The spectacularly spooky Blood Bowl Vampire team will be stepping out of the shadows and onto the gridiron on Saturday. With that in mind, we caught up with Blood Bowl rules writer Jay to get the low-down on these fang-tastic football players and how they fare on the field of play.
Jay: Vampires are one of the most interesting teams in all of Blood Bowl, comprising a mixture of elite, highly skilled Vampires along with a number of dishevelled Thralls who are mainly used as mobile blood bags to keep their supernatural subjugators refreshed.
Vampires boast some of the best stats and skills of any player in Blood Bowl. In fact, they would undoubtedly be the greatest pros to play Nuffle’s great game, if it weren’t for one tiny, almost insignificant little issue – their constant and crippling need to feed!
In-game, this is represented by the Bloodlust (X+) trait, which obliges a Vampire to test at the start of their Activations to keep their cravings under control, or to need a nibble on a nearby Thrall.
Though historically a Vampire team only had two types of player (Vampires and Thralls), we have taken the opportunity to develop and increase the number of positionals, to allow the various types of Vampires to specialise in a specific role.
Vampire Thrower
These are the lynchpin of any Vampire team with a reliable Bloodlust (2+), and great Strength and Agility characteristics. They also excel at the passing game thanks to a Passing Ability of 2+ and the Pass skill making them central to the plans of any budding Vampire coach.
Vampire Blitzer
Some Vampires have begun to let their cravings control them, succumbing to the need for blood and becoming all the more vicious as a result, making them ideal Blitzers. Though these Blitzers are slightly less reliable due to their Bloodlust (3+), they come with the Juggernaut skill which makes them all the more impactful on the Blitz.
Vampire Runner
Vampire Runners are swift, lithe, and incredibly quick – so quick in fact that some believe they turn into mist as they run! With a Movement Allowance of 8 and their Agility of 2+, Runners are ideal ball carriers, or for zipping into opposition lines to make use of the Hypnotic Gaze trait.
Thrall Lineman
Thralls are the lifeblood of any Vampire team, providing a walking food source their undead masters may require at any moment. Their key feature is their cost – which at 40,000 gold pieces is cheap – allowing you to quickly replace any that end up killed, and ensuring your Vampires always have a fresh supply!
Vargheist
The strongest player on a Vampire team, Vargheists have surrendered to their lust for blood. These murderous beasts come with the Claws and Frenzy skills, making them incredibly efficient at eviscerating any opposition players who find themselves in their path.
Vampires require careful positioning to ensure that your Thralls are always in the right place for your Vampires to feed on. When you’re planning a Blitz, you will usually want to plot a path for a Thrall first, in case your Blitzer feels peckish, for instance.
Should they be able to keep their Bloodlust under control, Vampires are one of the best teams in the game. If their craving for claret rears its head, however they can do just as much damage to their own team as to the opposition! If you enjoy a team that is always unpredictable but has the potential to excel in every aspect of the game, then a Vampire team may just be the one for you.
Cheers Jay! Sounds like the Vampire teams really put the ‘blood’ in ‘Blood Bowl’! The Vampire team will be available to pre-order on Saturday. And if you’re a fan of virtual Blood Bowl, there's more good news – Season 2 of Blood Bowl III is imminent, and will feature the Underworld Denizens as its new team. Keep an eye out for more news!