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Before you get started, you will need to create a team! You can find the rules for team creation in the Teams rules. Once you have a team in place and find an opponent, you're ready to play a game!

These rules detail everything you need to know about playing a single game of Blood Bowl. If you are playing in a league, you should also check out the League rules.

Here's a listing of everything you'll find in this section:

*Setting Up The Game
-The Weather
-Starting the Game
-The Kick-off Table
-The Kick-off
*The Sequence Of Play
-Moving the Turn Marker
-Illegal Procedure
-Player Actions
-Turnovers
*Movement
-Going For It
-Tackle Zones
-Picking Up The Ball
*Blocks
-Strength
-Knock Downs
-Push Backs
-Follow-Up Moves
-Assisting A Block
*Blitzes
-Follow-Up Moves
 
*Knock Downs & Injuries
-Injuries
-Substitutes
*Throwing The Football
-The Throw
-Interceptions and Fumbles
+Interceptions
+Fumbles
-Catching The Football
-Bouncing Balls
-Throw-ins
-Turnovers
-Throwing Team-mates
+Landing
*Handing Off The Football
*Kicking The Football
-The Kick
-Blocked Kicks and Fumbles
+Blocked Kicks
+Fumbles
-Turnovers
 
*Fouls
-Assisting A Foul
-The Ref Roll
-I've Got My Eye On You!
-Arguing the Call
*Re-rolls
-Team Re-rolls
-Player Re-rolls
-Skills and Traits
*Winning The Match
-Scoring Touchdowns
+Scoring in the Opponent's Turn
-Scoring Field Goals
-Restarting The Match
-Ending The Match
+Conceding the Match
+Overtime

Setting Up The Game

Before you start, it's a good idea to read through these rules at least once so you get some idea of what you are doing! Once you have done this, lay out the board and the players. Each coach will also need a Dugout and a set of counters. Each coach should place his Dugout behind one of the End Zones. This shows which half of the field belongs to each team.

Each coach should place a Turn Counter in the First Half square on the Turn Track, and a Score Counter on the Score Track on the board nearest his own End Zone. Finally, each coach should place on the Re-roll Track the number of Team Re-roll Counters to which he is entitled.

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The Weather

Blood Bowl players are a pretty hardy bunch, so it comes as no surprise that games have been played in all types of weather conditions. From the ice floes of the Chaos Wastes to the steamy jungles of Lustria, arenas open their doors on match days, and the combatants go about their business heedless of the climate.

At the start of the game, each coach should roll a d6. Add the scores together and refer to the Weather Table below to find out what the weather is like for the day.

Weather Table
2d6   Result
2   Sweltering Heat: It's so hot and humid that some players collapse from heat exhaustion. Roll a d6 for each player on the field after a touchdown or field goal is scored, or when the half ends. On a roll of 1, the player collapses. Place him in the Reserves box in the Dugout, but he may not be set up for the next kick-off.
 
3   Very Sunny: A glorious day, but the blinding sunshine causes a -1 modifier on all attempts to pass and kick the ball.
 
4-10   Nice: The elements are well behaved - it looks like perfect Blood Bowl weather! The weather has no effect on the game.
 
11   Pouring Rain: A persistent downpour is making the ball slippery and difficult to hold. This causes a -1 modifier on all attempts to catch the ball, including picking it up and handing it off.
 
12   Blizzard: It's cold and snowing! The ice on the field means that any player attempting to Go For It will slip and fall on a roll of 1-2, while the snow means that only Quick Passes or Short Passes may be attempted (see the Going For It and Throwing the Football sections).

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Starting the Game

Flip a coin or roll a die to see who will set up first. The winning coach decides whether to set up first or second to start the game. The team that sets up first is called the kicking team, because they will kick off the ball. The other team is called the receiving team, because they will receive the kick-off.

Each coach may set up 11 players between his End Zone and the Midfield Stripe, with the following restrictions:

  1. The kicking team always sets up first.
  2. No more than two players may be set up in each Wide Zone (so a maximum of four players may be split wide, two on each flank).
  3. At least three players must be set up next to the Midfield Stripe, on the Line of Scrimmage.
  4. At least one player must be set up to kick the football. This player may not be set up in either Wide Zone, nor may he be set up on the Line of Scrimmage.

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The Kick-off Table

All kinds of things can happen during a Blood Bowl match: one team or the other may make an inspired play, or raucous fans might throw a large heavy object (like a rock!) at one of the opposing team's players, or even invade the field! The Kick-off Table is used to recreate these unforeseen but fairly common events. After both teams have set up, the coach of the kicking team rolls two dice and looks up the result on the Kick-off Table. After applying any immediately applicable results, the coach of the kicking team proceeds to the Kick-off, below.

Kick-off Table
2d6   Result
2   Riot: The game is held up by a riot. Roll a d6. Each team moves its Turn Counter this many spaces along the Turn Track. If this takes the number of turns to 8 or more for both teams, then the half ends.
 
3   Get the Ref! Each coach rolls 2d6 and adds his team's Fan Factor to the score. The high scorer's fans decide the referee has been bought and exact vengeance! His replacement is so intimidated that he will not award penalties for the rest of the half against the team whose fans got his predecessor, even if he spots them making a foul. If the score is tied, both teams' fans get the ref, and the replacement will not award penalties against either team!
 
4   Perfect Defense: The kicking team's coach may reorganize his players - in other words, he can set them up again, so long as he uses a legal setup. The receiving team must remain in the setup chosen by their coach.
 
5   Cheering Fans: Each coach rolls a d6 and adds his team's Fan Factor and the number of Cheerleaders it has to the score. Re-roll any ties. The side with the highest score is inspired by the cheering of their fans and gets an extra Team Re-roll this half.
 
6   Bad Kick: The ball will scatter a number of squares equal to the roll of two dice on the kick-off, instead of only one die.
 
7   Changing Weather: Make a new roll on the Weather Table.
 
8   Quick Snap: The offense starts its drive a fraction of a moment before the defense is ready, catching the kicking team flat-footed. Each player on the receiving team is allowed to move one square. This is a free move that may be made into any adjacent empty square, ignoring tackle zones. You may also use it to enter the opposing half of the field.
 
