Category Archives: Blood Bowl

Blood Bowl

Exebowl V – 2018

Leave a comment

Good day at Exebowl V today.  A day of milestones – my 80th NAF tournament, my 26th NAF race, my 400th NAF game, and my first NAF loss to one of my children!

Exebowl is close to my heart because I’m a South-Wester at heart, having been born in Plymouth and gone to school in Somerset, so I’ll always make an effort to attend.  The fifth edition was a bit smaller than usual, after a move to Kirton Games in Crediton (half an hour from Exeter itself) and a change in organiser, but 18 people gathered in the Kirton Games loft.  It’s a nice little games shop, with tables perfectly sized for BB and a choice of traditional seats or bar seating (i.e. tables at different heights).

I took Khorne, Alex had Wood Elves and Linus Bretonnian. Skill package was 1200 TV, 4 singles and a double, max 2 of a skill, no tiering.  Zoe came along to experience the BB tournament ambience, with a view to getting her playing in 2019.  She knows the rules, but has trouble making decisions in a timely manner (sounds familiar, tbh…)

My first game was against HairyPete, @amanandhistoys on Twitter, the originator of Exebowl and a thoroughly nice bloke.  I scored in 5 turns, giving him 4 back.  He was pretty comfortable until he thought that my Bloodthirster had M5 intead of M6, and left the ball carrier exposed as a result.  The surf put my chap on the sideline (a juicy “return surf” target) but also one of my players on the ball and heading for the score.  Pete had to choose between surfing and stopping the score (see top picture), and went for the surf for entertainment value, so I went in 2-0 up.  In his half he managed to remove a few players, and scored in 6 turns, giving me 3 to chill out and protect the lead.  This wasn’t to be, alas, as he rolled a blitz, which combined with the scatter to make life difficult.  I managed to hold on though for a 2-1 win.  Alex and Linus were both in commanding positions, but managed to throw them away for draws. Kids, eh?

Game 2 was v Dru Drew, so good they named him twice. Using orcs, which I think are a great match up for Khorne, as the can opener can do its worst.  Fairly comfortable 1-0 at the half, but then my drive went pear-shaped because of a 1 in 81 block failure.  Very squeaky 2-0 after a punt down the pitch.  Alex’s wood elves did the elf thing and won 4-0, and Linus got beaten up as Pete took his revenge on the clan.

Three coaches on 2 wins going into game 3, but as I was the lowest I played against the highest on a win and a draw, which happened to be Alex (that 4-0 win!).  It was also going to be third game on the stream, which can be found at twitch.tv/kirtongames.  I started to beat him up a bit, though this was limited by three consecutive failed wild animal blitzes in the first half and two at the start of the second half.  I went in 1-0, though it was far from straightforward.  On his drive he scored in 3, but again shenanigans were required, leaving me 6 turns to get the win.  Unfortunately, I was still facing 10 elves, despite a plethora of armour breaks.  In short, I failed to analyse the wardancer threat effectively, and he made me pay, stripping the ball, recovering it, then stalling out effectively for the win.

A good day for the clan overall – Alex in 2nd with most TDs, me in 3rd, Linus on 0/2/1, and Zoe introduced to the glorious world of tournament Blood Bowl!

Blood Bowl, Gaming

Blocking in the Dark

Leave a comment

My attempts at finding a clear way to stream continue!  I now have a green screen style dice roller, which allows me to superimpose the dice on the board, which is pretty cool…

This is me rolling yet another 1 when my minotaur attempts to blitz, and slumping over the table, as part of my SAWBBL league game.  But the latest problem is that by getting enough light on the dice box to make it show up on the board, the rest of the table is plunged into darkness.  Boo!

There was a separate issue that neither player could see the dice very well, which for me detracted from the enjoyment of the game.  And I like using a dice cup!  Which comes to the nub of the issue, which is that when playing the game the enjoyment of the two players has to be paramount, and I haven’t yet managed to figure out how to stream really well without reducing this.  Apart from having a third party to do the filming, as the Waterbowl chaps have shown very well in their partnership with Element Games.

