Blitz Bowl: Ultimate Edition

Frequently Asked Questions

Document Overview | Rulebook FAQ | Recommendations | Homebrew Teams

Document Overview

The main purpose of this document is to consolidate Frequently Asked

Questions (FAQs) for Blitz Bowl: Ultimate Edition. Most of the
answers to these questions are presented with direct support from the
rulebook, making them “official.” For some questions, the rulebook is
ambiguous as written. For these questions, a main interpretation of
the rule is presented after discussion with experienced coaches.

The FAQ Chapter answers pressing questions that come up time and time
again. The chapter is divided up into various sections:
● Game Setup Questions
● Challenge Card Questions
● Bonus Play Card Questions
● Game Sequence Questions
● Action(s) Questions
● Player Ability Questions

The Recommendations Chapter suggests modifications for the game on

three levels of endorsement: Highly Endorsed, Endorsed, and Variant,
as well as recommendations for clarity.

The Homebrew Teams Chapter gives some popular unofficial teams that
have been created by members of the Blitz Bowl community, along with
the design philosophy underlying their choices of team roster,
statistics, and abilities.

The following coaches, listed in alphabetical order, had a hand in

the making of this document. If you disagree with any reasoning or
conclusions made within this document, blame them!

aquilaprime Dombie pez5767

djakl JanE SC Matt

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Rulebook FAQ

Game Setup Questions

Q: Which coach chooses the pitch / goes first?

A: Flip a coin - the coach that wins the toss chooses the pitch and
goes first. After dealing out the first three Challenge Cards from
the shuffled Challenge Card deck, the second coach sets up their team
in their end zone, followed by the first coach’s placement of their
players (Rulebook p. 8).

Q: Do you roll a D8 to bounce the ball at the start of the game?

A: No, simply place the ball on the trapdoor. If there are two
trapdoors, roll a D6. On a result of 1, 2, or 3 the ball is placed on
the trapdoor closest to the team’s End Zone, else it is placed on the
far trapdoor (Rulebook p. 9). If the pitch has a left and right
trapdoor, use 1, 2, or 3 for the left trapdoor and 4, 5, or 6 for the
right trapdoor.

Q: Can a coach claim a Challenge card on their first turn?

A: No, in the rules as written, Challenge cards cannot be claimed by
either coach during their first turn (Rulebook p. 10).

Given that this rule as written makes for an advantage in favor of

the first team, a commonly agreed-upon recommendation addresses this
point (Recommendations).

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Challenge Card Questions

Q: Can the first coach discard a card at the beginning of their second
turn?
A: Yes, in the rules as written, only in each coach’s first turn are
the Claim Challenge card and Replace Challenge Card steps skipped.
The first coach may discard one of the three Challenge cards at the
beginning of their second turn, if they choose (Rulebook p. 14).

This point is addressed in the Recommendations Chapter.

Q: Is a coach forced to claim a Challenge card if the conditions to

claim one are met?
A: No, a coach may claim a Challenge Card, but they are not required
to (Rulebook p. 14).

Q: Does a coach have to remove a Challenge card if none are claimed?

Also, if a card is removed, does it have to be a specific one?
A: No they do not. If all three active Challenge cards are still
present during the Pre-Turn Sequence, the coach taking their turn can
choose to discard any one of the cards (Rulebook p. 15).

Q: Can a coach claim multiple Challenge Cards with one action?

A: No. Even if the action fulfills all conditions listed on multiple
Challenge cards, only one Challenge card can be claimed per action
(Rulebook p. 14).

Q: Do free actions count for claiming Challenge Cards?

A: Unless otherwise specified on the Challenge Card text (e.g. Show
Them How It’s Done!), free actions can be used to claim a Challenge
Card (Rulebook p. 14).

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Q: To claim Gang Up!, can an individual player claim the card with a
Defensive Play Bonus Play card?
A: Yes, in the rules as written.

Q: To claim Move the Ball!, for which the ball needs to move “four or
more squares away from your team's End Zone,” can a player simply move
back and forth four times?
A: Not clearly defined in the rulebook, but most coaches rule this
card to mean total displacement from the beginning of the action to
the end. A rewording is proposed later in this document that
addresses this point (Recommendations).

Q: To claim Get Together!, can a Prone player be counted as one of the

adjacent team-mates?
A: No. A Prone player is for all intents and purposes not considered
to be an active participant in the game and cannot be used to claim
Challenge cards (Rulebook p. 7).

