The Feel of Blood Bowl

Right off the bat, I'll say it: This is a fluff post. Not rules-oriented, not strategy-oriented. This is a post about part of what I think makes Blood Bowl fun.

As with any game with a fantasy bent to it, Blood Bowl takes place in a magical, otherworldly setting which allows for monsters, heroes, magic and danger. The major difference for Blood Bowl is that it adds the additional element of "being quite silly", which works great alongside the traditional fantasy loadout, as anyone who reads Discworld could tell you. The silliness is bolstered by the reality of these being tiny model football monsters on a board, plastic icons to push around and watch fall down. This is inescapable, and helps the game stay lighthearted, but ideally, Blood Bowl coaches should care about what's going on, and what becomes of their players. It lends them a degree of depth, and while you can write a story without depth, those stories are generally short and forgettable.

Football, and sports in general, may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's inarguable that outfits like the NFL put the utmost care into building narratives and exalting the great deeds of their players. With that in mind, a Blood Bowl team should reflect the stories that its coach wants to hear told. When I ran the MMBBL -the first league I ran, in the Miramichi- There were players that everyone knew. Teams that were respected and feared. If you ask any of the players from that league who Beef Bigaxe was, they'd tell you instantly. If you asked them about Ol' Teabagger the ghoul, they'd be able to tell you his career stats, his star player points total, and recount with either glee or sadness how he was killed one day.

When you build your team, and its players, consider a few things. Firstly, embrace silliness but don't force it. The most subtle puns are often the best, and forcing a theme down the throats of sixteen players after it got old at two players will just make people cringe when they talk about your players. Secondly, avoid being excessively foul-mouthed, or at least be creative with it. Blood Bowl isn't necessarily a family game, but you have to wonder how a player named with a series of four letter words would go through life. Consider also looking back on your team fondly, thinking "Ah, I remember that touchdown scored by Poopy Buttlord". You're smart people. Use those brains, and make names that will be feared, revered, and remembered. Thirdly, Go easy on the sex jokes. If you must have one or two, be clever and subtle. Case in point: a name like "Roger Nightly" isn't overt and is still quite funny. "P. Nis" is weak and I will encourage people to go out of their way to render such a sad excuse for a player dead. Lastly, regarding team names specifically, avoid using real-world locations, but warping the names of places so they sound more fantasy-ish is wonderful. Teams have come out of Mashville, Spleen Bay, Orcland, and others. And nothing beats making up a name entirely, and creative wordsmiths can offer a hint of what their team is like just by the way the region they hail from sounds. A team from "Blackwater" is going to be different that one from "Gryphon Hill" or "Gutpulp Junction".

So far I've heard some great ideas for player names and team names from the coaches. If you think something might be a little risque, run it by me and at worst I'll offer feedback on how it could change. These names will go on trophies. Make them worthy.

Another thing I may bring in from previous league experience is the possibility of producing digital "sportscards" at the end of each season or year. These are done simply by taking photos of players and dropping them into a Flash-based framework, then adding the stats. We used drawings as well in the past, but not everyone in this league draws for a living so we'll probably skip that.

Lastly, your team logos. I will put this out there: I LOVE making team logos. If someone would pay me to sit at my computer and make up symbols for sports teams, I would do that for the rest of my life. If you have an idea you'd like me to explore, let me know! Pass along a sketch or doodle or whatever, and I'll try to get it committed to a polished logo, which will go up on the blog here for all to see. If you're inclined to draw one yourself, pass it on to me and I'll give it a little digital polish. If you're strapped for ideas, I'll happily give some suggestions.