Elves, Dwarfs & Dungeonbowl
Elves, Dwarfs & Dungeonbowl Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Rulebook
- 32 plastic miniatures - 16 Elves and 16 Dwarfs
- 14 large slotta-bases and 22 small slotta-bases
- 22 special player base collars, in 4 different colours
- 4 plastic spike footballs
- 6 Dungeon tiles
- 2 End-zone tiles
- 4 plastic doors
- 12 Treasure Chest counters
- 10 Chest Trap counters
- 2 Ball counters
- 12 Teleport counters (numbered 1-12)
- 12 Nothing counters
- 8 Pit-trap counters
- 4 Spiked Pit-trap counters
Elf and Dwarf Miniatures: The plastic playing pieces provide you with two new teams, Elves and Dwarves. They are assembled in the same way as the Human and Orc teams from Blood Bowl - they should be carefully removed from the sprue, and then slotted into the plastic slotta-bases.
The special coloured base collars are used to indicate each player's position in the same way as those for the Human and Orc teams in Blood Bowl. The following colours are used to represent the various positions.
| Collar | Position |
|---|---|
| 6 Red | Blitzers |
| 6 Green | Blockers |
| 6 Yellow | Catchers |
| 4 White | Throwers |
| 14 Grey (no collar) | Linemen |
Colleges Of Magic
There are many variations of Blood Bowl played throughout the Old World. Possibly the strangest is Dungeonbowl. Deep beneath the surface two teams of highly skilled psychopaths stalk around a Dungeon in order to settle an argument that has kept wizards at loggerheads for years. For many decades spell-casters have disputed who is the most powerful. Dungeonbowl is their latest attempt to settle the matter without involving the general population - who usually come off very badly when wizards have a disagreement.
The argument stems from the very nature of magic itself. At the shattered Chaos warpgates above the poles, raw magic is sucked into the world through huge tears in space and is torn apart by immense forces. Pure magic is split off into distinct colours. Incandescent clouds stream across the surface of the world in huge, rolling sheets of colour, filling the sky with multi-coloured swirls and patterns - yet all of this is only visible to wizards. This is the Wind of Chaos.
Many wizards, when starting their studies, declare an affinity for one of the colours and study it throughout their life. They reflect their chosen colour in numerous ways, most obviously in their mode of dress - they wear robes made with cloth of their chosen colour, or feature that colour in the robe's design. By restricting themselves to one colour they hope to gain some advantage over their fellows. A few wizards disagree, and say that the colours should be taken as a whole, they believe that splitting the rainbow weakens its power, and thus they study the whole range. Fewer still side with the colour of darkness, or magic in its undivided state.
Each group of spellcasters form a College of their chosen colour, and each College - which is not so much a place, rather a set of beliefs and traditions sustained by wizards who follow that colour - tries to outdo the others and prove itself superior. A few wizards got tired of all-night arguments about which colour was the most powerful - arguments which generally reached a climax with the total destruction of a city's wizards' quarters (which usually upset neighbouring wizards who were kept awake by the noise, and started more bouts of violent spellcasting). The wizards, who were keen sports fans in their spare time, decided that each College should set up a Blood Bowl team and settle the matter amicably; after all, they didn't want the dispute to end in all-out warfare (and yet they did want to play Blood Bowl - most people go to war to have a rest from playing Blood Bowl!).
Unfortunately the NAF would not allow them to take part in the normal league, saying that Blood Bowl was an honourable sport and was not a battlefield where one could settle arguments (the official who made this statement was later told to take a very long holiday, and to try and remember which game he was actually talking about before he came back). Undeterred, the wizards set up their own league and applied for entry. The NAF refused, much to the wizard's annoyance (resulting in 4 minor battles and 576 fatalities), and forbade the wizards from playing. The wizards, by now very tired of the arguments and desperate to get on with the game, went off and invented their own version, Dungeonbowl. And thus, in the later part of 2473, the Magicians Armorial Dungeonbowl Federation (or MAD) came into being.
Dungeonbowl is played, as its name suggests, in a dungeon. The two teams start at opposite ends of a small underground complex, the idea being to get to the opponent's starting position with the ball and score a Touchdown - much as in normal Blood Bowl. Of course you can't take a kick-off underground, and it would be unfair to let one team start with the ball, so the wizards hide the ball in a chest and place it somewhere in the dungeon - along with five other chests rigged to explode if tampered with. Many wizards have complained that putting five trapped chests in the dungeon as well as the chest containing the ball is very unfair, and that they should forget about the ball and just trap all of the chests.
Initial games also revealed that there was a tendency for the action to concentrate around doorways, which was very violent but very boring. Without any other solution springing to mind the wizards fell back on the thing they knew best - magic! ''Wouldn't it be a good idea,'' they said, ''if the players could teleport around the dungeon. Just think of the tactics they could use.'' Their knowledge of teleportation, however, was, and still is, severely limited, with a real risk of losing the odd player somewhere in the Time Streams. ''Still,'' they reasoned, ''they won't know if we don't tell them.'' So they didn't. Of course, they made sure the ball could never be lost by protecting it with a magic field, but the players, well - they weren't all that important!
