Is there anyone out there?
It’s ‘Is there anybody out there?’ the Journal’s letters/reply forum that lets you have your say.
Since the long awaited re-release of Blood Bowl it appears that everyone’s gone Blood Bowl barking mad. We’ve included some of the best Blood Bowl letters along with the usual catalogue of praise, gripes, advice, and disturbing madness!
I am writing to inform you of the enjoyment and ideas I have received from your games, especially over the last few weeks. The letter that follows mainly concerns itself with the game of Blood Bowl but it also touches the surface of some of your other games most notably Warhammer 40,000. I think that before I begin I should give you some background knowledge on my gaming experience.
I
began gaming about 5 or 6 years ago after my brother introduced me to the
original version of Blood Bowl. I fell
instantly in love with the games and there has been no looking back since. I walked into Games Workshop Liverpool in
July of 1992. With my recently acquired
birthday money I bought a paintbrush and a rat ogre for Warhammer, but I had no
paints and ended up using my dad’s real paints in order to paint the model (no-one
told me that the paints we sell are imaginary! – Ed). I still have it today and almost no detail
can be discerned on it! Anyway from
this one model I now have a collection of thousands.
I
began buying miniatures and learning how to paint them just for fun at
first. This all changed, however, with
the release of the updated Warhammer 40,000.
With this I began to collect armies and play the games. I fell in love with the models and the way
the games were played, they were just so different from anything else that I
had ever played before. I started going
regularly to Games nights on Thursdays and entering every available tournament
that I could. My collection started
with a Space Wolf army but at the time I couldn’t (and still can’t) stick to one
army. With the release of Codex Eldar I
collected this weird and wonderful alien race.
I managed to stick faithfully with this army for some time (quite a feat
for me). I bought all of the new
Codexes as they came out but none really caught my attention the way that Codex
Eldar still did even after all this time.
Eventually I began collection Imperail Guard and have quite a sizeable
army and for once I am almost entirely happy with my army (although I have recently
had my soul tested by the dark gods of Chaos).
As
new games came out I added them to my collection. At times I have owned HeroQuest, Space Crusade, Space Hulk
(twice), Warhammer, Necromunda, Man o’ War, GorkaMorka, and even the main
purpose of this letter, Blood Bowl. I
owned the last version of Blood Bowl a few years ago but sold it in a car boot
sales together with Death zone and a few boxed teams for just a few pounds (how
foolish I look now). However, I picked
up issue 220 of White Dwarf and read that Blood Bowl is back.
I
have to admit that at first I wasn’t over joyed as last time because I had no
one really to play. However, I went
into Games Workshop Liverpool and started talking to one of the staff members
(Anthony) and this immediately re-kindled the passion I had for the game a few
years back. I immediately rushed home
and raided my back issues of White Dwarf (I have almost every one since issue
100). I found the articles in White
Dwarf since it was last out (about issue 172 to 190). I read every article and then read them all again. With my passion high I returned to Games
Workshop Liverpool for an introductory game which gave me a quick refresher.
I
was then told of a Blood Bowl tournament just three weeks away during the
Easter Holidays. I decided that I just
had to be in it and was determined to win, or maybe come in second or get to
the semi-finals, or second round at least!
It dawned on me that I had three weeks to buy a team, paint it and
practice with them for the championship.
In order to give me as much time as possible I registered my team for
the finals which were three weeks four days away.
I
scoured the Blood Bowl and Death Zone rulebooks to pick my team. I opted for Undead as I like their ability
to Regenerate, but one of the articles that I read in an old White Dwarf
nagged at me. Who know what would have
happened if I had mail ordered the Undead team that day and ignored that
accursed article. One thing I can be
sure of is that I would not have had as much or deaths against me as I
did! The man I both thank and blame
for the extraordinary string of events that were to follow is Jeremy
Vetock. He wrote an article on a
Halfling Blood Bowl team and they seemed to be the perfect challenge to me (and
to everyone else, no doubt! – Ed).
I mail ordered 13 Halflings and picked up a Treeman from the store
against the futile attempts of friends and staff eager to stop me making a
mistake?
Two
weeks later I had my Halfling players and my Treeman assembled and painted
ready for action. Only now I realized
that I had one week and four days to get my tactics sorted and the rules of the
game straight in my head. My first game
was against the staff member Anthony who agreed not to kill more than five of
my players if I didn’t score. Sure
enough this fired me up, I was ready for anything and I lined my team up for
the first time.
My
team consisted of the following:
13
Halflings: Short Bread, Fat Boy,
Lard-arse, Stumpy McGrew Flabogagan, Big Cahoona, Dark Horse, Toy Boy, Gambo,
Mr. Flibble, Puggy Baconbreath, Fruit cake, Treeman Star Player Deeproot
Strongbranch and myself Spudy OnionBreath.
