Post by garrick on Aug 18, 2016 12:32:37 GMT
CUP TOURNAMENTS
For a short period following the collapse of the NAF there were no tournaments or competitions at all. Teams simply played ‘one-off’ games for whatever prize they could get. It was not long, however, before the Cabalvision networks and major Blood Bowl sponsors got together and started arranging tournaments with large prizes for the teams that managed to battle their way through to the final. Four tournaments quickly established themselves as the most important and eagerly anticipated Blood Bowl events of the year, and were soon being referred to as the ‘Major Tournaments’ or simply the ‘Majors’. These tournaments were the Chaos Cup, the Dungeonbowl, the Spike! Magazine Trophy tournament, and, of course, the Blood Bowl itself.
The Majors are held at roughly three-monthly intervals over the year. The Chaos Cup is held in the spring, the Blood Bowl tournament is held in the summer, and then the Spike! Magazine tournament is held in the autumn. The Dungeonbowl is held during the dark winter months, when most teams appreciate playing in nice warm underground stadiums rather than out in the freezing cold. There are exceptions of course – most Norse teams actually prefer sub-zero conditions, while the Ice Lord team of Frost Giants can’t take part in the Dungeonbowl tournament at all because they would melt in the warm underground stadium!
At the end of each season teams gather to decide who wins the trophy. Each tournament is held at a different location. The Blood Bowl is held at the huge Emperor stadium at Altdorf, and the Spike! Magazine tournament in the seaside resort town of Magritta in Estalia. The Dungeonbowl is held in the Dwarf underground stadium at Barak-Varr (the upkeep for which is paid, at huge expense and much to the Dwarfs’ delight, by the Colleges of Magic). The location of the Chaos Cup tournament changes from year to year, and it is rare for anyone to know where it will be held until a week or two before the event starts! Not surprisingly this can make it very difficult for teams to attend the Chaos Cup, because if they are not in the right general vicinity when the tournament is announced then it may be impossible for them to get there in time to take part!
SEASONS & TOURNAMENTS
To represent this, all Blood Bowl leagues traditionally have seasons that end with a tournament. The League Commissioner has the responsibility of setting up and running the seasons and tournaments for his league. He will need to let his coaches know how long the season will run for, and how any end-of-season tournament will be run.
At the end of the season the League Commissioner will need to decide which teams will compete in any end-of-season tournament, how ties are to be broken, how the tournament will be run, and what prize the winner of the tournament will receive.
Any coach can enter the play-offs, but must agree to play matches to a schedule set by the league commissioner. The commissioner must work out a schedule of matches, and a scoring or elimination system that will reduce the starting teams down to four contenders that will then take part in the semi-finals.
Did you know... Witch Elves first appeared on the Blood Bowl pitch not long after the collapse of the NAF when Nikk Three-horn ran away with the NAF treasury and the entire Darkside Cowboys cheerleading section. Disgusted that the cheerleaders could run away with a non Dark Elf, the Witch Elf priestesses of Naggaroth formed their very own Blood Bowl team to prove that not all female Dark Elves are so easily swayed by the lure of gold. The 'Deadly Nightshades', as they were known, made an instant impact as they dismantled just about every team that stood in their path in their first season. Sadly, however, the required ritual blood baths and sacrifices the Witches must perform back in Naggaroth for the Dark Elf god Khaine caused them to miss the semifinal of the 2490 Blood Bowl tournament. The Deadly Nightshades never quite managed to repeat the phenomenal success of that season but they certainly left a mark on the Blood Bowl world as many Dark Elf teams now field a Witch Elf or two as regular players on the squad. The Nightshades also hold two remarkable records, not only do they hold the record for most consecutive games played to a full stadium, they have also never been refused a game. While the coaches of the opposition may claim that it’s because they never refuse a challenge and are always willing to help out young ladies in need, a better guess might be that it’s because thigh length boots and revealing uniforms bring in the crowds (and the opposing players).
The two winners of the semi-final match then go through to the big final, and the winner of the final will receive a trophy (see the Glittering Prizes section on this page). Remember that teams do not receive inducement gold during semi-final and final matches.