Q: To claim Go Deep!, what does “within three squares of the other

team’s End Zone” mean?
A: The four furthest rows of the pitch, including the far End Zone.
In other words, if the player could make a Run action of three
squares, they would be in the far End Zone.

Q: If there are two Get The Ball! Challenge cards available to claim,
can a coach claim the second card with a Throw action?
A: Yes, in the rules as written. The first card is claimed with a Run
action (or Mark/Sidestep given Handling Skills ability). The second
Get The Ball! card can be claimed with a successful Hand-off or Throw
action.

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Bonus Play Card Questions

Q: When using Raw Talent, can a player re-roll a Foul action?

A: No. As written, Raw Talent can only be used to re-roll an Armor
check, Throw check, or Block roll. Furthermore, if a re-roll is used
for Armor/Throw/Block, the coach must re-roll all dice and use the
result of a re-roll, even if it is worse (Rulebook p. 6).

Q: When using Raw Talent, can a coach make the opposing coach re-roll?
A: No. A coach cannot use a re-roll on another coach’s dice (Rulebook
p.6).

Q: Can a coach play multiple Bonus Plays in one action?

A: Yes. A coach can play any number of Bonus Play cards from their
hand during an action or over the course of the turn (Rulebook p.
15).

Q: Can a coach play the same type of Bonus Play (e.g. two Inspiration
cards) during the same turn?
A: No duplicate Bonus Play cards can be played in the same turn
(Rulebook p. 15).

Q: Can a coach have more than three Bonus Play cards in their hand?
A: Yes and no. A coach can have more than three Bonus Play cards
during their turn, but if they end their turn with more than three
cards, they must discard cards from their hand until they are left
with a maximum of three cards (Rulebook p. 14).

Q: When refreshing/discarding a Challenge Card or playing a Bonus Play

card, which side is facing up?
A: When a Challenge Card is discarded, place it with its Bonus Play
side showing (Rulebook p. 15).

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Q: When using Dodge, can the player pick up a ball adjacent to an
opposing player?
A: Yes, as the action is considered a Run action, but the player has
to end the action Open (Rulebook p. 11).

Q: Multi-ball is triggered and there are two balls on the pitch. Ball
1 is picked up by a player who stands on the trapdoor. Ball 2 is
scored for a touchdown. What happens to the player and ball?
A: If there is a player standing on the trapdoor and they are holding
a ball, it disappears down the trapdoor with them (Rulebook p. 14).

Q: When a Multi-ball is triggered and the first ball bounces back onto
the trapdoor, what happens to the ball when the second ball is
triggered?
A: Not specified directly in the rulebook, but implies that the
second ball disappears down the trapdoor (Rulebook p. 14).

Q: Leg Up - Can this Bonus Play card be used with the same action of
claiming Play As A Team! or can it only be used after claiming another
Challenge Card/ scoring a touchdown?
A: The Leg Up card is ambiguous as written, but the large majority of
coaches interpret scoring Leg Up only after another Challenge Card is
claimed or a touchdown is scored. The reasoning behind this is that
if Leg Up could be scored that same action, then it would use the
“immediately” word.

Given the ambiguity, a rewording addresses this point

(Recommendations).

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Game Sequence/Timing Questions

Q: What is the order of the Pre-Turn Sequence?

A: The Pre-Turn Sequence is as follows (Rulebook p. 10):
a. Refresh Challenge Cards step
b. No Ball in Play step
c. Emergency Reserves step

Q: How does the Emergency Reserves step work? Can a coach skip this
step?
A: If the number of players in Reserve is equal to or greater than
their team’s Emergency Reserves value, they gain on free Reserves
value, which they must make immediately (Rulebook p. 13).

Q: Does a game end immediately if one team has a score 10+ more than
that of the other team?
A: No - Sudden Death only occurs if, at the end of a coach’s turn,
their team’s score is 10 or more points behind the opposing team’s
score (Rulebook p. 15). Note that this is in departure to previous
editions, when a 10+ point margin at any time automatically ended the
game. Note that when the game reaches Endgame, the Sudden Death rule
no longer applies!

Q: In the Endgame, what happens when the last card is dealt out?
A: In the rules as written, from the section Winning the Game -
Points Victory: “When the last card is dealt out and becomes active,
each team has one more turn before the game ends” (Rulebook p. 15).