1
Halfling Master Chef, 1 Apothecary, 3 Re-Rolls, and 5 Fan Factor
My
team name was the ‘Cranberries’ and I ‘Spudy OnionBreath’ was the captain (my
real name is Simon but everyone in Games Workshop Liverpool knows me as
Spud). I lined them up with my one
tactic in mind which was to throw my Halflings with the ball. I received the all via Touchback and threw
the Halfling with the ball. He
scattered and then landed on his head killing him instantly! I think I need to develop new tactics. Consequently I was hammered 3-0 and had
three players Seriously Injured.
I
soon had challengers thick and fast eager to smash my team into a bloody
pulp. I played a Human team and again
had three players injured, but halfway through the match I was only 2-0 down
and had the ball. I tossed the player
who miraculously landed on his feet and scored, my first Halfling
touchdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eager
to play again I challenged one of the people who had already won his respective
day in the tournament and was a really good opponent. His Undead team easily walked a 4-0 win and inflicted a whopping
nine injuries, killing two Halflings and my Treeman. Hmmm, back to the drawing board!
I retired and began afresh eager to learn from my mistakes. I decided on playing a slower team for once
and opted for a Dwarf team.
Miraculously (that Master Chef is just great!) I managed a 2-1 victory,
even managing to inflict more injuries on his team than mine!
On
a high, I challenged the Undead team which had forced me to retire earlier and
I had learned from my mistakes. A 3-2
win followed with me scoring on the last down of the game! It was great stuff.
I
then went on a roll beating High Elves, Humans, Chaos (one of my Halflings with
Mighty Blow killed Lord Borak!), Orcs and I even had a 6-6 draw with
Skaven, which was the best game I ever played.
On the last down of that particular match I need to make a Go for It
to win and failed twice even with a re-roll (I knew there was a reason I
swear more playing Blood Bowl than any other game – Ed.) With my new and improved team I was
unbeaten and wanted to prove to the disbelievers just how good Halflings can
be. My tournament game was coming up and
boy was I nervous.
At
high noon I entered the store, ready for action. I was pleased with the draw as I faced the same Orc team that I
had previously beaten. Unfortunately I
couldn’t see my opponent (in fact only tow other players turned up, which was a
bit of a bummer). Since the other two
competitors (Wood Elves and Skaven) were drawn against each other I had to wait
for a couple of hours and then got straight into the final. No-one could
believe that Halflings were in the final (and less said about the opening
rounds the better!)
I
was up against Wood Elves who were 2-1 winners, but thanks to the Ratmen were
down to seven men. I began my first
half by putting two of his players into next week with the Treeman while my
Halflings ganged up on the rest. One of
them still managed to break through and score (they’re nippy little buggers
that’s for sure), I couldn’t believe it.
At half time it was just 1-1 despite him being down to an utterly
ridiculous five men! At the end of the
match I had won 4-1 and booted all but two of his players off the pitch by
Fouling. I couldn’t believe it, I was
in the Cup Winner’s Cup and the Halflings had won the Blood Bowl.
Saturday
came and the final draw for the Cup Winner’s Cup was made. The only person that I didn’t want to meet
was Ritchie with his Human team. It
might have been something to do with him being the North West gaming Champion
and a master Blood Bowl player. Sure
enough he romped home with a 3-0 win, but I did manage to get his Mighty Zug
sent off, another player sent off and killed both of his catchers, so I wasn’t
too upset.
When
I got home I placed my limited edition Blood Bowl trophy on my shelf (which is
now painted, of course). I always used
to play games with more than a hint of seriousness but since playing with
Halflings, which you expect to lose, it’s much more fun and you meet a lot more
people. So, a big thank you for
releasing Blood Bowl again and rekindling a light hearted enjoyment of the hobby
and a big thank you from Mr. Onionbreath as I am now known in the store.
Now,
we all know that Halfling teams aren’t the easiest team to coach out of all the
other teams who can actually get other skills apart from Agility. The Halflings are really cheap which enables
you to field loads of Star Players as well as a fair number of actual
players. My own team, “The Mootland
Marauders”, has both Jobo Hairyfoot and Puggy Bacon Breath (See Journal #9 and
Journal #25 for these players). The
Treeman are also valuable additions to your team if you want them. Although Halflings aren’t the strongest team
either as the stronger teams, like Skaven, Chaos, and Orcs, can mop the
blood-stained floor with them. If you
roll doubles, however, you can get some really good, useful, skills like Block,
Tackle,and Dirty Player. There
aren’t many Halfling miniatures to choose from so I have used 2nd as
well as 3rd season miniatures.
I have also used the Dwarf cook from the Dwarf Goblobber (if you ring
the Trollz and ask for the Dwarf cook from the Goblobber in Troll #5, they
should know what you’re talking about) as a Master Chef and the Halfling Cook from the Hot Pot as an Apothecary (I
know is sounds stupid, using a Halfling Cook as an Apothecary, but it’s
sooooooo much easier to paint a huge, blotchy, red cross on that huge, chef’s
hat) and I don’t think I should tell you my Head Coach model since everybody’s
Head Coach reflects their own personality.
