Spike! Almanac 2024
The Chaos Cup
Second to perhaps only the Blood Bowl itself in prestige and notoriety, the Chaos Cup has hosted some of the fiercest and hard-fought action ever caught on CAMRA (Named after the Campaign for Real Arcanery, a group of wizards who mastered the technique of trapping a soul inside a box and broadcasting everything it sees through the Cabalvision network of crystal balls and magic mirrors – Ed).
Previously called the Whiteskull Cup before being renamed in 2439, this premier event is just as, well, chaotic as you might expect; fanatical cultists perch eagerly at the sidelines, strange magic buzzes through the air and previously untainted players pledge themselves to the dark powers in return for great boons!
The location of the event changes each year, with the venue only being revealed roughly two weeks before the start of the event; a strange but necessary custom ever since the Skavenblight Scramblers' victory in 2418, where the Skaven squad spent months before the event digging a vast network of tunnels beneath the stadium in order to smuggle weapons onto the field, sabotage opposing players and sneak into the End Zone without having to risk their whiskers on the gridiron!
As soon as the location is announced, teams across the known world scramble to get their players together and equipment packed (or lunches packed in the case of Halfling squads! – Ed), before setting off in the hopes of achieving greatness on the gridiron at the Chaos Cup.
Here at Spike! Journal, we pride ourselves on bringing our readers the best of the best when it comes to Blood Bowl news. So, we waited with bated breath for this year's Chaos Cup's location to be announced before sending out the best and brightest reporters to dive deep into its rich and storied history, learning about all of the wild and wacky challenges that an extraordinary event like this presents to those trying to win glory and fame.
When it comes to the Chaos Cup, the clue really is in the name – Chaos – in all senses of the word! Everything about the event is warped and twisted by the taint of Chaos; even players who don't worship the dark gods begin to feel the effects as the event wears on! Even the natural world gets no reprieve from the seeping effects of Chaos; blood falls like rain from the sky, thick spores choke the air, warpfire blazes across the gridiron and tentacles lash players as they race towards the End Zone; the weird and wild is on display for all to see at the Chaos Cup! If the direct influence of the dark gods wasn't enough, their fanatical followers flood to the event to join the crowds of fans who have traveled to support their favorite teams; setting up strange idols in worship of their corrupt patrons and sometimes even getting hands-on with the players themselves!
Organising the Chaos Cup
This is a variation on a standard Blood Bowl league season, as described in the Blood Bowl rulebook.
How the league itself is organised, number of teams, how many divisions there are, how many rounds are played, and so forth, should all be decided upon by the league commissioner based upon how many coaches wish to take part, and what is best for everyone participating. The Chaos Cup differs from a normal season, however, in a couple of key aspects.
Open to All
The Chaos Cup is open to all comers. Coaches participating may use any team they wish and, due to this event attracting some of the biggest organisations in the sport, will have a budget of 1,200,000 gold pieces to spend to recruit their team for the season ahead.
Chaos Cup Weather Table
| 2D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 | Crimson Downpour: Khorne is thrilled at the egregious violence both teams are inflicting upon one another, showering the combatants on the field in a sanguine rain as a mark of his approval. Players suffer a -1 penalty to the dice roll when attempting to Rush. Additionally, if a player suffers a Push Back result from a Block, roll a D6. On the roll of a 1, the Player is Knocked Down after the push is made. |
| 3 | Blinding Spores: Grandfather Nurgle is always keen to show his love to his favourite teams, usually displaying his affection by coating the field in a cloud of vision-reducing spores. Players performing a Pass action may not perform a Long pass or Long bomb. |
| 4‑10 | Calm Before the Storm: The skies are calm and the Chaos gods are content to enjoy the game without intervening – for now... The conditions are perfect for a championship Blood Bowl match! |
| 11 | Binding Tentacles: The Lord of Excess knows how to have fun and one of his favourite tricks is to spawn writhing tentacles on the field to restrain and inhibit players as they advance down the field. While this weather condition is in effect, all players on the pitch subtract 1 from their MA (to a minimum of 1). |
| 12 | Warpfire Barrage: Tzeentch has grown bored of the current gamestate and has decided to add a little excitement by shooting comets of Warpfire from the sky! While this weather condition is in effect, at the end of each team turn, before the next one begins, the active team's coach randomly selects a player on their team from among those on the field and rolls a D6. On a roll of 1, make an Armour roll, and subsequent Injury roll if necessary, against the selected player. |
Chaos Cup Kick-Off Table
| 2D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 | Chaotic Intervention: The Chaos Gods have long believed they should be the ones in charge of what is and isn't allowed in games, not referees! Until the beginning of the next drive, players from both teams cannot be Sent-off for committing a Foul action or due to the Secret Weapon Trait. |
| 3 | Zealous Cultists: The sidelines of the Chaos Cup are riddled with excitable cultists who are more than happy to kick, punch or even stab players unfortunate enough to end up in the crowd. Until the end of the current drive, whenever a player is pushed into, or lands in, the crowd, apply a +1 modifier to the Injury roll. |
