With a little help from Gareth Hardy and Jamie Taylor for sending me their ideas and to Mark Jones the mad Squig of the ‘Eavy Metal team for playtesting the nasty little critters!

Goblin teams have for a long time been regarded as being the worst teams in the game. Their only worthwhile addition to the melting pot that is Blood Bowl is the many various cheating Goblins and their wacky ideas. From Chainsaws and Pogo Sticks to Bomb throwers and Ball and Chain wielding fanatics to name but a few.

A little-known Goblin team which plays in Gorgoths tribal Leeg 5^th division called the Squig Hunters, had a large Squig mascot that they kept in a big steel cage beside their piteously small pitch. During one game against a Halfling team called the Mootland Mountaineers, who were traveling the Bad Lands playing friendly matches against the local teams, the Squig broke out and rampaged onto the pitch killing 6 of the Halflings and knocking the rest back into their food-festooned dug out. The Mountaineers did not play any more friendly games after that.

Squigs became an instant hit with Goblin teams and the craze has now swept up into the bigger Goblin teams such as the Evil Gits, the Lowdown Ratz and even the Underworld Creepers. Many teams now have bands of Squig Hunters searching the deep mountain caves of the Warhammer world for ever-bigger Squigs to use in the Blood Bowl arena.

Squigs may only play for Goblin teams. The Goblin team must hire a team of Squig Hunters to use Squigs in his team. They have no effect on the game but they are the only Goblins who know how to handle a Squig. Usually with a big club to the Squig’s head, here is the new Goblin team list with new added Squigs.

A Squig must be moved before anything else on the Goblins’ team and an illegal procedure is called if another player is moved first, unless there is a Fanatic with ball and chain. In this case move the Fanatic first and then the Squigs. Squigs move using the throw-in template just like the Goblin Fanatic with Ball and Chain. Roll a D6 to see how far the Squig moves first and then position the template in the direction you want him to go in and roll a dice. Do this for every square of movement the Squig has.

Just like the fanatic the Squig does not have a tackle zone and he never has to make a dodge roll to leave a square adjacent to an opponent because nobody would be stupid enough to try and stop a rampaging Squig. A Squig can however, be blocked by an opposing player if any would be so insane to do so. A Squig is injured as normal and unlike the fanatic does not always injure himself when he falls over.

When a Squig moves into a square which is occupied, friendly or enemy – Squigs do not care, then he will make a block. To move into the same square as a player the Squig must first be adjacent to him and when he rolls to move the template must indicate that he will move into the opposing players square. This does not count as the team’s blitz action. The Squig can keep moving and blocking as many times in one turn as it has movement or until he is knocked over. Note that a Squig has the Frenzy skill and follows up and Blocks again as per normal for Frenzy. A Squig cannot assist blocks but other players may lend assists as normal.

If a Squig moves into a square occupied by a prone player then the Squig will foul them, friendly or otherwise. They can be sent off as normal by rolling a double. Only one foul may be made a turn so should a Squig attempt to foul a prone player after the teams foul has been used this turn then the prone player will be pushed back one square away from the Squig menace.

When a Squig is getting up from being knocked down you must roll for how many squares the Squig will move first. If there is insufficient movement to get up he cannot get up. (No, this does not count as a turnover at all.)

A Squig cannot do anything with a football. This includes throwing, catching, handing off or anything! So if the ball ends up in a square with a Squig occupying it then roll a D6 and consult the table to see what happens to the football.

Squigs cannot be hired once a league has begun. Instead you have to trust your band of Squig Hunters to seek out a new Squig for you. Once per post match sequence you may roll a D6 to see whether your Squig Hunters find you a new Squig or to see if the Squig Hunters die on their dangerous quest…

When your Squigs gain Star Player Points and become Star Players then you may choose skills from General, Strength or Physical. You will have to use common sense and choose skills that reflect Squigs’ nature. We don’t want any Squigs with Big Hands; Squigs do not have any arms after all.

Included with this article are full rules for a Goblin Squig Hopper Star Player.

Soon after Squigs hit the Blood Bowl turf a mad Goblin called Fuggit decided it would be a great idea to sit on one and ride about on it. Fuggit bought a Squig from a Squig Hunters team and soon began to learn how to ride him. Fuggit found it was more difficult than he had at first thought. For starters, he kept falling off and hurting himself. But being a persevering Goblin, apart from being stupid that is, he kept trying and one day he had mastered the Squig, which he named Biter and then hopped down to his local Blood Bowl match.

It was not long before a coach spotted Fuggit riding Biter and signed him up on a two-year contract. That very afternoon, Fuggit and Biter became a big hit with the fans bounding around the pitch in a completely mad fashion. The Goblin fans wanted more and more Squig Hoppers were soon playing Blood Bowl.

None of the newer Squig Hoppers could match up to Fuggit and Biter, though, and the pair were quickly enticed into the big Blood Bowl teams with the lure of lots of money and rats to eat. Since then Fuggit and Biter have played for dozens of teams and have played in all the major competitions.

Special Rules: Penalty Roll 8+

A Squig Hopper moves and blocks in exactly the same way as a normal Squig. The difference is that instead of blocking the Squig Hopper can attempt to leap over the player and continue the move on the other side of the opponent. This can be done when the template indicates the Squig Hopper is about to move into an opposing player. Make an agility roll as normal and if successful, the Squig Hopper lands in the square the other side of the opponent. This takes up two squares of the Squig’s movement and if the Squig does not have enough move to make the leap then he may go for it to leap. If there is no empty square on the opposite side of the player then he will just have to block the player in his way. You can choose whether to block or to leap when the template indicated you are going to collide with another player whether it’s a friend or foe.

Every turn after the Squig Hopper has moved the Goblin player must roll a dice. On a 1 the Goblin has fallen off and is automatically injured, make an injury roll. On a 2 or more the Goblin stays on the Squig and is fine this turn. The Statistic line on the Star Player card incorporates both Squig and Goblin so if one gets injured they are both injured.

If the ball ever ends up in the Squig Hopper’s square then the Goblin makes a roll to see whether he catches the ball or not as usual. Do not count the +1 for picking up the ball if the Squig Hopper should attempt this dangerous stunt. If the Goblin does catch the ball then he has grabbed it before the Squig does. If the Goblin drops the ball then the Squig gets it and you must make a roll of the Squigs and the Football table as normal.

Hiring Fuggit and Biter – Counts as 1 player

Fuggit can keep Biter under control and therefore you do not need a Squig Hunters team to have Fuggit and Biter, although you do if you want any more Squigs on your side.