Blood Bowl (Second Edition) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• • 1. Game Components
  • 2. Setting Up the Game
  • 3. The Sequence of Play
    • A. Offensive Team Turn.
    • B. Defensive Team Turn.
  • 4. Movement
  • 5. Tackle Zones
  • 6. Blocks
  • 7. Throwing the Football
  • 8. Scatter
  • 9. Throw-Ins
  • 10. Standing Players Up
  • 11. Touchdowns
  • 12. Winning the Game
  • The Game in Action
• Blood Bowl Veterans Rules
  • 1. The Teams
  • 2. Setting Up
  • 3. The Sequence of Play
  • 4. Movement
  • 5. Tackle Zones
  • 6. Blocks
  • 7. Throwing the Football
  • And Finally
  • The Veterans Rules in Action
  • Special Teams
  • Reference Page
  • More Teams
  • Credits

1. Game Components

This is a list of what should be in this box, and what you are going to use to play Blood Bowl. If any components are damaged or missing, please write to the following address (enclosing the ticket from the box as proof of purchase): Blood Bowl Components, Games Workshop Ltd, Chewton Street, Hill Top, Eastwood, Notts, NG16 3HY.

• A large polystyrene playing pitch
• 5 card End Zones (printed both sides)
• 2 card Dug-Outs
• 32 playing pieces - 16 per team
• 32 'slotta-bases' for the two teams
• 20 special player bases, in 4 different colours
• 1 sheet of sticky-backed numbers
• 4 plastic footballs
• 1 plastic range ruler
• 2 transparent templates
• 2 plastic score markers
• 2 Team Cards
• This rulebook
• The Blood Bowl Handbook
• 4 six-sided and 1 eight-sided dice

Playing Field: This is the pitch on which the game of Blood Bowl takes place. It is divided into squares to regulate movement & combat; each square can hold only one Blood Bowl player at any one time.

At either end of the field is the End Zone. If a team gets the ball into their opponent's End Zone they score a Touchdown. These are good things to score, as the team with the most Touchdowns wins!

To set up the pitch for your first game, simply align the three pieces on a flat surface with the Blood Bowl logo in the middle section. Select the two card End Zone markers with the names of the two opposing teams, and drop them into the recesses at each end.

Also on the field are four lines, two in each half. The two lines nearest to the middle show where players can set up at the start of the game.

Each team's players may be set up in one of the shaded areas shown in the diagram.

Playing Pieces: The plastic playing pieces represent the sixteen players from each team's squad, of whom eleven will be on the field at any one time. They should be carefully removed from the sprue, and then slotted into the plastic slotta-bases.

The special coloured player bases are only used with the Veterans Rules. Put them to one side for the time being. The plastic football provided with the game can be held by a player by simply placing it on their base.

The next task is to fix the sticky-backed numbers to the backs of the players. Each team has sixteen players, by a remarkable coincidence numbered from 1-16. This is where the stickers should go:

During a game of Blood Bowl players will often be knocked over by tackles, blocks and the like. To show that a particular player has been knocked over, when you are instructed to, place them like this: Note that when the player is knocked over his figure is put face down - this is important!

Plastic Range Ruler: The ruler is used to measure the range when a player throws the ball. When you are instructed to measure the range by the rules, place the arrow at one end over the head of the player throwing the ball and the red line that runs up the centre of the ruler over the head of the player the ball is being thrown to, as shown below.

If the receiving player overlaps a boundary line between two different ranges on the ruler, you should take the longer range of the two choices.

The ruler is also used to decide if an opposing player is eligible to make an interception, and grab the ball before it gets to the player waiting to catch it. To be able to make an interception, the player must be between the player who threw the ball and the player who was meant to receive it, and the plastic ruler must pass over at least part of the intercepting player's base. For example:

If the ball is thrown to Human player A, it will be a Short pass. If it is thrown to player B it will be a Long Bomb pass, as the player's base overlaps the borderline between Long range and Long Bomb range.

Only Orcs X & Y are eligible to intercept the ball. Orc Z is not, because no part of the Range Ruler passes over his base.

Dug-Outs: Each player is given one Dug-Out at the start of the game. It is used to hold players that have been injured and, perhaps more importantly, to show the current score for the team!

Transparent Templates: There are two plastic templates provided with Blood Bowl: the Scatter Template and the Throw-In Template.

To use the Scatter Template (you'll be told when to do this by the rules), position the central square over the football and roll the eight-sided dice. Then move the ball to the square indicated by the result of the die roll.

Important Note: The eight-sided die included with the game is only ever used with this Scatter Template. Use it like a normal dice, reading the number on the upward-facing side. All other references to dice in these rules refer to the standard six-sided dice.

To use the Throw-In Template, position the square marked with the football over the last square the ball crossed before going off, with the centre arrow (the one marked 3-4) pointing inwards (ie, at the opposite sideline). Roll one six-sided die. The result will show the direction the ball travels in. Then simply roll two dice to see how many squares the ball will travel in that direction, counting from the square marked with the ball.

Team Cards: The team cards are used with the Veterans Rules. Put them to one side for the moment; you won't need them for your first few games.

The Handbook: This doesn't contain any rules for play, being a collection of background facts and figures about many of the various Blood Bowl teams and star players (amongst much more great stuff!), but we're sure you'll find it an interesting and informative read whenever you aren't playing Blood Bowl.

The Coaches: Don't look in the box for these, because there aren't any - you and your opponent are the coaches! To avoid confusion with the teams' players (the plastic playing pieces), we will refer to you and the other real-life players as the teams' coaches. All references to coaches are to you or your real-life opponent; all references to players are to the Blood Bowl pieces.

2. Setting Up the Game

Before you start, it's a good idea to read through these rules at least once so you get some idea of what you are doing. They aren't complicated, and reading as far as the Veterans Rules won't take you very long.

Once you have done this, assemble the board and the plastic players as shown above. One coach should take all the red pieces, the other the blue ones, and both should decide which team they're going to be coaching. Although the pieces in the box are Humans and Orcs, there's no reason not to imagine them being Elves, Skaven, or whatever you fancy (details of the current members of the two Blood Bowl leagues can be found in the Handbook - or you can always invent your own). How you make these difficult decisions is up to you, but don't hurt each other too much or you won't be able to play the game!