9   Brilliant Coaching: Each coach rolls a d6 and adds the number of Assistant Coaches on his team to the score. Re-roll any ties. The side with the highest score gets an extra Team Re-roll this half thanks to the brilliant advice provided by the coaching staff.
 
10   Blitz! The kicking team gets a bonus team turn and may move before the receiving team. The bonus turn does not count against the kicking team's turn limit for the half, so their coach does not have to move the turn marker along a space.
 
11   Throw a Rock: Each coach rolls 2d6 and adds his team's Fan Factor to the score. The high scorer's fans have thrown a rock at a player on the opposing team! Decide randomly which player on the other team was hit (only players on the field are eligible). Roll for the effects of the injury straight away. If the score is tied, both teams' fans are throwing rocks, and one player from each team is hit!
 
12   Pitch Invasion: Each coach rolls 2d6 and adds his team's Fan Factor to the score. The high scorer's fans have invaded the field, injuring a number of opponents in their rush across the pitch. Roll another d6 to determine the number of randomly selected opponents who are trampled in the stampede (only players on the field are eligible). Roll for the effects of the injuries straight away. If the score is tied, both teams' fans have invaded the field, and d6 players on each team are injured!

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The Kick-off

After you have applied any possible results from the Kick-off Table, the coach of the kicking team places the football in any square in the opponent's half of the field (including the opponent's End Zone, if he would like). The ball will then scatter in a random direction. Using the Scatter Template, roll the eight-sided dice once for the direction of the scatter, then roll a d6 to see how many squares the ball will go.

IMPORTANT: The kick-off is the only time that you roll a d6 to see how many squares the ball moves when it scatters. This is because kicks are very inaccurate! When rolling scatters for a missed pass or bouncing ball, the ball moves only one square per scatter roll.

A kick-off must land in the opponent's half of the playing field. If the ball scatters off the field or into the kicking team's half, then the receiving coach is awarded a 'touchback' and may give the ball to any player in his team.

Assuming the ball lands in the receiving team's half of the field, then it will either land in an empty square or a square occupied by a player. If the ball lands in an empty square it will bounce one more square (see the Bouncing Balls section). If the ball lands in a square occupied by a player, then the player may try to catch the ball (see the Catching the Ball section). A ball that ends up out of bounds or enters the kicking team's half of the field for any reason entitles the receiving coach to a 'touchback,' as described above.

IMPORTANT: If the kicking team has failed to set up a player to kick the ball, or was unable to do so, then the receiving team is awarded a touchback - the other players are so hopelessly uncoordinated, they can't ever seem to keep the ball in play!

Once the kick-off has been taken, you are ready to proceed to the first turn of the game.

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The Sequence of Play

Blood Bowl is split into two halves of sixteen turns each (eight turns per coach per half). At the end of the second half, the team with the most points is declared the winner. The game is played using a simple but strict sequence of play, which runs as follows:

  1. Receiving Team Turn
  2. Kicking Team Turn

Repeat these steps, one after the other, until a touchdown is scored or the half ends.

A coach is allowed only four minutes to complete his team's turn, during which he may perform one action with each player in the team. The other coach may do nothing until his team's next turn comes around.

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Moving the Turn Marker

Each coach is responsible for keeping track of how many turns his team has used, and must move the Turn Marker one space along the track provided on his Dugout at the start of each and every one of his team turns. If he forgets to move the counter before declaring an action with one or more of his players, then the opposing coach may call an Illegal Procedure penalty as soon as he spots the mistake.

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Illegal Procedure

A coach who is called for Illegal Procedure must either use up a Team Re-roll or suffer a turnover. Turnovers are explained in more detail below, but basically a coach that suffers a turnover must end his turn immediately - even if he is part way through a player's action! If the coach uses up a Team Re-roll, he is not allowed to use another Team Re-roll in the same turn. What's more, if he has already used a Team Re-roll when the penalty is called, or he doesn't have any Team Re-rolls left, then his team turn automatically ends! If a coach forgets to move the Turn Marker, but can rectify his mistake before the opposing coach spots the error, then he cannot be called for Illegal Procedure.

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Player Actions

In his own team's turn, a coach may perform one of the following actions with each player on his team. Each player may perform only one action per team turn. Once each player has performed an action, the team turn ends, and the opposing coach is allowed to take a turn.

  • Move: The player may move a number of squares equal to his MA. A player that has been knocked over may stand up at a cost of 3 squares from his movement.
  • Block: The player may make a single block against a player in an adjacent square. A player that has been knocked over may not perform this action.
  • Blitz: The player may move a number of squares equal to his MA. A player that has been knocked over may stand up at a cost of 3 squares from his movement. The player must make one block during the move. The block may be made ay any point during the move, and costs one square of movement. This action may not be performed by more than one player per team turn.
  • Pass: The player may move a number of squares equal to his MA. A player that has been knocked over may stand up at a cost of 3 squares from his movement. At the end of the move the player must pass the ball. This action may not be performed by more than one player per team turn.
  • Hand-off: The player may move a number of squares equal to his MA. A player that has been knocked over may stand up at a cost of 3 squares from his movement. At the end of the move the player must hand the ball to an adjacent player. This action may not be performed by more than one player per team turn.
  • Kick: The player may move a number of squares equal to his MA. A player that has been knocked over may stand up at a cost of 3 squares from his movement. At the end of the move the player must kick the ball. This action may not be performed by more than one player per team turn.
  • Foul: The player may move a number of squares equal to his MA. A player that has been knocked over may stand up at a cost of 3 squares from his movement. At the end of the move the player must foul an opponent. This action may not be performed by more than one player per team turn.

Players perform actions one at a time. In other words, a coach may perform an action with one player, then perform an action with another player, and so on. Note that the active player must finish his action before another player can take one. This carries on until every player has performed an action, or the coach does not want to perform any actions with any other players.

A coach may make any number of Move or Block actions with his players during the course of a team turn, but is allowed only one Blitz, one Pass, one Hand-off, one Kick, and one Foul each turn. A coach must declare an action for a player before carrying out the action. Failure to execute the action means that the action is lost for that turn, so if a player declares a Blitz action and fails to throw a Block at some point during his move, then his coach may not declare another Blitz action for that turn.

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Turnovers

Normally, a team turn ends only when each player on the team has performed an action. However, certain events will cause the team turn to end immediately, even if some players have not yet taken actions. These events are called Turnovers.