Did you know... Not all Blood Bowlers out there love and worship Nuffle. There are a few out there who dislike him and curse his name. The Nuffle Blasphemer's Association (NBA) was started by Torg the Blasphemer, coach of Torg's Terminators, when his star player unexpectedly died in the league semi-final. With the game on the line, Sig "the Butcher” Thundersmack was sprinting toward the end zone for the winning touchdown when he seemed to trip over the goal line itself resulting in his neck being broken. The opposition was able to recover the ball and pull off an unbelievable scoring play that sent them to the league final instead. Torg cursed Nuffle for his fickleness and started up the NBA, which has grown over the years to include a number of players and coaches who have become disenchanted with Nuffle. You may see them at Blood Bowl games in their long black robes holding up signs denouncing the Blood Bowl god. Most people consider them a bunch of complete wackos and tend to ignore them.
THE GLITTERING PRIZES
Although the glory of winning a major tournament trophy is considered by many teams reason enough to take part, most teams are motivated as much (if not more) by the chance of winning the big cash prize that the sponsors of the tournament offer the winners. There are also often additional ‘fringe’ benefits for the winners of a major tournament, such as lucrative sponsorship deals or special prizes.
To represent this the teams taking part in an end of season tournament receive the following benefits:
Did you know... While the Chaos All-Stars are the most famous team with an unusual mix of players compared to other teams of the same race, several other very famous Blood Bowl teams have been composed of a unique cast of characters. Evil Gits: The Evil Gits are an evil team made up of mix of evil players. They've been known to field evil Hobgoblins, evil Orcs, evil Dark Elves, evil Skaven, evil Goblins, evil Ogres, evil Half-Orcs, or in fact any other players just so long as they are Evil! The Gits are followed everywhere by their evil unofficial supporters club, the Evil Gits Unofficial Supporters Club, who are, if anything, even more evil than the evil team they evilly support! Heroes of Law: The Heroes of Law are everything that the Evil Gits are not. This team frequently has Human, Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling players that play for the team without pay. The players hope to show the world a better way by honest strategic play on the pitch without resorting to fouling or bribes. The Heroes of Law are known throughout the realms for their charity matches and for key players missing games because they are volunteering for some other worthy cause that day. Motley Horde: This mix of misfits, cast-offs, and flat-out lazy players comprise an interesting team. Many of the team's players may hang around for practice, but then skip the game or vice versa. The coach, Kul-Blood Conn, never knows from week to week who will show up, and his game plan must change radically depending on the players available. One week he may have six Chaos Dwarfs, four Skaven and a couple Dark Elf players show up, while the next game he may be faced with seven Hobgoblins, a mutated Chaos Warrior and five Snotlings.
THE SPIKE! MAGAZINE TROPHY
This award, which takes the form of a mithril spike mounted on a delightful plinth, is awarded to the team that wins the Spike! Magazine tournament. Because the holder of the Spike! Trophy receives extensive and (usually) positive coverage in Spike! Magazine, the team may add 2 to their Gate roll total as long as they hold the trophy. If the tournament organizer likes he may also choose to hand out the award for the Spike! Magazine Player of the Year after the final has been played! The player gains the skill Fan Favourite permanently unless he already has this skill for as long as the player is still on the team. Treat this as a skill taken on a Double for calculating the player's value. Note that the player does not have to be in one of the teams that took part in the final, or even the tournament, in order to receive the reward. Occasionally the Stunty Cup will run concurrently with the Spike! Magazine Trophy.
THE SPIKE! MAGAZINE TROPHY HALL OF FAME
2513 Albann Knights
2514 Albann Knights
2515 Windrunners
2516 Pestilence Punchers
2517 Rocky Horrors
THE STUNTY CUP
2512 Expendables
2513 Expendables
2514 Not played
2515 Not played
2516 Let Us Eat Cake
2517 Boys of the Trough
THE DUNGEONBOWL
Dungeonbowl is played, as its name suggests, in a dungeon. Dungeonbowl has now been going for over 20 years and shows no sign of ending in the foreseeable future. The winning team receives a special contract from the College that supported them. This contract allows the team to induce a Wizard for 50,000 gold pieces instead of the normal 150,000 as long as the team holds the trophy.