Now
onto the strategy. The best strategy
I’ve used is bringing around three players towards the most powerful players
and try to injure the big git!! If you
have a Treeman throw insults at your opponent (like ‘aaaaaah, ya wuss, betcha
can’t touch my Treeman with yoor little Orcy-babys’) and he or she should
eventually crack and send their team howling after the big guy. He should be able to injure a few of them
and even though he will get injured himself it won’t be for a while.
I
have my own team that isn’t the best but it gives you an indication.
Jobo
Hairyfoot (60,000 gps), Puggy Bacon Breath (90,000 gps), 12 Halflings (360,000
gps), 3 re-rolls (180,000 gps), Fan Factor 7 (70,000 gps), 3 Cheerleaders (now
there’s a horrific thought – Ed)
(30,000 gps), and Assistant Coach (10,000 gps), and Apothecary (50,000
gps), and a Master Chet (150,000 gps).
You
can change this list around to make it more useful. Now, you may not be wanting to read anymore but I must say, if
you’re thinkgin of making a Halfling team, use quantity in the place of quality. In the words of Head Coach, Merrie
Plumpfellow, ‘Mmmf, Mumph, Mmmmmmmffff!!!’, because this comment was spoken
during the Coach’s iced bun, this probably means ‘We’ll do anything, so long as
we get fed afterwards!!!’
When
I purchased the 3rd Edition of Blood Bowl, I was overwhelmed with
the quality of art-work and detail used for the pitch. After my first games, I began to think how
these artistic details could be used to a player’s advantage (or disadvantage
in some cases) during the course of a game be it as a last desperate attempt to
stop someone from scoring or just to aid in the spillage of blood (besides,
it’s a bit of a laugh!) So, I came up
with these amusing rules which will appeal to those of you that have several
screws loose:
Mushrooms: Any player Going For It (into or out
of this square) will need to roll a 3+ rather than 2+ because it’s slippery.
The
Spill: If, like me, you’re an avid
Blood Bowl player, then I’m sure you’ve noticed the split barrel of Bugman’s by
the side-line (what a waste). The rules
are as above but in addition, any Dwarf who enters an adjacent square must roll
a dice, on a 1 or a 2 the player notices the beer going to waste and must move
to the square with the spill and spend 1 point of movement having a drink
(including as many Go For It rolls as necessary, even if it’s more than
allowed, don’t forget the player needs a 3+) .
On a 3+ the player doesn’t see the spill and carries on.
Broken
Glass: If a player falls over in this
square then when rolling for armour and injury, add the Mighty Blow
modifier (this is in addition to any other modifiers).
The
following items which may be picked up and used in a similar manner to picking
up the ball. Remember, a player can
only hold as many items as he has hands!
Also, at the end of a half or after a Touchdown is scored, there is a
chance he has been spotted by the Ref so make a penalty roll of 10+ to see if
the player is spotted and sent off. Be
it successful or not, the item is always the thrown back to where the player
found it.
Limbs: Any player who picks up one of these tasty
leftovers may use it when Blocking or Blitzing to aid in slaughtering opposing
players. It gives the player holding it
+1 to their Strength.
Rocks/Skulls: These items may be used in the same way as
limbs but with the addition that they may be thrown at opposing players . Roll as if the player was throwing the ball. If accurate the target may attempt to catch
it if he first roll a 4+ (5+ if it’s very sunny), otherwise the layer is pushed
back and knocked over (as if hit by a player) away from the player who threw it
(make armour and injury rolls as normal).
Bottles: As for broken glass, but players may Block
with and gain Mighty Blow.
Knuckles
Dusters: As for limbs but with a
penalty roll of 11+.
Helmet: The player wearing it gains +1 Armour for
that play after which it is thrown back with no penalty roll. Each time that player is hit, roll a dice,
on a 1-3, the helmet is smashed (well it is second-hand!) and unusable for the
rest of the match. On a 4+ it survives
the beating.
Skull
and Helmet: this just counts as a
combination of two separate items. See
Helmet and Rocks/Skulls sections above.
Rat
eating a hand: While the hand is of no
real use, the rat may be used in the same way as a rock/skull (see Rocks/Skulls
section above). However, you must roll
a D6 and on a score of 1-3, the rat bites your hand and scampers off as you try
and pick it up (unless the player is Skaven – family ties). The player may do nothing else this
turn. If a player is hit by the thrown
rat, they are pushed back and knocked over but don’t make an Armour or an
Injury roll for the player. By the way,
the greedy little rat returns to the hand at the end of a half or after a
Touchdown is scored.
Small
Bones/applecore/eyes/ears/etc: These
things are far too small to be of any use but if you get really bored, you can
have them as a quick snack if you really want to!!
Daniel Hayes, Winchester