The latest edition of Blood Bowl is nearly here, and every aspect of the rules has been analysed and adjusted to ensure a smoother, more exciting gaming experience. The plays are bigger, the action truer to real-life sports, and you have more control over how your team develops than ever before. If you're new to the game, this is an amazing time to jump into Blood Bowl – the new rules are better than ever, and the new season is a great time to be a rookie. Whether you’re an old hand or lacing up your Blood Bowl cleats for the first time, we’re taking a look at some of the rules changes.
We tracked down Jay, the lead rules writer, to ask about his favourite changes – take a look at what he has to say!
Adding Character to Characteristics
Long-time fans will find the game familiar but improved across the board. The rules team worked closely with the community, gathering over 25 years of feedback, and lovingly crafted a worthy update that deepened and simplified the game all at once. For example, player profiles look a little bit different, with a target number listed for some of the characteristics instead of a base value.
Existing players will find a lot of familiarities there (and why not? Blood Bowl was already an incredible game). The stats that you know and love work even smoother now with a target roll, which you then apply characteristic modifiers to, making it even easier to calculate things such as Agility tests or Armour rolls.
Launch the Long Bomb
You may have noticed a brand-new characteristic on the profile as well – PA stands for Passing Ability, which is now separate from Agility! This makes a lot of sense for high-Agility teams like Wood Elves – now there’s a good reason to develop Throwers differently than other specialised positions!
The passing game is now just as rich and interesting as the rushing game. There’s also a distinction between fumbling the ball (on a natural 1) and a wildly inaccurate Pass (a modified 1), which means a failed Pass isn’t an automatic Turnover.
Successful passing interference can result in either a mere Deflection – think swatting the ball out of the air – or catching it for a full Interception, causing an instant Turnover with the other team in possession of the ball. This adds more variety and fun to Blood Bowl, making fumbles and interceptions feel like a much bigger moment, right in line with the thrill of the sports that inspired the game.
In the Zone
Tackle Zones have been clarified with a system where each player is said to be either Marked or Open, a simple status that affects various actions like catching a Pass or dodging through the Line of Scrimmage.
These updates to core game mechanics like throwing, along with rules clarifications like Marked status, help streamline your games and make it easier for new players to pick up.
Pre-match Preparation
The pre- and post-game sequence has been tweaked as well. If the teams aren’t evenly matched, the underdog can roll on the new Prayers to Nuffle table, which offers some minor, but entertaining, benefits or penalties. How about a little ‘light cheating’?
You might even even get some fan input if the action slows down a bit too much!
Of course, Warhammer Community in no way officially endorses cheating in games of Blood Bowl.*
Post-match Party
After the game, coaches have more control than ever before over how to develop their team during league seasons.
Your players earn Star Player points for achieving results during the game, like throwing successful Passes, causing Casualties, or scoring those all-important touchdowns. After the game, you can choose to spend them on a roll to gain a random Skill or characteristic improvement, or save them up to choose which Skill you want!
Yes, that means it’s possible to earn advancements more quickly than before, as long as you’re happy for them to be random. If you want to craft a finely honed star of your own, though, you’ve got to exercise some control and patience.
These changes, along with a host of others, make this the strongest Blood Bowl ruleset since its inception so many years ago. This version retains everything you love about the game while adding tactical depth for seasoned coaches to explore. At the same time, it’s simpler and faster to play, making it more accessible to new players – that’s quite a feat!
If you’re eager to learn more, we’ll be taking a closer look at both of the new teams this week. You don’t have long to wait before the next edition of Blood Bowl goes up for pre-order – from this Saturday! Every team and Star Player is getting updated profiles, so this is the perfect moment to polish off your existing collection or start a new one!
* We totally do unofficially encourage cheating! Throw those rocks, kick players when they’re down! It’s all part of the fun.