All of this of course is not to diminish the fab streaming from Raging82, the Beer and Blood Bowl guys, and others, but I’m on a quest to make tabletop BB as viewer friendly as electronic BB can be, and I’m not there yet…

Blood Bowl, Gaming

BB Round Robin generator

Leave a comment

New Blood Bowl Excel tournament organiser!  This time it’s a Round Robin, originally designed for Coffee Cup, the 24 hour tournament run by the redoubtable Jip.  Worked well and has had a couple of tweaks now, including adding race to the table.

BB Round Robin v02

v03 now available, which puts the rounds in a random order, so people don’t play opponents in the same sequence…

BB-Round-Robin-v03

Blood Bowl

SAWBBowl Roundup 2018

2 Comments

Wow, what a day.  Glowworm’s massive one-day tournament is always a highlight, but this year topped the lot, mostly because the Sann Clan came away with Linus’s first NAF tournament win as well as the Schwing award for most illegal casualties.  Linus (aka Enderman) also completed the 24 races today, along with Khorne and Bretonnian, becoming (I believe) the youngest BB player to do so, and possibly the youngest to win a NAF tournament, though this could well be challenged.

I made him a certificate to celebrate the 26, and you can download the word version here, though without Nate’s signature on it!So Linus knew he was completing the 26 in advance, obviously, but then he won his first game 2-0 against DaPiranha, a hugely experienced Welsh BB coach and one of the organisers of this year’s Eurobowl/Europen in Cardiff.  Happy days!  Next was Ceetee, a previously winner of the Best of the Rest trophy at the NAF Championships, and a happy sequence of skulls allowed him to squeak a 2-1 win.  At this stage we were hoping for him to draw Jip, who had already played Alex and me, having travelled in the car with us.  Instead he drew Kismet, a SAWBBL coach (and brilliant painter!) who was using Dark Elves.  Not many Dark Elves by the end of the game as it turned out, as Linus’s Casualty dice were on fire!

Glow managed the awards ceremony excellently, awarding Linus the best U16 trophy first, which led him to think he had come 5th, because with only 3 games there were a few coaches on 3 wins.  But with the joint best opponent score, and the best combined TD and Casualty score, Linus triumphed, winning his first NAF shield, in a field of 52 coaches!  He also won an Amazon team, which I had wanted for a while but hadn’t been able to justify it to go with the other two Amazon teams I already have…  Thanks to all the winners for letting him have the one of the four teams available that we didn’t already have, and Hawca for donating the Apes to Alex as well!

As for the rest of us, Alex took Goblins, lost all 3, but caused 9 casualties using illegal means (fouling, chainsaws etc); I lost to Jip in game 2, but won against Besters and Heartsbane.  My first outing with Bretonnians, and will probably take them to NAFC.  Callum took dwarves and lost all 3, but didn’t get the spoon, hurrah!  Everyone had a great day, in glorious sunshine, with a massive playing field out the back for between-game entertainment, and excellent noodle lunch as well, thanks John!

So yeah, great day, which raised a load of money for charity too (including from Nazgob’s painted team raffle!).  Top notch Blood Bowl action.

SAW 2018 Results

Blood Bowl

BB roundup 28th March

Leave a comment

Weekly, he says!  Ah well, there wasn’t much outcry when they didn’t appear, so no biggy.

What’s been going on in the last few weeks?  These bits and bobs, that’s what!