The following events will cause Turnovers:

  1. A team is called for Illegal Procedure and doesn't have a Team Re-roll Counter.
  2. A player on the moving team is knocked down or falls over.
  3. A player takes a Pass or Hand-off action, and the ball is not caught by one of his team-mates.
  4. A player from the moving team attempts to pick up the ball and fails.
  5. A touchdown or field goal is scored.
  6. The four-minute time limit for the turn runs out.

A coach that suffers a Turnover must end his turn immediately, even if part way through a player's action. The only exceptions to this involve armor and injury rolls, which must still be made for any players that have been knocked over.

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Movement

A player that takes a Move action may move a number of squares equal to his Movement Allowance. Players may move in any direction or combination of directions, including diagonally, as long as they do not enter a square that holds another player (from either team). A player does not have to use up all of his Movement Allowance in his turn; he doesn't even need to move at all if his coach does not want him to do so.

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Going For It

A player taking a Move, Blitz, Pass, Hand-off, Kick, or Foul action may try to move one or two extra squares over and above the number that he is normally allowed. This is called 'going for it.'

Roll a d6 for the player after he has moved each extra square. On a roll of 1, the player trips up and falls prone in the square into which he was moving, and the opposing coach must make a roll to see if the player was injured (see the Knock Downs and Injuries section). On any other roll, the player makes the move without mishap. If the player falls over, then his team suffers a Turnover, and his team's turn ends immediately!

IMPORTANT: Going for it should be treated as a simple extension of a player's Movement Allowance. This has a number of small ramifications that will be treated as they arise, but will avoid confusion.

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Tackle Zones

One of the most important concepts in Blood Bowl is the Tackle Zone. Every standing player exerts a Tackle Zone on each of the eight squares adjacent to him, as shown in the diagram below.

[Insert diagram here!]

In order to leave a square that is in one or more opposing Tackle Zones, a player must dodge out of the square. The player has to dodge only once in order to leave the square, no matter how many opposing Tackle Zones are on it. Note that you must always make a dodge roll when you leave a Tackle Zone, even if there aren't any Tackle Zones on the square you are entering.

Look up the player's Agility on the Agility Table below to find the score required to successfully dodge out of the square.

AGILITY TABLE

Player's AG   1   2   3   4   5   6+
d6 roll required   6+   5+   4+   3+   2+   1+
 
Dodging Modifiers
Making a Dodge roll   +1
Per opposing Tackle Zone
on the square dodged to
  -1

For example, if the player has an Agility of 3, he would need to roll a 4 or more to dodge out of the square. Roll a d6 and apply any of the modifiers that apply to the dice roll. A roll of 1 before modification always fails, and a roll of 6 before modification always succeeds.

IMPORTANT: The Agility Table is used to work out the success or failure of a number of different actions in Blood Bowl, including dodging, picking up the ball, throwing the ball, etc. Each action has its own set of modifiers, and only these modifiers apply to the die roll (do not use any of the dodging modifiers when attempting to pick up the ball, for example).

If the final modified score equals or beats the required roll, the player may carry on moving (and dodging if required) until he has used up his full Movement Allowance. If the die roll is less than the required total, then the player falls over in the square to which he was dodging, and the opposing coach must make a roll to see if the player was injured (see the Knock Downs and Injuries section). If the player is knocked over, then his team suffers a Turnover, and his team's turn ends immediately.

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Picking Up The Ball

If a player moves into a square in which the football is lying, then he may attempt to pick it up, and carry on moving if he is able to do so.

IMPORTANT: A player is only allowed to try to pick up the ball if he enters the square as part of an action. Players that move into the square with the ball at other times (i.e., when pushed back, etc.) can not pick up the ball, and it will bounce one square instead. Bouncing a ball in such a fashion does not cause a Turnover.

Look up the player's Agility on the Agility Table to find the score required to successfully pick up the ball.

AGILITY TABLE

Player's AG   1   2   3   4   5   6+
d6 roll required   6+   5+   4+   3+   2+   1+
 
Pick-up Modifiers
Picking up the ball   +1
Per opposing Tackle Zone on the player   -1

Roll a d6, and add or subtract any of the modifers that apply to the die roll. A roll of 1 before modification always fails, and a roll of 6 before modification always succeeds.

If the final modified score equals or beats the required roll, then the player succeeds in picking up the ball. Place the ball on the player's base to show that he has picked it up, and carry on with the player's action. If the die roll is less than the required total, then the player drops the ball, which will then scatter one square. If the player drops the ball, then his team suffers a Turnover, and their team turn ends immediately.

If a player moves into a square in which the football is lying and does not wish to pick it up, then the ball will scatter once. The player's team does not suffer a Turnover, and the player may continue with his action.

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Blocks

Instead of moving, a player may throw a Block at an opposing player in an adjacent Tackle Zone. You may only make a Block against a standing player - you may not block a player who has already been knocked over! A Block is a very rough tackle, designed to really stop an opponent in his tracks. To see if a Block works, you will need to use the special Blocking Dice included with the game.

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Strength

The number of dice rolled depends on the Strengths of the two players involved. Obviously, a stronger player is more likely to knock down his opponent when he makes a Block. To represent this, the number of Blocking Dice rolled varies depending on the relative Strengths of the players. However, no matter how many dice are rolled, only one of them is ever used to decide the result of the Block.

  • If the players' Strengths are EQUAL, then ONE DIE is rolled.
  • If one player is STRONGER, then TWO DICE are rolled.
  • If one player is MORE THAN TWICE AS STRONG, then THREE DICE are rolled.
IMPORTANT: The coach of the player making the Block always rolls the dice, but the coach of the stronger player chooses which die is used.

Roll the appropriate number of dice and look up the result on the table below. On the table, the player making the Block is the 'attacker,' while his target is the 'defender.'

Symbol   Result

[Skull]   The attacking player is knocked down by the defender.

[Block]   The players knock each other down, unless one or both of the players involved has the Block skill. If one player has the Block skill, he is not knocked over by his opponent, though he will still knock his opponent down. If both players have the Block skill, then neither player is knocked over.

[Arrow]   The defender is pushed back one square by the attacker, who may follow up the defender.

