Rules and Regulations

Blood Bowl itself is an exciting game of ancient traditions that is governed by a series of rules and laws that have been around for aeons. At least, that's what the officials tell people. In truth, Blood Bowl as we know it today was transcribed from the ancient manuscripts of the Tome of Nuffle by an ageing, near-sighted Dwarf who, upon completing his first rushed draft, spent the next decades translating the book properly. This weighty task saw the aforementioned Dwarf, Roze-El, become known as the sacred commissioner and the father of modern Blood Bowl - to the Dwarfs, anyway! Of course, with the Tome of Nuffle being almost impossible to transcribe in places and almost entirely illegible in others, Roze-El was forced to rely on the most important and time-honoured tradition among scribes, historians and rulekeepers of simply filling in the blanks with whatever he felt like!

Since the time of Roze-El, there have been numerous other individuals who have had their say in the development of the game of Blood Bowl. This has resulted in the game of Blood Bowl that we know and love today probably not bearing more than a passing resemblance to how Nuffle originally intended. Fortunately, Nuffle doesn't seem to be concerned with this, so long as his sacred game is still being played all across the known world!

Here, we are going to take you through all the rules you need to play a game of Blood Bowl and begin your journey on Nuffle's sacred turf!

THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE!

Blood Bowl is a game filled with so many unique and exciting teams and players that there will be situations that arise that seem to not be fully covered in this rulebook. For example, you may not be able to find the exact rule or page you need to work out a rule in the middle of the game, or there may be a disagreement about the interpretation of a specific rule that you cannot come to a logical conclusion on.

When these situations arise it is important to remember that everyone playing is here to have fun and enjoy a good game of Blood Bowl, rather than have an argument. As a result, it is always important to treat each other with respect and try to come to an amicable solution to any rules disputes you may have; after all, we are here to play a game.

Because wasting time arguing is no fun for either player - and would eat into the time you could be using to play an awesome game of Blood Bowl - it is often best to interpret the rules in a way that suits both players equally at that time. The game is designed to be played in good faith between players who respect each other, and players should treat each other as such. You'll find that if you keep the spirit of kindness and fair play in mind, you can resolve almost any instance of disagreement without issue.

If, however, you find that you and your opponent cannot come to an agreement upon the application of the rules, or another situation, simply roll a D6 to determine whose interpretation of the rules will be used for the duration of the game. On a 1-3, use one player's interpretation, and on a 4+ use the other player's. Then you can put the disagreement behind you and return to the much more important matter of competing for glory on the gridiron. Once the game is over, you can continue the discussion and arrive at a consensus for future games.

CODE OF CONDUCT!

As the old adage goes: "It's not the winning or losing that counts, but the way you play the game!" Blood Bowl is designed with this in mind and is intended to be played in a fun, generous manner; a one where fair play, good humour and showing respect for one another is paramount. As such, we have provided a series of important principles that we expect all Blood Bowl coaches to uphold at all times. After all, the most important thing is that everyone involved has a thoroughly enjoyable time during the course of the game - that way, every bone-crunching tackle, spectacular weaving run and pinpoint pass means that little bit more!

CARDINAL RULES

Always be polite and respectful to your opponent.
Always tell the truth and never cheat.

IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES

Make a respectful gesture to your opponent before the game begins, such as wishing them good luck, offering a handshake, etc.
Avoid using language that your opponent or those around you may find offensive.
Arrive on time for your game with all of the things you need to play.
Offer your opponent the chance to examine your team roster before the game begins.
If your opponent has any questions or queries about your roster, you should answer them truthfully and make sure your opponent understands the answer.
Ensure that your opponent is aware of any Inducements, or other special rules your team has, and that they know what they do.
When counting out the number of squares a player is moving, do so carefully and accurately. You should also allow your opponent the opportunity to check any moves before you move any models if they wish.
When rolling dice, make sure they are clearly visible to all players and allow your opponent to examine the rolls before picking up the dice.
Always ask your opponent's permission before picking up their models.
Remind your opponent about any rules they may have forgotten to use, or they have used incorrectly, especially when doing so is to your opponent's benefit rather than your own.
Never deliberately manipulate the amount of time a game takes in order to gain an advantage, either by playing overly quickly or by wasting time.
Try not to distract an opponent when they are trying to concentrate and always ensure you respect their personal space.
Never complain about your own bad luck or your opponent's good luck.
Always be humble in victory and graceful in defeat.
Never fix the outcome of a game for any reason.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES!