The Dungeonbowl league is made up of ten teams (each sponsored by one of the ten Colleges of Magic), who play each other twice during the season to decide who goes on into the final for the Dungeonbowl Trophy. It is currently watched by ninety percent of wizards in the Old World, via a variant of the Cabalvision spell linked to crystal balls suspended throughout the Dungeon.
Even though the idea was originally put forward to settle the matter of which College was the most powerful, and was to be a one-off event, MAD has now been going for over 16 years - and the arguments still continue. The current holders of the Cup (2489) are the Blood Axes, the Dwarf team who represent the Bright Wizards. Of course, the other Colleges say that this was a fluke, and they are already in training for the next season. It doesn't look like the problem is going to be solved in the near future - or at all come to that!
Since MAD was set up, the NAF have gradually become more tolerant of them, and their relationship has now reached a point where some friendly matches between the two have been played. The future of these sorts of games is in doubt following a game of Dungeonbowl in which Trok Elfsplitter of the Gouged Eye spent the whole match waiting for someone to give him the ball so that he could take the kick-off. Inviting a Dungeonbowl team to play Blood Bowl is no better: during a Blood Bowl match Jork Helmson of the Doom Forgers refused to play until the Referees had dug up all of the teleporters that the Reikland Reavers had obviously buried.
Even though their relationship is beginning to thaw, the MAD and the NAF still compete for new players. While the NAF are obviously the most established of the two, and take the lion's share of prospective new applicants, the MAD are rapidly catching up in terms of the number of applicants. Some say this is because of the attractive terms of employment that Dungeonbowl teams provide, others say that it's a better game to play, while a few insist that it is so much easier to ambush your opponent in a dungeon when there aren't any Ref's around to spoil things.
Dungeonbowl Components
Dungeon and End Zone tiles: These are used to set up the Dungeon in which the two teams play. You will be instructed on how to lay them out in the Board Set-Up section of the rules.
Plastic doors: These are used to indicate the position of doors within the Dungeon, and to record whether they are currently open or closed. The door and its surround should be carefully removed from the sprue and separated. The door clips into the surround without the need for any glue, thus allowing it to open and close freely.
Treasure Chest counters: These are used to mark the position of the Treasure Chests placed in the Dungeon. They are placed on the board at the beginning of the game and remain there until opened. Only six Treasure Chest counters are used in the basic game.
Chest Trap counters and Ball counter: These should be placed in a cup and left to one side at the beginning of the game. You draw one of these when you open a Treasure Chest to discover what it contains. Only five Chest Trap counters and one Ball counter are used in the basic game.
Teleport Counters: These are used to indicate the position of Teleport squares. Only the first six counters are used in the basic game.
Nothing, Pit Trap and Spiked Pit Trap counters: All of these are used with the optional rules for Pit Traps, and are dealt with in more detail there.
New Game Rules
The following new rules replace those given in the Blood Bowl rulebook. These new rules may be used when playing Blood Bowl as well as when playing Dungeonbowl.
Standing Players Up
It has been found that allowing players to stand up in both Team Turns results in players getting to their feet too quickly. Therefore prone players may only be turned face-up or stood up at the start of their own Team Turn.
Tackle Zones
The rules for Tackle Zones in the Blood Bowl rulebook make life a little too difficult for agile players attempting to dodge through the opponent's lines. The new rule presented here allows for a more faithful reproduction of these players' skills on the Blood Bowl pitch.
Tackles
If a player moves from a square in a opponent's Tackle Zone to another square in the same opponent's Tackle Zone, his opponent is allowed to claim a tackle. The tackle is resolved using the normal Blood Bowl rules. Moving from one opponent's Tackle Zone to a different opponent's Tackle Zone does not permit a tackle.
Shoulder Charges
When making a shoulder charge, a player is allowed to block and keep moving. The player may still only make one block per turn, but may make it at any point in his move. When making a shoulder charge, the player's ST is reduced by -1.
The block should be resolved before the attacking player continues his move. The attacking player may only continue his move if the block knocks over the opponent; he may not continue if nothing happens, or if he is knocked over.
Leaping Over Prone Players
Any player may attempt to leap over a prone player in an adjacent square. A leap counts as having moved 3 squares in normal movement - so a player with a MA of 4 could move 1 square and then leap, or he could leap and then move 1 square.
Move the player to any square adjacent to the prone player and roll 2D6. Add the player's AG to this roll, and subtract -1 for each opposing Tackle Zone on the square the leaping player is leaping from. Then look up the result on the Leaping Table.
Leaping Table
| 2D6 Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 6 or less | Ooooops! The player falls over in the square he is leaping from. He must make an Armour Roll to avoid injury. |
| 7-9 | Crash! The player falls over in the square he is leaping to. He must make an Armour Roll to avoid injury. |
| 10 or more | Perfect! The player may carry on moving (assuming he has not already made his full move). |
Dwarfs, Goblins, Halflings and Snotlings halve their AG when they try to make a leap, rounding fractions down.
Pushes
A player may decide to push an opponent instead of making a block or shoulder charge. A push is worked out in the same way as a block, but the result is looked up on the Pushing Table rather than the Block Table.