Next take the players numbered 1 to 11 to make up each team; the full squad of 16 players is only used with the Veterans Rules. Place the other players, those numbered 12-16, for the present. Each coach will also need a Dug-Out, with the score marker placed in the '0' space of the score track.

Each coach may set up their 11 players between their End Zone and the second line on their half of the pitch, one player per square. Decide how long the game is going to last. For your first game we recommend you declare the winner to be the first side to score two Touchdowns (see section 12, Winning The Game). Then toss a coin to see who moves their players first, and the match can start.

In the rules that follow, the team that moves first is known as the Offensive Team and that which moves second as the Defensive Team. The coach for the Offensive Team should give the ball to one of the players in his team, placing it on their base as shown above. Of course, the Defensive Team may grab the ball later in the game - these terms are used only to differentiate between the teams.

The moment that always seems to last forever - Bright Crusaders and Gouged Eye Teams wait for the starting whistle to blow.

3. The Sequence of Play

Blood Bowl is played using a simple but strict sequence of play, which runs as follows:

A. Offensive Team Turn.

B. Defensive Team Turn.

Repeat A and B, one after the other, until a Touchdown is scored.

During a particular Team Turn, the team in play may perform any or all of the following actions, provided they do so in the following strict order. The other team may do nothing (except stand up and tackle - see below) until their own Team Turn comes round.

This is what the team in play can do:

1. Stand Up: Any players (including players from the opposing side) which were knocked over the turn before last can stand up again.

2. Move/Attack: Each player, in turn, may move and/or block, or do nothing. While moving the player may be tackled by an opponent.

3. Throw/Hand-Off: If a player on this side has the football they may throw it, or hand it off to another player, or simply keep hold of it.

These actions must be performed in this specific sequence by the whole team; in other words, a player can't stand up once a player has been moved, and players can't move or block after another player has thrown the ball. Each player may only move and/or block once per Team Turn. The football may only be thrown or handed-off once per Team Turn.

A team may not do anything during the other team's Turn, except perhaps stand up or tackle, and must wait for their own Team Turn.

4. Movement

A player may move up to 6 squares, and may move in any direction or combination of directions, including diagonally, as long as they do not enter a square that holds another player (from either team), and are not tackled by an opponent. A player does not have to move the entire 6 squares in their turn; they don't need to move at all, if the coach wishes.

Movement: The Human player cannot make move A as the space is occupied, but may make move B, a combination of diagonal and straight moves.

If a player moves into a square in which the football is lying, they may pick it up, and - if they wish and are able - carry on moving.

Players move and/or block one at a time. In other words, the coach may move a player and then make a block with that player, then move and block with another player (blocks are explained in rules section 6, below). This carries on until all the players have moved and/or blocked, or the coach does not want to move or block with any more players. Note that players must complete their move before they block; you cannot move a player 2 squares, make a block, and then move the player on another 4 or more squares.

Each opposing player has a Tackle Zone, which is basically the area they can reach as an opponent runs past them. If a player moves from a square in a Tackle Zone to another square in a Tackle Zone they may be tackled by an opposing player. Tackle Zones and tackles themselves are explained further in the next section.

Moving Extra Squares

After a player has moved 6 squares, they can try to move an extra 1 or 2 squares instead of making a block. As the player enters each of the extra squares, roll one die. If it comes up with a 6 the player has been injured. Roll for each extra square entered; a player can move a maximum of 2 extra squares.

Injured players should be removed from the board and placed in the Injured box in the Dug-Out. Injured players will drop the football if they were carrying it, which will scatter from the square where they injured themselves (see 8, Scatter).

5. Tackle Zones

Every standing player has a Tackle Zone, which covers the eight adjacent squares around him. It is the area he can reach as he tries to grab an opponent who tries to get past him:

The player's Tackle Zone is shown by the shaded squares.

If a player moves from a square in any opposing player's Tackle Zone to another square in any opponent's Tackle Zone, roll one die. On a 5 or 6 the player has been tackled and is knocked over in the square they moved into. If the player was also trying to move an extra square, as described above, they must still roll for the chance of an injury.

If the Human player makes moves A or B, the Orc coach would be allowed to make a Tackle roll (as the player is moving from a square in a Tackle Zone to another square in a Tackle Zone).

If the Human player makes move C, he is not moving to a square in a Tackle Zone, and the Orc coach will not be allowed to make a tackle.

A player who is carrying the ball will drop it if they are successfully tackled. Roll for scatter to see where the ball ends up (see Section 8, below).

6. Blocks

After a player has moved, they may try to block any opposing player in a square next to them. Each player may make one block per Team Turn. Only players on the moving team may make a block. A block is like a rougher tackle, designed to really stop an opponent in his tracks!

To see if the block works, roll two dice and total the score, and then refer to this block table:

Block Table

Dice Roll	Result
2	The blocking player is injured; remove him from the board.
3-4	The blocking player is knocked over.
5-7	Stand-off - nothing happens to either player.
8	Both players are knocked over.
9-11	The defending player is knocked over.
12	The defending player is injured; remove him from the board.

Players who are knocked over should be placed face down as described above. See 10 - Standing Players Up, (p10) to find out when and how the player can stand up.

Injured players should be placed in the Injured box of the team's Dug-Out. They may be able to return to play after a Touchdown has been scored, but not before.

Ball-carrying players who are knocked over or injured will drop the football. Roll for scatter to see where the ball will end up (see 8, Scatter).

Players who have been knocked over do not have a Tackle Zone, and may not move or block until they have stood up again. The football can never be put in a square with a player who has been knocked over. If the ball should end up in a prone player's square, roll for scatter to see where it goes.

Blocking Knocked Over Players

A player may block a player who has been knocked over. If they try to do so, resolve the block on this table instead of the usual one:

Prone Block Table

Dice Roll	Result
2-3	The blocking player is knocked over.
4-9	Nothing happens.
10-12	The defending player is injured; remove him from the board.