Before we go any further, it is worth going through some commonly seen principles and phrases that you will see throughout this rulebook. Many of these will govern certain aspects of a game of Blood Bowl and so will need explaining before you get started.

COACH AND PLAYERS

Whilst in other games the models on the tabletop represent the likes of warriors and are played by 'players', Blood Bowl represents a sporting fixture rather than a battle between two opposing forces. To keep within the theme of such a sporting event, and to avoid any confusion when playing, it is important to clarify what is meant when you see terms such as 'player' or 'Coach'.

The 'Coach' is you: the person physically rolling the dice, moving the models and making the decisions.

The models on the pitch are referred to as 'players' as they are the ones playing the game. Additionally, players that are playing on the same team are referred to as 'team-mates' and any opposing players are referred to as 'opposition players'.

RANDOMLY SELECTING A PLAYER

Sometimes the rules will call for you to randomly select a player on either yours or your opponent's team. When this is the case, simply roll a D16 and compare the number to the players on the relevant team draft list. The corresponding player will be the one that is selected. If there is no corresponding player, simply roll again until a player has been selected.

ROLLING DICE

The dice you roll will determine the outcome of your player's actions; whether they successfully pass the ball, tackle an opposition player, dodge past an opposition line, or all manner of other situations during the course of a game. The majority of actions will use ordinary six-sided dice (D6) or Block dice, though sometimes you will need to roll the likes of an eight-sided dice (D8) or sixteen-sided dice (D16).

'COCKED' DICE

Sometimes you will roll a dice and it won't land completely flat or, worse yet, it will roll off the table. In these situations, the dice should simply be rolled again to give a result that is completely flat. The likes of a dice tray are ideal for ensuring that dice roll flat. Coaches should also discuss what counts as a 'cocked' dice before the game starts.

SINGLE DICE ROLLS

Often, the rules will require you to roll a single dice, in which case it will say 'roll a D6', 'roll a D8' or 'roll a D16'. Sometimes you will be asked to 'roll a D3'; to do this, roll a D6 and half the value shown on the dice, rounding any fractions up.

MULTIPLE DICE ROLLS

Sometimes the rules will ask a Coach to roll '2D6'. This is a multiple dice roll and requires two D6s to be rolled and added together, to give a result between 2 and 12.

DICE POOLS

You may be required to roll multiple dice at once and select a single result from those rolled. For example, a Coach may need to roll two or three Block dice and pick a result. This is called a 'pool' of dice.

TARGET NUMBER ROLLS

Often when making a dice roll, the rules will require you to roll a certain number followed by a +. This is a target number roll and shows the minimum score on the dice needed to succeed in that particular situation. For example, if a rule required you to roll a 3+, then any roll of a 3, 4, 5 or 6 would be successful.

MODIFYING DICE ROLLS

Often rules will apply modifiers to the score on a dice, particularly when making a target number roll. When this is the case, roll the dice as normal and apply any modifiers to the score on the dice. For example, if a dice rolled a 4 and had a -1 modifier, then it would count as a 3, or if a dice rolled a 3 and had a +1 modifier, then it would count as a 4, and so on.

It is important to note that the score on a D6 can never be modified to below 1 or to above 6, regardless of modifiers.

NATURAL ROLLS

A natural roll is the actual number rolled on the dice regardless of any modifiers. Some rules will state that a natural X is needed to succeed in a specific situation or to trigger a special rule.

Additionally, should a player roll a natural 1 for any action or test, then that will always be a failure regardless of modifiers. Conversely, should a player roll a natural 6 for any action or test, then that will always be a success even if the modifiers would make it seem impossible.

