Blood Bowl PlayBook

by Donnerfaust Thorsen (Sodalitas Dei Nomine Vacantis)

Da steht man nun einsam und allein auf dem Feld, elfische Wardancer wirbeln um einen herum, das einem übel werden kann, der gegnerische Brocken zerlegt dem eigenen Team in einem wahren Fäustesturm die Defense, und man selber hat damit zu tun, die ganzen Klauenkratzer der Werwölfe aus der Nekromantenrotte zu desinfizieren, bevor man sabbernd und zuckend vom Platz getragen wird. Muß das sein? Nein, denn es gibt ja jetzt den Ratgeber für´s “Besser Foulen”!

by Coach Blacknife with Sam Williams (www.blood-bowl.net)

Halflings? You must be kidding! You’re not? Oh all right then… So, you’ve picked out one of the two Blood Bowl comedy teams to play (the other one being Goblins of course!) and you want to know how to get them to win. It’s not going to be easy as these guys gifted with a sense of humour rather than the ability to play Blood Bowl. Never fear though as I will reveal tips to get your team up and running! Well, ‘running’ is probably an exageration; we’ll try ‘waddling’ first.

by Paul Gegg (Games Workshop)

It’s late in the match, the opposing star player is looking for a last-second game-winning touchdown and your fans are already drifting off to get drunk. But then one of your players somehow fashions a block on the ball-carrier and the ball squirms loose – another player picks it up by his fingertips and launches a hopeful pass into opposition territory – your marked catcher pulls it down, dodges out and dances into the Endzone for the winning score. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat – is there a better feeling? This end to end play is beyond most teams but with the awesome Skaven, it isn’t too uncommon. Sometimes they really can achieve the seemingly impossible.

by David Yellope (Paradigm Central)

So you want to coach an undead team? What you need to know.

Ah, I see you all are budding necromancers, fresh off the cemeteries with your degree in necromantic magic and you are chomping at the bit to raise the fallen remains of some players and think you’re going to rise to the top of your chosen league without a sweat.

It’s not going to be that easy.

by Carl Brown (Blood Bowl Home of @rnholm)

Orcs have been playing Blood Bowl since the game was invented, and teams such as the Gouged Eye and Orcland Raiders are amongst the most succesful in the league. Orcs play a tough and hard-hitting game based around pounding their opponents into the turf before they stomp downfield to score. Orcs don’t tend to throw the ball much which is a good thing really as they are not very adept at catching it. It’s not that they can’t catch, it’s just that when the ball is in the air they tend to forget about it and get stuck into fighting with the nearest opponent instead!

by Milo Sharp (www.blood-bowl.net)

The vicious Skaven live far beneath the Olde World in their burrows and warrens, but occasionally venture above ground to plunder, pillage, or play Blood Bowl! The Skaven Blood Bowl game revolves around their blistering speed, frequently scoring four or more touchdowns within a single game. Their fascination with the mystical warpstone leads to a greater than normal incidence of mutations within the Skaven species, and the best of these are put to use on the Blood Bowl pitch.

by Aaron Thies (www.blood-bowl.net)

Get all your special (non-lineman) players first. I generally like this for any team. Emphasize acquiring both Storm Vermin ASAP to get them going. This is vital depending upon how your league uses Rat Ogres.

by unknown (FUMMBL)

Though they are a lightly-armoured team, this is offset by all their players starting with Dodge. Amazons are best employed playing a fairly bashy, running game.

by unknown (FUMBBL)

Dark Elves are the nearest thing you will find to a bashy elf team. However, they lack dedicated Catchers, and their Throwers are more expensive than their High Elf rivals. Dark Elves are quick, but not too quick, and can either play for the two-turn TD, or run the ball in over three or more turns, using a very mobile and adaptable cage until making the break for the endzone, with runners waiting in scoring positions.

by Sigurd G (Blood Bowl Home of @rnholm)

Overall, the Dark Elves start out as a fairly lowpowered team. Their movement is generally insignifficant, but not to scoff at either. Their AV of 8 allows the to get stuck in and survive a few punches. They lack high-speed catchers, and they are not going to win any fist-fights.