7. Throwing the Football

After all movement, tackles and blocks have been completed, a player who is holding the football may throw it, or hand it to a fellow player who is in an adjacent square. The ball may be handed-off or thrown once per Team Turn. If the ball is in the hands of an opposing player nothing can be done.

Handing-Off

Handing-off the football is easy: simply transfer the ball to any other player in an adjacent square.

Throwing

Throwing the football is more difficult. First of all, the coach must declare who the player is trying to throw the ball to. The football must always be thrown to another standing player; it cannot be thrown to an empty square or to a player who has been knocked over. Next the coach must measure the range using the ruler (see p3). The coach should roll two dice, and refer to the throwing table:

Throwing Table

	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
QUICK	I	M	M	M	C	C	C	C	C	C	C
SHORT	I	I	M	M	M	C	C	C	C	C	C
LONG	I	I	I	M	M	M	C	C	C	C	C
BOMB	I	I	I	I	M	M	M	C	C	C	C

M = Missed I = Intercept C = Caught

Caught: If the ball is caught, all is well and the receiving player now has the ball.

Interception: If the ball was intercepted, it may be caught by any opposing player who is eligible to intercept the ball (as determined by the ruler; see above). The opposing coach can choose which player intercepts if there is more than one. If there are no eligible players, count the result as a miss unless the throwing player is in an opposing player's Tackle Zone. If this is the case, the thrower has fumbled the throw, and the ball will scatter from their square (see section 8).

Note that the ball can only be Intercepted by players from the opposing side, not by players on the same team as the thrower.

Missed: If the ball misses, roll for scatter to see where it went. If the ball ends up in a square with a standing player they have caught it. If it ends up in a square with a prone player it will scatter again from that square. If it ends up in an empty square it should be placed on the ground in the square.

A Short pass has been thrown to player A, but has missed! Therefore it will scatter from player A's square. The eight-sided 'scatter dice' is rolled, coming up with a 7, and the ball is moved as shown in the diagram.

8. Scatter

Whenever you have to roll for scatter, use the Scatter Template as described on page 3. If the ball scatters into a square with a standing player, that player may pick up the ball immediately. If it scatters into a square containing a knocked over player, it will immediately scatter again from that square.

If the ball scatters off the pitch, it will be thrown back in immediately. A ball may scatter into the End Zone, if a player from the appropriate side manages to move into the ball's square, a touchdown is scored, see section 11. Touchdowns for what happens then.

9. Throw-Ins

When a ball scatters off the pitch it is immediately thrown back in by the eager spectators! Use the Throw-In Template to work out where the ball goes, using the last square that the ball crossed before going off as the starting point. If the ball is thrown into a square containing a standing player, that player has caught the ball. If a ball is thrown to a square with a prone player, the ball will scatter from that square.

Throw-ins may not be intercepted. If a Throw-in results in the ball going off the pitch again, it will be Thrown-in again, centred on the last square it was in before it left the pitch.

10. Standing Players Up

Stand up any players who are lying face up at the start of each Team Turn. Having done this, turn over any players that are face down so that they are face-up (but still lying on the ground). Note that the players from both teams are stood up and turned over at the start of each and every turn.

It is important to always place a player face-down when they are first knocked over. This is because whenever a player is knocked over they must stay down for the rest of the turn, and the whole of the next Team Turn. This means, for example, that a player knocked down in the Defensive Team Turn will not be able to stand up until the start of the next Defensive Team Turn.

11. Touchdowns

A team scores a Touchdown when one of their players moves into the opposing team's End Zone while holding the football. As soon as this happens, play stops, the crowd cheer and whistle, and cheerleaders dance about waving pom-poms. The coach of the scoring side has our permission to leap about and cheer a bit too, while moving his score marker along on his Dug-Out.

Any player may enter either End Zone at any time, even if they are not carrying the ball. If the ball is thrown to them and they catch it, or they are able to pick up the football while in their opponent's End Zone, they score a Touchdown. If a player is tackled when moving into the End Zone, or if they injure themselves by moving extra squares, they do not score a Touchdown, and the ball scatters as usual.

Either coach is allowed to concede a Touchdown at the very start of their Team Turn. You may want to do this if you have too many injured players off the field, as it will give you a chance to get some of them back into play.

Restarting After A Touchdown

After a Touchdown has been scored, play is restarted and the match continues (unless someone has won, of course!). First of all, however, each coach should roll one die for each injured player. On a roll of 5 or 6 the player is fit enough to return to play, on any other result they must stay in the Dug-Out. The coach may try again after the next Touchdown has been scored.

Both coaches may then set up any fit players just as they did at the start of the game. The team against whom the Touchdown was scored becomes the Offensive Team and is given possession of the football. And then the mayhem starts all over again!

12. Winning the Game

A game of Blood Bowl is played until one team has scored a certain number of Touchdowns. The coaches should agree between them before the match starts how many Touchdowns will be needed to win. For your first game, we suggest the first team to score 2 Touchdowns is the winner. This will give you a chance to get the hang of these rules before you play your first competition game!

As an alternative, try playing to a time limit, such as an hour or ninety minutes. At the end of this time the team with the most Touchdowns is the winner. If you are playing to a time limit, each coach is only allowed 5 minutes to take their Team Turn, to stop time wasting by a team that is in the lead! If a coach runs out of time they must finish their turn right there.

The Game in Action

Set up your own playing pieces and follow this example by moving the pieces as shown.

We join the game at the start of the third turn. The Orc team, The Gouged Eye, won the toss and are the Offensive Team. Their human opponents, the Reikland Reavers, are the Defensive Team. The diagram illustrates the state of play on the field.

First up, it's the Offensive Team Turn.

Orc A (Skullhack) moves one square and then blocks human player A (Himmelstein). Two dice are rolled, coming up with a 5 and a 3. The total of 8 is looked up on the Block Table, resulting in both players being knocked down.

Orc B (Painspear) moves one square, attempting to close on human player D (Oberwald). However, the Orc is moving from the Tackle Zone of human player C to the Tackle Zone of human player B, so the latter can attempt a tackle as the Orc enters the square.