ROLLING OFF

Sometimes the rules will call for Coaches to roll off against one another. In this situation, both Coaches will roll a single D6 (re-rolling any ties), with the Coach that rolled highest winning the roll-off.

RE-ROLLS

In Blood Bowl there are occasions that will allow a Coach to re-roll one or more of their dice - which is often a good thing as even the best laid plans will undoubtedly go wrong over the course of the game! However, there are a few rules that govern how re-rolls work:

The result of the second roll must always be taken even if it is worse than the first - you can never re-roll a re-roll.
If a rule allows you to re-roll multiple dice, then you must re-roll all of them together. You cannot re-roll some, wait to see the result, and then decide if you wish to re-roll the others.
A dice may never be re-rolled more than once, regardless of how many rules or sources would provide a re-roll. The only exception is if the dice is cocked.
A Coach may not use a re-roll to force an opposing Coach to re-roll their dice.
If a re-roll allows you to re-roll one dice within a dice pool, then a Coach may not use another re-roll from another source in order to re-roll the rest of the dice in the dice pool.

Re-rolls will usually come from one of two sources:

SKILL RE-ROLLS

Some players will have Skills or Traits that allow them to re-roll dice in a specific situation. These will be outlined in the Skill's or Trait's description and will state which dice can be re-rolled and in what circumstances.

TEAM RE-ROLLS

Blood Bowl teams will often have a number of Team Re-rolls at their disposal during the game, depending on how many they purchased for their roster. A team will always start the game with its full amount of Team Re-rolls and any used during the first half of a game will be replenished at half-time. This means that a team will always start each half of a game with its full complement of Team Re-rolls. Unused Team Re-rolls do not carry over to the next half or to the next fixture in League Play.

There are some rules that govern how Team Re-rolls work:

Team Re-rolls can only be used when the team is active.
When a Team Re-roll is used to re-roll a dice pool, all the dice in the pool must be re-rolled.
A Team Re-roll cannot be used to re-roll any of the following types of roll: Scatter, Armour, Injury, Casualty, Throw-in, Bribe, Argue the Call or if the Crowd Takes Action.
Team Re-rolls can never be used to re-roll an opposing Coach's dice.
A Coach may use as many Team Re-rolls as they want during their turn, though they may still never re-roll a re-roll. Be careful though; once they're gone, they're gone!

HALVES, ROUNDS AND TURNS

There are a number of terms that denote an amount of time over the course of a game. Here we clarify what each of these means:

GAME - The full course of the game you are playing. This consists of two halves.
HALF - There are two halves in a game, each consisting of eight rounds.
ROUND - A round consists of two turns, one for each Coach. Round 1 will consist of Coach A's turn 1 and Coach B's turn 1.
TURN - A turn is when a Coach gets the chance to activate each of their players on the pitch. A Coach has eight turns per half, one per round.

DEVIATE AND SCATTER

Sometimes the rules will call for something to 'Deviate' or 'Scatter' due to an effect. This will usually be the ball, but not always - Blood Bowl is a strange game after all!

DEVIATE

When something Deviates, roll a D6 and a D8. The object will move a number of squares equal to the roll on the D6 in the direction determined by the D8 and the Random Direction Template. When something Deviates, the rules will explain what happens after the object is moved to its new square.

Here the ball is Deviating and a D6 and a D8 are rolled. The ball will then move 3 squares (as determined by the D6) in direction 7 (as determined by the D8).

SCATTER

When the rules call for something to Scatter, it will also have a number in brackets afterwards, e.g., Scatter (3). When something Scatters, roll a D8 a number of times equal to the number in brackets, one at a time. After each roll, move the object to the corresponding square as determined by the Random Direction Template before making the next roll (if any). After the object has been Scattered the correct number of times, it will be placed in the final square and any effects that occur will take place (such as a player attempting to Catch a Scattered ball, for example).

