Talk Fantasy Football

Blood Bowl Big boardgame tournament in the city
‘Colour your life’
The entire weekend, de Rode Hoed and the pub de Schutter will be dominated by trolls, elves and gnomes. With 480 nerdy participants this world cup tournament is the biggest tournament of this game ever.

Don’t take bloodbowl to seriously states one player. “It’s onlty a game, just fun” says another while emptying his pint of beer. It’s obvious that these players from the Bloodbowl tournament have been banned to the upper floors. The organization claims that the worst players are sitting on the balconies. Below them sit the mediocre or still bad players. There are good players, but they are sitting at a safe distance somewhere else in the building. They’re safe from the shouts, roaring laughter en the air of stale beer.

Serious business or just fun, fact is that 480 players from sixteen countries have come to this championship which takes place at de Rode Hoed and de Schutter. Those numbers make it the biggest bloodbowl tournament ever. According to André Blank, one of the organizers, this is partly due to Amsterdams’ pull on people. He has directed several players the shortes way to a coffeeshop.

It’s beer and games, an entire weekend, with an occasional glass of buttermilk. Bloodbowl is a game based on American football and rugby, but more bloody, because fantasy figures are representing the players. “It’s like the Super ball meets Tolkien”.

The game originated in Nottingham and was a flop when first produced around 30 years ago. “The Internet saved the game” says Blank “because forums made it possible for people to talk about it and a large community was slowly created. In 2001 Amsterdam already organized a tournament and only 16 people showed up. “This year we had to turn people down”.

What makes the game so attractive? A man from Wales has the answer “If your daily chores make you feel grey, then you have to paint a little color in your life”. De warriors of his Bloodbowl-team have been painted by him personally and he’s not the only one. There are a few individuals who have made a work of art of their gaming board.

The rules are difficult to explain. Daryl, also known as the tutor, tries to explain it. There are 80 teams of 6 players. Two players from different teams play each other in a 2 hour long session. Their pawns: eleven warriors from a single race. One player might chose elves because they’re quick, another dwarves because they fight better. Dice decide the number of steps a player can take and other actions they’re allowed to take: hitting, throwing the ball or moving players. Goal: Recapture the ball and bring it to the other side. But also: Weaken the opposition by knocking them out or killing them.

“I hate him” the voice seems remarkably high between all the testosterone. Or? According to Daryl there aren’t many chickies in the hall “Only nerds. Most work IT jobs”.

Still, this cry was not by a high pitched nerd. But from one of the 4 women who are present. “The English sighs “Sometimes I’m the only one”. Her harsh language wasn’t aimed at an opponent she says but to one of her opponents’ players. “She has a bought a skill which makes me drop the ball when she bumps into me”.

Why she chose the quick yet quite weak wood elves as her warriors of choice:
“Because I’m a tree hugging hippy.”

[...]Dice decide the number of steps a player can take[...]

The organization claims that the worst players are sitting on the balconies. Below them sit the mediocre or still bad players. There are good players, but they are sitting at a safe distance somewhere else in the building. They’re safe from the shouts, roaring laughter en the air of stale beer.

This means Team Chaos are good players right? We played the entire weekend on the ground floor.

Hides Canteloup's wheel chair in corner.