How Blood Bowl PC fanatics are taking player-run leagues to the extreme

Blood Bowl was originally a tabletop miniatures game released by that most holy of British institutions, Games Workshop, back in the '80s. Yet it wasn't until the third edition dropped in 1994 that Blood Bowl became recognisable as the game it is today. It's set in a version of the Warhammer Fantasy Universe where the many opposing races have decided to lay down their arms and settle their differences by trying to score touchdowns.

As such, it exists as both a parody of medieval fantasy tropes and as an irreverent jab at the ridiculousness of modern, organised sport. Your players will sometimes steal funds from the team's treasury, violent fans will invade the pitch and injure your squad at half-time, and referees can be bribed before each game to ignore fouls and concealed weapons. The reason I'm telling you this is because I want to impress upon you just how silly Blood Bowl is. It's basically a filthy, sporty Discworld and most of its players are in on the joke.

What's more, Blood Bowl is designed to be played over time. Individual players will accrue 'star player points' each time they successfully complete passes, make interceptions, cause casualties and score touchdowns. They eventually level up and gain access to new skills and stat increases, providing a real sense of progression. It's not uncommon for your Wood Elf lineman or Dwarven blitzer to go from a mewling wuss to an unstoppable juggernaut over the course of a season, only for them to end up getting permanently removed from the game when seven or eight Halflings decide to gather round and jump all over their face.

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