[Dodge]   The defender is pushed back and knocked over by the attacker unless the defender has the Dodge skill. If he has the Dodge skill, then he is only pushed back one square. The attacking player may follow up the defender in either case.

[Pow]   The defender is pushed back and knocked over by the attacker, who may follow up the defender.

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Knock Downs

A player who is knocked down should be placed on his back in the square, face up. The player may be injured on the play (see the Knock Downs & Injuries section). If the knocked down player comes from the moving team, then a Turnover takes place, and the moving team's turn ends immediately!

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Push Backs

A player who is pushed back as a result of a Block must be moved one square away from the player making the Block, as shown in the diagram below.

[Insert diagram here!]

The coach of the player who made the Block may decide which square the player enters.

A player must be pushed back into an empty square if possible. If all such squares are occupied by other players, then the player is pushed into an occupied square, and the player that originally occupied that square is pushed back in turn, as per the diagram above.

If there are no eligible empty squares available on the field, a player may be pushed off the field and into the crowd. A player pushed off the field is beaten up by the crowd, and must roll on the Injury Table (see the Injuries section). Note that no Armor Roll is made for a player that is pushed off the pitch: he is automatically injured. If you roll a 'Stunned' result on the Injury Table, place the player in the Reserves box of the Dugout. He must remain there until a touchdown is scored or the half ends.

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Follow-Up Moves

If the attacker pushes back the defender, he is allowed to make a special follow-up move to occupy the square vacated by the defender. This move is free, and the player can ignore enemy Tackle Zones when he makes the move - he does not have to dodge to enter the square. If the attacker knocks the defender over, then he must make this move before his coach makes an armor roll for the defender.

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Assisting A Block

After a Block has been declared, the attacker and the defender have the option of adding extra players to give assists. This allows two or more attackers to gang up on a single defender, or for one or more defenders to aid a companion against an attacker. Each extra player adds +1 to the Strength of the player they are assisting.

IMPORTANT: Assisting a Block does not count as an action, and a player can assist any number of Blocks per turn. A player is allowed to make an assist after he himself has taken an action.

The attacking coach must first declare whether any of his players will give an assist; the defending coach may then add defensive assists with players from his team.

In order to give an assist, the player

  1. must be adjacent to the enemy player involved in the block,
  2. must not be in the Tackle Zone of any other player from the opposing team, and
  3. must be standing.

IMPORTANT: The result of the Block affects only the two players directly involved. Assisting players are not affected. Similarly, only the skills belonging to the two players directly involved in the Block may be used to affect the dice result, armor roll, or injury roll. Skills belonging to assisting players cannot be used by either side to affect these rolls.

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Blitzes

Once per team turn, a player on the moving team is allowed to take a Blitz action. A Blitz allows the player to move and make a Block. The player may make the Block at any point during the move, but the Block costs the player one square of his Movement Allowance. If the player has any Movement Allowance left, he may carry on moving after the effects of the Block have been worked out.

If the player is taking a Blitz action, he may go for it in order to make the Block, which costs one point of Movement Allowance (see the Going For It section). On a roll of 1 the player falls face up in his current square. On any other roll, the player may make the Block without mishap. If the player falls over, then his team suffers a Turnover, and his team's turn ends immediately!

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Follow-Up Moves

A player making a Blitz is allowed to make a follow up move after pushing back the defender. The move does not cost him any of his Movement Allowance, as he has already paid a square in order to make the Block.

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Knock Downs & Injuries

Any player that is knocked down or falls over for any reason should be placed face up on the field in the square he was in when he fell over. While prone, the player may do nothing except stand up at a cost of 3 squares of his Movement Allowance when he next takes an action. A player may stand up in an opposing player's tackle zone without having to make a dodge roll (he will have to dodge if he subsequently leaves the squares, however).

A player who falls over will drop the ball if he was carrying it, and it will bounce one square in a random direction (see the Bouncing Balls section).

IMPORTANT: A player that stands up may not take a Block action, because you may not move when you take a Block action. The player may take any other type of action, however.

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Injuries

Any player that is knocked down or falls over for any reason may be injured. The opposing coach is allowed to roll 2d6 in an attempt to try to beat the fallen player's Armor Value. If the roll succeeds, then the opposing coach is allowed to roll on the Injury Table below to see what injury the player has suffered.

Injury Table
2d6   Result
2-7   Stunned: Leave the player on the field, but turn him face down. All he may do for his next action is take a Move action and turn face up. Once face up, he may stand up on any subsequent turn using the normal rules.
 
8-9   Knocked Out: Take the player off the field and place him in the Dugout in the KO'd Players box. At the next kick-off, before you set up any players, roll for each of your KO'd players. On a roll of 1-3 the player must remain in the KO'd box, and you may not use him this drive. On a roll of 4-6 you may return the player to the Reserves box and use him as normal for this drive.
 
10+   Casualty: Take the player off the field and place him in the Dugout in the Dead & Injured Players box. Roll on the Casualty Table below to find out what kind of injury the player has suffered!

If a player suffers a casualty, the opposing coach is allowed to roll a d6 on the Casualty Table below to see what type of casualty the player has suffered.

Casualty Table
d6   Result
1-3   Badly Hurt: The player must miss the rest of the game.
 
4-5   Seriously Injured: The player must miss the rest of the game. If you are playing a league match, then the player must miss all of the next game as well, and the opposing coach is allowed to roll on the Serious Injury Table to see what happened to the player.
 
6   Dead! The player won't be playing much Blood Bowl any more - unless he joins an Undead team, that is!

If a player suffers a Serious Injury in a league match, then the opposing coach is allowed to roll d66 on the Serious Injury Table below to see what type of serious injury the player has suffered.

Serious Injury Table
d66   Result   Effect
11-13   Concussion   Miss next game
14-16   Broken Ribs   Miss next game
21-23   Groin Strain   Miss next game
24-26   Gouged Eye   Miss next game
31-33   Broken Jaw   Miss next game
34-36   Fractured Arm   Miss next game
41-43   Fractured Leg   Niggling Injury
44-46   Smashed Hand   Niggling Injury
51-52   Damaged Back   Niggling Injury
53-54   Smashed Knee   Niggling Injury
55-56   Smashed Nerve   Niggling Injury
61   Smashed Hip   -1 MA
62   Smashed Ankle   -1 MA
63   Smashed Collar Bone   -1 ST
64   Broken Neck   -1 AG
65   Serious Concussion   -1 AV
66   Fractured Skull   -1 AV
Miss Next Game: Write an 'M' in the injuries box on the team roster, and rub it out at the end of the next match.

