Difference between revisions of "Blood Bowl"

Blood Bowl is a tabletop fantasy football game, set in the Warhammer world. produced by Games Workshop, introduced in 1986. It was created by Jervis Johnson.^[1] There are several teams available to play, including all manner of elves (wood, high, dark), dwarves, orcs, hobbits (genericized as halflings), men, and ogres, to name a few. The rules have varied over the years, ranging from a close approximation of the parent game's rules to the current sports simulator. Coaches are able to play one-off games, play in tournaments or even set up their own league, under the guidance of the commissioner. In this game, the rules of the game and the rules of the setting are not always in accord; you are allowed to cheat by bribing the ref or hiring wizards to wreak havoc.^[2][3][4]

Blood Bowl is played by two players (described as "coaches" in the rules to distinguish from the pawns). Players, team staff, and other characters are represented as 28mm miniatures. The game takes place on a playing field, called the pitch. Much like in football, the teams attempt to carry the ball over the goal line while on offense while preventing their opponent from doing so on defense. Players have various statistics that represent their playing ability. A player with high agility will be able to move more spaces in one turn, while a strong player will be more likely to successfully perform blocks. Various actions, such as running and using skills (passing, catching, blocking), are available to players in a turn.^[5]

Blood Bowl has gone through several rules, designers, and indeed publishers over the years.

First Edition

The first incarnation of the game hewed closely to the existing Warhammer rules and setting, often bogging the game down in slow placed fights across the pitch. It was released in 1986 and designed by Jervis Johnson. At first, the players were represented by cardboard pawns; however, Citadel Miniatures soon released metal models to represent them. ^[6]

Second Edition

The much improved second version of the game was released in 1988. Jervis Johnson again returned as game designer. It strayed from the core Warhammer combat engine in an effort to make the game faster and more exciting. ^[7] This time, plastic miniatures were included in the box. If the player wished for teams other than human or orc, they must be purchased separately.

Third Edition

Blood Bowl truly came into its own with the hard hitting third edition, released in 1994. ^[8] The game now resembled a sports game rather than a wargame.

Fourth Edition

The fourth edition rules were initially released in the Official Blood Bowl magazine in 2000 and later posted on the Games Workshop website in 2001. Fan reception was mixed to positive. ^[9] Johnson announced the formation of the Blood Bowl Rules Committee, which would be taking over responsibilities for the game's production and distribution, save for the models.

There are many other ways to play Blood Bowl beyond the original tabletop incarnations, such as via the FUMBBL client and the Blood Bowl video games.^[10][11] There are several different sorts of matchmaking formulas, such as black box and ranked.