The active coach finishes their pre-turn sequence, then has a turn of
three actions. The second coach has their final turn of three
actions, then the first coach gets one final turn. This is as the
pre-turn sequence is part of the coach’s turn (see table in Rulebook
p. 10).

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However, the rules as written actually conflict with the rules as
intended, per insider information from coach SC Matt, and a
community-endorsed rewording addresses this point (Recommendations).

Q: How does the timing work with player abilities and Challenge cards?
A: This question is commonly asked and not straightforward to answer!

A recommendation has been proposed to clarify the global timing issue

with the rules as intended as per James Hewitt, the game designer.

For the rules as written, read on:

There are two player abilities of interest: Frenzied and Headbutt.

Also, there are six Bonus Play cards of interest: Blitz, Distraction,
Diving Tackle, Intervention, Shoulder Charge, and Step Aside.

Frenzied: After this player makes a Mark action, they can immediately make a
free Block action.

Headbutt: If this player makes a Run action, followed by a Mark action, they
can immediately make a free Block action.
____________________________________________________________________________

Blitz: Play this card after a player from your team makes a Mark action and had
already made a Run action this turn. That player immediately makes a free Block
action that targets an opponent they are marking.

Distraction: Play this card after an opponent completes a Mark action, before
the Claim Challenge Card step. Pick one player on your team adjacent to that
opponent. That player can make a free Sidestep action.

Diving Tackle: Play this card after a player from your team makes a Mark
action. That player immediately makes a free Block action that targets an
opponent they are marking. After making the Block action, place your player
Prone but do not make an Armour check for them. If that player had a ball, that
ball bounces.

Intervention: Play this card after an opponent makes a Run action, before the
Claim Challenge Card step. Pick one player from your team that is Open. That
player immediately makes a free Mark action, but must finish that action
adjacent to the opponent that made the Run action.

Shoulder Charge: Play this card after a player from your team makes a Mark
action. That player immediately makes a free Block action that targets an
opponent they are marking.

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 Step Aside: Play this card after a player from your team is chosen as the
target of a Block action, before the block dice are rolled. That player can
immediately make a free Sidestep action (after which they must be Open, not
Marked). The Block action is then canceled and does not count as having been
made.

The keyword here is “immediately,” which is defined as “When an

ability is described as happening immediately, it means before doing
anything else, such as claiming a Challenge card, making another
Action, or finishing the current turn.” (Rulebook p. 7).

If we take this definition in the strictest reading, then these

statements are true:

1. Challenge cards are claimed after Frenzied and Headbutt are

applied. As an example, if the goal is to claim Tie Them Up!
and the abilities’ free Block action results in a knock down on
the target player, the Challenge card would not be claimed. As
a corollary, the abilities do not allow for claiming multiple
Challenge cards (e.g. Tie Them Up! and then Take Them Down!).

Blitz also would not allow for claiming multiple Challenge

cards, as it is the Bonus Play equivalent of the Frenzied
ability.

2. Distraction, which triggers after an opponent’s Mark action,

cannot be used against players with Frenzied or Headbutt, as the
two abilities use the “immediately” term to make an immediate
free Block action.

By the same reasoning, Distraction cannot be used when the

active coach plays Blitz, Diving Tackle, or Shoulder Charge.

3. Step Aside can be used against Frenzied or Headbutt, as it also

uses the term “immediately” for the defensive player to make an
immediate free Sidestep action. A more restrictive

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 interpretation would be that the active coach’s “immediately”
takes precedence over the other coach’s “immediately,” but that
is not specified in the rules.

By the same reasoning, Step Aside can be used against Blitz,

Diving Tackle, or Shoulder Charge.

4. Intervention is able to prevent the opponent from claiming a

Challenge card, as it takes effect before the Claim Challenge
card step. It may also be used to prevent a touchdown, which
only can be scored by the opponent if they are Open at the end
of the action (Rulebook p. 14).

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Action(s) Questions

Q: Can a player make duplicate actions in the same turn?

A: No. A player can make more than one action in a coach’s turn, but
cannot make the same action more than once (Rulebook p. 11).

Q: Can a player repeat an action if they scored a touchdown and then

were sent back to the dugout?
A: No, the player, referring to “the plastic player models that make
up a coach’s team” (Rulebook p. 6) would be considered the same model
and thus cannot make the same action more than once (Rulebook p. 11).