Niggling Injury: Miss next game, as above. In addition, write an 'N' in the injuries box on the team roster. Before each match, you must roll one d6 for each Niggling Injury the player has suffered. On any roll of 1, the player must miss the match.

-1 MA, ST, AG, AV: Miss next game, as above. In addition, record the characteristic change on the team roster. However, no characteristic may be reduced by more than 2 points, and no characteristic may be reduced below a value of 1. Any injuries that could reduce the characteristic further are ignored.

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Substitutes

While the match is in progress, you may not substitute fit players for injured players or players that have been sent off the field. The only time that you may add reserves to the team is when you are setting up before a kick-off.

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Throwing The Football

Once per team turn, a player on the moving team is allowed to take a Pass action. The player is allowed to make a normal move, and after he has completed the move, he must throw the football.

NOTE: The player does not have to be holding the ball at the start of the action; he could use his Movement Allowance to run over and pick up a dropped ball and then throw it, for example.

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The Throw

First, the coach must declare where the player is trying to throw the ball. The player can throw the football to another player in his own team (or another player in the opposing team, if he really wants to), or simply to an empty square, though obviously the first of these options will be the most useful - and may keep him from being attacked by his own team members!

Next, the coach must use the Range Ruler to measure the range from the player to the target.

NOTE: It is perfectly acceptable to measure the range to several players before you declare a target.

Look up the player's Agility on the Agility Table to find the score required to successfully pass the ball.

AGILITY TABLE

Player's AG   1   2   3   4   5   6+
d6 roll required   6+   5+   4+   3+   2+   1+
 
Passing Modifiers
Throwing a Quick Pass   +1
Throwing a Short Pass   +0
Throwing a Long Pass   -1
Throwing a Long Bomb   -2
Per opposing Tackle Zone on the player   -1

Roll a d6, and add or subtract any of the modifiers that apply to the die roll. A roll of 1 before modification always fails, and a roll of 6 before modification always succeeds.

If the final modified score equals or beats the required roll, the pass is accurate and lands in the target square. If the die roll is less than the required total, then the pass is not accurate, and it will scatter. Roll for scatter three times, one after the other, to see where the ball ends up. Note that each of the scatter rolls is made separately, so it is possible for the ball to end up back in the target square (though it will be harder to catch).

IMPORTANT: The ball can only be caught in the final square in which it ends up - if it scatters through a player's square as the result of an inaccurate pass, then the player is not allowed to attempt to catch the ball.

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Interceptions and Fumbles

When a player throws the football, various things can go wrong. Usually the ball will be slightly off target, or dropped by the intended receiver. These events are handled by the normal throwing rules.

Sometimes, however, the thrower may completely fumble the throw and drop the ball in his own square, or an opposing player may intercept the ball before it reaches the target square. Both of these events are handled by the rules below.

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Interceptions

One player on the opposing team may attempt to intercept a thrown ball. To be eligible to attempt an interception, the player must be standing between the player who is throwing the ball and the player who is meant to receive it. Additionally, the Range Ruler must pass over at least part of the intercepting player's base. The opposing coach must declare that one of his players will try to intercept before the thrower rolls to see if his pass is on target.

IMPORTANT: Only one player can attempt an interception, no matter how many are eligible.

Look up the player's Agility on the Agility Table to find the score required to successfully intercept the ball.

AGILITY TABLE

Player's AG   1   2   3   4   5   6+
d6 roll required   6+   5+   4+   3+   2+   1+
 
Intercepting Modifiers
Attempting an interception   -2
Per opposing Tackle Zone on the player   -1

Roll a d6, and add or subtract any of the modifers that apply to the die roll. A roll of 1 before modification always fails, and a roll of 6 before modification always succeeds.

If the final modified score is less than the required total, then the player fails to intercept the ball, and the pass can carry on as normal. If the die roll equals or beats the required roll, however, then the player succeeds in intercepting the ball. Place the ball on the player's base to show that he has caught it.

A successful interception counts as a Turnover, and the moving team's turn ends immediately.

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Fumbles

Sometimes a player attempting to throw the ball will drop it in his own square. This is more likely if the player has any opposing players breathing down his neck, or if he's attempting a particularly long throw.

To represent this, if the die roll for a pass is 1 or less before or after modification, then the thrower has fumbled and dropped the ball. The ball will scatter once from the thrower's square.

A fumble counts as a Turnover, and the moving team's turn ends immediately.

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Catching the Football

If the football lands in a square occupied by a standing player, then the player may attempt to catch the football. Either team's players may attempt to catch the ball.

IMPORTANT: Prone players may never attempt to catch the ball.

Look up the player's Agility on the Agility Table to find the score required to successfully catch the ball.

AGILITY TABLE

Player's AG   1   2   3   4   5   6+
d6 roll required   6+   5+   4+   3+   2+   1+
 
Catching Modifiers
Catching an accurate pass or hand-off   +1
Catching a missed pass,
bouncing ball, or throw-in
  +0
Per opposing Tackle Zone on the player   -1

Roll a d6, and add or subtract any modifiers that apply to the die roll. A roll of 1 before modification always fails, and a roll of 6 before modification always succeeds.

If the final modified score equals or beats the required roll, then the player succeeds in catching the ball. Place the ball on the player's base to show that he has caught it, and carry on with the team turn. If the die roll is less than the required total, however, then the player drops the ball, which will bounce (see the Bouncing Balls section). A player who does not attempt to catch a ball in his square will also cause the ball to bounce.

NOTE: If the player who caught the ball has not taken an action yet, he may do so now, or even later in the team turn.

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Bouncing Balls

If the football is not caught, or the square in which it lands is unoccupied (or is occupied by a prone player), then it will bounce. This is a technical term for the thing jumping about all over the place while the players stumble about trying to grab it!

To find out where the ball bounces, roll for scatter one more time. If the ball bounces into a square with a standing player in it, then the player in the square may attempt to catch the ball, as described above. If the player fails to catch the ball, or does not attempt to catch it, then it will bounce again until it is either caught or bounces into an empty square or bounces off the field.