Push Table
| Dice Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 or less | Attacker is stunned |
| 3-4 | Attacker is knocked over |
| 5-7 | It's a stand-off - nothing happens |
| 8 | Both players are knocked over |
| 9-11 | Defender is pushed back |
| 12 or more | Defender is pushed back and knocked over |
A defender who is pushed back is moved one square away from the attacking player by the winning coach. The defender may be moved to any adjacent square that is unoccupied. If there are no unoccupied squares available, the defender is knocked down in the original square. The attacker must then move into the square originally occupied by the defender (advancing in this way is a free move - it does not use up any of the player's MA, and opponents may not claim a tackle). Large Monsters who advance must move part of their base into the defender's original square.
Fouls
Players are not allowed to block or push a prone player. Instead they may try to foul the player. Declare if the player is going to make a sneaky foul or a blatant foul, and then roll a D6 on the table below:
Foul Table
| Dice Roll | Sneaky Foul | Blatant Foul |
|---|---|---|
| 1 or less | Whoops! | Whoops! |
| 2 | Sent Off | Sent Off |
| 3 | Ooooooh! | Sent Off |
| 4 | Ooooooh! | Ooooooh! |
| 5 | Ooooooh! | Krunch! |
| 6 or more | Krunch! | Krunch! |
The dice roll is increased by +1 if the attacker has a higher ST than the target, or decreased by -1 if the target has a higher ST than the attacker.
Whoops! - The player making the foul is knocked over, and must make an Armour roll to avoid injury.
Sent Off - The player making the foul is sent off by the referee. Roll a D6 on the Penalty Table, and place the player in the appropriate box in his Dug-Out. When playing Blood Bowl a player who has been sent off may be substituted for as normal. In Dungeonbowl a player who has been sent off remains off for the rest of the game.
Penalty Table
| Dice Roll | Dug-Out Box |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Stunned Box |
| 4-5 | KO'd Box |
| 6 or more | Injured Box |
Add +1 to the dice roll if the player made a blatant foul.
The player is not, of course, really injured. The box he's placed in represents the amount of time the Referee has decided he must spend off the pitch.
Ooooooh! - If the player being fouled is face-up, place him face-down. If the player was face-down, the foul has no effect. The player being fouled must make an Armour roll to avoid being injured.
Krunch! - The player being fouled has been injured. Roll on the Injury Table and place the player in the appropriate box of his Dug-Out.
Mighty Blow skill (see the Blood Bowl Star Players supplement) modifies Armour and Injury rolls as normal when a player makes a foul.
Spearing Players
A player who has sprinted may spear a prone player at the end of his move. The target must be in an adjacent square. A spear is worked out in the same way as a blatant foul, except that the attacker's ST is considered to be one higher than normal. In addition, the fouling player is always placed prone, and must make an Armour roll to avoid injury - even if he is subsequently sent off by the Ref.
Dwarf Teams
Dwarfs were one of the first races to play Blood Bowl. Since the game was discovered by a Dwarf, there have been many Dwarf teams, most of whom play a devastating running game.
When the Dungeonbowl idea was put forward, the Dwarfs eagerly agreed - the idea of playing Blood Bowl in a Dungeon had a huge appeal for this basically subterranean race. They helped to organise the initial games, providing the Dungeon complexes in which it could be played.
There are currently two Dwarf teams playing in the Dungeonbowl league: the Doom Forgers and the Blood Axes, representing the Light Wizards and the Bright Wizards respectively.
Dwarf Player Characteristics
| MA | SP | ST | AG | TS | CL | AV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blitzer | 3 | +3 | 4 | 3 | -1 | +1 | 10 |
| Blocker | 3 | +1 | 5 | 2 | -1 | 0 | 10 |
| Kicker | 3 | +2 | 4 | 2 | -1 | 0 | 10 |
| Lineman | 3 | +2 | 4 | 2 | -1 | 0 | 10 |
| Thrower | 3 | +2 | 3 | 3 | +1 | 0 | 9 |
Dwarfs may never be Catchers.
Dwarf Teams
Dungeonbowl: Dwarf Dungeonbowl teams follow the normal Dungeonbowl restrictions on position (see Dungeonbowl Teams) - they don't use the Blood Bowl line-up listed below.
Blood Bowl: Dwarf Blood Bowl teams normally have 4 Blitzers, 6 Blockers and 6 Linemen. Note that a typical Dwarf team does not have a Thrower. They are not unheard of - they're just rare. If you wish to include them, 1 or 2 Blitzers may be replaced by Throwers.
Throwing
Dwarf teams are not renowned for their passing game. Their height makes it easy for opponents to intercept their passes, and makes it difficult for them to pick off badly thrown balls. To reflect this, when a Dwarf throws the ball, use the Dwarf Throwing Table.
Dwarf Throwing Table
| Range | Interception | Missed | Caught |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Pass | 2-3 | 4-5 | 6-12 |
| Short Pass | 2-4 | 5-6 | 7-12 |
| Long Pass | 2-5 | 6-7 | 8-12 |
| Long Bomb | 2-6 | 7-8 | 9-12 |
Interceptions
When a Dwarf tries to intercept a throw, roll a D6. On a result of 3-6 the Dwarf manages to intercept the ball. On a result of 1 or 2, the Dwarf can't jump high enough to catch the ball, and the result is Missed even if another player is eligible to intercept the ball.