Q: Can a player Run adjacent to a Prone player?

A: Yes. A Prone player cannot Mark another player and is for all
intents and purposes not considered to be an active participant in
the game (Rulebook p. 7).

Q: Which results prevent the player from making additional actions

that turn?
A: For a Block action, both Miss and Tackle results end that player’s
(but not the coach’s) turn. For a Foul action, a Slipped! result ends
that player’s turn (Rulebook p. 13, 16).

Q: Can a player with the ball throw to any target square?

A: No, the target must be a square with a standing (non-Prone) player
from their team (Rulebook p. 12). Note that this is a departure from
previous editions of the game.

Q: Can a player with a statistic of Throw (-) be the target of a Throw

action?
A: Yes, in the rules as written (Rulebook p. 12). However, the Throw
will not be successful - best case it bounces from the target square.

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Q: Can a player with a statistic of Throw (-) catch the ball for
purposes of claiming Show Us A Completion!?
A: No. A player with Throw (-) cannot take possession of the ball. As
a player will take possession of a ball when they are the target of a
successful Throw action, “cannot” implies that a Throw cannot be
successful while targeting such a player. (Rulebook p. 6).

Q: Can a Reserves action be used to place a player directly adjacent

to an opposing player?
A: No. A Reserve player can only be placed in a free (Open) square in
their team’s End Zone, or in a square containing a ball, unless there
is no other option (Rulebook p. 13).

Q: When making a Mark action into a ball, does the coach resolve the
ball scatter at the end of the Mark or with every Mark movement?
A: The coach resolves the ball scatter with every Mark movement (i.e.
the player could “Mark into” the ball twice), rather than at the end
of the movement. Likewise, this would be analogous to a player with a
Throw (-) statistic when making a Run action.

Q: How does the ball scatter if the bounce chart indicates an obstacle
or boundary of the pitch?
A: Work clockwise around the bounce chart until a result which means
the ball would bounce into a square on the pitch that doesn’t contain
an obstruction (Rulebook p. 12).

Q: What should happen when a player carrying the ball makes a Foul
action and is sent off (i.e. Spotted! or Take That! result)?
A: Although the exact scenario is not covered by the Rulebook, the
prevailing view is that the ball should scatter.

Q: Can a Foul action be assisted?

A: No. When a player makes a Foul action, their coach rolls one block
die (Rulebook p. 16).

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Player Ability Questions

Q: Can a successful Throw Team-mate action allow a Coach to claim Show

Us A Completion! or Make A Risky Throw!?
A: Yes, a Throw Team-mate action is considered a Throw action for
purposes of claiming Challenge cards (Rulebook p. 17).

Q: Can a Blitzer with Offensive Specialist use Raw Talent to re-roll?

A: No, a re-roll cannot be used on the same dice roll more than once
(Rulebook p. 6).

Q: With the Elusive ability, can the player pick up a ball adjacent to
an opposing player?
A: Yes, as the action is considered a Run action, but they have to
end the action Open (Rulebook p. 11).

Q: During the opposing Coach’s turn, if a coach uses Intervention to

make a Mark action using a player with Frenzied, can that player then
make a free Block action?
A: Yes, this is allowed in the rules as written. Sneaky, sneaky!
However, a coach is unable to claim Challenge Cards or score a
touchdown during their opponent’s turn (Rulebook p. 14). Likewise, if
the player does not have Frenzied, the Diving Tackle Bonus Play card
would allow for making a free Block action.

Q: Elusive/Ethereal/Leap versus Titchy/Insignificant - which ability

takes precedence?
A: Elusive/Ethereal/Leap would take precedence, allowing a player
with that ability to make a Run action adjacent to and past the
player with Titchy/Insignificant. Intuitively, as
Titchy/Insignificant are negative abilities, it does not make sense
for the two abilities to suddenly have a benefit against the three
agility abilities.

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Q: Can an opposing player end their Run action adjacent to a player
with Insignificant?
A: Yes. Insignificant is a worse version of Titchy and essentially
grants a free Dodge Bonus Play and Rush ability to opposing players.

Q: What does the Bomber ability’s “whilst open” mean? Does it imply
that the player can use the ability against a distant target when the
player with the ability is Marking another opposing player?
A: No. The intent of the Bomber ability has been that the player with
that ability can make a Block action while Open using Bomber, but
only makes a normal Block action while Marked.

