OnLine BloodBowl Enthusiasts’ Reference With Assembled League Doctrines
(OBERWALD)
The 2001 Rules Review
Edition
and the May 2002 Living
Handbook
(v4.51 31 May 2002)
This is based on Oberwald v1.09 by Dean Maki and earlier versions for Blood Bowl Edition 3 and 4 edited by Brian Horton with assistance from Gary Moriarty, Steve Lalancette and the other gurus on Blood Bowl Central.
Comments and suggestions can be sent to mhorton@vision.net.au
This edition is based on The 2001 Blood Bowl Rules Review found at
http://games-workshop.com/Warhammerworld/bloodbowl/l_rule_bbok_a.htm
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 ADMINISTRATIVE.......................
2.0 ACTIONS....
2.1
Block....
2.2
Catch...
2.3
Dodge...
2.4
Fouling
2.5
Go For It.......................
2.6
Hand-Off................
2.7
Interception....................
2.8
Knock Downs........
2.9
Pass.......
2.10
Picking up the ball.......................
2.11
Push Back............
2.12
Scattering the ball..
2.13
Standing up................
2.14
Throw-in.................
2.15
Turns
3.0 GENERAL.
3.1
Turnovers.....................
3.2
Apothecaries.................
3.3
Injuries.....................
3.4
Rerolls.....................
3.5
The Kickoff and Kickoff Table........
3.6
Forfeits.....................
3.7
Handicaps.....................
3.8
Miscellaneous Stuff
4.0 SECRET WEAPONS AND STAR
PLAYERS..........................
4.1
Star Players...
4.2
Secret Weapons.
4.3
Player size.............
4.4
Blunderbuss.................
4.5
Bomber.....................
4.6
Chainsaw.....................
4.7
Death Roller......
4.8
Fanatics
4.9
Pogo Stick.........
4.10
Poisoned Dagger.....
5.0 SKILLS AND TRAITS...........
5.1
Skills, Traits and Racial Characteristics..........
5.2
Reaction skills........
5.3
Always Hungry (racial characteristic)...........
5.4
Bonehead (racial characteristic)...........
5.5
Catch.
5.6
Claw...
5.7
Dauntless (general trait).......
5.8
Dirty Player......
5.9
Diving Catch.......
5.10
Diving Tackle.....
5.11
Dump-Off..............
5.12
Foul Appearance (physical trait).......
5.13
Frenzy (general trait).......
5.14
Guard
5.15
Hail Mary Pass.....................
5.16
Horns
5.17
Hypnotic Gaze (racial characteristic)...........
5.18
Kick...
5.19
Jump Up (agility trait).......
5.20
Leader (general trait).......
5.21
Leap...
5.22
Mighty Blow.........
5.23
Multiple Block........
5.24
Nerves of Steel (general trait).......
5.25
Pass Block........
5.26
Piling On...............
5.27
Prehensile Tail............
5.28
Pro.....
5.29
Razor Sharp Fangs/Claws...............
5.30
Really Stupid (trait)......
5.31
Regeneration (racial characteristic)...........
5.32
Right Stuff and Throw Team Mate (racial characteristics).........
5.33
Safe Throw......
5.34
Shadowing.....................
5.35
Side Step............
5.36
Spikes
5.37
Stand Firm (strength trait).......
5.38
Strip Ball...........
5.39
Strong Arm (passing trait).......
5.40
Stunty (racial characteristic)...........
5.41
Sure Feet............
5.42
Sure Hands.......
5.43
Take Root (racial characteristic)...........
5.44
Tentacles.....................
5.45
Throw Team Mate.....................
5.46
Very Long Legs (physical trait).......
5.47
Wild Animal (racial characteristic)...........
6.0 HANDICAPS TABLE.............
6.1
General.....................
7.0 BIG GUYS
7.1
General.....................
7.2
Pro skill used for Big Guys negative trait roll.....................
7.3
Big Guy Progression..................
7.4
Player size.............
Refer to the rule books first. This document is not intended to replace the rule books, but is a supplement used as a guide when the rules are not clear. The rule books Blood Bowl [BB] and Deathzone [DZ] contain rules for Edition 3. These have been updated by the 2001 Blood Bowl Rules Review Committee [RR] and the Living Handbook at the following website
http://games-workshop.com/Warhammerworld/bloodbowl/l_rule_bbok_a.htm
Where possible, the source is credited as a reference. Those credited as [GWUK] are responses from the Games Workshop (UK) Studio League. Those credited as [WD] come from the FAQ presented in White Dwarf 182 for Blood Bowl 3. Blood Bowl Magazine 1 and 2 are no longer official. Jervis Johnson, the game's designer, is an authority for items marked [JJ]. Some are taken from Jervis’s letters to the Blood Bowl mailing list [JJML], collated on the Triple Skulls web site. [LR] is the Living Rule book May 2002.