  • Among a load of excellent tournaments, Dungeonbowl was held in Germany, the European NAF Major.  Won by Diomlord’s Orcs.  Lots of good reporting and links on the NAF’s Twitter account, which now has a new master (@Wormito)!
  • The NAF World Cup commemorative team was also unveiled there, along with the rules, all on the website, so various tournaments that will be using those rules in 2019 are all starting to plot!
  • GW revealed details of their next release, which will be a plastic Chaos team containing 4 warriors and 8 beasts, called the Doom Lords.  Great to see a complete decent starter team in a box, which can be completed with the previously released Forgeworld minotaur,
  • GW also showcased Spike magazine, though without any detail of content!  There was a big demon on the front bearing a strong resemblance to Scyla from Warhammer Fantasy.
  • The Road to the NAF Championships started on Fumbbl, which means that the big one is only a few weeks away!  160 currently signed for BB goodness in Nottingham in May, but plenty of space for more!
  • There has been a bit of an upsurge in 7s tournaments recently, both taking place and also in the calendar.  These are popular either because of the number of games in the day, or they can take place in the evening. It’s also a great way to learn the mechanics of the game.  Since the rankings were added to the database as a separate Variant too, there will be some serious competition!
  • Speaking of rankings, the NAF launched a new way of measuring BB ability, the Glicko rankings.  It’s still in alpha, and the NAF’s happy to get feedback about what you think. Have a read!

I’ve probably missed some stuff, but that’s the big news…

Blood Bowl

Playing at Eurobowl/Europen

2 Comments

Not a huge amount of news in the BB world this week that I have noticed (though fingers crossed for some GW news in the next fortnight!), but thought it would be worth writing some stuff about Eurobowl and Europen participation, particularly for British BB coaches who haven’t taken part before.

Eurobowl 2018 is taking place in Cardiff on October 27th and 28th and costs £75 for the weekend.

Lycos posted on the Team England Reddit  that he is now asking for coaches to put their names forward for the team, but there wasn’t a lot of context for what that means.  England are by a wide margin the most successful Eurobowl team, with 6 wins to their name.  The core of the team has been the same for those wins, and it is likely that those players are going to make themselves available again.  Of the team of 8, Lycos, Geggster, Joemanji, Purplegoo and Jimjimany form the core, with Pipey, Podfrey and a few others making up the 8 over the years.  This list includes some of the best players in the world, basically, so often the question is “why bother putting my name forward”.  Well, if you are interested in competitive BB, you definitely should and then try to make your results as good as possible in NAF tournaments, because while you might not make the list this year, you will be knocking on the door for future tournaments, and equally if your results are good enough then there is no reason you can’t make up one of the remaining slots.  So far, PeteW has put his name in, and as a double NAF Championship/Blood Bowl winner and Fumbbl stalwart, it will be very interesting to see if he makes the team.

As regards other UK teams, the Scottish and Welsh teams have already been chosen for this year.  The Scots choose 3 based on the Scottish NAF tournament circuit results, 1 elected Captain, his choice as Vice Captain, and then 3 wild card choices.  Wales was an interesting one this year as a few regulars are on the organising committee so some spaces became available.  They’ve filled the spaces with decent coaches, luckily!

There is also talk of an Irish team for the first time, so follow the link if you were born there, live there, or have Irish parents or grandparents (basically). The qualifying criteria are pretty loose, so just get in touch if you think you could have a shout.  Also, only 5 of the 8 need to be nationals, and the rest can be made up of Freebooters.  It would be great to see an Irish team there, and for the team to develop in future years!

So, what if you don’t make the national team of whatever flavour?  Well, if you are feeling particularly patriotic, all of the British nations are running a squad system, with the Eurobowl and Europen teams being seen as part of a national squad (I believe), and the Europen being used very much as a proving ground for future Eurobowl participation.  Alternatively, you can use it a chance to represent your local league, and bring glory to your area!  Team Blood Bowl is often recognised as the most exciting kind of tabletop Blood Bowl, and this is going to be the biggest ever UK team event (with a vigorous nod to the annual UKTC), so if you are in the UK and like tabletop BB, have a think about attending.  If you haven’t got team mates, there is even a thread on TFF to get a team together.

I think that’s enough Euro-wittering for the moment – you may have picked up that I’m pretty enthusiastic about the whole concept!

Blood Bowl

Large Block Dice

2 Comments

I’ve been thinking about getting large block dice made for a while, mostly for streaming purposes so that they are easier to see on the video, but also for my own entertainment, as I got some large casino dice which are quite fun to use.  Schawn from the US has commissioned these, which would be 22mm, and are available for $18 for a set of 3.  They would be sent to me and so would be postage free if you are going to be seeing me at a tournament, including Cakebowl, Thrud and the Eurobowl in Cardiff (also NAFC, but unlikely to be ready by then).