Injuries
Note: The following rules do not apply when playing Dungeonbowl, as it is only played to one Touchdown. They are provided here for when you wish to use your Dwarf team in a game of normal Blood Bowl.
Dwarfs are naturally very tough. They recover from being KO'd faster than most other races. Dwarfs treat Knocked Out results from the Injury Table as Stunned.
Racial Dislikes and Animosities
Dwarfs dislike Elves, whom they find arrogant and irritating. When handing off or throwing the ball to an Elf, a Dwarf must roll a D6. On a result of 1-3 he can hand off or throw the ball as normal. On a result of 4-6 he refuses to give up the ball, and may either hang on to it, or try to give it to a member of a different race.
Dwarfs suffer animosity towards all Goblinoids (Orcs, Goblins, Hobgoblins and Snotlings). They will not play in any team that contains any of these races.
Elf Teams
Elves initially found the idea of Blood Bowl distasteful. They soon changed their minds when they realised the advantage they had over other players when it came to scoring Touchdowns. With their superb Throwers and Catchers they could get into an opponent's End Zone with consumate ease and end the game with style.
There is only one Elf team that plays Dungeonbowl, the Celestial Comets. They were the last but one team to join the league (the Green Destroyers applied last as they had trouble getting a full team - the Troll team members kept eating the Goblins). Like Blood Bowl, the idea did not appeal to the Elves at first. The only reason the Comets formed was because Elf Wizards felt the league should contain some of their own race. However, following the Comet's success, the game now appears to be growing in popularity amongst the Elven viewing public.
Elf Player Characteristics
| MA | SP | ST | AG | TS | CL | AV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blitzer | 4 | +3 | 4 | 3 | +1 | +1 | 9 |
| Catcher | 4 | +4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | +2 | 8 |
| Lineman | 4 | +3 | 3 | 3 | +1 | +1 | 8 |
| Thrower | 4 | +3 | 3 | 3 | +2 | 0 | 8 |
Elves may never be Blockers.
Elf Teams
Dungeonbowl: Elf Dungeonbowl teams follow the normal Dungeonbowl restrictions on position (see Dungeonbowl Teams) - they don't use the Blood Bowl line-up listed below. Note that an Elf team may only include Blitzers if they have been rolled as a tertiary race on the Secondary and Tertiary Race Table.
Blood Bowl: Most Elf Blood Bowl teams have 6 Catchers, 2 Throwers and 8 Linemen. A few teams replace 1 or 2 of their Catchers with Blitzers.
Injuries
Note: The following rules do not apply when playing Dungeonbowl, as it is only played to one Touchdown. They are provided here for when you wish to use your Elf team in a game of normal Blood Bowl.
Most Elf players are not cut out for heavy physical contact and this is partially reflected in their low AV. In addition, Elf players take longer to recover from Stunned and Knocked Out results than players belonging to other races.
After a Touchdown, roll a D6 for each Elf player in the Stunned box of the Dug-Out. On a result of 3-6, they are moved to the Reserves box, but on a result of 1-2, they have to stay where they are. KO'd Elves are always moved to the Stunned box after a Touchdown.
Elf Blitzers
Elf Blitzers are far tougher than their team-mates. They need to spend far less time in the Dug-Out after an injury, and ignore the special Injury rules above.
Interceptions
As well as being skilled in passing plays, Elves are highly effective at intercepting the ball. Therefore, all Elf players get the skill of Intercept (level 1) for free (skills are fully explained in the Blood Bowl Star Players supplement).
This means Elves can convert Missed throws by the opposing team into Interceptions. The player can only use this skill if he is in a position to intercept the throw. To find out if a Missed throw is intercepted, roll a D6 and add the player's Intercept level to the score. If the total is 7 or more, treat the result as an Interception instead of Missed.
The Intercept skill takes precedence over the Catch skill. A throw that is intercepted using this skill cannot be converted to a catch by the opponent.
Racial Dislikes and Animosities
Elves are a proud, aloof race and have a well-deserved reputation for not getting on with other races.
Elves suffer animosity towards Ogres, Trolls, Minotaurs and all Goblinoids (Orcs, Goblins, Hobgoblins and Snotlings). They will not play in any team that contains any of these races.
Elves dislike all other races. When handing off or throwing the ball to a player of another race an Elf must roll a D6. On a result of 1-3 he can hand off or throw the ball as normal. On a result of 4-6 he refuses to give up the ball, and may either hang on to it, or try to give it to a player of another race.
Dungeonbowl Teams
The Dungeonbowl League consists of ten teams, one fielded by each College of Magic. The races that each College will use are restricted to those listed below.
For your first game it is recommended that you play Humans versus Orcs, as these races use the basic rules. After that you can use the following system to decide which players are in your team. Note that you will need a copy of Star Players in order to field some of the teams.
Each of the teams apart from the Celestial Comets can field more than one race. The main race of the team is known as the basic race. The extra players available are known as secondary and tertiary races.
The Team Race Table lists the basic, secondary and tertiary races available to each team.
Each coach must decide in secret which team he wishes to field. If both coaches wish to play the same team, each coach must roll a D6 - the coach with the higher score has the first choice.
Once the teams are agreed, each coach must roll twice on the Secondary and Tertiary Race Table below; one roll for the secondary race and another for the tertiary race. This reveals how many players from the secondary and tertiary races may be included in the team. A coach does not have to include the full number of players available in his team if he does not want to. The remainder of the team will be made up of players from the primary race.