The Reavers' coach rolls the die, needing a 5 or more, and gets a 6! The Orc is duly tackled and placed face down in the square.

Orc C moves 3 squares. As human A has been knocked down he has lost his Tackle Zone, so he can't tackle the Orc as he moves. Once the Orc has finished his move he attempts to block human player D (Oberwald). The dice come up with a total of 7 - a stand off - and both players remain standing. The Orc cannot carry on moving, because he has attempted a block, and can't make another as each player can only make one block after their move.

Orc D moves as shown. As he moves, he goes from one square in a Tackle Zone to another square in a Tackle Zone twice. The Reavers make two attempts to tackle him, but the coach rolls a 1 and a 4, not enough to bring the Orc down. After moving his normal move of 6 squares, the Orc is two squares from the End Zone.

The Gouged Eye coach decides to move him two extra squares. When a player moves extra squares a die must be rolled for each square - with a 6 meaning that the player has hurt himself.

The die rolled, it comes up 3 and then 5. The Orc is still standing, just waiting in the End Zone for a pass to come his way -

Orc E (who is holding the ball) moves 4 squares and prepares to throw the ball to Orc D.

The range ruler is brought out and the range measured. Its distance makes it a short pass; then the dice are rolled. Scores of 3 & 4 give a total of 7, which is looked up on the Throwing Table.

The ball is caught and, as the Orc player is in the End Zone, a Touchdown is scored too! It's a quick 1-0 to the Gouged Eye!

Commentary: "Thanks, Bob! And now it's time for tonight's game, which we're joining just after the whistle's blown. The Gouged Eye have the ball, but for how long? Star player Griff Oberwald said to me just before the match that he wasn't going to let any quote green-skinned scuzz-bucket unquote get in the way of him and the End Zone today, and I kinda believe him!"

"As expected, they've given Urfrik Skullhack first sniff of the action. He may look a little rough and ready, sportsfans, but this is the Orc who chewed an Ogre's leg off in the semi-finals of the Bloodweiser Trophy only last year. He's a real mean customer, and, yes, it looks like it's going to be a patent Skullhack head-slam on Henny Himmelstein. Ker-UNNch!"

"And there goes Krug Painspear, putting on a rare burst of speed. Haven't seen Krug move like that since the time he intercepted a pass amidst a group of seven Werewolf players and made a break for the End Zone! Looks like he's heading for Oberwald, Bob! Trouble is, Vaz Vaztek had other ideas about that! Phew! I wouldn't like to fall on me!"

"As you can see, fact-fans, Gurk Halftoad's body-swerve has come on nicely. Oh-oh, but if he thinks he's taking on Griff Oberwald he's got a very short memory! Hey, Jim, perhaps he wants his nose broken again, eh? It'd certainly improve his appearance!"

"Never mind Halftoad, Bob - just look at Varag Ghoul-Chewer go! Wahoo!! The 'Chewer musta been taking ballet dancing lessons during the summer, judging by the way he avoided those tackles! What's more, that's left him a clear path right into the Reavers' End Zone!"

"Varag puts on an extra burst of speed and makes it to the End Zone. He's just waiting, Bob! Waiting for that all-important Touchdown pass!"

"That's new boy Harg Vainslayer with the ball. A summer transfer from Chaos Cup winners Ironcrag Decimators, he's said to have a real powerful right hand."

"No kidding, Bob! Classic technique in action here. He's thrown it and it's caught! TOUCHDOWN! Hoo-wee! And as the capacity crowd here in Middenheim go completely crazy with delight, we'll be right back after this message..."

Blood Bowl Veterans Rules

The Veterans Rules which follow are all optional. In other words, you don't have to use them if you don't want to. Indeed, if you do want to try some of them out in a game, we insist you agree with your opponent just which you are going to use, and which you are not, before the game starts.

The rules below add more detail and 'realism' (if you can say such a thing about a fantasy game) to Blood Bowl, but at the cost of greater complexity and a longer playing time. Don't feel that you have to use all these rules to play the 'proper' version of Blood Bowl - play the version of the game you and your friends enjoy the most! Above all, have fun!

1. The Teams

In the Veterans Rules the number of players in each team is increased to 16, from whom 11 players are on the field at any one time (so you now have reserves to substitute for injured players). Furthermore, each team also now includes a number of specialist players who are expert at doing a specific task. This is why we've included the coloured, special-player bases, for you to tell the different players apart. The special player bases are attached to the slotta-bases like this:

Each team now consists of the following players:

• 2 Blitzers (red base)

• 4 Blockers (green base)

• 2 Catchers (yellow base)

• 2 Throwers (white base)

• and then a further 6 Linemen (who are distinguished by the fact that they don't have anything attached to their bases at all!)

• giving a grand total of 16 players in the team. However, as we said, only 11 players may be on the field at the same time.

Blitzers are just about the best all-round players on the field. They are quite fast and agile, but strong enough to smash their way through an opposing line when they have to. Ace Reavers player Griff Oberwald is a typical Blitzer: fast, strong and just a bit too flash!

Blockers are very strong, and wear extra armour to protect themselves in the powerful head-to-head blocks that are their speciality. However, they are not all that fast, and against an agile opponent with room to dodge they will almost always come off second best. Ogres and Storm Giants seem to make the best Blockers, usually because of their great size, but all races have their experts.

Catchers are the opposite of Blockers. Lightly-armoured and very agile, they can't afford to get into fights. In the open field, however, they are unmatched - and nobody is better at catching the football. Catchers specialise in waiting in the End Zone for that all-important Touchdown pass to come sailing in out of the blue. The only problem in being a Catcher is if someone should catch you!

Throwers are the most glamorous players on the field, able to throw an inch-perfect Long Bomb to the waiting hands of a player far down the pitch. Or at least that's the theory; throwing the football well takes admirable skill.

Linemen are the standard players of the team, not brilliant at any one thing, but capable enough to fill in for an injured player when necessary. Some teams seem to be made up of nothing but Linemen - which is why they are always at the bottom of the league!