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Throw-ins

When the ball scatters off the field, it is immediately thrown back in by the eager spectators! Use the Throw-in Template to work out where the ball goes, using as a starting point the last square the ball crossed before going off the field (see the Basic Rules section).

If the ball is thrown into a square occupied by a standing player, then that player may attempt to catch the ball, as described above. If the ball lands in an empty square or a square occupied by a prone player, then it will bounce. If a throw-in results in the ball going off the field again, it will be thrown in yet again, centered on the last square it crossed before it went back off the field. (Those fans sure are persistent about keeping the game moving!)

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Turnovers

If a player on the moving team takes a Pass action and throws a ball that isn't caught by a player from the moving team, then a Turnover takes place, and the moving team's turn ends immediately.

IMPORTANT: The Turnover does not take place until the ball finally comes to rest. This means that if the ball misses the target but it still caught by a player from the moving team, then a Turnover does not take place. The ball could even scatter out of bounds, be thrown back in to an empty square, and bounce - and as long as it was caught by a player from the moving team, the Turnover would be avoided!

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Throwing Team-mates

Some large players (known in Blood Bowl terms as 'Big Guys') are allowed to throw small players on their team, instead of the ball. In order to do this, the Big Guy must have the Throw Team-mate skill, and the player being thrown must have the Right Stuff trait. The Big Guy must take a Pass action, and may move before he throws the other player. After his move, the two players must be standing in adjacent squares. A Big Guy is allowed to throw a team-mate who is holding the ball.

The throw is treated like a normal pass, except that the range is treated as if it were one band higher (a Quick Pass counts as a Short Pass, for example). This means that it is impossible to throw a team-mate out to Long Bomb range. In addition, the team-mate must be thrown to an empty square, and may not be intercepted by an opposing player - not even another Big Guy!

Apart from the changes noted above, the pass works as normal. You must still roll to see if the throw is accurate, just as if the player were throwing the football. If the throw is accurate, then the thrown player lands in the target square. If the throw misses, then roll three times for scatter to see where the thrown player ends up, just as if he were an inaccurately thrown football.

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Landing

If the thrown player ends up out of bounds, then he is beaten up by the crowd just as if he had been pushed out of bounds. If he lands on top of another player, then both players are knocked over, and the player that gets landed on is pushed back one square.

If the thrown player lands in an empty square, however, then the next step is to make a roll to see if he manages to land on his feet. Look up the player's Agility on the Agility Table below to find the score required to successfully land upright.

AGILITY TABLE

Player's AG   1   2   3   4   5   6+
d6 roll required   6+   5+   4+   3+   2+   1+
 
Landing Modifiers
Pass was accurate   +1
Per opposing Tackle Zone on
the square in which the player lands
  -1

Roll a d6, and add or subtract any of the modifiers that apply to the die roll. A roll of 1 before modification always fails, and a roll of 6 before modification always succeeds.

If the final modified score equals or beats the required roll, then the player lands on his feet and may take an action immediately, or take one later in the team turn if he has not already done so. If the die roll is less than the required total, then he falls over upon landing, and the opposing coach may make an armor roll to see if he is injured. A failed roll does not count as a Turnover unless the player was holding the ball.

IMPORTANT: A player thrown into the End Zone while carrying the ball must land on his feet to score a touchdown. If he falls over, a touchdown is not scored, and the ball scatters as normal.

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Handing Off The Football

Once per team turn, a player on the moving team is allowed to take a Hand-off action. The player is allowed to take a normal move, and after he has completed the move, he must hand off the ball to another member of his team.

A hand-off, as its name implies, involves handing the ball to a player that is in an adjacent square. No die roll is required to see if the hand-off is on target - it automatically hits the target square. However, the player receiving the hand-off must roll to see if he catches the ball (see the Catching the Ball section). A Turnover occurs if a player on the moving team takes a Hand-off action and hands off a ball that isn't caught by a player from his team, and the moving team's turn will end immediately.

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Kicking The Football

Once per team turn, a player on the moving team is allowed to make a Kick action. The player is allowed to make a normal move, and after he has completed the move, he must kick the football.

NOTE: The player does not have to be holding the ball at the start of the action; he could use his Movement Allowance to run over and pick up a dropped ball and then kick it, for example.

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The Kick

First, the coach must declare where the player is trying to kick the ball. To do this, the coach lines up the Throw-in Template over the player's head, with any one of the directional arrows aimed at a sideline or an End Zone.

NOTE: It is possible to aim the 3-4 arrow at a corner, with the 1-2 and 5-6 arrows each aimed at one of the edges of the board.

Next, the coach must make a roll to get the kick away. Look up the player's Agility on the Agility Table to find the score required to successfully kick the ball.

AGILITY TABLE

Player's AG   1   2   3   4   5   6+
d6 roll required   6+   5+   4+   3+   2+   1+
 
Kicking Modifiers
Kicking the ball   +0
Per opposing Tackle Zone on the player   -1

Roll a d6, and add or subtract any of the modifiers that apply to the die roll. A roll of 1 before modification always fails, and a roll of 6 before modification always succeeds.

If the final modified score equals or beats the required roll, the player has kicked the ball away without mishap. If the die roll is less than the required total, then the kick has been shanked, with the effects described below.

A player who has kicked the ball away must then roll a d6 for the direction of the kick, using the Throw-in Template. The ball will then travel a number of squares equal to the roll of one die plus the player's Agility score. A shanked kick will travel half this distance, rounded down (so a roll of 2 plus an Agility of 3 yields a 5, which is cut in half and rounded down to 2 squares).

If a kicked ball lands in a square occupied by a standing player, then that player may attempt to catch it (see the Catching The Football section). If it lands in a square that contains a prone player, or in an unoccupied square, then it will bounce (see the Bouncing Balls section).

If a kicked ball goes into the stands, it is immediately thrown back in by the eager spectators (see the Throw-ins section). The one exception to this is a ball that is kicked clear over the last seven squares in the opposing team's End Zone. This is called a 'Field Goal,' and is covered in the Winning The Match section.