Here, the ball is required to Scatter (3) from its current location. The first D8 roll is a 3, the second D8 rolls an 8, and the third D8 rolls a 5 meaning the ball will Scatter as shown below before ending in the final square.

BOUNCING BALLS

Blood Bowl balls are odd-shaped items at the best of times and prone to bouncing in random directions when they hit the pitch. When the ball hits the pitch, it will Bounce. When the rules tell you to Bounce the ball, it will Scatter (1) from its current location and come to a rest in the new square.

KEYWORDS

Each type of player has a number of keywords associated with them found in their profile. These denote a number of things such as the player's race, position, and other important information.

Some rules will contain words or phrases in bold; these will show which players are affected by a particular rule. For example, a player may have a Skill that affects all Blitzer players, in which case any player with the Blitzer keyword would be affected.

If a rule lists more than one keyword, then a player must have all the associated keywords to be affected. For example, if a rule affects all Human Blitzer players, then a player must have both the Human and the Blitzer keywords to be affected.

THE TURNOVER

One of the most important mechanics in Blood Bowl is the Turnover. Over the course of a turn there are a number of unfortunate events that can occur to cut a team's turn short.

A Turnover will be caused if:

A player on the active team Falls Over during their own activation.
A player on the active team is Knocked Down during their own team's turn.
A player on the active team that is carrying the ball is Placed Prone or forced to move off the pitch for any reason.
A player on the active team attempts to pick up the ball from the ground and fails.
A player on the active team attempts a Pass Action and Fumbles the ball.
A player on the active team attempts to Catch the ball following a Pass Action or a Hand-off Action and fails, resulting in it coming to a rest on the ground - if the ball Bounces from the player that failed to Catch the ball directly into a square containing a player from the active team who successfully Catches the ball, no Turnover is caused.
A player on the active team attempts a Pass Action and no player on the active team successfully Catches the ball, resulting in the ball hitting the ground and Bouncing or coming to a rest on the ground.
A player on the inactive team ends up in possession of the ball following an attempted Pass Action or by successfully Intercepting the ball.
A player on the active team that is in possession of the ball is thrown by a team-mate and fails to land safely, lands in the crowd, or is eaten.
A player on the active team is Sent-off for committing a Foul Action.
If a Touchdown is scored.

This list is not exhaustive and there may be other rules that confer a Turnover. When this is the case, it will be clearly stated.

Should a Turnover be caused, any rolls that need to be made as a result of the Turnover occurring are immediately made.

When a Turnover occurs, the current player's activation ends and that Coach's turn immediately ends.

TAKE-BACKS AND CHANGING ONE'S MIND

Often during the course of a game, a Coach will find that they may second guess themselves or immediately change their mind about an action that they have already said they will do. Blood Bowl is a game designed to be played in a generous spirit and, as such, you should always be tolerant of your opponent when these situations arise - especially as it will also likely happen to you at some point as well!

However, once any dice have been rolled for any reason then the decision must be stuck to - you can't go back and change anything after the dice have been rolled.

PLAYER PROFILES AND CHARACTERISTIC TESTS!

Blood Bowl players are of noble stock; stoically playing Nuffle's great game with large amounts of skill, grace, power and agility that the common folk can only dream of - at least, that's what they want you to believe! Regardless, the truth is that they still take to the pitch in search of fame and glory for their team and to entertain the scores of fans who pay their hard earned gold to see them play. Even the most debilitating injury won't keep a good Blood Bowl player down for long, and in some cases even death is nothing more than a minor inconvenience!

PLAYER PROFILE

Each player has a series of Characteristics, Skills and Traits that collectively make up a player's profile. This collection of letters, numbers and words may seem confusing at first, but we are going to take you through what it all means - that way you'll be able to understand them all in no time!

1. PLAYER'S NAME

Simply put, this is the name of the player type and is used to determine which profile is being talked about.

2. KEYWORDS

These are the keywords the player has. Here we can see that this profile has the Human and Blitzer keywords.

3. QTY - QUANTITY

This denotes how many of this player type can be taken in a team. For example, if a player type has a Quantity of 0-2, then no more than two of that player type can be taken in a team.