Some points appear more than once throughout the document. If a point is applicable to two different topics, it appears under each heading or a cross-reference is given.
Many leagues have used different interpretations for some rules or have introduced variants to the rules. Where the existing rules are relatively clear, or rulings have been obtained from an official source, or the majority of leagues agree, it is shown as the “official” ruling.
Common variants may be listed after the official version as -
Var (a) ……….
Var (b) ………, etc.
Where there is no clear ruling from the books and no consensus among leagues, a range of alternatives may be listed as
Alt (a) ……….
Alt (b) ………., etc.
Not all possible variants and alternatives have been listed. Variants that are clearly not in accordance with the rules are only shown if they are in common use, or are more consistent with most other rules, or have particular merit in simplifying or improving the game. The editor has tried to avoid excessive bias but prefers rules that are consistent, simple and favour skill over blind luck.
Leagues that use this document as a basis for their rules should first decide which of the possible alternatives they prefer and which variants (if any) they will use.
Note that almost all rules can be varied [JJ] but it is easier for all players if everyone is aware that they are using a variant that may not be recognised by other leagues.
Many variants arose in Blood Bowl 3 or after the release of Edition 4 and have only been retained here if they should still apply in the revised edition.
In addition to this document there is an OBERWALD supplement containing unofficial rules.
The latest OBERWALD for those who wish to continue playing Edition 3 is v2.06 and for Edition 4 is v4.21.
The following are considered 'Actions' in Blood Bowl:
Move: The player moves any number of squares less than or equal to his MA, with two optional Go For Its.
Block: The player throws a block on an adjacent opponent. The only movement permitted is a follow-up and frenzy if applicable.
Blitz: The player moves any number of squares less than or equal to his MA (with two optional Go For Its) and may make one block during the move at the cost of 1 MA. May not be used by more than one player per team per turn.
Pass: The player moves any number of squares less than or equal to his MA (with two optional Go For Its). At the end of the move, the player throws the ball (or a player). Only one player per team per turn may pass. Throwing a team-mate is a Pass.
Hand-Off: The player moves any number of squares less than or equal to his MA (with two optional Go For Its). At the end of the move, the player hands off the ball. Only one player per team per turn may hand off.
Foul: The player moves any number of squares less than or equal to his MA (with two optional Go For Its). At the end of the move, the player fouls a downed opponent. The player doesn’t have to spend 1 MA to reach the victim; he only has to get next to him. May not be used by more than one player per team per turn.
Players may not perform more than one action per turn.
Coaches must declare what kind of action each player is making as the player is activated. Even if this rule is not strictly enforced, it is essential that the coach make it clear which player is currently carrying out an action. If a coach has stated that a player will carry out an action limited to one per turn, then even if the player does not complete the Blitz, Pass, Handoff or Foul, no other player can attempt the same action in that team turn.
Although a coach must declare if a player is making a Blitz, the coach does not need to specify the target of the Blitz until the block is being made. It is not an illegal procedure to fail to declare an action, but it will be treated as a Move.
Var (a) Only a Blitz has to be declared in advance. (hinted at in [JJML])
Var (b) A declaration is not required if the intent is obvious.
Var (c) It is not necessary to declare a pass before the player has possession of the ball.
Var (d) The action is only declared when the player is committed to the Block, Pass, Handoff or Foul.
For all the above variants it is still necessary to clearly indicate which player is taking an action even if the action is not specified.
See also Push Back
You may not voluntarily block your own players. [JJ]
The blocker must choose whether or not to follow up before making the armour roll against his victim. [JJ]
The blocker must choose whether or not to follow up before making the scatter roll when blocking the ball carrier. [JJ]
The armour/injury roll must be made before the scatter roll. If the player is injured badly enough to leave the field, then the ball (after bouncing off other players) could come to rest in that square now that it is left empty.
You do not need to make a dodge roll when you follow up after any kind of block, including a Blitz or Frenzy. [JJ]
The follow up is free even in a Blitz, since the 1 MA has already been paid for when making the Block.
A player may “assist” a team-mate if that player is adjacent to the opposing player, but not in the tackle zone of any other opponent. Players with the Guard skill may assist even if they are in the tackle zone of an opponent. Note that players may assist even if they have lost their tackle zone (e.g. due to hypnotic gaze), although they have lost the ability to prevent opposing players assisting.