Here are the pics, including a normal size dice for reference.

To order, please email Schawn the following to bbschawn@gmail.com:

Name
Address (or going to Mike)
How many sets you want.

Taking orders and payments up front.

I think they’re pretty awesome, hope you’re interested!

Blood Bowl

BB Roundup 4th March

2 Comments

What’s caught my eye in the BB world this week?  This lot!

  • Two countries had their first NAF tournaments, if not ever then certainly for a while – Greece and Northern Ireland.  I haven’t seen any reports as such, but will keep my eyes peeled.  Great that the game continues to spread across the world.
  • As Fumbbl Dungeonbowl draws to a close, with semifinals planned for this week, the Road to the NAF Championship returns for its 4th year, and you can win a ticket to the NAF’s flagship annual event.  Entries close tomorrow evening.
  • I went to Bubba, and had a lovely time.  Hawca won, and donated his winning team of Platopodes to my son!  10 of the 32 had to cancel due to snow, but the rest of us thorough enjoyed it.
  • Not one, not two, but THREE different companies have Kickstarters going for Kislev teams.  I’ve been trying to figure out the chronology for why they all ended up at the same time, but it’s beyond me – they have been in BB2 for quite a while (two years?), so maybe that is the timeline for getting a team sorted.  In no particular order, here are some links:
  • Someone was asking about BB logos, so worth mentioning again Throweck’s great guide on Fumbbl about how to use GIMP (free Photoshop) to make nice looking ones.  You might need to log in to see it, but that’s always a good idea anyway!
  • NAF Tournament Director Purplegoo continues to blog, long may it continue!  More information = good!  I started when I was Pres, but ran out of steam somewhat.  Hope he won’t, I have faith!
  • A GW BB event was spotted in the calendar for Warhammer World in the middle of May!  Always nice to play in the shadow of the large Space Marine.  Fingers crossed that it will be prefaced by lots of shiny new releases.

That’s it for just now, I’m off to stick together some Platypodes…

Blood Bowl

Bubba 2018

Leave a comment

The Sann Clan went in force to Bubba’s new home yesterday – the Pavilion in Keynsham.  Really nice venue, with a bar on site, lunch included and plenty of room for gaming fun. I took my new female human team, Alex continued his quest for Pro Elf excellence (almost back at 150 ranking now!), Linus played his 25th race with Bretonnian, and Callum stuck to Wood Elves.  Jip hitched a lift in the Vengabus, using Norse.  For those who didn’t know, the snow had been a major factor this week, and 10 of the 32 attendees didn’t make it – gutted for them, and very glad it was just a hop down the M4 for us.

My first was against DaPiranha’s Lizards, and I started in a jovial mood, though I must figure out how to play with joviality but also playing properly, as I made a load of rubbish mistakes that Dave took full advantage of.  When Hemlock died from a GFI, leaving a cage corner open, the match should have been mine really, but I left chain push options and made bad decisions, and Dave’s dice and skills were good enough for a 2-1 win, despite me lucking in a turn 8 to go in 1-1 at the half and receiving. Shocking, and had I not been driving, I would have been availing myself of the bar at this stage.  Alex, Linus and Jip all won!

4 games in a day however meant there was no time for moping, and my loss was rewarded with a halfling matchup, though I wasn’t pleased to see the bundle of evil that is Puggy on the other side of the table (on the pitch, not the coach – that was Nightwing).  I had a fair amount of control, but he managed a one-turner in the first half, and then in the second I scored in 2 in order to push for a big score to make myself feel better (as there were no TD bonus points).  Unfortunately, this bit me on the bottom in his Turn 15/16, with a dodge, dodge, pickup in 2 TZ, dodge, GFI dodge, GFI dodge, throw in two TZ, land, survive a two dice block, GFI score. Entirely legit.  2-2 draw.  Another win for Jip!  Becoming a force to be reckoned with…

Lunch included some awesome cake!  Then game 3 against Goblins, coached by Cornish, in our first game, despite having been on the same circuit for ages. He had Ripper and two B&C, plus Fink the Fixer – the goblin roster is evolving!  Fun game, including a TTM score, and it was pretty close until about turn 13.  Will look forward to a rematch!  3-1 win. Meanwhile, Jip’s dice abandoned him at a critical point so he ended on a 2-2 draw.  Top 3 tables all drew though, so game 4 was critical.  Linus and Alex were both on 2 wins as well, so family honour was up for grabs!

