Getting my gaming group started in Blood Bowl!

[Grunge]

Hey everyone, this is one of those "i'm a complete noob to this thing" posts, but please have in mind I have actually searched around before coming here asking for advice.

So first of all, I had 3 different people who play Blood Bowl linking me three different PDF's (two versions from GW, the complete rules pack and the Living rules book) and I'm still unsure which one is the "standard" everyone uses and who is the "official" entity for BB now.

Other than that, I need some forewarning on team viability. Everyone in my gaming group is either starting a team from models they already have from Fantasy or (the ones that come from TCG backgrounds) are buying some models on purpose and everyone keeps asking me "are Ogres viable?", "are the Undead a good team?" and that sort of thing. I have read around that Ogres and Halflings are the worst teams, other than that the Orcs are very solid but all other teams I know little or nothing. They ask me about playstyle also, and I can't seem to answer because we simply don't have enough knowledge yet.

So this is why I came here asking for advice so we can start with the right foot. I'm afraid that if someone starts a team and then ends up not liking the playstyle or getting frustrated by too many losses will quit and the point of starting BB is to unite a rather large playerbase that drifted away to different game systems.

So to sum this big post up:

a) Where can I find the "official" rules?
b) What is the viability of the different teams? And what is their respective playstyle?
c) Got any list of good websites we should be following? Stuff with Tactica and all that useful info?

[sugnathefeeble]

I have not played in a few years but I beleave the living rule book is the "offical" rules. All teams have there strengths and weaknesses and some teams are harder to win with like the halflings (my favorite team) I personally find it more fun to play the. Underdogs. Of the teams I have played I found the elves (all 4 teams) and the scavens are quick and good with the ball but squish easily the dwarfs are slower but very tough and the undead team is well rounded due to all the diffrent types availible.it all comes down to your play style

[Grunge]

Thanks for the input. I think I have been passing right info on the teams play style but I think I need experienced voices to back up what I've been researching.

Thanks friend

[zerodemon]

Currently we're on LRB6 (ie the Competition Rules Pack.)

The best way to play any team is with an understanding that they aren't balanced. Some teams aren't as good as others and some take an experienced player to play at all well.

Tier 1 - Any team not listed elsewhere
Tier 2 - Vampire, Nurgle
Tier 3 - Halfling, Goblin, Ogre

These aren't hard and fast. Not everyone in Tier 1 is equal, but they're close enough. The Amazon team in particular is pretty boring.

For a new player starting out, Orcs are the easiest team to play. They have some good positionals, access to both stunty and big guy players and do well at both bashing and moving the ball.
Human teams have a learning curve. They take a bit more finesse, but are relatively tough and quite handy with the ball thanks to skilled positionals.
Elf teams are a trap for new players, but once you've got some experience under your belt are some of the best teams going. They fall apart if you allow them to get hit too much, but speed and high agility keep them safe most of the time.
Chaos is excellent. Most people play chaos for fun as you can forget the ball and just kill everything until there aren't enough people left in the way. Access to mutations is a big plus. Lack of positionals is a bit of a downside. The minotaur is relatively useless.
Dwarves are great, though incredibly slow. They're great against anybody as everyone will struggle to open up a hole in your defence without taking always risky dodge rolls.
Chaos Dwarves are a law unto themselves, much like the undead teams. It takes time to learn to use them well.
Goblins you play for fun. Halflings you play for less fun. Ogres you play for a melancholy mix of joy and disappointment.

I'll come back and say more later if you're interested.

[CromFrance]

Hi,

The current rules (takes a while):
http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_...Rules_Pack.pdf

However the community accepts 3 extra rosters you may find in the Lrb (chaos pact, underworld and slanns), don't know where you can find an english version with these.

To help you with team choices read designer's note p 23 it's pretty accurate except for dark elves, which are good. The "hard" teams are great to play though, just more complex, and a win with these has a unique taste ;-), but it's perhaps too tough on beginners.

[zerodemon]

New teams are riggggght here.

http://www.thenaf.net/files/NewTeams_LRB6.pdf

[Coach]

You may want to check out the race overviews on my website, I've covered the question on what are suitable for starting players etc. http://bbtactics.com/strategy/races/

There are also player development guides and starting roster advice, along with some other basic strategy articles you may all find helpful.

[the anti santa]

Ok to answer your questions:

a) CromFrance has already linked the Competition Rules Pack (also known as crp or lrb6) which is the official rules set. There are 3 other teams not in that rules pack that zerodemon has linked you to. They are recognised and used by everyone and were only left out of crp as Games Workshop don't have any slaan models. However they are allowed at every official tournament, even the ones hosted at GW venues.

But one thing to bear in mind that is this would only matter when playing people outside your gaming group. The great thing about Bloodbowl is that you can adapt the rules within your group to anything you want. That being said, best to stick with the basic rules to begin with.

b) This is a tougher one, teams are split into 3 tiers. Tier 3 are all the really weak teams that are joke teams or for those who want a challenge these are halflings, goblins and ogres. I'd advise against taking any of these if you are new unless it is a 2nd team that you really don't care about. Tier 2 and 1.5 teams are very difficult to use but can be dangerous in the hands of an experienced coach, these are Vampires and from the 3 teams from zerodemon's link (chaos pact, slaan and underworld) again I'd advise against them for newbies. The rest of the teams fall into tier 1 and these should have a win rate of 45% to 55% when facing players of similar ability.

However the tier 1 teams vary quite a lot in ability depending on how experienced they are so it will depend on if you are playing 1 off games with rookie teams or using the full league rules and keeping the teams long term. It also depends if you and your group are more interested in winning, team building or creating an interesting story around your league.

c) The best site to talk about Bloodbowl is Talk fantasy Football, a couple of the guys who wrote the most recent rulebooks are regular posters there.
http://www.talkfantasyfootball.org/index.php

Coach's site is very good as well.

[Da Crusha]

you can get experience playing the game at home with either the bloodbowl game for xbox360 or pc and also you can play for free on www.fumbbl.com

[ChiTownPicaro]

And you will have a lot of fun playing. I think Blood Bowl is one of the best supported games even though GW does not seem to care about it. Either way I recommend checking out www.talkfantasyfootball.org as they are a Blood Bowl community with a lot of discussion on tactics, plays, and teams. They can help you explain the game better and allow you to learn about various styles of play.

[canberraguy]

Yeah, good luck. Without doubt the best times I have had wargaming have been playing blood bowl.