New pitch suggestions
Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2002 11:17 pm
Just some rules I've been kickin' about. I'd appreciate some feedback.
xxxBLOOD ON THE PITCHxxx
----------------or-----------------
How to get Popkhorne for Free!
Blood Bowl is played in hundreds of provinces and areas of the Old World and also by the Lizardmen, Norse and Skaven in the New. With the difference in climate, local wealth and building skills of the locals, Blood Bowl pitches vary immensely from place to place. Consider the difference between the Zodwort Cuttaz and the Storm Giants’ Stadia. Both are the regulation 90 paces long, but the Cuttaz’s (a goblin team) is little over 50 yards in length, while the Giants’ (a giant team, a species not noted for inventiveness regarding names) is more than thirty leagues. (A fact that led to three members of the visiting Bright Crusaders collapsing from exhaustion before reaching the sideline from the bench. The Crusader’s captain, Hugo L’Avian, gained the unusual accolade of being the only team-captain of a major-league team to be flattened by the coin toss.) It seems to me that it’s only sensible to have a few games played on different surfaces.
When forming your team, you may choose one of the pitches of your very own, from the list below. All games played ‘at home’ are on this pitch. The pitch must be obviously modelled as such – you cannot use the standard Blood Bowl pitch to represent a Swamp, for example. Obviously, if your opponent doesn’t want to play on a ‘special’ pitch, then you must respect that and play on a ‘normal’ pitch. Feel free to grumble and moan…
PITCH SURFACE AVAILABLE TO
Grass-------------------All teams
AstroGranite-----------All teams
Ice and Snow----------Human, Norse, Dwarf, Chaos, Chaos Dwarf,
Dark Elf, Khemri, Necromantic
Swamp-----------------Lizardmen, Norse, Skaven, Amazon
Wasteland--------------Khemri, Necromantic, Orc, Goblin
Cavern-----------------Chaos Warriors, Chaos Beastmen, Skaven,
Goblins, Dwarfs
Dirty and ‘Orrible------Goblins, Orcs, Snotlings, Humans
Unstable----------------Norse, Skaven, Goblin, All Chaos teams, Lizardmen
Wooded-----------------Wood Elves, Treemen
Sheltered---------------High Elves, Humans
EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT PITCHES:
Grass: This is a ‘catch-all’ variety that also includes astroturf, moss, heather etc. Grass pitches are standard Blood Bowl pitches. Unless otherwise noted, every Blood Bowl game will be played on a grass pitch. Normal rules apply.
Astrogranite: Astrogranite pitches also include such pitches as underground caverns and all types of rocks and are distinguished by having an exceedingly hard surface. Astrogranite pitches are unforgiving to fall on, and all players that fall over suffer an additional +1 to the injury roll. Note this does not affect armour.
Ice and Snow: This pitch is probably grass underneath, but the weather is so cold and chill that it is covered in permafrost or drifts of frozen ice and wisps of snow. The rules for ‘Blizzard’ conditions apply ALL the time – do not roll for weather. In addition, any model that falls over onto the pitch will slide one extra square – e.g. if blocked over, the model will slide TWO squares rather than one. On a ‘both down’ result, both players will slide one square directly backward. A player that falls over as a result of ‘Going for it’ will slide an extra square. This rule does NOT apply for being pushed back. Note that the ball still scatters from the square that the player dropped it.
Swamp: This pitch is a boggy morass, set in deepest jungle, surrounded on all sides by mouldering temples or humid forests, filled with chattering animals. Lizardmen teams find it very hard to find stable ground, and their pitches are often fairly small or not completely solid. In general, the main pitch is fairly normal, but the wide and end zones are quite marshy. Any player that falls down for any reason in the wide zones or end zones is knocked into onto a slushy mix of soil and water. He must spend his ENTIRE move standing up next turn, rather than the three squares as normal. This affects big guys differently – a big guy knocked over will sink into the ground and will not be available until the next drive, when he can be dug out. This applies to Rat Ogres, Treemen, Ogres, Minotaurs, the Deathroller, Trolls, Bull Centaurs etc. In addition, the soft ground means players are less likely to be injured: –1 on injury rolls.
Wasteland: This pitch is dry, cracked and probably covered in a dusty film. Fan Factors are halved for both teams – the fans just can’t make it out to this remote location. In addition, team wizards, apothecaries, assistant coaches and other coaching staff will only turn up on the roll of a 4+ at the start of the game. This roll is made for each individual separately – e.g. apothecary is one roll, wizard another etc.
Cavern: Mostly owned by Goblin, Dwarf or Skaven teams who prefer to play underground, these pitches are either massive natural caves or specially designed subterranean areas. Passing is reduced to short passes or less owing to the low light levels and low ceiling.