To assist against a multiple block, a player must be adjacent to the attacker but not in any other opposing player’s tackle zone and not part of the multiple block group. To assist a team-mate making a multiple block, a player must be next to only one of the attacked players (unless the assisting player has the Guard skill) and no other player from the opposing team.
If the moving team was not originally in possession of the ball, then it is not a turnover to fail to catch the ball when it scatters or is thrown in by the crowd. If the moving team originally had possession, then it will be a turnover if they are not in possession after all the bouncing is done.
If the ball scatters onto a player they must attempt to catch it.
The Catch skill can be used to catch a moving ball, including passes, bouncing balls and any other moving ball. Sure hands can be used to pick up a ball lying on the ground.
The player carrying the ball cannot catch anything else (even if he has extra arms).
Var (a) Players with extra arms may catch bombs, etc. while holding the ball and throwing.
No Star Player Points are awarded if a player is injured on a failed Dodge or Go For It.
No modifiers to armour or injury (mighty blow, etc.) apply to a failed dodge, except for modifiers that always apply to the dodging player, such as +1 to injury for Goblins, Halflings etc.
If a player fails a dodge and does not have Stand Firm, the player falls over in the square they were dodging to.
Var (a) The player who fails a dodge does not leave the square from which the dodge attempt was made.
Note that players may not assist a foul if they are in the tackle zone of an opposing player. Opposing players in the fouler’s tackle zone can assist against the foul (giving -1 to the armour roll) if they are not standing in the tackle zone of another player from the fouler’s team. Guard skill does not make any difference.
Var (a) Dirty player counts when assisting fouls in the same way guard does for assisting blocks.
Bonuses for assists while fouling affect only the armour roll, not the injury roll. Dirty Player affects only armour or injury, not both.
Mighty Blow, Claw and Razor Sharp claws do not modify the armour roll when fouling.
A lone player fouling gets +1 to the armour roll.
Var (a) A fouling player only gets +1 if not in an opponent's tackle zone.
IGMEOY (I’ve Got My Eye On You)
Note that this has changed since it was first introduced and does not restrict fouling as much as it did initially.
A model (representing the Ref) is placed in the middle of one side of the board at the start of each half facing the middle of the pitch (i.e. not facing either team end). When a team commits a foul, the model is turned to face that side to indicate that the Ref has his eye on the team that last fouled (or placed close to that teams dugout). As long as the Ref has his eye on that team, any player that commits a Foul will be ejected if the coach of the fouled player rolls 4+ on a D6. The Ref does not face either team at the beginning of each half. A player on the team which the Ref is not watching is ejected on a roll of 6 on a D6. If a coach commits an illegal procedure while the Ref has his eye on the other team (and is not able to prevent a turnover using a re-roll or arguing the call), the Ref turns back to the middle (not watching either team).
If one team ‘Gets the Ref’, then continue to use the Ref model as usual. The team that has got the ref will not have players sent off, but the other team can take advantage of the periods when the Ref is not watching them.
Many leagues that do not use IGMEOY have developed alternatives to counter excessive fouling. See Oberwald v2.06 for details of alternatives used in 3rd edition.
Var (a) As above but with sliding scale 12345654321. On the first foul of the half, the ref sends off on 6, but the counter moves towards the fouler, so next time he is sent off on 5+, then 4+, etc. However, if the other team fouls, the counter moves back one space the other way.
Roll for armour (and injury) when a player falls over after a failed Go-For-It.
No Star Player Points are awarded if a player is injured on a failed Dodge or Go For It.
The player failing a go-for it falls over in the square they were moving to.
Var (a) The player falls over in the square they were moving from (if using the Dodge variant where a similar rule applies).
The hand-off must occur at the end of a player’s action.
You may not intentionally throw or hand off the ball into the crowd.
A team may only perform one pass and one hand-off per team turn.
Pass Block may not be used against a hand-off
To be able to make an interception, the player must be between the player who threw the ball and the player who is to receive it, and part of the plastic ruler must pass over at least part of the intercepting player’s base [BBp21]. Because bases may vary in size and shape use a standard round base when checking for interceptions. See also Player Size in section 3.
Only "pure" interceptions count for Star Player Points, i.e. those made using an interception roll whether or not the pass was accurate. Catching inaccurate passes after they have scattered or catching bouncing balls after the intended receiver dropped the ball does not earn an interception. [JJ]
Order of events:
Alt (a) Declare the pass action to a specified receiver; move Pass Block players; declare interceptions; roll for the throw; if it is not a fumble then roll for the intercept; if it is not intercepted then roll for the catch.
