BLOODBOWL:
Rules Clarifications
This web page is based on the original Blood Bowl FAQ written
by Jacob Jonsson (t93jaj@student.tdb.uu.se) and distributed on
rec.games.boardgames. This has been down with
Jacob's permission (in fact, he suggested the idea). The following material is
not official unless otherwise noted.
Some rules are so ambiguous that it is possible to give two equally good but different
answers to some questions. In these cases, feel free to choose the answer you like best.
;-)
If you have questions (or answers) of your own, email them to us,
and our experts will get back to you.
Q: On the Death Zone reference card, it says that Dwarven Runners can take
Passing Skills. This seems odd to our group -- it seems that Runners should
have access to Agility Skills.
A: it seems that you got fooled by the name of those
dwarf players. ;-) In our opinion, it's not a typo.
The problem with Dwarf Runners with Agility Skills is that they would
unbalance the game somewhat. The Dwarves are one of the
"Hard" teams in the game. Giving them the ability to dodge about would go
against the character of these teams. They are lucky really to get throwers.
After all, those Runners (after 11 SPP) would have MV of 6, ST of 3, AG of 3, AV of 9,
and Block and Dodge as their first skills. Makes them very hard to get down,
and Injure!
As to justifications, Dwarves in the world of Warhammer are anti-agility (in the new
Warhammer Quest, one even trips over his own beard whilst fighting!). On
the other hand, long-range assaults are very much a dwarven thing.
Q: Can a player with Diving Tackle use it more than once during a
turn?
Example: A Dark Elf Blitzer is near the end zone. He is Strength 4
and has Diving Tackle. I send 3 orks after
him. As each ork enters the tackle zone, can he individually Block
each of them?! That is 2 dice each time!
A: Yes. The rules say that it can be used whenever a player
enters the tackle zone. It then says that the Block is resolved normally.
Sure, Strength 4 and Diving Tackle is a powerful combo, but there are
others, and to get both a Strength 4 and the agility skill is pretty rare --
like a catcher who rolled a 12 on the skill table, or a Chaos Warrior who
rolled doubles on the skill table (and opted not to take a physical
mutation). Normally the players who get agility skills will have a
strength less than 4, and be good at something (like catchers) and would rather have a
different skill.
Q: Can I pick a physical ability twice to gain extra advantage?
(For example, 2 spikes for AV + 2?)
A: No. No skill may be picked twice, not even Razorsharp Claws/Fangs.
A: Well, sure, go ahead -- but you still only get the bonus for the
first skill (e.g., pick spikes twice and you get AV+1).
Q: Who gets SPP for a completed pass?
A: According to Deathzone, page 16, only the "...player
who makes an accurate pass that is caught by another player..." So no, the catching player
does not get any SPP.
By the way, consider this tactic to rack up extra SPP: Pass the ball to a player who
immediately runs over and hands it back (handoff) to the original thrower. Your thrower
can pick up 1 SPP per turn this way.
A: It just seems wrong not to give SPP for catching. As a house rule,
give any player 1 SPP for any successful catching skill roll.
Q: Does a handoff count as a "completed pass" for SPP points?
Does the Chaos Dwarf Blunderbuss count?
A: No to both, because no passing skill rolls are necessary. Why
give SPP for something that's automatic?
Q: Who may intercept a throw-in from the fans?
A: The way the rule is written (on page 21 of Blood Bowl)
makes me think that interceptions can only occur when a player throws the ball,
not the fans. That would be my rules-lawyer, technical-type answer. If you need a
rationale, consider the fans to be throwing balls down towards the field (you can't
intercept such a throw).
A: If you don't like that answer, then one player from each team may attempt
to intercept the ball on a throw-in. The guy closest to the fans gets first try.
Q: Who gets the SPP if someone tries to Dodge out of a tackle zone,
falls over, and becomes a casualty?
A: The points go to the player who forced the Dodge roll (that is, the opponent whose
tackle zone the player tried to dodge from). If several players are eligible, give preference
to those with special anti-Dodging abilities (i.e. Tackle skill or Prehensile Tail); if
there is still a tie, split the points or assign randomly (coach's choice).
Q: Who gets the SPP if someone is pushed into the fans and becomes a casualty?
A: The fans get the SPP! (But the casualty counts for stats purposes,
which affect fan points at the end of the game.)
A: When a player is knocked into the fans, make a normal armor roll,
then the injury roll. If the armor roll is successful, the player gets the SPP (if any); if
it failed, the points go to the fans.
Q:
Which is best, ST 3 and Block OR ST 4 without Block?