This ambiguity is addressed in the Recommendations.

Q: If multiple players with Regenerate are Prone at the beginning of

the coach’s turn, can they all make a free Stand Up action?
A: Yes, in the rules as written, all players with Regenerate can make
a free Stand Up action at the beginning of the coach’s turn.

Q: How does the Enforcer ability work?

A: The ability is unique to the Bloodseekers of the Khorne team and
allows the player to resolve the result of all dice rolled in the
coach’s chosen order. Each knocked down result forces an Armor check
for the target player.

The ambiguity arises from a Shove result. If the Block dice result in
a knock down and a Shove - can the player Shove a Prone player? If
the player is Injured, can the Bloodseeker follow-up into the empty
square?

If there are two Shove results, is the Bloodseeker forced to follow

with the first result, or can they shove the opponent back two
squares without following at all? A solution is proposed in the
Recommendations.

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Recommendations

While Blitz Bowl: Ultimate Edition is a streamlined, well-designed

game in a box, there are opportunities to tweak the rules for
improved clarity and/or fairness to both coaches. Below are
recommendations divided into two categories: Recommendations for
Gameplay and Recommendations for Clarity.

Recommendations for Gameplay are further classified as Highly

Endorsed, Endorsed, and Variant. Recommendations are presented in
approximate descending order on the basis of game impact.

Recommendations for Gameplay

1. Global Timing Conflict - Highly Endorsed

Recommendation: When a combination of Bonus Play cards or Player
Abilities use the same game event to trigger their effects, apply the
following tiebreakers to determine which effect actually occurs:
● If the timing of a Bonus Play card comes into conflict with the
timing of a Player Ability, the Bonus Play card takes
precedence. The Player Ability may resolve after the Bonus Play
has finished if it is still valid.
● If the timing of two Bonus Play cards or two Player Abilities
come into conflict with each other, then the Active Coach
chooses which effect takes precedence; in the case of two Bonus
Play cards, the one that does not take precedence is considered
to have not been played and is returned to that coach’s hand.

Rationale: The current state of timing is ambiguous at best, and the

proposed recommendation addresses this issue. The hierarchy of Bonus
Play Card > Player Ability and Active Player > Reactive Player are
concepts furthered by the designer of Blitz Bowl, James Hewitt, in
the FAQ forum on Blitz Bowl: Season 2. As such, the proposed
recommendation follows these guidelines to resolve the timing issue.

Document Overview | Rulebook FAQ | Recommendations | Homebrew Teams

Here are a few questions that have been asked pertaining to timing
that can now be addressed:

Q: If the player makes a Run action followed by a Mark action

with the intent to play Blitz for a free Block action, and the
opponent has a Distraction card, which card resolves first?
A: The active coach would be able to use the Blitz Bonus Play
card while the reactive coach could not use the Distraction
card.

Q: A player with Frenzied Marks two opposing linemen. More than

three opponents are Marked, so Tie Them Up! is available to
score. Frenzied is activated for an immediate free Block action
in an attempt to score Take Them Down! The opposing coach uses
Step Aside to negate the free Block. Can Tie Them Up! be claimed?
A: Yes and no. The entire free Block / Sidestep sequence occurs
before the Claim Challenge Card step. At the end of the action,
if at least three opponents have been Marked and Tie Them Up!
can be claimed as all requirements are fulfilled. However, if
the player with Frenzied had only Marked one opponent and that
opponent used Step Aside, then the active coach’s players no
longer fulfill the criteria to score Tie Them Up!

2. Claiming Challenge cards during a coach’s first turn - Endorsed

Recommendation: Coach 1 cannot claim a Challenge card during their
first turn, but Coach 2 can claim Challenge cards but skips the
Refresh Challenge Cards step of their Pre-Turn Sequence.

Rationale: Balance. To reduce / negate the “first-move advantage,” in

which the first coach has a better opportunity for victory (in
recorded games found in the community spreadsheet, the first coach
has a win percentage of ~55% - 65%). This is a recommendation that
may be more applicable in league or tournament play, and it is up to

Document Overview | Rulebook FAQ | Recommendations | Homebrew Teams

individual coaches to decide whether the difference in win rate is
worth the change to the rules as written.
3. Refreshing Challenge cards - Variant
Recommendation: If no Challenge card is claimed, during the next turn
in the other coach’s Pre-Turn Sequence, that coach must refresh the
Challenge card deck.

