BLOOD BOWL TEAMS #
This section contains the rosters used to draft a rookie Blood Bowl team of your own for use in league play. It explains the special rules of different types that all teams have, detailing the advantages and disadvantages these bring to a team. Finally, it also briefly explains ‘tiers’, a method used to give an idea of the relative strengths and weaknesses of rookie Blood Bowl teams.
SPECIAL RULES #
Most Blood Bowl teams are, despite appearances, quite straightforward in their behaviour and approach to the great game. Others are not. Be they the reanimated dead, devotees of the Dark Gods or corrupt Greenskins, many teams differ somewhat from the norm.
Special rules to help represent the different nuances of races and teams fall into two categories: the first, ‘Regional’ special rules, are named after famous leagues or competitions, and these are attached to teams that traditionally play in those leagues. Their purpose is to make it easy to determine which Inducements a team can or cannot take, thus simplifying the almost impenetrably complicated rules and regulations of the NAF.
The second category, ‘Team’ special rules, contains more complex rules. These deal with a unique characteristic of the team, something that sets it apart from others. These special rules grant the team certain benefits not enjoyed by other teams.
REGIONAL SPECIAL RULES #
As noted in their description, some Inducements are available only to teams with one of the following special rules. Other Inducements may be available for a reduced rate to teams with one of the following special rules.
All teams have one or more of the following special rules:
BADLANDS BRAWL #
The Badlands Brawl is home to a great many Greenskin and Ogreteams. Unsurprisingly, Blood Bowl in the Badlands is a brutal, violent and extremely dishonest affair, but these are virtues that make it ever popular with the fans!
ELVEN KINGDOMS LEAGUE #
One of the oldest leagues in the known world, the Elven KingdomsLeague prides itself on upholding the traditions of classically-correct Blood Bowl. Many find it dull but, in terms of elegance and expertise, it is second to none.
HALFLING THIMBLE CUP #
Traditionally, Halflings have been associated more closely with the culinary arts than the world of professional sport. In recent years this has changed greatly, and the Thimble Cup has become a main stay on the Blood Bowl calendar.
LUSTRIAN SUPERLEAGUE #
The Lustrian Superleague is the oldest competition in the world, and home to many of the sport’s most ancient teams.For millennia it was closed to all except Lizardmen teams, but in recent years has opened its ranks to welcome other races.
OLD WORLD CLASSIC #
Since the collapse of the NAF, Blood Bowl in the Old World has struggled. But in recent years the sport’s fortunes have improved, largely thanks to the founding of the Old World Classic, a competition that draws together many minor leagues.
SYLVANIAN SPOTLIGHT #
For many decades the Sylvanian Spotlight was the only place most Undead teams could hope to compete. In recent years, the development of sun protection magic has changed this, allowing the athletically inclined Undead to play at anytime, anywhere!
UNDERWORLD CHALLENGE #
A secretive league that, until only recently, many pundits refused to believe even existed! The Underworld Challenge hosts many strange and diverse teams, the likes of which are rarely seen in day light. For a horrifying spectacle, it is second to none!
WORLDS EDGE SUPERLEAGUE #
Played on high peaks under clear skies, the Superleague is the pride of the Dwarfen realm. Games last many hours as rules are carefully checked and checked again, ensuring that the purity of Roze-El’s sacred work is maintained. Interestingly, in Dwarfish’venerable’ and ‘dull’ are spelled the same.
Team Special Rules #
Some teams may have one or more of the following special rules. These detail unique characteristics that set the team apart from others, be it the ability to reanimate the dead or the blessings of a patron Chaos deity.
Some teams may have one or more of the following special rules:
BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION #
Many teams are legendarily unscrupulous. Such teams excel in violence and dirty play. What’s more, they’re not afraid to exert their influence on officials, either by extortion or blackmail, encouraging them to turn a blind eye to even the most illegal of illegal procedures!
It takes a strong-willed referee indeed to risk making an enemy of a team so renowned for reacting.. poorly towards any official that would rebuke its behaviour:
- Once per game, when rolling on the Argue the Call table, you may re-roll a roll of a natural 1.
In addition, a team with this special rule can purchase certain Inducements for a reduced price, as noted in the description of that Inducement.
FAVOURED OF.. #
The followers of the Ruinous Powers are drawn to BloodBowl, paying homage to their dark gods through violence on the pitch. Whilst many teams worship Chaos as a pantheon, many more dedicate their souls entirely to a single patron deity.
Certain Inducements are only available to teams that are ‘Favoured of’ a specific Chaos power, as noted in their description. A team may be noted as being either: Favoured of Chaos Undivided, Favoured of Khorne, Favoured of Nurgle, Favoured of Tzeentch or Favoured of Slaanesh. In some cases, however, you may be able to choose the team’s alignment when the team is first drafted, as in the case of Chaos Renegades.
A team with this special rule cannot change its alignment.
LOW COST LINEMEN #
Some teams field Linemen of great skill and ability. Other teams do not and will happily take on the most useless of players to fill out their ranks. Readily available, easily replaceable and usually willing to work for pennies, such players fill gaps in the rosters, but rarely do much more!
Teams with this special rule are not very particular about the Linemen they hire. To make up for this, they don’t usually bother to pay them:
- In league play (but not in exhibition play), when calculating the Current Value of any permanently hired
Lineman players on a team with this special rule, the Hiring Fee of that player is not included.
MASTERS OF UNDEATH #
Teams with this special rule all fall into the broader category of ‘Undead’. Usually created from the animated corpses of freshly-deceased players brought back to the game by athletically-inclined necromancers, such teams don’t always operate quite like their more vital counterparts!
The Head Coach of this team is replaced by a Necromancer. Once per game, they can ‘Raise the Dead’:
- If a player on the opposing team with a Strength characteristic of 4 or less and that does not have the Regeneration or Stunty traits suffers a Casualty result of 15-16, DEAD, and if they cannot be saved by an apothecary, a new rookie Zombie Lineman player can be placed immediately in the Reserves box of this team’s dugout. Note that this may cause the team to have more than 16 players for the remainder of the game.
- During Step 4 of the post-game sequence, this player may be permanently hired for free if the team has fewer than 16 players on its Team Draft list, otherwise it will be lost. The player’s full value still counts towards the Team Value.
Additionally, just like the Head Coach of any other team, a Necromancer can Argue the Call when one of their players is Sent-off for committing a Foul, as long as they haven’t been sent off themselves.
Team Tiers #
Not all teams are created equal. Some rookie teams are more challenging to coach than others, either because of the way in which players and their different skills interact, or because background-wise they would struggle to win (after all, what chance would a Halfling team really have against a Dark Elf team?).
This is entirely intentional, and over the years a great many experienced coaches have savoured the challenge of playing to win with the teams that might be considered quite unlikely to be victorious!
All teams belong to one of three tiers, as detailed on their Team roster:
- Tier 1 is occupied by the strongest and most forgiving of teams, those that can easily recover from mistakes and mishaps.
- Tier 2 consists of those teams that often require a bit more experience on the part of the coach to excel. They are all highly competitive teams, but often a small mistake can prove costly!
- Tier 3, otherwise known as the ‘Stunty teams’, is home to the most difficult of teams to master. Halfling, Goblins and more, such teams are often victim to a hard time from bigger, tougher players, but they can still perform well in the hands of an experienced coach. To anyone who wants a real challenge but a truly entertaining game, Stunty teams are it!