| 4 | Idols of Torment: Dark effigies and statues dedicated to the dark gods line the edge of the field, observing the match with unblinking eyes; a distracting reminder that the gods themselves might be watching the game! Players in either Wide Zone suffer a -1 modifier to Passing Ability tests when performing a Pass action or Throw Team-mate action. |
| 5 | Solid Defence: Apply the Solid Defence result as normal. |
| 6 | Cheering Fans: Apply the Cheering Fans result as normal. |
| 7 | Brilliant Coaching: Apply the Brilliant Coaching result as normal. |
| 8 | Changing Weather: Make a new roll on the Chaos Cup Weather table and apply that result. If the result is Calm Before the Storm as a result of the roll, the ball will scatter before landing. |
| 9 | Quick Snap: Apply the Quick Snap result as normal. |
| 10 | Devious Doppelgangers: It would appear that some of the players are not quite themselves! Both coaches randomly select one player on their team from among those on the pitch. The selected players gain the Loner (4+) trait until the end of the current drive, at which point the real player is discovered bound and gagged in the locker room and the imposter is chased away! |
| 11 | Quick off the Mark: The players are eager to get going and waiting for the referee's whistle requires far too much patience! Starting with the Kicking team's coach, both coaches may select one Open player on their team and move them one square. |
| 12 | Favour of the Gods: While receiving a boon from the Chaos gods doesn't always result in a desirable outcome, there is no disputing how effective these gifts can be on the gridiron! Both coaches randomly select a player on their team from among those on the pitch. The selected players gain a Mutation of their controlling coach's choice until the end of the game. |
Chaos Cup Inducements
0-1 Mark of Chaos (50,000 Gold Pieces)
Available to any team: Any team that participates in the Chaos Cup will have some taint of Chaos somewhere amongst their roster, no matter how small. Some of these corrupted souls have been known to embrace their destiny and mark themselves as disciples of the dark gods, opening themselves up to the gifts of their divine patrons.
At the beginning of the game, before step 1 of the Start of Drive sequence, choose one of the Marks listed below:
- Mark of the Undivided: Select a player on your team. Until the end of the current game, the selected player gains the Tentacles and Horns skills.
- Mark of Khorne: Select a player on your team. Until the end of the current game, the selected player gains the Frenzy and Juggernaut skills.
- Mark of Nurgle: Select a player on your team. Until the end of the current game, the selected player gains the Disturbing Presence and Foul Appearance skills.
- Mark of Tzeentch: Select a player on your team. Until the end of the current game, the selected player gains the Pro and Two Heads skills.
- Mark of Slaanesh: Select a player on your team. Until the end of the current game, the selected player gains the Dodge and Leap skills.
The Power of Chaos
As the event wears on, even those who rebut the powers of Chaos begin to feel its warping influence take hold. MVPs and standout players in particular feel these effects more keenly than the rest, clearly the attention of the dark gods is not welcome by all – much like the gifts the Chaos gods have been known to award those who they feel worthy of their attention!
Whenever a player gains an advancement, roll a D6. On a roll of 6, the player has earned the attention of the dark gods and is rewarded for their impeccable performance. Roll a D6 and consult the table below:
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Blessing of the Horned Rat: The advancing player immediately gains one of the following Skills: Horns, Prehensile Tail or Extra Arms. If a player already has all of these Skills or could only choose a Skill they cannot use, re-roll the D6. |
| 2 | Blessing of Hashut: The advancing player immediately gains one of the following Skills: Iron Hard Skin, Horns or Foul Appearance. If a player already has all of these Skills or could only choose a Skill they cannot use, re-roll the D6. |
| 3 | Blessing of Khorne: The advancing player immediately gains one of the following Skills: Claws, Horns or Two Heads. If a player already has all of these Skills or could only choose a Skill they cannot use, re-roll the D6. |
| 4 | Blessing of Nurgle: The advancing player immediately gains one of the following Skills: Disturbing Presence, Foul Appearance or Monstrous Mouth. If a player already has all of these Skills or could only choose a Skill they cannot use, re-roll the D6. |
| 5 | Blessing of Tzeentch: The advancing player immediately gains one of the following Skills: Two Heads, Extra Arms or Disturbing Presence. If a player already has all of these Skills or could only choose a Skill they cannot use, re-roll the D6. |
| 6 | Blessing of Slaanesh: The advancing player immediately gains one of the following Skills: Tentacles, Very Long Legs or Prehensile Tail. If a player already has all of these Skills or could only choose a Skill they cannot use, re-roll the D6. |
Many Glorious Prizes!
Teams that manage to secure victory in the Chaos Cup go down in history as the winners of one of the most prestigious events in the sport, and earn themselves the privilege of adding the Chaos Cup to their trophy case for the coming year. The top placed teams of the Chaos Cup are rewarded as follows:
GLITTERING PRIZES: Just as the Chaos Cup changes location each year, the winners' purse also changes each time the event is hosted. To represent the random nature of the prize pool, the team that finishes 1st wins 100,000 plus D16×1,000 gold pieces, 2nd wins 60,000 plus D8×1,000 gold pieces, and the team that finishes 3rd wins 30,000 plus D6×1,000 gold pieces.
THE CHAOS CUP: In addition to their randomly determined cash prize, the winner will receive the Chaos Cup for the next year. This carnivorous trophy requires regular feedings to ensure that it doesn't take a bite out of the caretaker when they dust the trophy case, but as long as it's kept full and happy, the team who holds it seems to keep finding lucky breaks in their games when they need them the most!
The Chaos Cup grants the team that holds it an extra team re-roll in each half of their games.