THE DUNGEONBOWL HALL OF FAME
2516 Newsome WDC
2517 69ers
2518 The Slaughter Pact
THE CHAOS CUP
As you will see if you have a look at the trophy, the Chaos Cup is not exactly the most desirable of objects to win. The status it carries, however, is second only to the Blood Bowl. Originally known as the Whiteskull Challenge Cup, it was played for by eight top teams from the AFC while the conference winners were away competing in the Blood Bowl. With the collapse of the NAF in ’88 the Chaos Cup became the first trophy to be given away in the new style ‘Open’ tournaments.
The Chaos gods take a special, erm, interest in the fate of the team that holds the Chaos Cup and will reward the players immediately with special Chaos gifts as a sign of their favour. D3 random players may immediately take any Mutation skill, Hypnotic Gaze, Stab, or Regeneration in addition to any skills they already possess or take from Star Player points earned during the Chaos Cup final. The same player may not receive more than one mutation from this gift. Players with Normal access to Mutations taking a Mutation skill will add to the player's value as if a normal skill were rolled. Players taking a Mutation skill that cannot take Mutations on Normal skill rolls or any players taking an Extraordinary skill should treat the skill as if taken on a Double for calculating the player's value. These skills are permanent and not lost when the team no longer holds the Chaos Cup trophy.
THE CHAOS CUP HALL OF FAME
2515 Morticians
2516 Dollars
2517 Dollars
2518 Wolfriders
THE BLOOD BOWL
The most sought after trophy is the Bloodweiser Blood Bowl Championship Winners’ Trophy, commonly known as the Blood Bowl. Originally it was awarded to the winner of the final match between the NFC and AFC Conference champions, but now it is awarded to the winner of the Blood Bowl Open tournament. Before 2461, the Blood Bowl championship games were fairly friendly – but competitive – affairs, played purely to award the status of Best Team in the World to the winners. With the arrival of big business in the shape of the Bloodweiser Corporation, however, the competition made a major stride in popularity. The gold payment and Bloodweiser sponsorship deal that goes to the winners is said to be worth over a million crowns over the course of the following year. There is also the Blood Bowl trophy itself, otherwise known as the Buddy Grafstein trophy after the Bloodweiser chairman who first presented it. It’s made from solid Dwarf gold, and as such is extremely valuable. This value has caused the original trophy to be stolen many times, and in fact the current one is the fourth trophy to be made!
The Blood Bowl player’s medal is awarded to each player (from both teams) that participates in the final. Receiving a Blood Bowl player’s medal is a great confidence booster, so every single player that takes part in the Blood Bowl final (win or lose) counts as having been awarded a Most Valuable Player award and gains 5 Star Player points, in addition to the Most Valuable Player awards that are normally handed out for playing in the match.
THE BLOOD BOWL CHAMPIONS HALL OF FAME
2514 DonShula’s Dark Elves
2515 Death Eaters
2516 Morticians
2517 Drunken Boars
Did you know... that bribery is now so prevalent amongst referees that the Referees and Allied Rulekeepers Guild (RARG) has created rules concerning where, when and how one can accept a bribe. RARG has set official union rates for bribing a referee. Under an agreement signed last season, clubs are not allowed to offer less than the going rate. RARG is even considering appointing a second bunch of referees to govern the conduct of RARG just to keep bribery properly controlled.
The only change to the standard Blood Bowl (and Dungeonbowl) rules is that any match that is drawn at full time will immediately go into sudden death extra time with both teams retaining any re-rolls they have left from the second half but receiving no additional re-rolls. Extra time kick-off is determined by a fresh coin toss (or die roll) and first to score is the winner.