Rationale: Rules as Intended. Per SC Matt, the recommendation

actually is a reversion to previous editions of the game in which the
“must” rule existed, and Blitz Bowl: Ultimate Edition was meant to
have the wording above, with the change being that the coach could
choose which card to discard.

Recommendations for Clarity

1. Points Victory: Rewording

Recommendation: Reword Points Victory description to “Once the last
Challenge card is dealt out and becomes active, the active coach
finishes up their turn and the second coach has one more turn. The
game then ends and the team with the highest score wins. If both
teams have the same score, the game ends in a draw!”

Rationale: Both for clarity and rules as intended. Most coaches abide
by this interpretation.

2. Distraction: Rewording
Recommendation: Reword description to “Play this card after an
opponent completes a Mark action, before the Claim Challenge Card
step. Pick one player on your team adjacent to that opponent. That
player can immediately make a free Sidestep action.”

Rationale: Distraction is the only one of those timing cards without

the term immediately. Therefore, by adding “immediately” to its

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description, it becomes more clear as to how to resolve timing
situations.

3. Move The Ball!: Rewording

Recommendation: Reword description to “Claim this card if a player
from your team made a Throw or Run action, and during that action the
net movement of a ball is four or more squares away from your team's
End Zone, and a player from your team still has possession of that
ball.“

Rationale: While a Run action back and forth four times does
technically fulfill the requirements to claim the card, it is against
the intent of the card.

4. Enforcer Ability: Rewording

Recommendation: Reword description to “When this player makes a Block
action, resolve the result of each dice rolled in any order.
If the target is pushed by a Shove result, this player must make a
follow-up move. For each knocked down result, the opposing coach must
make an Armour check.”

Rationale: The current ability description makes it difficult to

interpret how to handle a Shove result. Note that this ability forces
the player to follow-up all Shove results, if possible. Below is a
list of potential questions (and answers) concerning this rewording:

Q: If a Block results in an Injury, how are the remaining Block

dice resolved?
A: All remaining dice are still resolved. Since the target
player is no longer on the pitch, a result of Shove, Tackle,
Smash!, or Kerrunch! effectively does nothing. However, note
that a Miss or Tackle result means that the player is unable to
make any more actions (or free actions) that turn.

Q: Can I push a knocked down player?

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 A: Yes. If the first Block result is a knock down and the next
Block result is a Shove, then the target player can be pushed.
The Blocking player would still need to follow-up.
5. Bomber Ability: Rewording
Recommendation: Reword ability to “This player can also make a Block
action when Open. Choose an Open or Marked opponent within 3 squares
to be the target. The Block action cannot be assisted and treat
results on the block dice of 'Shove' as 'Miss.'”

Rationale: The current wording of the ability is ambiguous and may be

taken to mean that the Fungus Flinga can make a Bomber Block against
a distant target player while Marking a player.

6. Leg Up: Rewording

Recommendation: Reword description to “Play this card after your team
claims another Challenge card or touchdown. Score 1 point.”

Rationale: The current wording of the Bonus Play card is ambiguous

and may be taken to mean the coach can use the card the very action
of claiming. The rewording is to clarify this point.

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Homebrew Teams
There are 19 official Blitz Bowl teams with their respective team
cards. Several of the Blood Bowl rosters are not represented by their
Blitz Bowl counterparts, at least not officially.

However, that has not stopped creative Blitz Bowl coaches from
homebrewing their own versions of these rosters.

Homebrew teams include Amazon, Chaos Dwarf, High Elf, Khemri, Norse,
Underworld, and Vampire. There are additional teams that have had
Homebrew rules, but these listed below have gone through more
iterations.

Amazon (by JanE)

Chaos Dwarf (by JanE)
High Elf (by JanE)
Khemri (by aquilaprime)
Norse (by aquilaprime)
Norse (by JanE)
Underworld (by JanE)
Vampire (by aquilaprime)

The latest rosters for most of the teams above can be found below:
Ultimate Edition Rosters + Homebrew Rosters

Document Overview | Rulebook FAQ | Recommendations | Homebrew Teams

For those looking to create their own homebrew teams, here is a
helpful guide of 10 tenets of team-design philosophy as proposed by
the Santa Cruz Blitz Bowl League (SCBBL).

