Game: Blood Bowl - Second Edition

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zombiegod — 2008-05-17T12:51:11+00:00

Chaos Dwarf Catcher

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zombiegod — 2008-05-17T12:50:50+00:00

Chaos Dwarf Thrower

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zombiegod — 2008-05-17T12:50:28+00:00

Chaos Dwarf Blocker

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zombiegod — 2008-05-17T12:50:08+00:00

Chaos Dwarf Lineman

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Butter Lemon — 2008-05-06T23:26:05+00:00

Blood Bowl 2nd Edition Freebooter - from White Dwarf magazine expansion

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Butter Lemon — 2008-05-06T23:23:13+00:00

Blood Bowl 2nd Edition Freebooter - from White Dwarf magazine expansion

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Butter Lemon — 2008-05-06T19:29:49+00:00

Bloodbowl 2nd Edition rules Ork team

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Butter Lemon — 2008-05-06T19:29:01+00:00

Bloodbowl 2nd Edition rules Human team

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Butter Lemon — 2008-05-06T19:28:05+00:00

Bloodbowl 2nd Edition rules Troll team - White Dwarf Magazine expansion

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Butter Lemon — 2008-05-06T19:27:30+00:00

Bloodbowl 2nd Edition rules Treeman team - White Dwarf Magazine expansion

Thread: Missing two men

alfonzos — 2008-03-17T00:48:51+00:00

My used copy is missing red men #3 and #5. Is it still playable?

Thread: Re: Super what? Let's play Blood Bowl!

tornspace — 2006-12-12T22:30:11+00:00

If you can get your hands on it, the 2d edition game board rocks hard over the other lame cardboard ones.

They're all the same "size" in squares, so play the normal latest rules, but have the cool foam board!

Thread: Re: Super what? Let's play Blood Bowl!

Devon Harmon — 2006-02-06T16:54:49+00:00

Give the living rules a try. Like you mentioned, they use 3rd edition as their base, and not 2nd edition. I greatly enjoy the new rules. They take out some of the fiddly randomness that can break the game when your opponent draws that one overpowered card, but still leave the feel of the game intact (i.e. a battle game with footbal rules, or a football game with a battle rules, depending on your play style.

I only played second edition once, and that was back in 1989 or 1990. I do remember it being much more like first edition, which I have played a bit of. I recall in first edition you could wither attack to tackle, or attack to wound. In the third and living editions, there is only a block, whcih has a chance to either knock down the player or injure them.

Thread: Re: Super what? Let's play Blood Bowl!

Warhammer — 2006-02-06T16:54:12+00:00

I have never played 2nd edition, but have played 3rd edition and later rules extensively.

3rd edition is still pretty darn bloody. Off the top of my head, there is only a 1/6 chance of getting called for a foul if you go that route, plus you can still argue the call. My only problem with this is that Elven teams can easily be broken due to the fouling rules (AV 8 for DE and HE, 7 for WE). The IGMEOY (I Got My Eye On You rule) makes this much more palatable to my taste as teams cannot be so easily destroyed.

LRB made fouling much better to my taste. No longer were star player points awarded for fouling other players, you fouled only to remove particularly troublesome players. Additionally, players on the same team as a player getting fouled would no longer sit and watch the fouling team maim that player.

I am not sure about what skills were available in 2nd edition, but the power teams in 3rd edition and beyond had a vast array of skills to enhance their ability to hurt opposing players, horns, razor sharp claws, claws, dirty player, mighty blow, piling on, etc. Also, the strategy varied quite a bit from 2nd edition in that it was possible to win a game 1-0 since the games were timed, not played to a set score. My only problem with some of the LRB rules is that they are constantly tweaking stuff that doesn't need to be fixed. My suggestion is move up to 3rd edition, or the second edition of the LRB.

Thread: Super what? Let's play Blood Bowl!

Godeke — 2006-02-06T03:27:56+00:00

So, it is Super Bowl Sunday, and since we don’t follow football, the only solution is to bust out my old Second Edition Blood Bowl for some Orc vs. Human “football”. My son was playing the Orcs, myself the humans.

Our first game was played with the “standard” rules, since this was my son’s first game of BB. Careful control of the line combined with some passing gave me a quick lead over my son, who seemed to really like kicking the downed players (this being second edition, there is no wussy penalty for laying the beatdown on the prone players). After a few goals, my team was starting to look a bit sparse when I got a string of lucky rolls for bringing my injured players back onto the field, which sealed the game. In the standard game, the military option can work, but is very dependent on keeping the players off the field. Game one: Dad.

Our second game was played with the full rule set, plus my son opted to bring a bombardier with him. The full rule set makes the game far more interesting in my opinion: you really want to protect your throwers and catchers as the combination of quick movement and the throw accuracy can sew up a touchdown. However, the military option is also stronger in the full rule set: there is a small possibility of players being seriously injured or even killed, which can whittle down a team that is more focused on a more traditional football strategy.

The first possession went back and forth mid field with a fairly vicious fight for control, but the concentration in the center allowed me to sneak a thrower and catcher down field along the side line. A short pass later and we were deep in enemy territory with only a few defenders in my way. A heroic tackle attempt failed, allowing me to run right to the five yard line. A second heroic tackle went poorly, allowing my catcher to walk into the end zone. Very lucky for me: two heroic tackles have a good possibility of working, and a loose ball can quickly be tossed down field. Point one for the humans.

The second possession was more of a back and forth as the Orcs tossed from sideline to sideline, spreading the players out. A few Humans broke through the defenders and caused a loose ball, but it was quickly recovered and they tossed down field to a catcher who had slipped through. He was quickly pummeled and sent to the sidelines. The ball came back mid field when the bombardier chucked the ball into a mixed group of Orcs and Humans. It was caught by a Orc and chucked to a player near the ball carrier, where it was missed. The bomb scattered to one of the few empty areas and exploded harmlessly, allowing the Humans to continue down field. The Human blitzer carried the ball all the way to the end zone, leaving a string of would be tackles in his wake: Point two for the humans.

Game two: Dad.

Second edition blood bowl is an excellent game to play while the "real thing" is on the TV in the background. Considering that football seems to be decided more by refs than players these days, we found the board game was a great way to mix and match our day and have a good time. Sure, it isn't a "Euro", but that's the point: it is a dice heavy slug fest with a lot of "big plays" and exciting opportunities that can go either way.

As a side note: we downloaded the living rules (fourth revision, third edition) prior to the second game and we are considering using them for a third game: my question to those who play: do you find that the recent changes make the game work, or do they change it too much if you enjoy the strange but wonderful combination of military war game and maybe football that is second edition? I have heard rumblings that it is quicker, but that is only good if it retains the "flavor" of the game I love.