A: The following table illustrates the odds. Three results are
given: (1) chance of a Turnover, (2) chance of a Push Back, and (3) the chance of
Knocking Over the defender. (The odds of Nothing Happening are not listed, but are
the reason why the total is not 100%.)
| Opposition | Odds for ST3 w/Block | ST 4 w/o Block |
|---|
| Chance of a Turnover | Chance of a Push Back | Chance of Knocking Over the Defender | Chance of a Turnover | Chance of a Push Back | Chance of Knocking Over the Defender |
|---|
| ST3 | 17% | 33% | 50% | 11% | 33% | 56% |
|---|
| ST3 Block | 17% | 33% | 33% | 11% | 33% | 56% |
|---|
| ST3 Dodge | 17% | 50% | 33% | 11% | 58% | 31% |
|---|
| ST4 | 31% | 44% | 25% | 33% | 33% | 33% |
|---|
Q: Which is best, AG 4 or AG 3 and Sure Hands/Pass?
A: Consider these figures...
| ACTION | CHANCES OF SUCCESS |
|---|
| AG3 + Skill | AG 4 |
|---|
| Pick up ball | 89% | 83% |
|---|
| Throw a | Quick Pass | 89% | 83% |
|---|
| Short Pass | 75% | 67% |
|---|
| Long Pass | 56% | 50% |
|---|
| Long Bomb | 31% | 33% |
|---|
| Dodge into | 0 Tackle Zone | 89% | 83% |
|---|
| 1 Tackle Zone | 75% | 67% |
|---|
| 2 Tackle Zones | 56% | 50% |
|---|
| 3 Tackle Zones | 31% | 33% |
|---|
Q: Can you use "going for it" for an extra move when Blitzing?
A: Yes, the rules state this explicitly (page 24 of Blood
Bowl). You still only get one block per Action, but -- for example -- you could use
all of your normal movement, then "go for it!" to get one more movement point to spend
instead on a Block.
Q: A player with Strip Ball blocks a player with Stand Firm who has
the ball. What happens if the result Pushed Back comes up?
A: Strip Ball does not occur, because Stand Firm negates the Pushed Back
result.
A: Stand Firm negates the effect of being Pushed Back, but the Push Back
result still allows that player to strip the ball as normal.
Q: Can a player with Dauntless try to equal an opponent's ST when
he is blocked, or only when he makes a block himself?
A: Dauntless only counts "...when the player attempts to block an
opponent..." (see Deathzone, page 10), not when he is being Blocked. This
is because the skill can only be used when the player has time to psych himself up.
Q: A player with Frenzy throws a Block and Pushes Back his
opponent, but the player has used up his movement. Can he "go for it!" in order to
get additional movement, to be used to continue Frenzied Blocking?
A: No. The rule specifically states (Deathzone,
page 11) that a player's movement allowance
is the limit to how many Blocks he can throw.
A: Yes, but only if he is Blitzing. (A player who merely takes
a Block action is not eligible to "go for it.")
A: Yes, as above, and in fact, the player must try to "go for it!"
(this is Frenzy, after all). ;-)
Q: A player throws a Block at a player with Mighty Blow, and
himself falls down. Does the defender's Mighty Blow add +1 to the armor and injury
rolls?
A: Yes. According to Deathzone page 12, Mighty Blow
applies "...to any armor and injury rolls made by [this] player..." That includes
fouls, by the way.
Q: A player Dodges away from a player with Mighty Blow, and falls
down. Does Mighty Blow apply to these armor and injury rolls?
A: Yes (see above answer). However, it only counts once; if Dodging
away from two players with Mighty Blow, there is only a +1 to the damage rolls, not
a +2.
Q: If a player has a skill, does he have to use it (i.e., Mighty
Blow, Stand Firm)?
A: Uh, sure. (Why wouldn't you want to use it? What is in
your sneaky little mind... ;-)
Q: My Elves are being creamed by the Undead, and I only have
3 players left in the game. Do I have to keep on playing?
A: There are no official rules for resigning, so technically, yes,
you must keep on playing.
A: We offer these rules as house rules: You can resign at
any time. If you do so, you forfeit your winnings, receive no MVP, and receive an
additional -1 penalty on the fan table. The game counts as a loss for your
league standings.
Q: When I made the random roll to pick MVP, the points went to
the Freebooter that I hired. Can I re-roll?
A: Sorry, Charlie -- anyone on your team who played in that game is
eligible for MVP (even a dead guy...). (See Deathzone, page 16.)
As a house rule, consider this: Once the game is over, you may hire the
Freebooter for full price (you lose the money already paid to him, but he keeps any
SPP he won in that game).
And here's another house rule you might like: If a dead player is nominated
MVP, roll again. If the same dead player is nominated twice, he gets the MVP.
Q: My lineman just died, but I don't know if I want to use my
Apothecary on him now. Can I wait until later to use the Apothecary?
A: No. This power must be used instantly, or not at all. The rule
(Deathzone, page 6) clearly implies this, since a healed player
is "left" on the field.
As a house rule, if the Apothecary was not used during a game, allow him
to heal any "serious injury" at the end of the game. If you have no injuries, offer
this service to your opponent for an appropriate bribe.
A: Yes. As the rule states, this power can be used "...at any time
during a match..."