Secondary & Tertiary Race Table
| D6 Roll | Secondary Race | Tertiary Race |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 players | 0 players |
| 2 | 3 players | 0 players |
| 3 | 4 players | 1 player |
| 4 | 4 players | 1 player |
| 5 | 5 players | 2 players |
| 6 | 6 players | 2 players |
Dungeonbowl teams have 16 players. The team can include up to 2 Blitzers, 4 Blockers, 4 Catchers, and 2 Throwers, with any remaining players being Linemen. The coach may decide which position each player plays in, within the restrictions of their race (eg Dwarfs may not be chosen as Catchers, Elves may not be chosen as Blockers etc). Norse Beserkers, Werewolves, Human or Skaven Mutants and Mummies are considered to be Linemen.
Team Race Table
| College | Team | Primary Race | Secondary Race | Tertiary Race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Wizards | Doom Forgers | Dwarfs | Halflings | Werewolves |
| Golden Wizards | War Hawks | Orcs | Snotlings | Ogres* |
| Jade Wizards | Green Destroyers | Goblins | Orcs | Trolls* |
| Celestial Wizards | Celestial Comets | Elves | — | — |
| Grey Wizards | Grey Shadows | Humans | Snotlings | Ogres* |
| Amethyst Wizards | Grim Reapers | Skaven | Goblins | Minotaurs* |
| Bright Wizards | Blood Axes | Dwarfs | Humans | Dwarfs |
| Amber Wizards | Storm Bolts | Dark Elves | Orcs | Skaven |
| Rainbow Wizards | Harlequins | Elves | Halflings | Humans |
| Dark Wizards | Black Widows | Skeletons | Mummies** | Trolls* |
* Large Monsters count as 2 players ** Mummies count as 3 players
Example of Creating a Dungeonbowl Team
I have decided to field the Grim Reapers. I roll a '6' for the secondary race and a '4' for the tertiary race, so I may include up to 6 Goblins and a Minotaur in the team. I decide to take 2 of the Goblins and the Minotaur, thus the remaining 12 players will be Skaven (note that the Minotaur counted as 2 ordinary players). I must now decide which position each player will take. I decide to make the two Goblins Catchers, and the Minotaur a Blitzer. Two of the Skaven will also be Catchers, two of them Throwers, and the remaining 8 will be Linemen.
Representing A Dungeonbowl Team
To represent Human, Orc, Dwarf and Elf players you can use the plastic miniatures provided in this box and with Blood Bowl. For the other races you will need the appropriate Citadel Miniatures from the Blood Bowl range.
Setting Up
Use the following procedure to set up the Dungeon for each game. Each step must be completed in the order shown below.
Board Set-Up
Place the two End Zone board sections to one side. Take the six remaining boards and shuffle them. Place the boards face-down as shown below, and, keeping them in place, turn them over. Finally, place the End Zone board sections in the positions shown.
There are several alternative board set-ups shown here. We recommend you use Set-Up 1 for your first game or two as it is the most straightforward. Once you're used to the Dungeonbowl rules, experiment with the other board set-ups and with your own designs. Each different set-up presents its own interesting tactical problems.
Treasure Chests
The basic game only uses half of the Treasure Chest, Chest Trap and Ball Counters; sort out six Treasure Chest counters, 5 Trap counters and the Ball counter. Put the Chest Trap counters and the Ball counter in a cup, and place them to one side.
Each coach should roll a D6, the coach with the higher score controls the Offensive Team. The coaches take it in turn, starting with the Offensive Team coach, to place a Treasure Chest counter in the Dungeon. Counters may not be placed in either team's End Zone board section, and no more than one chest may be placed in any one board section.
Teleport Squares
The basic game only uses the first six Teleport counters. Leave the counters numbered 7 to 12 aside for the moment - they are only used in expanded Dungeons (explained in Optional Rules).
Each coach takes it in turn to place a Teleport counter in the Dungeon, again starting with the Offensive Team coach. Teleport counters may be set up anywhere in the dungeon, including either team's End Zone board sections. However, only one counter may be set up on each board section.
Doors
Each coach - starting with the coach of the Offensive Team - takes it in turn to set up the plastic Doors. Doors may be placed in any wall that is one square thick, or in any gap between two walls that is one square wide.
All doors start off shut.
Player Set-Up
Finally, the coaches set up their players. Each coach places 6 players (not 11 as in the normal game) in his End Zone board section. Players can only be placed in the End Zones at the start of the game.
The other players are teleported into the Dungeon once the game has started (see Teleporting).
Dungeonbowl Rules
Dungeonbowl uses the Veterans rules from Blood Bowl, with the following modifications and amendments.
Teleporting
The Teleport counters represent special teleport gates set up by the magicians at the start of the game. Coaches can use them to move players around the dungeon very quickly. Unfortunately, a coach cannot usually be sure where (or even if) the player will reappear.
When a player moves on to a Teleport square, roll a D6. The player is immediately teleported to the Teleport counter with the same number. A player who has been teleported may not do anything else that turn apart from hand off the football, make a block or make a catch.