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Blocked Kicks and Fumbles

When a player kicks the football, various things can go wrong. Usually the ball will go in the wrong direction, or fall short of the goal. These events are handled by the normal kicking rules.

Sometimes, however, the kicker may completely fumble the kick, dropping the ball in his own square, or an opposing player may block the ball before the kicker gets it away. Both of these events are handled by the rules below.

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Blocked Kicks

One player on the opposing team may attempt to kick block a kicked ball. To be eligible to attempt a kick block, the player must be standing adjacent to the kicker, and must be in one of the squares targeted by the Throw-in Template used to determine the direction of the kick. The opposing coach must declare that one of his players will try a kick block before the kicker rolls to see if his kick is away.

IMPORTANT: Only one player can attempt a kick block, no matter how many are eligible.

Look up the player's Agility on the Agility Table to find the score required to successfully block the kick.

AGILITY TABLE

Player's AG   1   2   3   4   5   6+
d6 roll required   6+   5+   4+   3+   2+   1+
 
Kick Blocking Modifiers
Attempting a kick block   -1
Per opposing Tackle Zone on the player   -1

Roll a d6, and add or subtract any of the modifiers that apply to the die roll. A roll of 1 before modification always fails, and a roll of 6 before modification always succeeds.

If the final modified score is less than the required total, then the player fails to block the kick, and the kick can carry on as normal. If the die roll equals or beats the required roll, however, then the player succeeds in blocking the kick. A blocked kick will bounce once from the kick blocker's square, as normal.

A blocked kick counts as a Turnover, and the moving team's turn ends immediately.

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Fumbles

Sometimes a player attempting to kick the ball will drop it in his own square. This is more likely if the player has any opposing players breathing down his neck!

To represent this, if the die roll to get a kick away is 1 or less before or after modification, then the kicker has fumbled and dropped the ball. The ball will scatter once from the kicker's square.

A fumble counts as a Turnover, and the moving team's turn ends immediately.

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Turnovers

A Kick action always results in a Turnover, no matter what the result of the kick itself. The Turnover does not take place until the player has completed the Kick action and the ball has finally come to rest.

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Fouls

(or "Kicking Players That Are Down"!)

Attacking players that have been knocked over is, of course, strictly against the rules. However, despite the large number of ways in which one player can attack another legally, many resort to the time-honored tradition of kicking a man when he's down. The referee is supposed to spot and penalize players who use such underhanded tactics, but unfortunately, the refs are often looking the other way when something nasty happens on the field, and frequently miss the foul altogether. No wonder the referee is constantly harangued by the crowd!

Once per turn, a player on the moving team is allowed to take a Foul action. The player is allowed to make a normal move, and after he has completed the move, he must foul an opposing player who is both prone and in an adjacent square. The coach nominates the victim, and then makes an armor roll for him, adding +1 to the score. If the score beats the victim's Armor Value, then he is injured, and the coach of the fouling player is allowed to make a roll on the Injury Table to see what has happened to him.

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Assisting A Foul

It is possible for other players adjacent to the victim to assist the foul, and for players adjacent to the fouler to assist the victim. Work out the assists as if the foul were a Block, treating the fouling player as the attacker, and the victim as the defender (see the Assisting A Block section). Each offensive assist adds +1 to the armor roll, while each defensive assist subtracts -1 instead.

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The Ref Roll

After a player has committed a foul, the opposing coach is allowed to make a Ref Roll to see if the referee spotted the infraction. Roll a d6. On a roll of 6, the ref spots the foul and sends off the player who committed it for the rest of the match. Assisting players are left off with a severe caution! On any other roll, the referee has missed the foul, and play continues as normal.

If the ref spots a foul, then the moving team suffers a Turnover, and the team turn ends immediately.

IMPORTANT: A coach may not replace a player who has been sent off until the next kick-off.

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I've Got My Eye On You!

Blood Bowl referees may not be the shiniest shields in the Warhammer World, but they do get it right on occasion. They generally turn a blind eye toward first infractions, but are more likely to step in and whistle a penalty when one side is abusing the other on a routine basis.

In order for this rule to work, you will need a new counter. Anything will do: bottle caps, small coins, a bunch of keys or half-eaten sandwich, etc., but the best possible 'I've Got My Eye On You' counter (abbreviated 'IGMEOY') is a painted referee model. Once you've got an IGMEOY Counter, put it beside the pitch when you set up. Only one is ever needed per match.

The first time a coach commits a foul, he must hand the IGMEOY Counter to the opposing coach, who should place it on his Re-roll Track. While the coach has the IGMEOY Counter on his Re-roll Track, the opposing team is under the watchful eye of the referee. As a result, opposing players will be sent off on a roll of 4 or more when the ref tries to spot the foul, rather than on a 6, as normal.

The coach is allowed to keep hold of the IGMEOY Counter until his own team commits a foul, at which point he must hand it over to his opponent, who can then place it on his own Re-roll Track. In addition, the IGMEOY Counter must be returned to the side of the board (i.e., so that neither coach has it) when a half ends, or when a successful Illegal Procedure call is made against the coach with the counter.

IMPORTANT: In the case of the Illegal Procedure call, the counter is returned, and the original IP call still has its usual effect.

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Arguing the Call

If a player has been sent off for committing a foul, the Head Coach is allowed to argue the call on his player's behalf. Roll a d6. On a roll of 1, the referee has had enough of the argument, and he ejects the Head Coach, who may not argue any further calls for the rest of the match. On a roll of 2-5, the referee ignores the argument, and the call stands. On a roll of 6, however, the referee has accepted the argument (bribe, threat, whatever!) and reversed his decision, so the player stays on the field, and his team does not suffer a Turnover.

NOTE: A Head Coach may also argue the call when the referee issues an Illegal Procedure call against him, or bans the use of a Secret Weapon.

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Re-rolls

Re-rolls are very important in Blood Bowl, as you will quickly discover. There are two types of re-rolls: Team Re-rolls and Player Re-rolls. In either case, a re-roll allows you to re-roll all the dice that procuced any one result. So, for example, you could use a re-roll to re-roll a dodge, in which case the single die rolled would be thrown again; or you could use it to re-roll a three-dice Block, in which case all three dice would be rolled again, and so on.