Characteristics

To show their differing abilities, each player has seven characteristics which show how fast, strong, agile and accurate they are, as well as how heavily armoured:

Movement Allowance (abbreviated to MA): This shows the number of squares the player may move in the Team Turn if they don't Sprint (see section 4. Movement - p16).

Sprint Allowance (SP): This is the number of extra squares the player can move if they Sprint.

Strength (ST): A player's Strength represents how physically powerful he is, and is used to block opponents.

Agility (AG): The higher a player's Agility, the more likely they are to be able to avoid tackles attempted by opposing players.

Throwing Skill (TS): This shows the player's skill in throwing the football across the field.

Cool (CL): The Cool characteristic reflects the player's ability to remain calm and concentrate under pressure, especially when trying to catch the football.

Armour Value (AV): This shows the amount of armour the player is wearing. The higher the number, the more armour the player has on. Catchers, for example, have very light armour.

The different types of player have the following characteristics:

	MA	SP	ST	AG	TS	CL	AV
Lineman	4	+2	3	3	0	0	9
Blitzer	4	+3	4	3	0	0	9
Blocker	4	+1	4	2	-1	-1	10
Catcher	4	+4	2	4	0	+1	8
Thrower	4	+3	3	3	+1	0	8

This information is also found on the Team Card, one of which is provided for each team. The Team Card also contains all the new charts and tables used in the Veterans Rules, so that you won't have to flick through the rulebook each time you want to look something up.

2. Setting Up

Each coach should take all 16 players in their team. The special player bases should be divided evenly between the coaches (so that each has 2 red bases, 4 green, etc) and attached as described above. Each coach may set up a maximum of 11 starting players on the field. The remaining five players are placed in the Reserves box in the Dug-Out.

The remaining rules for setting up given in the Standard Rules are unchanged (see p4).

3. The Sequence of Play

The sequence of play given in the Standard Rules is unchanged, and still consists of the following:

A. Offensive Team Turn

• Stand-up players (both teams)
• Move/block/tackle
• Throw/hand-off

B. Defensive Team Turn

• Stand-up players (both teams)
• Move/block/tackle
• Throw/hand-off

Repeat A & B until a touchdown is scored.

4. Movement

Instead of moving the standard six squares, each player may now move a number of squares equal to their Movement Allowance. (You'll notice that Orc and Human players all have a basic MA of 4. Details of the MAs of other races can be found on page 22 of this rulebook).

If a player moves into a square with the football, they may pick it up. However, they may not carry on moving - unless they Sprint.

Sprinting

After they have taken their normal move, a player may Sprint on for a few extra squares, as long as they are not in a Tackle Zone when they have finished their normal move. When a player makes a Sprint they may move a number of extra squares equal to their SP characteristic. This move is carried out exactly like a normal move, except that the player may not enter an opponent's Tackle Zone.

A player who is Sprinting may then try to move one or two extra squares, exactly as detailed in the Standard Rules (but note that a player may not try to move extra squares unless they Sprint). A player who rolls an Injury is placed in the Injured box in the Dug-Out, and may not return to play this game.

Heroic Tackles

Once per Team Turn, a single player on the moving team (ie, the team whose Team Turn it is!) may attempt a Heroic Tackle. Heroic tackles represent those truly desperate leaps to bring down an opposing player - usually made just as they are sprinting for the End Zone and glory!

A player making a Heroic Tackle may move as normal, and may Sprint and try to move extra squares. Unlike normal Sprint moves the player is allowed to enter a Tackle Zone, although they must stop moving as soon as they do so. After the player has moved, they must make the Heroic Tackle against any one adjacent opponent.

The Heroic Tackle is resolved in the same way as a normal Veterans Rules tackle (see 5, below) except that the player making the tackle is always knocked over - no matter what the result - and must also subtract 2 from their AV when making their Armour Roll.

If a player tries to move one or two extra squares, they must roll for injury before making the Heroic Tackle.

Sometimes a coach will want to make a move to enter a Tackle Zone, but not make a tackle at the end of it. In this case the coach must roll one die. On a 4-6 the player has been knocked over by the opposing player and must roll for injury as above. On a 1-3 the player remains standing.

5. Tackle Zones

Whenever a player moves from one Tackle Zone to another they may be tackled, as before. However, instead of rolling the dice and getting the tackle on a 5 or 6, the Veterans Tackle Table given below is used instead.

Tackles

When resolving a tackle, the player whose Tackle Zone is being moved into is the tackler. The player who is moving is the defender except in the case of Heroic Tackles (see above), when the moving player is the tackler, and the player being tackled is the defender.

Orc B is the player who will make the tackle.

To resolve a tackle, roll two dice and modify the total depending on both players' Agility scores (see p17). Then refer to this table:

Veterans Tackle Table

Dice Roll	Result
4 or less	Where'd he go? The defender may keep on moving.
5-6	Tackler is knocked over; the defender may keep on moving.
7-8	Both players are knocked over.
9 or more	Defender is knocked over.

If the defender is knocked over, he is placed face down in the square he was moving to. If the tackler is knocked over, he is placed face down in the square he is in. Any player who is knocked over must make an Armour Roll to see if they were injured (see The Armour Roll - p17).

Agility

Whenever a tackle is being resolved, compare the Agility scores of the two players involved. If the tackler has the higher score, add the difference between the two Agilities to the dice total. If the defender has the higher score, subtract the difference from the dice total.

Multiple Tackle Zones

Even if a player moves out of a square that is in several opposing players' Tackle Zones, only one of those players gets to tackle. Their coach may decide which player attempts the tackle. However, for each extra player that could have made a tackle, an extra 1 is added to the dice roll.

Either Orc A or B may make the tackle with +1 on the roll.

The Armour Roll

Whenever a player is knocked over, their coach must make an Armour Roll to see if they were injured. Roll two dice, and if the total is greater than the player's AV score they have been hurt; roll the dice again and refer to the Veterans Injury Table to see just what has happened to them:

Veterans Injury Table

Dice Roll	Result
2-6	Stunned.
7-8	KO'd.
9-11	Serious Injury.
12	Dead.