Dirty and ‘Orrible: Badly maintained, covered in old bones, blood stains, with the occasional missing patch of turf, how does this differ from a regular Blood Bowl pitch? Dirty and ‘Orrible pitches are particularly badly maintained. They may not be completely flat, or heaps of (best left unidentified) material cover the wide zones. The ball, if left loose on a wide zone, will roll 3 squares towards the main field every turn till it reaches it. Once there, it remains still. Players may only attempt to ‘go for it’ once per turn on the pitch, owing to the very real danger of twisting an ankle in a pothole.
Unstable: The pitch is built on an iceberg, treacherous crag, above an old mine, or the ground is simply very thin or marshy. In addition, the pitch is often not flat. Players can fall through or sink into the ground. When a player is knocked down, if a double is rolled for the armour roll, the player has fallen through the pitch and is moved to the reserves box. (NB. Injury rolls are taken as normal.) Before each match, nominate an end of the pitch. The ball will roll D3 squares towards that end every turn if left free. Remember to change ends at the end of the half! Players knocked off the pitch are automatically injured – roll a D6:
1-3: Badly Hurt
4-5: Seriously Injured
6: Dead! Dead! Dead!
Wooded: This pitch is set in the middle of a arboreal forest, and look awfully pleasant as the light shines through the trees’ leaf mosaic, dappling the pitch with spots of warm light, and caressing it with soft drifts of leaves during the Autumn. Just the place to despoil with a good game of Blood Bowl! Sadly, teams that play in the forest are often not keen to cut down their trees, and thus the pitch is often covered in small saplings, and sometimes large trees! Roll a D6 when the pitch is acquired:
1: The pitch is absolutely surrounded by trees, and there are D6 on the pitch, in the wide zones. Set half the trees up in any wide zone/end zone (at least four squares from the halfway line) and allow your opponent to set the other half up. If you have an odd number of trees, your opponent may set it up.
2-3: The pitch has D3 trees, set up as above.
4-5: The pitch is relatively clear, but there are myriad saplings, that prevent players ‘going for it’ more than one square per turn.
6: The pitch is absolutely clear, and normal rules apply.
Trees just block the square they are on, and have no further effect on the game except for blocking movement.
Sheltered: Some pitches are enclosed, indoors or otehrwise sheltered from the elements. All games played on this pitch will be blessed with 'nice' weather. In addition, the lack of wind allows kicks and passes to be safer and more accurate. Passes may never be intercepted (The 'Pass Block' skill can still be used) and kicks scatter half distance, rounding up.
Well, there they are - if you love the rules (or hate them!) post up some comments. They've been pretty exhaustively playtested, and I've got a very positive response. Thanks in advance!
xxxBLOOD ON THE PITCHxxx
----------------or-----------------
How to get Popkhorne for Free!
Blood Bowl is played in hundreds of provinces and areas of the Old World and also by the Lizardmen, Norse and Skaven in the New. With the difference in climate, local wealth and building skills of the locals, Blood Bowl pitches vary immensely from place to place. Consider the difference between the Zodwort Cuttaz and the Storm Giants’ Stadia. Both are the regulation 90 paces long, but the Cuttaz’s (a goblin team) is little over 50 yards in length, while the Giants’ (a giant team, a species not noted for inventiveness regarding names) is more than thirty leagues. (A fact that led to three members of the visiting Bright Crusaders collapsing from exhaustion before reaching the sideline from the bench. The Crusader’s captain, Hugo L’Avian, gained the unusual accolade of being the only team-captain of a major-league team to be flattened by the coin toss.) It seems to me that it’s only sensible to have a few games played on different surfaces.
When forming your team, you may choose one of the pitches of your very own, from the list below. All games played ‘at home’ are on this pitch. The pitch must be obviously modelled as such – you cannot use the standard Blood Bowl pitch to represent a Swamp, for example. Obviously, if your opponent doesn’t want to play on a ‘special’ pitch, then you must respect that and play on a ‘normal’ pitch. Feel free to grumble and moan…
PITCH SURFACE AVAILABLE TO
Grass-------------------All teams
AstroGranite-----------All teams
Ice and Snow----------Human, Norse, Dwarf, Chaos, Chaos Dwarf,
Dark Elf, Khemri, Necromantic
Swamp-----------------Lizardmen, Norse, Skaven, Amazon
Wasteland--------------Khemri, Necromantic, Orc, Goblin
Cavern-----------------Chaos Warriors, Chaos Beastmen, Skaven,
Goblins, Dwarfs
Dirty and ‘Orrible------Goblins, Orcs, Snotlings, Humans
Unstable----------------Norse, Skaven, Goblin, All Chaos teams, Lizardmen
Wooded-----------------Wood Elves, Treemen
Sheltered---------------High Elves, Humans
EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT PITCHES:
Grass: This is a ‘catch-all’ variety that also includes astroturf, moss, heather etc. Grass pitches are standard Blood Bowl pitches. Unless otherwise noted, every Blood Bowl game will be played on a grass pitch. Normal rules apply.