Chain Reactions
If a player is teleported to a counter already occupied by another player, the player who was originally there is immediately teleported away in a chain reaction. Roll a D6 to see which counter the victim is teleported to (which may, in turn, cause another chain reaction).
Lost In Space
Teleportation is not an exact science, and there is always a chance that something may go wrong. If a player moves on to a Teleport counter, and is teleported back to the same counter, he instead becomes lost in space. For example, if a player was on Teleport counter 3 and a '3' was rolled on the D6, the player would become lost in space.
Remove the player from the board and place him in the KO'd box of the Dug-Out. The player may no longer take any part in the game, although the team's wizards will locate him amongst the Time Streams and return him to the real world in time for the next game.
The ball cannot become lost in space, as it is surrounded by a magical field which prevents it remaining in the time streams. If a player carrying the ball becomes lost in space he is placed in the Dug-Out as normal. The ball will reappear at the start of the next Team Turn, on a Teleport counter chosen at random by rolling a D6. If the space is occupied, the player concerned catches the ball. If it is empty, the ball will scatter from the square.
Dug-Out Teleporters
Each coach's Dug-Out contains a special teleporter which can be used to transfer players from the Reserves box to the pitch. In Dungeonbowl a coach may have any number of players on the pitch at one time. In practice, however, it is rare for a coach to be able to get all of his players on the pitch before a Touchdown is scored.
A coach may only teleport one player from the Reserves box to the field per Team Turn. At the start of the game there are only 6 players on the field; the Dug-Out teleporter may be used to build the team's numbers up as the game progresses. Note that players cannot teleport from the field back to the Dug-Out.
Opening Treasure Chests
At the start of the game, the ball is hidden in one of the Treasure Chests, and the players will obviously have to find it before they can score a Touchdown. Unfortunately, the Chests that do not hold the ball are fitted with a spectacular - though usually not lethal - explosive spell which goes off when the chest is opened.
A player may open a Chest that is in an adjacent square at the end of his move, as long as he is not in an opponent's Tackle Zone. Opening a chest ends the team's turn, just like throwing the football, thereby preventing the team from opening more than one Chest per turn. When a player opens a Chest, that player's coach should draw a counter, without looking, from the cup.
If the coach draws a Chest Trap counter, the player is knocked over and must make an Armour roll to avoid injury. Any other players that are adjacent to the chest are also knocked over and must also make Armour rolls to see if they are injured. Both counters are discarded.
If the coach draws a Ball counter the plastic ball is given to the player who opened the chest, and both counters are discarded.
Doors
A player may open or close a door in an adjacent square, but may not do anything else that turn. A player may not open a door if he sprinted that turn. A door cannot be closed if there is a player standing in it. An open door counts as a clear square. A closed door counts as a wall.
Throwing Underground
Throwing the football in a dungeon creates a number of unique problems, which the following special rules recreate.
Throwing Restrictions
Only Quick Passes or Short Passes are allowed when playing underground - the ceiling is just too low to allow longer passes. Obviously the ball cannot be thrown to a player if it would have to pass through a wall to get there.
Scrambling
In normal Blood Bowl a player cannot throw the ball if he has moved in the same turn. When taking part in a game of Dungeonbowl a player may scramble a number of squares equal to his MA and then throw the ball. When scrambling the normal rules for movement apply. A player who throws the ball after scrambling must subtract -1 from his TS, in addition to any other modifiers.
Scatter
The ball cannot scatter into a wall. Roll for scatter again from the original square if it does so.
Bouncing Balls off Walls
When playing underground, a player may throw the ball at a wall in the hope that it will bounce into a match-winning position.
Declare which wall-square the ball is thrown at, then see if the player hit the wall using normal rules. If the result is Caught the ball hits the designated wall-square. If the throw is Missed, roll 1D6: on a 1-3 the ball hits the wall square to the right of the target square, on a 4-6 it hits the wall square to the left. The ball may be intercepted as usual.
The ball then bounces off the wall. Place the throw-in template so that the picture of the ball is over the square the ball hit, and roll a D6 to see which direction the ball bounces. Then roll another 2D6 to determine the number of squares the ball travels in the direction indicated by the throw-in template. The ball scatters once from the square where it ends up.
If the ball hits another wall before it has moved the full distance determined by the 2D6 roll, it ricochets - see the diagram below to find out which direction the ball travels. The ball carries on travelling in this new direction until it has moved its full distance.
If the ball travels through a square containing another player, he may try to catch it. Roll 2D6 and add his CL if it is positive, or subtract it if it is negative. If the total is 8 or more the player catches the ball. A result of 7 or less indicates that the player has batted the ball down. A ball that is batted down scatters twice from the player's square and stops moving (ie roll for scatter, move the ball to the new square, and then repeat the procedure).
Kicking The Football
The ball may not be kicked when playing Dungeonbowl.
Injured Players
Injured players are placed in the appropriate box in the Dug-Out, as in normal Blood Bowl, and take no further part in the game.
Touchdowns
Touchdowns are scored by getting a player who has the ball into the opposing team's End Zone, just like the normal game. In Dungeonbowl the first team to score a Touchdown wins the game.
Optional Rules
The following optional rules may be used when playing Dungeonbowl, as long as both coaches agree to their use before the match starts.
