reserves box, only coming into play when other, more skillful, players are injured. They will likely not be throwing passes, scoring or attempting interceptions, as other players are much better at this than Linemen. They will only score SPP when causeing the occasional casualty, or being named MVP. (To all non-Blood Bowlers out there, this is based on a random dice roll, not what a player has achieved. It is possible for the player named MVP to have been hurt badly on Down One, or spent the entire game as a reserve.) A few of the more obscure skills can be given to Linemen, such as Kick.

Good Skills for Linemen : Block, Tackle, Kick, Dauntless, Dirty Player.

On a Double : Guard, Mighty Blow.

Last, but not least, the Big Guy. The Ogre. Large, powerful, but a little bit on the wrong side of intelligent. Ogres start with a vast array of abilities (and not all beneficial), and a lot of brute force. Most opposing players will not want to be anywhere near an Ogre, so use this to your advantage. In nearly all circumstances, you want this guy making blocks, and he will quite often be the recipient of the turn’s Blitz action, if there are no nearby victims.

Ogres are a bit thick and not used to taking directions, so can be a little unreliable, as evidenced by their Loner and Bone Head skills. Unfortunately for us Humans, Throw Team Mate is also wasted, as Humans have no players with Right Stuff for him to throw. However, his Thick Skull will prevent half the KO’d results on the Injury roll, and Mighty Blow will allow him to start racking up the casualties.

The thing to watch for with other team’s Big Guys is the likelihood they will try to neutralise your Big Guy with theirs. Don’t leave him unsupported!

While the Ogre is an excellent hitter, there are many things he can’t do. Don’t expect him to pick up a ball, make a Dodge or get anywhere in a hurry.

Good Skills for Ogres : Guard, Juggernaut, Multiple Block.

On a Double : Block, Frenzy, Strip Ball, Jump Up.

Did you know?

The Talabheim Tornado squad number, one, is reserved specifically for Ogre players. If no Ogre is present, the jersey is vacant, and this has always been the case since the Jorgensen/Tharg incident in the 2491 season. Then coach, Andrej Jorgensen, was fond of complicated plays and used players’ jersey numbers rather than names. Tharg, then the Talabheim Ogre Blocker, was number 14, which was a problem as he couldn’t remember numbers past three. After several rather uninspiring training sessions, Coach Jorgensen lost his patience with Tharg. Repeatedly bellowing “fourteen” during his rant, Tharg became peckish and quickly snacked on Jorgensen’s left arm. Since that day, no coach has confused Tharg by giving him any shirt other than number one. This tradition has lasted despite Tharg’s retirement after fifteen seasons and one hundred and eleven serious injuries in 2504.

Selecting a squad :

After careful consideration, I’ve chosen the following squad for the league season –

4 Blitzers (360,000)

2 Throwers (140,000)

2 Catchers (140,000)

4 Linemen (200,000)

3 Re-Rolls (150,000)

1 Fan Factor ( 10,000) (Total Fan Factor 6)

Total 1,000,000

The fan factor of 6 consists of the one purchased plus the bonus five given free to all teams in the league (League Special Rules). This should result in a decent chance of achieving a FAME modifier in game.

You will have noticed the lack of an Ogre in the list. I had been toying with the idea for a while, but decided against it at first, as I would not have had sufficient gold for other purposes.

I wanted 3 re-rolls starting out, as they cost double to purchase during the league itself.

Further purchases will include an Apothecary, an Ogre, filling out my four Catcher slots and then who knows from there? Hopefully I’ll avoid casualties and not need to recruit replacements, which will eat into my vital cash flows.

Next issue I hope to report success from the field, and chart the development of the Talabheim Tornado, until next time.