For a short period following the collapse of the NAF there were no tournaments or competitions at all. Teams simply played ‘one-off’ games for whatever prize they could get. It was not long, however, before the Cabalvision networks and major Blood Bowl sponsors got together and started arranging tournaments with large prizes for the teams that managed to battle their way through to the final. Four tournaments quickly established themselves as the most important and eagerly anticipated Blood Bowl events of the year, and were soon being referred to as the ‘Major Tournaments’ or simply the ‘Majors’. These tournaments were the Chaos Cup, the Dungeonbowl, the Spike! Magazine Trophy tournament, and, of course, the Blood Bowl itself.
The Majors are held at roughly three-monthly intervals over the year. The Chaos Cup is held in the spring, the Blood Bowl tournament is held in the summer, and then the Spike! Magazine tournament is held in the autumn. The Dungeonbowl is held during the dark winter months, when most teams appreciate playing in nice warm underground stadiums rather than out in the freezing cold. There are exceptions of course – most Norse teams actually prefer sub-zero conditions, while the Ice Lord team of Frost Giants can’t take part in the Dungeonbowl tournament at all because they would melt in the warm underground stadium!
At the end of each season teams gather to decide who wins the trophy. Each tournament is held at a different location. The Blood Bowl is held at the huge Emperor stadium at Altdorf, and the Spike! Magazine tournament in the seaside resort town of Magritta in Estalia. The Dungeonbowl is held in the Dwarf underground stadium at Barak-Varr (the upkeep for which is paid, at huge expense and much to the Dwarfs’ delight, by the Colleges of Magic). The location of the Chaos Cup tournament changes from year to year, and it is rare for anyone to know where it will be held until a week or two before the event starts! Not surprisingly this can make it very difficult for teams to attend the Chaos Cup, because if they are not in the right general vicinity when the tournament is announced then it may be impossible for them to get there in time to take part!
SEASONS & TOURNAMENTS
To represent this, all Blood Bowl leagues traditionally have seasons that end with a tournament. The League Commissioner has the responsibility of setting up and running the seasons and tournaments for his league. He will need to let his coaches know how long the season will run for, and how any end-of-season tournament will be run.
At the end of the season the League Commissioner will need to decide which teams will compete in any end-of-season tournament, how ties are to be broken, how the tournament will be run, and what prize the winner of the tournament will receive.
Any coach can enter the play-offs, but must agree to play matches to a schedule set by the league commissioner. The commissioner must work out a schedule of matches, and a scoring or elimination system that will reduce the starting teams down to four contenders that will then take part in the semi-finals.
Did you know... Witch Elves first appeared on the Blood Bowl pitch not long after the collapse of the NAF when Nikk Three-horn ran away with the NAF treasury and the entire Darkside Cowboys cheerleading section. Disgusted that the cheerleaders could run away with a non Dark Elf, the Witch Elf priestesses of Naggaroth formed their very own Blood Bowl team to prove that not all female Dark Elves are so easily swayed by the lure of gold. The 'Deadly Nightshades', as they were known, made an instant impact as they dismantled just about every team that stood in their path in their first season. Sadly, however, the required ritual blood baths and sacrifices the Witches must perform back in Naggaroth for the Dark Elf god Khaine caused them to miss the semifinal of the 2490 Blood Bowl tournament. The Deadly Nightshades never quite managed to repeat the phenomenal success of that season but they certainly left a mark on the Blood Bowl world as many Dark Elf teams now field a Witch Elf or two as regular players on the squad. The Nightshades also hold two remarkable records, not only do they hold the record for most consecutive games played to a full stadium, they have also never been refused a game. While the coaches of the opposition may claim that it’s because they never refuse a challenge and are always willing to help out young ladies in need, a better guess might be that it’s because thigh length boots and revealing uniforms bring in the crowds (and the opposing players).
The two winners of the semi-final match then go through to the big final, and the winner of the final will receive a trophy (see the Glittering Prizes section on this page). Remember that teams do not receive inducement gold during semi-final and final matches.