The Wizards' Colleges
The rule banning the direct use of magic during a game is very strictly enforced in Dungeonbowl; things would soon get out of hand if the Colleges could get away with using spells during a match. However, this doesn't stop the Colleges using their magic to manipulate the game in another, far subtler, way. Each College uses its magical power to bend the laws of probability in its favour. Each coach is given 6 Magic Points to use during the game.
A coach may spend 1 Magic Point to get a Team Reroll, or spend 3 points to Fix a dice roll.
A Team Reroll may be used to reroll any dice roll made by either coach. The result of the new dice roll must be accepted, unless the opposing coach also has a reroll option, in which case he could use it to force a second reroll. Each coach may only reroll the dice once for any particular incident.
Rerolls are useful for making sure important blocks are effective, vital throws are caught or players escape injury after an attack.
To Fix a dice roll, the coach must declare that he intends to do so immediately before he makes the roll (thus a coach may only Fix his own dice rolls, not his opponent's). The coach then chooses the number that he wishes the dice to roll. Note that it costs 3 points to Fix a single dice; thus, if a coach wanted to choose the score for a 2D6 roll (for a block, for example) he would have to spend all 6 Magic Points, 3 for each dice.
Hint: Fixing the dice roll can be very useful when you wish to make sure that the ball carrier teleports near to the opponent's End Zone.
You should keep track of how many Magic Points each coach has spent on a piece of scrap paper.
The Colour of Magic
The diagram of The Great Wheel shows the ten Colleges of Magic - the eight outer Colleges and the two Colleges at the Hub. By virtue of their arrangement, each of the outer Colleges is superior to the College positioned immediately clockwise from its own position, and is inferior to the College immediately anticlockwise. When teams from neighbouring Colleges meet, the team from the superior College gains an extra 3 Magic Points.
The Colleges that lie at the hub of the Great Wheel, the Rainbow Wizards and the Dark Wizards, are superior to each other. When the Harlequins and the Black Widows meet (the teams that represent these Colleges) both teams gain 3 Magic Points, for a total of 9 each.
Expanding The Game
You may use Games Workshop's Dungeon Floor Plans to increase the size of the playing area.
All of the corridors in your Dungeon must be at least 2 squares wide and both End Zone board sections must be used. Apart from that there are no restrictions.
Both players should build the Dungeon as a joint effort. The aim is to make an interesting dungeon - remember that at this stage it is not a competition!
If the Floor Plans you wish to use do not have a square grid you will have to draw one in yourself.
Once the dungeon is set up each coach rolls a D6, and the highest scorer is allowed to choose which End Zone he will use. Set up Treasure Chest counters, Teleport counters and plastic Doors. Teleport and Treasure Chest counters must be placed so that no two counters of the same type are closer than 10 squares apart. The End Zone board sections cannot hold any Treasure Chest counters, and only one Teleport counter each.
Extra Treasure Chests
In an expanded Dungeon, you can agree to use more Treasure Chests, up to a maximum of 12 Chests. If you use less than 12 Chests, you can choose to put an extra ball in one of the Chests, or have all the extra Chests trapped. If you use all 12 Chests, you will automatically get two Ball counters.
Each coach should take one, two or three extra Treasure Chests counters and place them according to the rules above. The appropriate number of Chest Trap and Ball counters should be put in the cup - these are drawn without looking as in the basic game.
Playing With Two Balls
If you're using extra Treasure Chests, you can begin the game with two Ball counters. This means it is possible for two balls to be in play at once - this is perfectly allowable in an expanded Dungeon.
All the normal rules apply, with the additional rule that no player may hold more than one ball at a time. The first team to score a Touchdown, with either of the balls, is the winner.
Extra Teleport Squares
If you want, you may agree to use more Teleport counters, up to a maximum of 12. Each coach should take one, two or three extra Teleport counters and place them according to the rules above. You will need to roll an appropriate dice to find out which square the player is teleported to - ie an 8-sided, 10-sided or 12-sided dice (these are available from most games shops if you don't have any).
Spike Balls
Spike balls are made of wood, with several cruel spikes driven through them. This makes them heavier and rather more risky to catch, but also allows them to be used as offensive weapons.
Throwing a spike ball is more difficult than throwing a normal football. The range of any throw made is increased by 1 category on the Throwing Table (a Quick Pass counts as a Short Pass, etc - this doesn't contradict the restrictions for throwing underground as it is the category on the table, not the actual range that is increased). It is impossible to throw a Long Bomb with a spike ball.
If a player tries to catch or intercept a spike ball, there is a good chance he will be injured in the process. Roll a D6. If the score is equal to or greater than the player's AG, he must make an Armour roll to avoid being injured.
It has become common practise to throw a spike ball just in front of the catcher, allowing him to pick it up rather than suffer multiple punctures trying to catch it. Consequently, a spike ball may be thrown to an empty square - in which case a Caught result means the ball has landed in the target square.
Another common tactic in spike ball games is to pass to the opposition. Very hard, and very fast. Most interceptions in such cases are concluded with the player involved being carted off the field looking like a porcupine. To represent this, spike balls may be thrown at opposing players at either Quick Pass or Short Pass range (which count as Short Pass and Long Pass respectively because of the difficulty in throwing a spiked ball). The throw is worked out as normal, except that the CL of the target player is subtracted rather than added to the dice roll (he's going to be trying to get of the way as fast as he can).