4. COST

This is how many gold pieces it will cost to hire this player to your Team Roster. This is also known as the player's Hiring Fee.

5. MA - MOVE ALLOWANCE

This is the number of squares the player can move during a Move Action. Move Actions are covered fully on page 54.

6. ST - STRENGTH

This is how physically strong the player is. The higher the value, the stronger the player is. Strength is used during a Block Action, which is detailed on page 60.

7. AG - AGILITY

This is how agile the player is, and is represented by a target number (e.g., 3+). If the player is ever required to make an Agility Test, then they will need to roll a D6 and compare the value to their Agility Characteristic to see if the test is passed or failed.

8. PA - PASSING ABILITY

This is how good the player is at throwing the ball and is represented by a target number (e.g., 3+). If the player is ever required to make a Passing Ability Test, then they will need to roll a D6 and compare the value to their Passing Ability Characteristic to see if the test is passed.

9. AV - ARMOUR VALUE

Armour Value represents how tough the player is, and is represented by a target number (e.g., 9+). This may be down to the protective gear the player wears, or their natural resilience to taking a hit - or a little bit of both!

Sometimes the rules will call for an Armour Roll to be made against a player. In these instances, the opposing Coach will roll 2D6 and compare the value to the player's Armour Value. If the Armour Roll is failed, then nothing further happens: the player's armour has saved them this time. If the Armour Roll is successful, then the player's armour is 'broken' and they will risk injury. Injuries are explained on page 66.

Characteristics have a maximum and minimum value, and they can never be improved or reduced past the values shown below. Additionally, no Characteristic can ever be improved more than twice.

CHARACTERISTIC	MA	ST	AG	PA	AV
MAXIMUM	9	8	1+	1+	11+
MINIMUM	1	1	6+	6+	3+

10. SKILLS & TRAITS

Skills and Traits represent the various abilities a player has at their disposal during the course of a game.

Skills are abilities taught to the player through hard work and practice, such as knowing when to make that pinpoint pass, or dodge an incoming tackle. Players may gain new Skills throughout the course of a league.

Traits are those innate things that simply cannot be taught and are inherent to the individual that bears them. Traits can be either positive, or in some instances negative, though they cannot usually be gained by other players over the course of a league.

11. PRIMARY & SECONDARY

Over the course of a league, players may have the opportunity to gain new Skills to add to their repertoire. These sections show which type of Skills suit the player's strengths and are therefore easier to learn (Primary) and which will take that added time and effort to be taught (Secondary).

Don't worry about these for now though as gaining new Skills will be covered later on page 97.

PLAYER STATUS!

During a game of Blood Bowl, the status of a particular player is important. Whether the player is standing and ready to get stuck in, standing but distracted by the world around them, simply prone on the floor and able to get back up, or currently face-down in the turf and seeing stars are all important distinctions to make during the course of a game.

There are four main statuses that a player may find themselves in: Standing, Distracted, Prone or Stunned, each of which are described here.

STANDING PLAYERS

Players that are up on their feet are referred to as Standing. A player that is Standing will have a greater freedom of movement than players on the ground, and will be able to hinder opposition players during their opponent's turn.

TACKLE ZONES

When a player is Standing, they will have an amount of control over the area directly around them called their Tackle Zone. A player's Tackle Zone is the eight squares directly surrounding them as shown in the diagram below.

A Standing player that loses their Tackle Zone for whatever reason is said to be Distracted (see page 39).

MARKED AND BEING MARKED

Players will use their Tackle Zone to interfere with opposition players. If a player has any opposition players in their Tackle Zone, regardless of the status of the opposition player, then they are said to be Marking that player. Conversely, if a player is within the Tackle Zone of an opposing player, then they are said to be Marked by that player. This will usually mean that a player that is Marking an opposing Standing player will also be Marked by that player as well.

Standing players will automatically be Marking all opposition players within their Tackle Zone, and can be Marked by multiple opposition players at once. Players will never be Marking team-mates.