Alt (b) Declare the pass action to a specified receiver; move Pass Block players; declare interceptions; roll for the intercept; if it is not intercepted then roll for the throw; if it is not a fumble then roll for the catch.
Players may not intercept throw-ins.
If a player carrying the ball is knocked over, they drop the ball from the square in which they end up (and it scatters once from that square), not the square they were in when hit. If they are pushed into the crowd, then the crowd throws the ball in.
Roll for armour & injury before scattering the ball.
Var (a) Roll for scatter and work out where the ball ends up before rolling for injury. Be consistent because the presence of the downed player can affect the ball scatter.
If a player on the moving team falls over for any reason, then a turnover occurs except for events that specifically state that a turnover does not occur unless the player was holding the ball. Piling On, Diving Catch and Diving Tackle do not cause turnovers for the player using the skill.
Measure the distance from the centre of each square. If the range is on the boundary between two types of pass, then the longer of the two ranges must be used [BB p12].
Alt (a) Range penalties increase the target number, they don’t subtract from the dice. As a result, they do not make a long bomb fumble any more often than a quick pass. Other modifiers (e.g. tackle zones, foul appearance) affect the dice roll and so may increase the chance of a fumble.
Alt (b) Range penalties subtract from the target number and a pass is a fumble if it is a 1 before or after modification. Note that this is the official rule [BBp12-13].
A fumble is an automatic turnover, even if the ball is caught by a team member [BBp21].
A pass that does not end in the hands of a team member causes a turnover. However, it is not an automatic turnover if the pass is inaccurate, bounces on the ground, or even goes out of bounds as long as it eventually ends up being caught by a member of the moving team.
You may not intentionally throw or hand off the ball into the crowd. [RR] However, you can pass to an empty square.
Throw Team Mate is a Pass action. However, a team is limited to one pass action and one hand-off action per turn. Therefore throw team mate may not be used after a pass but may be used after a hand-off.
The Bomber throwing his bombs does not count as a Pass action because the bomber may not move before throwing a bomb. [JJ]
Pass skill may be used to reroll any pass, including throw team mate and a dump off.
A player may not stand in or deliberately move to the same square as the ball without attempting to pick it up.
A player who is pushed back into a square in which the ball is lying does not get to attempt to pick it up. The ball scatters.
Failing an attempt to pick up the ball causes a turnover even if the moving team ends up with the ball.
Var (a) Failing to pick up the ball does not end the moving team’s turn if the team ends up holding the ball.
If a player moves into a square where the ball is lying, and is blitzing another player simultaneously, the pick up must be resolved before the player may continue with the blitz.
When choosing the square that a player is pushed into, empty squares must be chosen over occupied squares or out of bounds. The square in which the ball is lying is considered empty so you can scatter the ball by pushing a player onto it.
A player may only be pushed off the field if there are no eligible empty squares on the field [BBp10]. A player may be pushed into another player even if out of bounds is available.
Var (a) Out of bounds must be chosen in preference to an occupied square.
Side Step may only be used to move to an unoccupied square. If there are no unoccupied squares available then the player is pushed back as usual.
Var (a) Side Step may be used to move to an occupied square if no empty squares are available.
If the player is pushed back to a square occupied by another player, the direction of each subsequent push is determined by the square the pushing player comes from, not the direction of the original block.
The square each subsequent player moves to (between the 3 squares allowed) is decided as follows:
Alt (a) The coach of the player who made the original block decides where each subsequent push will go.
Alt (b) The coach of each subsequent player being pushed (other than the original player being blocked) may decide where to move his own player using the 3 squares available away from the direction of the push.
Stand Firm and Side Step are used by players receiving secondary pushes. If all the players in available squares have Stand Firm, the push back does not occur, but still counts as a push-back for other purposes. A square with a non-Stand Firm player must be chosen if available.
Var (a) Stand Firm and Side Step skills can only be used by a player who is blocked. Therefore players with these skills can be shunted back (and out of bounds) if forced back by the player who was blocked and pushed back.
Players lying down may be pushed back if only occupied squares are available.
Players are not awarded casualty SPPs for pushing or knocking opponents out of bounds.
If the ball is dropped, it scatters once from the square it was dropped in. If a player holding it fell over, then it scatters from the square the player fell in or was pushed back to.
If the ball lands on a player who does not catch it, then it scatters once more from that square.
The only occasions when the ball scatters after landing in an empty square are when it has travelled a long distance to get there, e.g. pass, throw-in or kickoff.