All players who are injured are immediately removed from the board and placed in the appropriate box in the Dug-Out. After the next Touchdown is scored, all the players in the Stunned box are moved to the Reserves box. A die is rolled for each KO'd player: on a 1-3 they are moved to the Stunned box, but on a 4-6 they are moved to the Reserves box. Players who suffer a Serious Injury are out of the game and cannot return to play. Players who are Dead may not return to play (and won't be playing next week either!).

Commentary: "And there goes Varag Ghoul-Chewer, the Gouged Eye's star Blitzer! But wait! His route to the Reavers' End Zone is blocked by Gruff Hackson! Hackson leaps for him - and there's that famous Chewer body swervel! Bob, that boy just doesn't know how to stop! He's clear right to the End Zone, with only one more player to beat. I think Varag is going all the way!!"

Varag Ghoul-Chewer has moved three squares, but since he's now moving from one Tackle Zone to another he can be tackled by Gruff Hackson. The Orc is a Blitzer, the Human a Blocker. The dice are rolled, giving a score of 7. However, comparing Varag's Agility of 3 to Hackson's 2, we get a modifier of -1, giving a result of 6. Hackson crashes to the ground, but is lucky because his armour protected him from further damage (his coach rolled an 8). Varag keeps moving, heading for the End Zone...

Substitutes

When a player is injured, he can be replaced by another player from the Reserves box of the Team's Dug-Out.

Substitutes enter play at the start of their next Team Turn and can be placed in any square beside the team's Substitute Entry Line (as long as the square is not occupied by another player, of course). Each team has their own Entry Line - the four squares beside the steps on their half of the pitch.

Substitutes can move and attack normally on the turn they enter the pitch.

6. Blocks

Players on the moving team may still attempt a block after making their move. To resolve a block, roll two dice, modify the total depending on the players' Strength scores (see below) and then refer to the Block Table:

Veterans Block Table

Dice Roll	Result
2 or less	Attacker is stunned.
3-4	Attacker knocked over.
5-7	It's a stand-off - nothing happens.
8	Both players are knocked over.
9-11	Defender is knocked over.
12 or more	Defender is stunned.

Whenever a player is knocked over, make an Armour Roll to see if they were injured (see 5 - above). Players who are knocked over but not injured should be placed face-down on the board, as usual.

A stunned player should be removed from the board, and placed in the Stunned box in the Dug-Out. Do not make an Armour Roll for the player.

When making a block against a player who has been knocked over, add 2 to the dice roll, in addition to any other modifiers.

Strength

Whenever a block is being resolved, compare the Strengths of the two players involved. If the attacker has the higher score, add the difference between the two Strengths to the dice total. If the defender has the higher score, subtract the difference from the dice total. Then look up the result on the above table.

7. Throwing the Football

Throwing the football is handled in a similar way to that in the Standard Rules, apart from the following modifiers which are applied to the dice roll. In addition a player may not throw the ball is they have moved in the same turn.

The dice roll is modified by the thrower's TS and the receiver's CL values. For example, a CL of +1 means add one to the die roll.

Subtract 1 from the dice roll for every opposing player that exerts a Tackle Zone on the thrower's square, and subtract 1 for each player that exerts a Tackle Zone on the receiver's square too.

The dice roll will be modified by -3. -1 for Orc A next to the thrower, and another -2 for Orcs B & C, next to the receiver.

An unmodified roll of 2 on the dice is always an Interception. An unmodified roll of 12 always means the ball has been Caught.

Missed Throws

With a missed Long Pass, roll for the direction of scatter as normal, but move the ball two squares in that direction. With a Long Bomb, move the ball three squares in the direction indicated by the scatter roll.

The ball is thrown to the target square and misses! A 4 is rolled for scatter. If the throw was a long pass, the ball will scatter two squares to 'A'; if it was a long bomb, 3 squares to 'B'.

And Finally

All the other rules given in Standard Blood Bowl are unchanged - for the time being. Feel free, however, to experiment with whatever modifications you decide on yourself. There's only one rule - that you and your opponent agree on them being in force before the game starts. Apart from that, the game's yours - have fun!

The Veterans Rules in Action

Orc A (Gort Skullhack) is a catcher, and is going to attempt to get down-field to receive a catch from the team's Thrower, Harg Vainslayer. He moves as shown. When he enters square 1, human player B (Vaztek) can try for a tackle. As human player B is a Blocker (AG 2) he must subtract 2 from the die roll. The coach rolls a 7 which, minus 2, gives a final score of 5. This is an Attacker knocked over result, so Vaztek ends up on the ground and must make an Armour Roll to see if he was injured. The dice are rolled, coming up with a total of only 5; this is less than his AV, so he's OK.

Commentary: "Gort Skullhack's away, Jim! This young Orc is having a truly epic game today. Incidentally, fact fans, Gort is no relation of Gouged Eye lineman Urfrik Skullhack, being in fact the younger brother of Severed Heads record-breaking Elf-maimer Griskar Skullhack! Vaztek's on his case, though, and boy oh boy is that guy having a great game!"

"Well, Bob, I'm not sure I saw that Vaztek's missed him, and I think that hurt! I can only guess that Gort must've put in extra prayers to Xiangruul, the Orcish Goddess of Football and Violent Death before this match started! The Reavers have certainly never let any Orc team get the better of them before!"

The Orc with the ball prepares to pass it to Orc A (Skullhack). The dice roll will be modified by +1 for thrower Vainkill's TS, by +1 for the catcher's CL, and by -1 because Vainkill is in human C's Tackle Zone, for a combined modifer of +1. The dice are rolled, and come up with a total of 7, which is increased to 8, and a complete pass! And now it's the Defensive Team Turn, and a chance for the Reikland Reavers to stop the Orcs' Touchdown drive.

Commentary: "Vainkill's powerful right arm goes back, and lets fly with a ROCKET!! POW!! Straight into the waiting hands of Gort Skullhack! And the crowd are going absolutely wild with excitement, Jim. I'm just glad I'm not down there with them!!"