1. 1 Sprue/Frame = 1 Team
2. Linemen don’t get skills (generally)
3. 1 ability per player
4. Re-use existing skills as often as possible
5. Any new rules should be simple and thematic (e.g. Gnoblar’s
Insignificant).
6. Blitz Bowl players are “minor league” players and should never
be better than the Blood Bowl counterparts.
7. Try not to add additional dice rolls or mechanics which slow
down play by adding steps
8. NO canceling rules (minor modification is okay, but not
prevention… rule of cool and D.B.a.D.)
9. The team should “feel” like the Blood Bowl equivalent, not be a
proxy.
10. Vanilla is okay. Not every team needs a new special rule.

For more details, check out The Crush! podcast episode Do It

Yourself.

Document Overview | Rulebook FAQ | Recommendations | Homebrew Teams

Amazon (Homebrew by JanE)

Homebrew Ability:
Evade: This player can make a Run action when Marked.

Design Rationale:
Amazon team is the only team in Blood Bowl in which every player has
a single special skill, in this case Dodge. They are dodgy, fast and
agile, and that was something I wanted to capture with this design.
All the players in this Amazon team have a movement-related skill.
Like all the players having Dodge in Blood Bowl, all players normally
not having a skill (Linemen and Blocker) have an Evade skill, that
represents their dodgy nature simulating what Dodge skill does in
Blood Bowl.

The team turned out to capture the essence and the playstyle of the
Blood Bowl team very well, and their unique quirk is that two
different player positions have the same ability.

Document Overview | Rulebook FAQ | Recommendations | Homebrew Teams

Chaos Dwarf (Homebrew by JanE)

Homebrew Ability:
Bulldozer: When this player makes a Block action, you can choose to
re-roll results of Shove. When this player is the target of a Block
action, treat results of Shove as Miss.

Design Rationale:
This team was a tricky one to design. When following the player stats
of the Blood Bowl team, the team turned out to be quite weak.
Pretty early in the design process it became clear that Bull Centaur
is, and should be, the star player of the team. Thus Bull Centaur got
a ‘normal’ Offensive Specialist skill but having the Block value of
2, made it possible for the player to have the significant impact
that it needed to have on the pitch.
After several iterations of different defensive and offensive skills,
the team seemed to find balance and a distinctive playstyle after
Chaos Dwarves got the Bulldozer skill, which has both defensive and
offensive elements.
The team has a unique playstyle as the slow Chaos Dwarves are setting
up defensive formations and the Bull Centaur is showing the true
meaning of ‘horsepower’.

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High Elf (Homebrew by JanE)

Homebrew Abilities:
Cloud Burster: When this player makes a Throw check, roll a D8
instead of a D6.
Dump-off: After this player makes a Run action, they can immediately
perform a free Hand-off.

Design Rationale:
I used aquilaprime’s version of the High Elf team as the starting point. That
version of the team was the best from both Human and Elves, and I’d pick that
team over both of them. That did not feel right.
I tried several different versions of the team roster, but they were too close
to either Human or Elves.
Eventually I had to break the core design principles of not designing new
skills to justify the team’s existence between Human and Elves.
I wanted High Elves to be the ‘passing team’ as they were in Blood Bowl.
Linemen having Throw value of 3+ and the Thrower being even more skillful than
that, give the team an unique ability to move the ball, truly an unique
playstyle compared to other teams. Lion Warrior’s ability had to be nerfed as
the team has such good throwers.
Both new skills are simple and interesting, I like how the team turned out to
be.

Document Overview | Rulebook FAQ | Recommendations | Homebrew Teams

Khemri (Homebrew by aquilaprime)

Design Rationale:
This team is mainly comprised of parts from other Undead/Horror
themed teams. The composition is non-standard, similar to the mix of
Skeletons and Zombies on other Undead teams. The harder-hitting Tomb
Guardians are similar to other slow, heavy hitters, like the Flesh
Golem and Orc Big ‘Un, while still being less of a Juggernaut, like
the Undead Mummy. Since this team has a 6-player count, the Emergency
Reserves number has been lowered to 3, to represent the regenerative
nature of Undead teams.

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Norse (Homebrew by aquilaprime)

Homebrew Ability:
Mascot: When this player is on the pitch (not in the dugout), this
team’s Emergency Reserves value is reduced by 1, to 1 minimum of 1.