Game 4 was a Scot-off, as I played against our gracious host, though he wasn’t taking it entirely seriously with Underworld, including the Verminator!  I did my best to lose it, leaving Skitter unmarked at a critical moment, and then playing foolishly towards the end, but recorded a 2-1 win to put me at a reasonable 2-1-1, and just ahead of Linus and Alex both on 2-0-2.  Jip finished on 2-1-1 as well, but he had almost twice the opponent score that I had, so entirely reasonably was three places ahead in the table (and king of the car!).

Callum picked up his second spoon, but had a good day, so many thanks to all his opponents for their patience!  Linus and Alex were really quite shouty, so apologies for that, but at least there was no Waterbowl-style meltdown… 

Congratulations to Hawca for another tourney win, and massive thanks to him for donating his team prize to Alex in recognition of his entertaining play against him!  We’ve been happily sticking platypuses together this morning, and he’s hoping to bring them to Sawbbbowl next month, when Linus will also be completing the 26.

Jip was kind enough to cede his right as King of the Car to choose the takeaway, so I got my Grand Mac on the way home.  Funny old BB day, as I basically played much worse than my best all day, but the company was as good as ever, and that’s what it’s all about.  Or so I’ve been told.

Will bring my A game to SAWBBBBBBowl in April – Pro Elf (currently on 149.99 ranking) or Chaos Dwarf (only 5 NAF games) I think!  Can’t wait!

Blood Bowl

Waterbowl Sunday

Leave a comment

For completeness, here’s how Sunday went (did you miss Saturday?).  My cunning ruse to lose game 3 on the Saturday in order to get an easier game on the Sunday (not really…) worked a treat, as the woodland folk managed to run in 5 touchdowns against a norse team hell bent on passing the ball!  Lovely chap, but the sun didn’t help, and he ran out of rerolls pretty quickly.  With 15 touchdowns in 4 games, I was pretty sure that I had most TDs in the bag, but was keen to consolidate!

Then came my first NAF game against Bretonnians, who I had heard impressive things about in tournament settings, and I am running them in our tabletop league.  This was Firebreather completing his 26-team quota after using Khorne at UKTC.Steve was using Dolfar (the one with long legs at the back, but he left the pitch pretty quickly (a lack of any blocking skills will do that to a person).  I received and went for the slow score, but left myself just a smidgeon to do in the last couple of turns, so went in at 0-0 (boo to most touchdowns!). The Brets started the second half strongly, but they lost all the knights by turn 12 after the ball carrier got surfed due to a 5+ dodge into a sideline cage, and it was then highlighted that without the knights this team is pretty bad!  The elves did their elfy thing, going the length of the pitch, and snuck a 1-0 win.

Respectability was looming at 3-0-2, but I had to face Don_Vito’s Undead in the last game, who I had witnessed demolishing the skaven next to me in the previous round (a turn 10 pitch clear, no less).  Luckily for me, he used up all his good cas dice in that game, and despite multiple knockdowns due to my aggressive attack on his ball carrier it was turn 10 before any of my players actually left the pitch – bonkers stuff.

We finished 1-1 after a horrible double skulls for me in turn 15, which didn’t come close to outweighing his ridiculously bad armour dice in the first half.

Most touchdowns was mine, happily – a very large trophy for the mantelpiece, and as a family we took home these three Sizzlers (in commemoration my first opponent), which I will be using as my 3 free cheerleaders for Bubba on Saturday – more Blood Bowl!