The great BLOOD BOWL thread

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In the same spirit as @Killer Angel 's 40k and Mordheim threads, it's only fitting that we have a catch all thread for Blood Bowl content.

Have fun!

 

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Let's get things rolling. (not my work)

Blood Bowl Smurfs Snots!

 

[Killer Angel]

In the same spirit as @Killer Angel 's 40k and Mordheim threads, it's only fitting that we have a catch all thread for Blood Bowl content.

Have fun!

I approve!

 

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I approve!

Thank you. I'm glad you don't mind me copying your idea!

 

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Watched this fun video ranking all 30 Blood Bowl teams in terms of competitive power level. It's an averaged out amalgamation of the initial rankings provided by 40 top tier competitive Blood Bowl coaches from around the world. It will be neat to see how this ranking changes as Season 3 progresses across the next few years. Here are the results tabulated from best to worst, with the calculated average score out of a possible ten next to each team [x/10]

1. Amazon [9.8]
2. Necromantic Horror [9.2]
3. Old World Alliance [9.0]
4. Wood Elf [8.4]
5. Vampire [8.2]
6. Lizardmen [8.0]
7. Orc [7.9]
8. Shambling Undead [7.8]
9. Norse [7.5]
10. Underworld Denizens [7.3]
11. High Elf [7.3]
12. Dark Elf [6.8]
13. Tomb Kings [6.7]
14. Nurgle [6.6]
15. Imperial Nobility [6.5]
16. Skaven [5.7]
17. Snotling [5.6]
18. Chaos Dwarf [5.5]
19. Bretonnia [5.1]
20. Human [4.9]
21. Goblin [4.9]
22. Chaos Renegades [4.6]
23. Elven Union [4.6]
24. Dwarf [4.4]
25. Khorne [4.3]
26. Black Orc [4.3]
27. Chaos Chosen [4.1]
28. Gnome [3.1]
29. Ogre [2.7]
30. Halfling [2.7]

@ChapterAquila92 : I know you said that team rankings don't really matter, I blame YouTube for suggesting the video!


Nice to see our Lizard bois doing so well.

 

[Killer Angel]

Nice to see our Lizard bois doing so well.

i find amusing to see Ogre and Halfling sharing the last places...

 

[Bowser]

I will have to watch the video, and I know the competitive meta is normally based off of NAF tournament Data, and now more commonly BB3 data, and I think it's early to tell, but I think Skaven and Elven Union are ranked too low.

I think if a big world Cup/Eurobowl/ chaos cup style tournament comes up and we see people practicing we will see those two specifically become very popular again once people figure them out.

I also think we will see a resurgence in Dwarf popularity as it will be less taboo to take them now. So keep an eye on them to rise as people figure them out.

Amazon's being at the top of the list is no surprise, they've been the tournament meta for a while now, in spite of some podcasters/YouTubers telling us all how unplayable they are when they first came out!

Nurgle being middle of the pack is no surprise, even without the extra Pestigors this team looks good this season. But like Black Orcs you have to know positioning and how to control the board to get the most out of them.

I am a bit surprised that Dark Elves are ranked lower than Norse, I think after a bit Norse will go closer to middle of the pack and Dark Elves will find their footing in top 10

I think in a league setting you'll have a very different list, as you don't have the odd tournament restrictions (like limiting bribes and certain skills to stop deathroller and stunty shenanigans) so I think you'd see Black Orcs and Bretonnians end up being quite a bit better towards the end of a season.

 

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i find amusing to see Ogre and Halfling sharing the last places...

The two teams that like eating the most!

I also think we will see a resurgence in Dwarf popularity as it will be less taboo to take them now. So keep an eye on them to rise as people figure them out.

They seem better than most people are giving them credit for.

I am a bit surprised that Dark Elves are ranked lower than Norse, I think after a bit Norse will go closer to middle of the pack and Dark Elves will find their footing in top 10

Do you think maybe they are ranked because of the prevalence of Block on their team? Isn't Block essentially the best skill in the game?

I think in a league setting you'll have a very different list, as you don't have the odd tournament restrictions (like limiting bribes and certain skills to stop deathroller and stunty shenanigans) so I think you'd see Black Orcs and Bretonnians end up being quite a bit better towards the end of a season.

I need to explore the nuances between league and tournament settings. I hear similar considerations made in many of the videos I have watched online. Do you feel that Stunties will perform better in league?


Also, why are Chaos Chosen ranked so lowly? To my inexperienced eye, they seem pretty good on paper. Lots of high strength and the Beastmen look pretty solid.

 

[Bowser]

Do you think maybe they are ranked because of the prevalence of Block on their team? Isn't Block essentially the best skill in the game?

The Block on everything is good, which is why I would put them somewhere from 8th-15th rank. The low armour is what really hurts this team, even with the beer board offering a pick me up.

Do you feel that Stunties will perform better in league?

Stunties do tend to perform better in a league, they go from about a 33% win rate in tournaments to closer to 50% in leagues. They brew up differently, and don't have a lot of the restrictions that happen in tournaments like if you have dirty player you can't take bribes, which is a popular one in NAF tournaments lately.

Also, why are Chaos Chosen ranked so lowly?

This is another one I think people sleep on. The Ogre and Troll though should be discounted as the only teammate they can currently throw is Crumbleberry if you induce him, in which case Grak might still be the better option. But the primary mutation access this team can brew up into something truly formidable, and another great one for league, but they're a very generalist team to start, they don't excel at anything out of the box, but they do everything fairly competently. Once they begin to level up though, you can have a specialist at nearly everything, but no primary access to agility or passing hurts them.

 

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even with the beer board offering a pick me up.