Did you know... Not all Blood Bowlers out there love and worship Nuffle. There are a few out there who dislike him and curse his name. The Nuffle Blasphemer's Association (NBA) was started by Torg the Blasphemer, coach of Torg's Terminators, when his star player unexpectedly died in the league semi-final. With the game on the line, Sig "the Butcher” Thundersmack was sprinting toward the end zone for the winning touchdown when he seemed to trip over the goal line itself resulting in his neck being broken. The opposition was able to recover the ball and pull off an unbelievable scoring play that sent them to the league final instead. Torg cursed Nuffle for his fickleness and started up the NBA, which has grown over the years to include a number of players and coaches who have become disenchanted with Nuffle. You may see them at Blood Bowl games in their long black robes holding up signs denouncing the Blood Bowl god. Most people consider them a bunch of complete wackos and tend to ignore them.
THE GLITTERING PRIZES
Although the glory of winning a major tournament trophy is considered by many teams reason enough to take part, most teams are motivated as much (if not more) by the chance of winning the big cash prize that the sponsors of the tournament offer the winners. There are also often additional ‘fringe’ benefits for the winners of a major tournament, such as lucrative sponsorship deals or special prizes.
To represent this the teams taking part in an end of season tournament receive the following benefits:
- The gate and the winnings for a semi-final and final are doubled.
- The winner of a Major Tournament always receives a special trophy. So long as a team holds a trophy it has an additional team re-roll. The re-roll counts toward the team’s value as normal. A trophy is held by a team until the next time that specific Major Tournament is completed at which point it is given to the new winner.
- The winning team receives the ‘fringe benefit’ described below, depending on the trophy they won.
Did you know... While the Chaos All-Stars are the most famous team with an unusual mix of players compared to other teams of the same race, several other very famous Blood Bowl teams have been composed of a unique cast of characters. Evil Gits: The Evil Gits are an evil team made up of mix of evil players. They've been known to field evil Hobgoblins, evil Orcs, evil Dark Elves, evil Skaven, evil Goblins, evil Ogres, evil Half-Orcs, or in fact any other players just so long as they are Evil! The Gits are followed everywhere by their evil unofficial supporters club, the Evil Gits Unofficial Supporters Club, who are, if anything, even more evil than the evil team they evilly support! Heroes of Law: The Heroes of Law are everything that the Evil Gits are not. This team frequently has Human, Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling players that play for the team without pay. The players hope to show the world a better way by honest strategic play on the pitch without resorting to fouling or bribes. The Heroes of Law are known throughout the realms for their charity matches and for key players missing games because they are volunteering for some other worthy cause that day. Motley Horde: This mix of misfits, cast-offs, and flat-out lazy players comprise an interesting team. Many of the team's players may hang around for practice, but then skip the game or vice versa. The coach, Kul-Blood Conn, never knows from week to week who will show up, and his game plan must change radically depending on the players available. One week he may have six Chaos Dwarfs, four Skaven and a couple Dark Elf players show up, while the next game he may be faced with seven Hobgoblins, a mutated Chaos Warrior and five Snotlings.
THE SPIKE! MAGAZINE TROPHY
This award, which takes the form of a mithril spike mounted on a delightful plinth, is awarded to the team that wins the Spike! Magazine tournament. Because the holder of the Spike! Trophy receives extensive and (usually) positive coverage in Spike! Magazine, the team may add 2 to their Gate roll total as long as they hold the trophy. If the tournament organizer likes he may also choose to hand out the award for the Spike! Magazine Player of the Year after the final has been played! The player gains the skill Fan Favourite permanently unless he already has this skill for as long as the player is still on the team. Treat this as a skill taken on a Double for calculating the player's value. Note that the player does not have to be in one of the teams that took part in the final, or even the tournament, in order to receive the reward. Occasionally the Stunty Cup will run concurrently with the Spike! Magazine Trophy.