Astrogranite: Astrogranite pitches also include such pitches as underground caverns and all types of rocks and are distinguished by having an exceedingly hard surface. Astrogranite pitches are unforgiving to fall on, and all players that fall over suffer an additional +1 to the injury roll. Note this does not affect armour.
Ice and Snow: This pitch is probably grass underneath, but the weather is so cold and chill that it is covered in permafrost or drifts of frozen ice and wisps of snow. The rules for ‘Blizzard’ conditions apply ALL the time – do not roll for weather. In addition, any model that falls over onto the pitch will slide one extra square – e.g. if blocked over, the model will slide TWO squares rather than one. On a ‘both down’ result, both players will slide one square directly backward. A player that falls over as a result of ‘Going for it’ will slide an extra square. This rule does NOT apply for being pushed back. Note that the ball still scatters from the square that the player dropped it.
Swamp: This pitch is a boggy morass, set in deepest jungle, surrounded on all sides by mouldering temples or humid forests, filled with chattering animals. Lizardmen teams find it very hard to find stable ground, and their pitches are often fairly small or not completely solid. In general, the main pitch is fairly normal, but the wide and end zones are quite marshy. Any player that falls down for any reason in the wide zones or end zones is knocked into onto a slushy mix of soil and water. He must spend his ENTIRE move standing up next turn, rather than the three squares as normal. This affects big guys differently – a big guy knocked over will sink into the ground and will not be available until the next drive, when he can be dug out. This applies to Rat Ogres, Treemen, Ogres, Minotaurs, the Deathroller, Trolls, Bull Centaurs etc. In addition, the soft ground means players are less likely to be injured: –1 on injury rolls.
Wasteland: This pitch is dry, cracked and probably covered in a dusty film. Fan Factors are halved for both teams – the fans just can’t make it out to this remote location. In addition, team wizards, apothecaries, assistant coaches and other coaching staff will only turn up on the roll of a 4+ at the start of the game. This roll is made for each individual separately – e.g. apothecary is one roll, wizard another etc.
Cavern: Mostly owned by Goblin, Dwarf or Skaven teams who prefer to play underground, these pitches are either massive natural caves or specially designed subterranean areas. Passing is reduced to short passes or less owing to the low light levels and low ceiling.
Dirty and ‘Orrible: Badly maintained, covered in old bones, blood stains, with the occasional missing patch of turf, how does this differ from a regular Blood Bowl pitch? Dirty and ‘Orrible pitches are particularly badly maintained. They may not be completely flat, or heaps of (best left unidentified) material cover the wide zones. The ball, if left loose on a wide zone, will roll 3 squares towards the main field every turn till it reaches it. Once there, it remains still. Players may only attempt to ‘go for it’ once per turn on the pitch, owing to the very real danger of twisting an ankle in a pothole.
Unstable: The pitch is built on an iceberg, treacherous crag, above an old mine, or the ground is simply very thin or marshy. In addition, the pitch is often not flat. Players can fall through or sink into the ground. When a player is knocked down, if a double is rolled for the armour roll, the player has fallen through the pitch and is moved to the reserves box. (NB. Injury rolls are taken as normal.) Before each match, nominate an end of the pitch. The ball will roll D3 squares towards that end every turn if left free. Remember to change ends at the end of the half! Players knocked off the pitch are automatically injured – roll a D6:
1-3: Badly Hurt
4-5: Seriously Injured
6: Dead! Dead! Dead!
Wooded: This pitch is set in the middle of a arboreal forest, and look awfully pleasant as the light shines through the trees’ leaf mosaic, dappling the pitch with spots of warm light, and caressing it with soft drifts of leaves during the Autumn. Just the place to despoil with a good game of Blood Bowl! Sadly, teams that play in the forest are often not keen to cut down their trees, and thus the pitch is often covered in small saplings, and sometimes large trees! Roll a D6 when the pitch is acquired:
1: The pitch is absolutely surrounded by trees, and there are D6 on the pitch, in the wide zones. Set half the trees up in any wide zone/end zone (at least four squares from the halfway line) and allow your opponent to set the other half up. If you have an odd number of trees, your opponent may set it up.
2-3: The pitch has D3 trees, set up as above.
4-5: The pitch is relatively clear, but there are myriad saplings, that prevent players ‘going for it’ more than one square per turn.
6: The pitch is absolutely clear, and normal rules apply.
Trees just block the square they are on, and have no further effect on the game except for blocking movement.
Sheltered: Some pitches are enclosed, indoors or otehrwise sheltered from the elements. All games played on this pitch will be blessed with 'nice' weather. In addition, the lack of wind allows kicks and passes to be safer and more accurate. Passes may never be intercepted (The 'Pass Block' skill can still be used) and kicks scatter half distance, rounding up.
Well, there they are - if you love the rules (or hate them!) post up some comments. They've been pretty exhaustively playtested, and I've got a very positive response. Thanks in advance!