A Caught result means the target player has been hit and must make an Armour roll. If the player fails the Armour roll, roll on the Injury Table as normal and leave the ball in the square the player occupied. If the Armour roll is passed the player managed to catch the ball.
Misses scatter as normal, and hit any player on the square they end up in. Count an Interception as Missed.
Large Monsters
You will need a copy of Star Players to use this rule.
If the coaches wish to field a team containing Large Monsters, then they must use the rules printed in Star Players, with the following modifications.
Large Monsters cannot move through doors, or gaps in walls that are only one square wide.
Large Monsters may not teleport. If part of a Large Monster's base moves onto a Teleport counter the monster is injured, and should be placed in the Injured box in its Dug-Out. Since Large Monsters cannot teleport onto the pitch during the game, the maximum number a coach can have on the field at one time is three (as each Large Monster counts as two normal players, only three could be set up at the start of the game).
Star Players
You will need a copy of Star Players to use this rule.
Coaches should feel free to use Star Players in their teams if they wish. However, a Star Player may not be included in a team if he doesn't belong to one of the races that may be included in that team (see the rules for Dungeonbowl Teams).
Magic Sponges
As Dungeonbowl is only played to a single Touchdown, many teams complained that their best players didn't get a chance to return to the Dungeon after being injured. What is the point, cried the dismayed wizards, of paying 5,000 Crowns for a Star Player if he's only out there for a couple of minutes?
In response to this demand, and the Colleges' threatened withdrawal of funds, apothecaries worked long and hard to find some way of reviving injured players. Eventually they discovered a glowing gel-like substance, brewed from a number of noxious ingredients, each smelling worse than the last. This green gunk is applied to special sponges and issued to all Dungeonbowl coaches.
If both coaches agree, you may decide to include Magic Sponges in your games of Dungeonbowl. A coach may decide to use his sponge to treat an injured player instead of teleporting a player from the Dug-Out to the Dungeon. If the treated player was in the Stunned box, he should be moved to the Reserves box. If the treated player was in the KO'd box, he should be moved to the Stunned box. The sponge has no effect on players who have been seriously injured or killed.
Pit Traps
It is recommended that Pit Traps are only used in an expanded Dungeon.
At the start of the game, each coach is given six of the Pit Trap counters. Three of these should say Nothing, two should be Pit Traps and one should be a Spiked Pit Trap. Coaches may position these counters face-down anywhere in the Dungeon with the following exceptions: Pit Traps may not be placed on the opposing player's End Zone board section, nor may they be placed in a square holding a Treasure Chest or Teleport counter.
Whenever a player (from either side) enters a square containing a counter, it is turned over.
If it says Nothing, nothing happens. It was a bluff and the opposing coach can start breathing again.
If it says Pit Trap, the player falls in and must make an Armour roll to avoid injury.
If it says Spiked Pit Trap, the player falls in. Roll a D6 on the following table.
Spiked Pit Table
| D6 Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Ouch! The player has landed on the spikes. Roll a D6. On a 1-4, the player has suffered a serious injury; on a 5-6, the player is dead. In either case, the player is placed in the Killed/Serious Injury box of the Dug-Out. |
| 3-6 | Lucky Miss! The player avoids the spikes, but must still make an Armour roll to avoid being injured by the fall. |
Discard Nothing counters when they are revealed. All other types stay on the pitch, waiting, malevolently hopeful that more players fall in.
A player in a pit may only try to climb out - he can't move, block, tackle or push. No other player may try to move through or leap over a pit that already holds a player, and no player may block, tackle or push a player already in a pit.
Large Monsters and Pits
If any part of a Large Monster's base enters a square with a Pit Trap, the creature trips over and is placed prone. It has not, however, fallen into the pit and may stand up as normal. Note that the monster only falls when part of its base enters the square.
If a Large Monster's base enters a square with a Spiked Pit Trap, it automatically impales its foot on some of the spikes, and must retire to the Serious Injury box of its team's Dug-Out.
Leaping Over Pits
Players may try to leap over empty Pit Traps (revealed or not), just as if they were leaping over prone players. However, if the player rolls an Oooops! result, he falls into the pit.
Getting Out Again
Players can either try to climb out of a pit unaided, or can wait and be pulled out by other players. To do either the player must roll equal to or less than his AG on a D6. Dwarfs, Halflings, Goblins and Snotlings must halve their AG (rounding up). Add +1 to the dice roll for each opposing player who has a Tackle Zone on the square, and subtract -1 for each friendly player who is pulling him out.
If the player manages to get out, he may be placed in any unoccupied square beside the Pit, but may not do anything else that turn.
If a player tries to get out of a Spiked Pit Trap and fails, he falls back in and must roll a D6 to see what happens. On a roll of 1 or 2, he lands on the spikes and suffers a serious injury.
Extra Pit Traps
If you're using an especially large Dungeon, you can agree to increase the number of Pit Traps, up to a maximum of eight Pit Traps and four Spiked Pit Traps.
Each coach should take one, two or three extra Pit counters - both coaches should have the same type of counters. Take an equal number of Nothing counters and then lay all the counters in the usual way with the usual restrictions on placement.