IMPORTANT: No matter how many re-rolls you have, or what type they are, you may never re-roll a single dice roll more than once. So, for example, if you use the Dodge skill to re-roll a failed dodge roll, and you fail it a second time, then you couldn't use up a Team Re-roll to have a third attempt!

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Team Re-rolls

Team Re-rolls represent how well trained a team is. A coach may use a Team Re-roll to re-roll any dice roll that takes place in his own team turn, so long as it directly affects a player in his own team.

IMPORTANT: Team Re-rolls apply only to your own players! You cannot use a Team Re-roll to re-roll an opponent's armor or injury roll, or re-roll the spell effect from a team Wizard or Apothecary, etc.

The result of the new roll must be accepted in place of the first, even if it is worse. A coach may not use more than one Team Re-roll per team turn, and may not use a re-roll counter to force the opposing coach to re-roll a dice roll (if he succeeds on a difficult dodge, for example).

Each coach must keep track of the number of Team Re-rolls he has left on the track provided on his Dugout. Each time a coach uses up a Team Re-roll, he must remove a counter from the Re-roll Track. When there are no markers left, the coach may not use any more Team Re-rolls for the remainder of the half.

At half-time, the two teams get a chance to rest and recuperate. As a result, their Team Re-rolls are restored to their starting levels.

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Player Re-rolls

Some players have skills that allow them to re-roll the dice under certain circumstances. For example, a Human Thrower has the Pass skill, which allows him to re-roll the die if he misses a pass. A coach may use any number of player re-rolls in the same turn, and a single player may use a skill any number of times in the same match. However, as noted above, a single dice roll may not be re-rolled more than once.

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Skills and Traits

Many players are described as having one or more skills or traits. The difference between skills and traits is explained in full in the Team rules, but both of these give special abilities that modify the player's performance. You'll need to refer to the Team rules quite a lot during your first few games, but don't worry - the effects of the skills and traits will quickly become very familiar!

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Winning The Match

As noted early in these rules, Blood Bowl is split into two halves of sixteen turns each (eight team turns per coach, per half). Play stops when both coaches have had eight turns each, giving the players some much-needed rest, and giving the coaches a chance to replenish the team's full complement of re-roll counters on the Team Re-roll Track.

Play restarts with another kick-off at the start of the second half. The team that kicked off to start the game becomes the receiving team at the start of the second half, and the team that received the ball to start the game must kick-off first after half-time.

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Scoring Touchdowns

A team scores a touchdown when one of its players ends an action standing in the opposing team's End Zone while holding the football. As soon as this happens, play stops, the crowd cheers and whistles, and cheerleaders dance about waving pom-poms. The coach of the scoring team has our permission to leap about and cheer a bit, too, while moving the Score Marker three spaces along the track on his side of the board.

IMPORTANT: Any player may enter either End Zone at any time, even if he is not carrying the ball. If the ball enters the player's square and he manages to catch it, or if he is able to pick up the football while it sits inside his opponent's End Zone, then he will also score a touchdown. Note, however, that in order to score a touchdown, the player must end his action standing in the End Zone. If the player failed to make a dodge roll, for example, and thus fell over in the End Zone, then he would not score a touchdown.

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Scoring In The Opponent's Turn

In rare cases, a team will score a touchdown during the opponent's turn. For example, a player holding the ball could be pushed into the End Zone by a Block, or the ball could bounce to a player who catches it while standing in the opponent's End Zone. If this happens, then the moving team's turn ends immediately, and the team with the ball scores a touchdown. However, the scoring team must move its Turn Marker one space along the Turn Track to represent the extra time the players spend celebrating this unusual method of scoring!

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Scoring Field Goals

A team scores a field goal when one of its players taking a Kick action kicks the ball over any of the squares in the opposition's field goal area and immediately through the End Zone, into the crowd. As soon as this happens, play stops, the crowd cheers and whistles, and cheerleaders dance about waving pom-poms. The coach of the scoring team has our permission to leap about and cheer a bit, too, while moving the Score Marker two spaces along the track on his side of the board.

The field goal area consists of the middle seven squares in the opponent's End Zone, as indicated by the shaded area in the diagram below.

[Insert diagram here!]

IMPORTANT: A field goal counts for a score only if the ball is kicked out of bounds after last passing one of the indicated seven squares. Balls that bounce out of bounds after landing in one of the indicated squares, or that go out of bounds and are then thrown out of bounds over any of the indicated squares, or that get kick blocked over the line, etc., do not count as field goals, and the crowd will throw these balls back into play using the normal rules in the Throw-ins section.

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Restarting the Match

After a touchdown or field goal has been scored, and at the start of the second half, play is restarted, and the match continues. Before each kick-off, however, each coach should roll a d6 for each KO'd player in his Dugout. On a roll of 4 or more, the player is fit enough to return to play, but on any other result he must stay in the KO'd box in the Dugout.

Both coaches may then set up any fit players for a new kick-off, just as they did at the start of the game. When play is restarted after a score, the team that scored last is always the one to kick off. At the start of the second half, the team that kicked off at the start of the game becomes the receiving team.

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Ending the Match

The team with the most points at the end of the last turn of the second half is declared the winner.

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Conceding the Match

You may choose to concede a match at the start of one of your own team turns, before you have have moved the Turn Marker along the track. The other coach is immediately declared the winner of the game.

If you concede the match during league play, and are using the League rules, then the winner gains all of the loser's money and MVPs, and may add +2 to his Fan Factor roll at the end of the game. The loser automatically loses one Fan Factor, and may not roll for a new one. In addition, the loser must roll a d6 for each player on his team with 51+ SPPs. On a roll of 3 or less, the player will quit the team in disgust, and the loser must cross the player off his team roster.

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Overtime

If the match is tied at the end of the second half, then it goes into 'sudden death overtime'. Flip a coin or roll a die to see who kicks off to start the overtime session, and then play a third series of eight turns per team. Neither team gets any Team Re-roll counters back in overtime, as they are too tired to use them by this stage in the game. However, any remaining Team Re-rolls from the second half can be used by either team in the overtime.

The first team to score wins the match. If neither team scores, then the match is declared a draw.

STOP! You have read all of the rules that you need to know in order to play a game of Blood Bowl. Whaddya waitin' for? Go out there and cause some mayhem!


Cheers! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me at chz@buffalo.edu. And above all - ENJOY!