As an aside, I love that Beer Boar model. That and those little Gnome foxes, badger and goose are some of the very best in the game. Maybe we need a woodland creatures team.

Stunties do tend to perform better in a league, they go from about a 33% win rate in tournaments to closer to 50% in leagues. They brew up differently, and don't have a lot of the restrictions that happen in tournaments like if you have dirty player you can't take bribes, which is a popular one in NAF tournaments lately.

Near 50% is pretty good for the little fellas.

Does the rulebook have specific tournament rules or is it simply up to the tournament organizers? Is there a great deal of rules discrepancy between tournaments or is there a more or less standard set of rules?

This is another one I think people sleep on. The Ogre and Troll though should be discounted as the only teammate they can currently throw is Crumbleberry if you induce him, in which case Grak might still be the better option. But the primary mutation access this team can brew up into something truly formidable, and another great one for league, but they're a very generalist team to start, they don't excel at anything out of the box, but they do everything fairly competently. Once they begin to level up though, you can have a specialist at nearly everything, but no primary access to passing hurts them.

I played them a bit in the Blood Bowl 2 video game (my only Blood Bowl experience, and not much at that), and the mutations were really fun. Also, I did manage to get a Strength 5 Beastman once, which is very effective on the field (against the computer AI mind you). I tried some of the other teams, but I always ended up doing the best with the Chaos team.

 

[Bowser]

Does the rulebook have specific tournament rules or is it simply up to the tournament organizers? Is there a great deal of rules discrepancy between tournaments or is there a more or less standard set of rules?

There is rules for leagues, Matches play (tournaments), and exhibition games (one offs like the snowball fight). Usually though the tournament organizer will put together a tournament that may or may not follow the matched play rules.

 

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There is rules for leagues, Matches play (tournaments), and exhibition games (one offs like the snowball fight). Usually though the tournament organizer will put together a tournament that may or may not follow the matched play rules.

Do you have a preference between the three game modes? And do you typically select your team based on which one you are going to play in?

 

[Bowser]

Do you have a preference between the three game modes? And do you typically select your team based on which one you are going to play in?

I think sometimes I like playing a crazy exhibition match, like doing the legends game, where all players (except star players) had to be leveled up to legend. All 6 advancements, crazy game, lots of fun, wouldn't want to do a whole league of it though. Selecting a team if I am going to a league I will take anything I haven't played before/ whatever team I feel like buying and painting, tournament depends on the package, but kind of the same deal.

 

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I think sometimes I like playing a crazy exhibition match, like doing the legends game, where all players (except star players) had to be leveled up to legend. All 6 advancements, crazy game, lots of fun

That does sound like crazy fun. A bunch of super powered players smashing into each other. What does the TV of a team like that look like?



Completely different question. Are there some teams you don't like to play against? And how dependent is that on the team you are fielding?

 

[Bowser]

That does sound like crazy fun. A bunch of super powered players smashing into each other. What does the TV of a team like that look like?



Completely different question. Are there some teams you don't like to play against? And how dependent is that on the team you are fielding?

The TV on that was 3,000,000 but you had to purchase your stat ups and skills, and no randoms, so 20k per primary. 40k per secondary stat ups as listed in the book 80k for ST etc.

As for question 2, I haven't had any issues playing any other teams. Even 2-1 grind dwarfs, which many people hate playing against. I've had good experiences and good opponents, so it's all just blood bowl, and I like blood bowl!

 

[ChapterAquila92]

Do you have a preference between the three game modes? And do you typically select your team based on which one you are going to play in?

My group plays league exclusively when it comes to Blood Bowl, as it's easily the best slow-burn competitive "campaign" game we've played.

I've also entertained one-off demo games with other people as well (including a few at furry conventions), but those were more or less introductory games rather than anything competitive.

 

[Bowser]

My group plays league exclusively when it comes to Blood Bowl, as it's easily the best slow-burn competitive "campaign" game we've played

Does your league use the stadium rules or anything like that? Have you tried a chaos cup league, gets a bit crazy with everyone getting boons from the chaos gods.

 

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The TV on that was 3,000,000 but you had to purchase your stat ups and skills, and no randoms, so 20k per primary. 40k per secondary stat ups as listed in the book 80k for ST etc.

I didn't even think about stat ups. You could make some crazy players with that.

As for question 2, I haven't had any issues playing any other teams. Even 2-1 grind dwarfs, which many people hate playing against. I've had good experiences and good opponents, so it's all just blood bowl, and I like blood bowl!

It's good to hear that there aren't really any tedious matchups to worry about (as long as your opponents are good). Is blood bowl your favorite miniature game?

My group plays league exclusively when it comes to Blood Bowl, as it's easily the best slow-burn competitive "campaign" game we've played.

Typically how many players do you need to make a good league?

 

[ChapterAquila92]

Does your league use the stadium rules or anything like that? Have you tried a chaos cup league, gets a bit crazy with everyone getting boons from the chaos gods.

We don't really do stadium rules, but we have pushed to have everyone in the league have a Stunty team so as to be able to run a "midget" league on the side. It was because of this that this year's Secret Santa gift for the person I got was the Garden Gnomsters from Punga Miniatures.

Typically how many players do you need to make a good league?

Preferably more than two or three consistent players, to be honest.

Being a game that is as goofy as it can be competitive, Blood Bowl is one that my group has given more slack to than Necromunda, Mordheim or SPQR for the purpose of being able to sustain the equivalent of a perpetual campaign. In every other game in which we tried to do something like this, it's frequently been just myself and the group's gaming host playing, with the skill disparity leading to him snowballing, me being perpetually crippled, and all the while both of us leaving the less consistent players in the dust just from the amount of experience we've accumulated.

 

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