Non-Treeman players with less than 3 MA roll to get up in the same manner as Treeman players. [RR Q&A] These players may not stand up to make a Blitz action. Treemen with movement 3 or more stand up normally.
A Treeman failing an attempt to stand up does not cause a turnover.
If a Bonehead or Really Stupid player is lying on the pitch, they must pass their roll before they can attempt to stand up or roll over.
Players may not intercept throw-ins.
The game has a sequence of play
(a) Receiving team’s turn
(b) Kicking team’s turn
Repeat (a) and (b) one after the other until a touchdown is scored or the half ends [BB p7].
This indicates that all activities during play will occur in the turn of one team or the other because there are no breaks between turns until a touchdown is scored or the end of the half. After a touchdown there are various activities that occur that are not in either team’s turn before the receiving team’s turn starts.
The first action that a coach must take during the team’s turn is to move the turn counter [BB p6]. However, regardless of when the turn counter is moved, the turn has already started as soon as the other team’s turn ended. Other than the 4-minute limit, there is no restriction on how long a coach may think before moving the turn counter, provided no other actions occur first (rolling dice, moving players, etc.)
Some things can only be done at the start of a team’s turn, e.g. wizard spells or certain handicap events. These can be done in any order as long as they are completed before the first player moves.
If several players all have to move first (e.g. fanatics and wild animals), the fanatics move before wild animals, since they must be held down by the rest of the team, including any wild animals, but within each group they can move in any order.
The following will cause a Turnover: [BB]
1. Getting caught on Illegal Procedure and not either spending a Reroll or successfully arguing the call.
2. A player on the moving team is knocked down or falls over, unless the situation comes under a specific rule that states that it is not a turnover and the player was not holding the ball.
3. Throwing a pass which, after all the bouncing is done, is not caught by a member of your team. Use of the Blunderbuss is considered to be a ‘pass’.
3a. Fumbling a pass even if it is caught by the passing player’s team [BBp21].
4. Failing in an attempt to pick up the ball regardless of where the ball scatters or who may finally end up holding the ball [JJ].
Var (a) It is only a turnover if the moving team attempts to pick up and does not end up with the ball when it is done scattering.
5. Touchdown scored.
6. Hitting the four-minute time limit (if it is being used). Most leagues do not enforce a time limit.
7. Getting sent off for fouling.
No other events cause a turnover, although a team’s turn will end if the coach has activated all his players, or if the coach declares his turn over.
It is not a turnover if a player on the moving team attempts to catch a scattering ball and the team does not end up in possession of the ball (for example after blitzing over the ball carrier and the ball scattering over a group of players).
It is not a turnover to fail to complete a specified action. For example after declaring a pass action, the player requires a reroll to pick up the ball and decides not to risk throwing it.
The Apothecary must be used immediately after the injury is inflicted. You cannot save your Apothecary until the end of the game and then choose which injury you wish to heal. If several players are injured in the same action (wizard, bomb, multiple block, pitch invasion, etc.) you can wait until the bodies stop falling before deciding who to heal.
You can wait to find out how bad the injury is before using an apothecary, e.g. for serious injury check if it is a niggling injury or stat downgrade before using the apothecary.
Most leagues take the regenerate roll immediately after the injury. This makes it easier to keep track of whether it has been taken or not (since it can’t be used twice on the one injury) and clarifies the status of the player. The apothecary roll still cannot be used after the regenerate roll.
Var (a) If an apothecary is not used during the game, then after the game he can heal a serious injury but not a death.
Apothecaries can only be used to heal injuries that occur on the pitch or in the dugout (i.e not players pushed into the crowd).
Var (a) An apothecary may be used to heal players or coaches who were not on the pitch when injured (Crowd injuries, etc.). Players who are healed when not on the pitch should be placed in the Reserves box.
Apothecaries can only deal with one niggling injury. If a player is missing a game because of failing the roll for two or more niggling injuries, the Apothecary cannot help him. [JJ] No roll is required for an apothecary to deal with the niggling injury. It is not permanently “healed” so it may still affect the player in the next match. The apothecary must decide whether to deal with the niggling injury immediately after all the niggling injury rolls have been completed.
The Apothecary roll cannot be rerolled using a team reroll.
You can sell the services of your Apothecary to your opponent. Undead players including ghouls still may not use an Apothecary, even in this manner. Undead can NEVER use an apothecary. (Undead means members of the Undead team list, not Vampires, Trolls and other regenerating players).
Armour and injury rolls cannot be rerolled.
Sigurd’s Injury Rule: when rolling injury,