Design Rationale:
This Norse team is supposed to represent the ‘Minor League’ version
of the new version of the team that was recently released for modern
Blood Bowl. The Norse are not quite the thick-skulled drunkards of
the Major league yet, but they are working toward it. The Norse
Raiders are poised between the typical Human Lineman and the Khorne
Marauders. The Valkyrie strikes a balance between a Human Thrower,
Catcher, and Blitzer. The Berzerker is a Human version of the
Trollslayer. The Ulfwerener is a slower, but stronger version of the
Necromantic Werewolf. Instead of the Beer Boar having a version of
its Blood Bowl Skill, I envisioned the Mascot rule working like this:
The coach sends the Beer Boar out onto the pitch with the cask of
beer and the team wants to be where the hearty brew is, hence the -1
to the reserves stat.

Document Overview | Rulebook FAQ | Recommendations | Homebrew Teams

Norse (Homebrew by JanE)

Homebrew Ability:
Pick-me-up: After this player makes a Run action, Prone team-mates
adjacent to this player may make a free Stand Up action.

Design Rationale:
The design was based on aquilaprime’s version of the Norse team. I pretty much
agree with the stats of the special positional players. I tweaked the skill of
the Beer Boar a bit, as in Blood Bowl and in aquilaprime’s earlier version, the
Beer Boar had a passive skill that could give a free Stand-up action. I did not
like the idea of giving the choice of triggering the skill to the opposing
coach, so I tried to find something that gives the choice to the player playing
the Norse team.

When choosing the skill to Ulfwerener, I pondered between Enforcer and Claws,
but ended up keeping the Enforcer, as it actually pretty much the same as the
Frenzy skill in Blood Bowl (even more so with the Errata changes).
Changes to Valkyrie and Raider Linemen represent the idea of making the team
more bashy. In Blood Bowl every player in the Norse team has a Block related
skill, Norse Linemen hit as hard as most of the Blitzers. The team needed more
bashiness, thus Valkyrie got Offensive Specialist, and Linemen changed from
dashy 6-1-4-4 to have more bashy stats of 5-1-5-3.

Document Overview | Rulebook FAQ | Recommendations | Homebrew Teams

Underworld (Homebrew by JanE)

Homebrew Ability:
Prehensile Tail: When this player makes a Mark action, you may move
an opponent 1 square adjacent to this player. You cannot move an
opponent with Hulking Brute ability.

Design Rationale:
Underworld Team was one of the last official Blood Bowl teams without a proper
Blitz Bowl roster. I had lots of iterations of the team, and the problem was to
simulate the team's unique identity, not just combine players from Goblin and
Skaven teams. So what is the team’s identity? Well, in Blood Bowl lore these
beings dug their caverns too deep and were mutated by the mysterious Warpstone
that they found… The Blood Bowl team has access to lot of cheap players, but
that was hard to simulate in Blitz Bowl following the SCBBL rule #1 (1
Sprue/Frame = 1 Team). In Blood Bowl the Underworld Team roster always includes
a Big Guy, so a Rat Ogre was included. The Rat Ogre brings an unique ability to
grab the opponents and move them around. It is a living puzzle in the midfield.

Underworld Skaven are mutated by warpstone and the normal Clanrats come with
horrible mutated Claws re-using the Blitz Bowl ability ‘Claws’, as that is one
of the mutation-ability names in Blood Bowl too.
Vampire (Homebrew by aquilaprime)

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Homebrew Ability/Abilities:
Flesh-hungry Horror: When this player performs a Mark action, they
can move up to 3 squares instead of 2.

Design Rationale:
Based on the ‘Teams of Legend’ version of the Vampires, this team is
completely comprised of Vampires and Thralls, with a team composition
similar to that of the Chaos Team (4 Thralls, 2 Vampires). As an
‘Undead’ team, the Emergency Reserves value has been lowered to 3. I
envisioned the Thralls as drained players from other teams, this is
why they are modeled as a slightly worse version of a basic Human
Lineman. With the lower Emergency Reserves value, these linemen will
frequently recirculate from the dugout, much like the Halfling
Hopefuls. Keeping it simple, The Vampire (not quite a lord yet)
Borrows the Ghoul’s ability from Season 2: the ability to make a
3-square mark action. This, with the basic move of 2, a block of 2, a
decent passing ability and good Armor save makes the Vampires a pair
of formidable utility players, surrounded by the weaker Thralls.

Document Overview | Rulebook FAQ | Recommendations | Homebrew Teams