THE SPIKE! MAGAZINE TROPHY HALL OF FAME
2513 Albann Knights
2514 Albann Knights
2515 Windrunners
2516 Pestilence Punchers
2517 Rocky Horrors
THE STUNTY CUP
2512 Expendables
2513 Expendables
2514 Not played
2515 Not played
2516 Let Us Eat Cake
2517 Boys of the Trough
THE DUNGEONBOWL
Dungeonbowl is played, as its name suggests, in a dungeon. Dungeonbowl has now been going for over 20 years and shows no sign of ending in the foreseeable future. The winning team receives a special contract from the College that supported them. This contract allows the team to induce a Wizard for 50,000 gold pieces instead of the normal 150,000 as long as the team holds the trophy.
THE DUNGEONBOWL HALL OF FAME
2516 Newsome WDC
2517 69ers
2518 The Slaughter Pact
THE CHAOS CUP
As you will see if you have a look at the trophy, the Chaos Cup is not exactly the most desirable of objects to win. The status it carries, however, is second only to the Blood Bowl. Originally known as the Whiteskull Challenge Cup, it was played for by eight top teams from the AFC while the conference winners were away competing in the Blood Bowl. With the collapse of the NAF in ’88 the Chaos Cup became the first trophy to be given away in the new style ‘Open’ tournaments.
The Chaos gods take a special, erm, interest in the fate of the team that holds the Chaos Cup and will reward the players immediately with special Chaos gifts as a sign of their favour. D3 random players may immediately take any Mutation skill, Hypnotic Gaze, Stab, or Regeneration in addition to any skills they already possess or take from Star Player points earned during the Chaos Cup final. The same player may not receive more than one mutation from this gift. Players with Normal access to Mutations taking a Mutation skill will add to the player's value as if a normal skill were rolled. Players taking a Mutation skill that cannot take Mutations on Normal skill rolls or any players taking an Extraordinary skill should treat the skill as if taken on a Double for calculating the player's value. These skills are permanent and not lost when the team no longer holds the Chaos Cup trophy.
THE CHAOS CUP HALL OF FAME
2515 Morticians
2516 Dollars
2517 Dollars
2518 Wolfriders
THE BLOOD BOWL
The most sought after trophy is the Bloodweiser Blood Bowl Championship Winners’ Trophy, commonly known as the Blood Bowl. Originally it was awarded to the winner of the final match between the NFC and AFC Conference champions, but now it is awarded to the winner of the Blood Bowl Open tournament. Before 2461, the Blood Bowl championship games were fairly friendly – but competitive – affairs, played purely to award the status of Best Team in the World to the winners. With the arrival of big business in the shape of the Bloodweiser Corporation, however, the competition made a major stride in popularity. The gold payment and Bloodweiser sponsorship deal that goes to the winners is said to be worth over a million crowns over the course of the following year. There is also the Blood Bowl trophy itself, otherwise known as the Buddy Grafstein trophy after the Bloodweiser chairman who first presented it. It’s made from solid Dwarf gold, and as such is extremely valuable. This value has caused the original trophy to be stolen many times, and in fact the current one is the fourth trophy to be made!
The Blood Bowl player’s medal is awarded to each player (from both teams) that participates in the final. Receiving a Blood Bowl player’s medal is a great confidence booster, so every single player that takes part in the Blood Bowl final (win or lose) counts as having been awarded a Most Valuable Player award and gains 5 Star Player points, in addition to the Most Valuable Player awards that are normally handed out for playing in the match.
THE BLOOD BOWL CHAMPIONS HALL OF FAME
2514 DonShula’s Dark Elves
2515 Death Eaters
2516 Morticians
2517 Drunken Boars
Did you know... that bribery is now so prevalent amongst referees that the Referees and Allied Rulekeepers Guild (RARG) has created rules concerning where, when and how one can accept a bribe. RARG has set official union rates for bribing a referee. Under an agreement signed last season, clubs are not allowed to offer less than the going rate. RARG is even considering appointing a second bunch of referees to govern the conduct of RARG just to keep bribery properly controlled.
The only change to the standard Blood Bowl (and Dungeonbowl) rules is that any match that is drawn at full time will immediately go into sudden death extra time with both teams retaining any re-rolls they have left from the second half but receiving no additional re-rolls. Extra time kick-off is determined by a fresh coin toss (or die roll) and first to score is the winner.