Human player A (Oberwald) makes a desperate bid to stop Orc A scoring a Touchdown. After making his normal move, he still isn't adjacent to the Orc so he can't make a block. His only hope is to sprint and make a Heroic Tackle, which he proceeds to do. The two players' Agilities are even, so there are no modifiers. The Reikland coach rolls the dice and gets a 10 which is a successful tackle. Orc A crashes to the ground and the ball bounces free.

Commentary: "Go get him, Griff! He's gaining... he's gaining... he's got him!! Whamm... And Skullhack's down. That's a bit of the old Oberwald magic! Guess I spoke too soon just a minute ago when I said the Reavers were done for, Bob! Hoo-wee, what a game!!"

Oberwald also falls over, because he made a Heroic Tackle (remember that a player who makes a Heroic Tackle always ends up prone). Furthermore, both players must roll to see if they were injured in the tackle. The Orc coach rolls a 5 and a 6 for a total of 11. This is more than the Skullhack's Armour Value, so he's injured and the coach must roll on the Injury Table to see what happened. This time the dice come up with a total of only 4, resulting in the Orc being stunned. Skullhack's figure is removed from the board and placed in the 'Stunned' box of the Gouged Eye's Dug-Out.

The human coach now rolls to see if Oberwald was injured, rolling 2 dice and adding 2 to the score because Griff made a Heroic Tackle. Fortune smiles on the Reaver's star player again as the dice come up 1 and 5; this, after 2 is added because of the Heroic Tackle, is still less than his AV of 9. Griff is down, but far from out. Now where did that football go?

Commentary: "And the ball's loose, Bob! The ball's loose! But Oberwald's down, and Skullhack looks like he's out for the count. The Reavers are going to have to put on a real burst of speed if they are going to recover that ball, especially as it's so near to their own End Zone. Griff Oberwald's boys aren't out of the cooking pot yet!!"

Special Teams

Apart from the teams you will read about in this Rulebook, and in the Blood Bowl Handbook you'll find in this set, there are many others, playing in recognised leagues all over the world. There are many other Human and Orc teams, for example, which you can play using the playing pieces in this set.

All the different races that play Blood Bowl (as well as specific teams and star players) will receive detailed coverage in future supplements. However, so you can get started with your very own Elf team straight away, this section presents the basic rules for the most popular Blood Bowl-playing races. For now, you'll have to use the Human and Orc playing pieces, but at least you'll be able to recreate some of the famous games you will have read about in the Handbook straight away. Could you be the successful coach of the Darkside Cowboys? Read on.

You can use these teams either with the plastic figures provided, or by using the appropriate figures from the Blood Bowl range of Citadel Miniatures. If you are using the plastic figures you'll need to write down what type of player each player is, as the special player bases provided will not always work with these teams. For example, if you were using an Elf team you might say that players 1 and 2 were Throwers, players 3 to 6 were Catchers and so on.

Obviously, the normal Veterans Rules apply, and you should substitute the team's attributes as set out below for the Orc and Human attributes that were used in that section.

Dark Elves

Dark Elf teams use similar tactics to their more reasonably behaved cousins, since they are most suited to a throwing game. But sheer spite makes the Dark Elves enjoy the running game, particularly when a side throws up a remarkable running player like Jeremiah Kool. In fact, it is hard to believe that the Flashing Blade won't be tempted out of retirement, if not by the Darkside Cowboys, then by some other team.

	MA	SP	ST	AG	TS	CL	AV
Lineman	4	+3	3	3	+1	+1	8
Blitzer	4	+3	4	3	+1	+1	9
Catcher	4	+4	2	4	0	+2	8
Thrower	4	+3	3	3	+2	0	8

A standard Dark Elf team is made up of 8 Linemen, 4 Catchers, 2 Throwers and 2 Blitzers.

Dwarfs

In complete contrast, Dwarfs know they are never going to work out a successful passing game against teams who can intercept their passes while they are lying down. There have been individual Dwarfs who made good catchers (nerves of steel), but icy calm is better displayed by noted Blitzers, like Grimwold Grimmbreath of the Giants. Most successful Dwarf teams work to the principle that if their Blitzers can take out all of the other team's potential scorers, and then wear down the rest, they ought to have somebody left over to score the winning TDs.

	MA	SP	ST	AG	TS	CL	AV
Lineman	3	+2	4	2	-1	0	10
Blocker	3	+1	5	2	-1	-1	10
Blitzer	3	+3	4	3	0	+1	10

Dwarf teams have 4 Blockers, 4 Blitzers, and 8 Linemen.

Elves

Most Elf teams reckon that senseless violence has its place, but the quickest way to get out of the cold air and back to somewhere they can recite lyric poetry is to score quick Touchdowns. More than most teams, Elves rely on the accuracy of their throwers and the icy calm of their catchers. Valen Swift of the Elfheim Eagles is the most famous current example, but one can also think of the much-fancied Cloud Spiralthorn, of the Unsettled Sea Elves, who play in the Lustrian Central League. The unglamourous Linemen simply hold off the other sides' more homicidal players until the pass is thrown. Being lightly armoured, they don't appreciate it if this takes too long.

	MA	SP	ST	AG	TS	CL	AV
Lineman	4	+3	3	3	+1	+1	8
Catcher	4	+4	2	4	0	+2	8
Thrower	4	+3	3	3	+2	0	8

Elf teams have 2 Throwers, 6 Catchers, and 8 Linemen.

Goblins

The game plan of a Goblin team like The Lowdown Rats seems to owe more to hope than potential. Many Goblins make superb Catchers, since they dart into clear spaces where their lack of height isn't a problem. However, the art of throwing is almost lost to them, and many Goblin Catchers - 'Handy' Slitsides, for example - have spent whole games waiting for one of their comrades to send something over the top. But "da fightz da fing" with Goblins, and the ball is only ever an incidental thing.

	MA	SP	ST	AG	TS	CL	AV
Lineman	4	+2	3	3	0	-1	8
Catcher	4	+3	2	4	0	+1	7

Goblin teams have 4 Catchers and 12 Linemen.

