Overview

Blood Bowl is a two-player fantasy football game set in the Warhammer universe. Each coach controls a team of fantasy races (Orcs, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, etc.) competing on a gridded pitch to score touchdowns while brutally blocking, tackling, and injuring opponents. A match consists of two halves of 8 turns each (16 turns per half total), and the team with the most touchdowns wins. The game combines tactical positioning, dice-based combat, and risk management through its turnover system.

Components

• 1 Game Board (pitch with grid squares, End Zones, and wide zones)
• 2 Dugouts (with Turn Track, Re-roll Track, Score Track, Reserves, KO’d, and Dead/Injured boxes)
• Plastic player figures for two teams
• Team cards (showing player statistics)
• Special Block dice (with 6 results)
• Standard dice (D6, D8)
• Scatter template and Range ruler
• Turn counters, Score counters, Re-roll counters
• Ball token

Setup

1. Each coach takes a team of players, a Dugout, team card, and counters.
2. Place Dugouts behind opposite End Zones.
3. Set Turn counters to First Half, Score counters to 0.
4. Place Re-roll counters per team card.
5. Flip a coin or roll D6 to determine who chooses to set up first (kicking team) or second (receiving team).
6. Setting up players: Place up to 11 players between your End Zone and halfway line:
   • Kicking team sets up first
   • Maximum 2 players in each wide zone (max 4 total wide)
   • At least 3 players on the Line of Scrimmage (next to halfway line)
7. Kick-off: Kicking coach places ball in opponent’s half, then scatters it (roll D8 for direction, D6 for distance). If it lands off-pitch or in kicking half, receiving team gets a touchback (give ball to any player).

Turn Structure

Each half = 8 turns per coach (16 total turns alternating). Sequence:

1. Receiving Team’s Turn
2. Kicking Team’s Turn
3. Repeat until touchdown or half ends

During a turn: The active coach may perform one Action with each player on the pitch. Actions are performed one player at a time (finish one before starting another). Coach has 4 minutes per turn.

Turnovers end your turn immediately if:

1. One of your players is Knocked Down
2. A pass or hand-off is not caught by your team before the ball rests
3. A player fails to pick up the ball
4. A touchdown is scored
5. A pass is fumbled (even if caught by teammate)
6. A thrown teammate fails to land
7. A player is ejected for fouling

Actions

Each player may perform ONE action per turn. Only one Blitz and one Pass action may be taken per team turn (by different players).

Move

Move up to the player’s Movement Allowance (MA) in any direction, including diagonally. Cannot enter squares occupied by other players.

Block

Make a single block against an adjacent standing player. Cannot move before blocking. Cannot block prone players.

Blitz (1 per team turn)

Move up to MA and make one block at any point during the move. The block costs 1 square of movement.

Pass (1 per team turn)

Move up to MA, then throw the ball to any square. Measure range with ruler: Quick Pass (+1), Short Pass (+0), Long Pass (-1), Long Bomb (-2). Roll D6 vs. Agility with modifiers. Inaccurate passes scatter 3 times.

Hand-off (1 per team turn, Extra Rules)

Move up to MA, then hand the ball to an adjacent teammate who must catch it.

Foul (1 per team turn, Extra Rules)

Move up to MA, then foul an adjacent prone opponent. Roll 2D6 vs. Armour (with +1 per assist). If doubles are rolled, the fouling player is ejected by the referee.

Dodge

When leaving a square in an opposing tackle zone, roll D6 vs. Agility. Modifiers: +1 for dodging, -1 per opposing tackle zone on destination square. Fail = Knocked Down in destination + turnover.

Pick Up the Ball

When moving into a square with the ball, must attempt to pick it up. D6 vs. Agility with +1 modifier, -1 per opposing tackle zone. Fail = turnover.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Touchdown: When a player carrying the ball enters the opposing team’s End Zone, a touchdown is scored (1 point). This causes a turnover, ending the current turn.

After a Touchdown: Both teams set up again (kicking/receiving swap). KO’d players roll: 4+ returns them to Reserves.

Winning: Team with the most touchdowns after two halves wins.

Conceding: If a team cannot field at least 3 players for the Line of Scrimmage, they may concede or play with fewer.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

Blocking

Number of Block dice depends on relative Strength:

• Equal STR: 1 die
• One player stronger: 2 dice, stronger player chooses
• One player more than twice as strong: 3 dice, stronger player chooses

Block Die Results:

Result	Effect
Attacker Down	Attacking player is Knocked Down
Both Down	Both players Knocked Down (Block skill negates for its user)
Pushed	Defender pushed back 1 square; attacker may follow up
Defender Stumbles	Pushed back + Knocked Down (Dodge skill negates knockdown)
Defender Down	Pushed back + Knocked Down

Assists

Each unengaged friendly player adjacent to the target adds +1 STR to the blocker. Each unengaged opponent adjacent to the blocker adds +1 STR to the defender.

Injuries

When Knocked Down, opponent rolls 2D6 vs. player’s Armour Value:

• Beat AV: roll on Injury Table
• 2-7 Stunned: Player placed face-down; turned face-up at end of their team’s next turn
• 8-9 KO’d: Removed to KO’d box; roll 4+ at next kick-off to return
• 10-12 Casualty: Removed to Dead/Injured box; misses rest of match (in leagues, roll Casualty Table for permanent effects)

Going For It

After using full MA, a player may attempt to move 1-2 extra squares by rolling 4+ on D6 each. Failing = Knocked Down + turnover.

Tackle Zones

Standing players exert tackle zones on all 8 adjacent squares. Prone/Stunned players have no tackle zones. Leaving a tackle zone requires a Dodge roll.

Re-rolls

• Team Re-rolls: May re-roll any dice result (not Armour/Injury/Casualty) during your turn. Cannot re-roll a die more than once.
• Player Re-rolls: From skills; cannot be combined with team re-roll on same roll.

Push Backs

Pushed players must go to an empty square. If all adjacent squares are occupied, the pushed player displaces the occupant (chain push). Players pushed off the pitch are automatically injured by the crowd (roll on Injury Table, no Armour roll).

Standing Up

Costs 3 MA at the start of an Action. If player has less than 3 MA, roll 4+ to stand (fail is not a turnover). Cannot take a Block action when standing up.

Player Reference

Agility Table:

Player AG	D6 Required
1	6+
2	5+
3	4+
4	3+
5	2+
6+	1+

Note: Natural 1 always fails, natural 6 always succeeds.

Passing Modifiers:

Range	Modifier
Quick Pass	+1
Short Pass	+0
Long Pass	-1
Long Bomb	-2
Per opposing tackle zone	-1

Injury Table:

2D6	Result
2-7	Stunned
8-9	KO’d
10-12	Casualty

Block Dice (Strength Comparison):

Comparison	Dice	Who Chooses
Equal	1	Attacker
One stronger	2	Stronger player
More than 2x stronger	3	Stronger player

Turnover Triggers:

1. Own player Knocked Down
2. Uncaught pass/hand-off
3. Failed pick-up
4. Touchdown scored
5. Fumbled pass
6. Failed Throw Teammate landing
7. Player ejected for fouling

Turn Sequence per Half: 8 turns each coach, alternating (receiving team goes first).