OPEN PLAYERS

A Standing player that is not being Marked by an opposition is referred to as an Open player. Open players are able to perform Actions easier without direct interference from opposition players.

DISTRACTED

During the course of a game, there may be situations where a Standing player becomes Distracted. This could be due to the Skill or Trait of the player or an opposition player, a special rule, or all manner of other in-game effects. A player that is Distracted does not have a Tackle Zone and should have a Distracted token placed next to it as a reminder for both Coaches.

Whilst a player is Distracted, they cannot use Active Skills or Traits, cannot attempt to Intercept a Pass Action, and cannot attempt to Catch the ball.

If a player becomes Distracted during their activation, then their activation immediately ends. When a player becomes Distracted, they will remain Distracted until they are next activated (unless otherwise specified).

PRONE AND STUNNED PLAYERS

Players that are not Standing will either be Prone or Stunned. Usually, this will occur as the result of the player tripping over when attempting to move, or if they are bashed to the ground by a particularly vicious opposition tackle. Additionally, any player that is Prone or Stunned will automatically lose its Tackle Zone whilst it remains Prone or Stunned.

PRONE

When a player is Prone, place a Prone Token beside them to show they are Prone. Whilst a player is Prone, they can do nothing until they stand up as described on page 54.

STUNNED

When a player is Stunned, place a Stunned Token beside them to show they are Stunned. A Stunned player cannot be activated during their team's turn. At the end of each team's turn, any players on their team that started that turn Stunned will automatically roll over and become Prone instead - flip their Stunned Token over to become a Prone Token. This means that any player that became Stunned during the course of their team's turn will not roll over as they did not start their team's turn as Stunned - they must wait until the end of their team's next turn to roll over.

DESIGNER'S NOTE: LYING DOWN MODELS

In previous versions of the game we used to lie our players down on the pitch to denote being Prone or Stunned. Face-up players were Prone, and face-down players were Stunned. However, in Season 3, this has changed to using tokens. This means that regardless of how large and/or dynamic a model is, it is easy to tell where a miniature is and if they are Prone and Stunned. It also prevents damage to miniatures that Coaches had spent a lot of time and love painting.

You may find that some veterans still lay their players down during a game out of habit. This is fine if they wish to do so, so long as they make it clear which square each player is in and what their status is.

BECOMING PRONE OR STUNNED

There are a number of ways that a player can become Prone or Stunned over the course of a game, though this will usually be due to being punched down by an opposition player or by falling over as they try to duck and weave through the opposition lines. There are three ways that a player can find themselves on the ground: Placed Prone, Falls Over or Knocked Down, each of which is described here.

PLACED PRONE

When a player is Placed Prone they aren't at risk of being caused harm - sometimes it's the choice of the player who is Placed Prone. When a player is Placed Prone, put a Prone Token next to them.

If a player is Placed Prone during their own activation then their activation immediately ends. If a player with the ball is Placed Prone then the ball will Bounce from the player's square; this will cause a Turnover if it was during the player's activation. When a player is Placed Prone, do not make an Armour Roll against them.

FALLS OVER

Sometimes a player may Fall Over as they try to manoeuvre around the pitch. When a player Falls Over, it is self-inflicted.

If a player on the active team Falls Over then a Turnover is caused. When a player Falls Over, place a Prone Token next to them and then make an Armour Roll for the player. If the player's armour is broken then they will risk an injury as described on page 66. If the player was holding the ball, it will Bounce from the square they are in.

KNOCKED DOWN

Blood Bowl is a violent game, and players will often find themselves Knocked Down as a result of being blocked by an opponent, attempting to block an opponent who is bigger, tougher or luckier than they are, or by any number of other in-game effects such as spells, projectiles, or random events.

If a player is Knocked Down during their team's turn, then a Turnover is caused. When a player is Knocked Down, place a Prone Marker next to them and then make an Armour Roll for the player. If the player's armour is broken then they will risk an injury as described on page 66. If the player was holding the ball, it will Bounce from the square they are in.