Halflings

The technical deficiencies of Halfling teams are legendary. But tactically, they present even more problems. How can you rely on a Catcher who might slip off the field for a Hot Dog? Most Halfling Coaches, aware they are short of material, try to make up for quality with quantity. If you can get six Catchers in the enemy End Zone and, by some miracle, you manage to end up with the ball, then one or two of them might not be jelly by the time you throw the thing...

	MA	SP	ST	AG	TS	CL	AV
Lineman	3	+3	2	4	-1	-1	7
Catcher	3	+4	2	5	-1	+1	7

Halfling teams have 6 Catchers and 10 Linemen.

Skaven

It would be a mistake to believe that the recent lack of success enjoyed by Skaven teams in Blood Bowl means they aren't potentially useful players. You don't have to go too far back into history to the time when the Skaven Scramblers won the Blood Bowl trophy two seasons running! Of course, their close association with Chaotic Warpstone and the resulting mutations helps, but the basic Skaven player has a lot going for him. And they have managed to produce great players in most positions.

	MA	SP	ST	AG	TS	CL	AV
Lineman	5	+1	3	3	0	-1	8
Blitzer	5	+2	4	3	0	-1	8
Catcher	5	+3	2	4	0	+1	7
Thrower	5	+1	3	3	+1	0	8

Skaven teams have 2 Blitzers, 4 Catchers, 2 Throwers, and 8 Linemen.

Skeletons

Even Tomolandry, famous coach of the Champions of Death admits you can't expect a lot of individual skeletons. They aren't fast, they throw poorly, and they are habitually carried off the field in batches of threes and fours. But, with just a small dab of the magic sponge, the Undying Coach can have the whole squad back in rattling good form. The longer the game goes on, the more likely it is that the opposition will be bone-tired.

	MA	SP	ST	AG	TS	CL	AV
Lineman	3	+2	3	2	-1	-1	7
Thrower	3	+2	3	3	0	0	7
Catcher	4	+3	2	3	-1	0	7

Skeleton Teams are made up of 12 Linemen, 2 Catchers, and 2 Throwers.

Being Undead, Skeletons are rather difficult to kill or injure. Use the following special rule with regards to injuries:

KO'd, Stunned, Serious Injury and Dead results represent various levels of damage to the skeleton (a skeleton who has been stunned may have had his head bone disconnected from his neck bone, for example, while a 'dead' skeleton is a heap of separated bones). When skeletons are injured, place them in the appropriate box of the dug-out. However, instead of recovering after a Touchdown has been scored, the Skeletons coach may move one player one box towards the reserves box at the start of each of their turns. After a Touchdown is scored, the Skeletons coach may move all of their players to the Reserves box.

Reference Page

Standard Game

The Sequence Of Play:

A. Offensive Team Turn

• Stand-up players
• Move/block/tackle
• Throw/hand-off

B. Defensive Team Turn

• Stand-up players
• Move/block/tackle
• Throw/hand-off

Repeat A & B until a touchdown is scored.

Block Table

Dice Roll	Result
2	The blocking player is injured; remove him from the board.
3-4	The blocking player is knocked over.
5-7	Stand-off - nothing happens to either player.
8	Both players are knocked over.
9-11	The defending player is knocked over.
12	The defending player is injured; remove him from the board.

Prone Block Table

Dice Roll	Result
2-3	The blocking player is knocked over.
4-9	Nothing happens.
10-12	The defending player is injured; remove him from the board.

Throwing Table

Range	Interception	Missed	Caught
Quick Pass	2	3-5	6-12
Short Pass	2-3	4-6	7-12
Long Pass	2-4	5-7	8-12
Long Bomb	2-5	6-8	9-12

Veterans Rules

The different types of player have the following characteristics:

	MA	SP	ST	AG	TS	CL	AV
Lineman	4	+2	3	3	0	0	9
Blitzer	4	+3	4	3	0	0	9
Blocker	4	+1	4	2	-1	-1	10
Catcher	4	+4	2	4	0	+1	8
Thrower	4	+3	2	3	+1	0	8

Veterans Tackle Table

Dice Roll	Result
4 or less	Where'd he go? The defender may keep on moving.
5-6	Tackler is knocked over; the defender may keep on moving.
7-8	Both players are knocked over.
9 or more	Defender is knocked over.

Veterans Block Table

Dice Roll	Result
2 or less	Attacker is stunned.
3-4	Attacker knocked over.
5-7	It's a stand-off - nothing happens.
8	Both players are knocked over.
9-11	Defender is knocked over.
12 or more	Defender is stunned.

The Armour Roll

Whenever a player is knocked over, roll two dice. If the score is greater than the players AV they have been injured.

Veterans Injury Table

Dice Roll	Result
2-6	Stunned.
7-8	KO'd.
9-11	Serious Injury.
12	Dead.

More Teams

Lowdown Rats: What can one say of a team like the Lowdown Rats? Well, some unkind folk would say that 'Lowdown' refers to the team's perpetual position in their Division, or to the ability of their players on a scale of 1-10. Still, the Rats do try hard and, who knows, maybe one day they'll actually manage to win a game...

Darkside Cowboys: The Cowboys are, many say, the best of the Dark Elf teams. Their combination of high intelligence, natural grace, degenerate violence and a hatred of all other living beings has helped them to the top several times.

Reikland Reavers: The Reavers are the finest all-round team in the AFC, if not the entire NAF, with no other team coming close to matching their consistent winning record (4 time Blood Bowl winners, 18 time Chaos Cup winners!). Under the captaincy of star Blitzer Griff Oberwald, they continue to go from strength to strength.

Credits

Games Design: Jervis Johnson Blood Bowl Handbook: Marc Gascoigne Cover Art: Colin Dixon, based on a drawing by Brett Ewins Internal Art: Pete Knifton, Colin Dixon, Dave Andrews, Sid Additional Illustrations: Aly Morrison

Produced by the Games Workshop Design Studio.

Blood Bowl and the Games Workshop and Citadel Logos are Trademarks owned by Games Workshop Ltd. Blood Bowl is © 1988 Games Workshop Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 1-869893-41-7 Product Code: 0027l6