Fantasy Sports

While they're not going to be packing in the stands here in the US for football games, you can still get some gridiron action going on with Blood Bowl. And Games Workshop has announced a new version of the game will be hitting shelves soon.

From the article:

Ah, the great years. The years of sporting glory: 1986, 1988, 1994, 2001, and 2016… What do all these have in common? 

What’s that? Yes, you at the back with the massive foam finger and the Bloodweiser stein…

That’s right! They’re all years in which a new edition of the world’s favourite game of Fantasy Football was released… and now we can announce that 2020 is set to join those mighty dates etched into the annals of glory.

This holiday season, prepare for sports mayhem on an unparalleled scale, as the all-new edition of Blood Bowl hits a stadium near you!

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The actual gridiron might be a little barren this upcoming season. Thankfully, there's still tabletop gridirons that can have some action on them. And if you're looking for a new player, Avatars of War is here to help. They've got a new Dwarf Berserker figure that you can pick up now.

From the announcement:

AoW miniatures enter the Gridiron! This is the first miniature of a new range from AoW: Fantasy Football versions of some of our most classic figures!

How not, we start out with the first AoW miniature that saw the light of the day, the Dwarf Berserker.

 Make sure to click on the link to see full details and 360º view of this new miniature

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Normally, Blood Bowl teams are kept to just a single race. You have the Human team and you have the Skaven team and you have the Lizardman team. But what if you mixed some of those groups together and made a team out of them? That's what we've got here with a pair of new Blood Bowl teams that you can order now from the GW website.

From the website:

Mixed hybrid teams are legal again under NAF rules, formed from a mix of different races and cultures. The great cities of the Old World have produced some fantastic teams, and the Middenheim Marauders are an excellent example. The combination of Human, Dwarf and Halfling players creates new strengths and eliminates old weaknesses to forge something greater than the sum of its parts.

Old World Alliance teams are assembled from players across a variety of races and cultures, united by the place they call home. Each of them brings their own skills – Human flexibility, Dwarf toughness and strength, and Halfling, er… greasy slipperiness and cooking skills. If you're looking for challenges as well as tactical opportunities, look no further than the Middenheim Maulers.

This multipart plastic kit contains components from the existing Human, Dwarf and Halfling team sets. You’ll be able to build 3 unique Halfling Hopefuls, 3 Human Linemen, 1 Human Blitzer, 1 Human Thrower, 3 Dwarf Blockers, 1 Dwarf Runner, 1 Dwarf Blitzer, and 1 Dwarf Troll Slayer. You'll also get 3 Dwarf and 3 Human balls, plus one each of Human and Dwarf team tokens and turn markers! You'll also find an Old World Alliance transfer sheet and 15 32mm Blood Bowl bases.

From the website:

Mixed hybrid teams are legal again under NAF rules, formed from a mix of different races and cultures. Skaven and Goblin teams are affectionately called the Underworld Denizens, and the Underworld Creepers are one of the most popular examples. The combination of players from both races joins the best of both worlds, spawning new strengths and eliminating old weaknesses to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

Goblin and Skaven players have little in common besides their size and subterranean homes, but as a team they can put together a winning combination of positions and players. They're a lot of fun to play and you'll enjoy a dizzying variety of fresh tactics and plays, whilst keeping your opponents on their toes.

This multipart plastic kit contains components from both the existing Goblin and Skaven team sets. You'll be able to build 6 unique Goblins with interchangeable heads, 3 Skaven Linemen, 1 Skaven Blitzer, 1 Skaven Thrower, and 1 Skaven Gutter Runner. Alongside the players, the set contains 3 Goblin and 3 Skaven balls, plus one of each team's tokens and turn markers! You'll also find an Underworld Denizens transfer sheet and 12 32mm Blood Bowl bases.

The rules to use Underworld Denizens teams in your games of Blood Bowl can be found in Spike! Journal Issue 9.

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It's looking more and more like the only pro sports we'll have regularly might be what we play on our own tabletops in quarantine this year, at least here in the US. But that doesn't mean you can't have an awesome new team to put on the pitch. Greebo Games is running a Kickstarter Campaign for Vicious Wildfire, a new orc team for your games.

From the campaign:

Wait a minute… delivery estimated after only fewmonths after the campaign ends? A Greebo campaign?!Oh yes, and here’s why: because we’ve started production already! We’re convinced that we can reach the campaign goal, at the least, and that’s why we started the manufacturing process of everything. Therefore, the second you complete your Pledge Manager (let us remind all of you, if you don’t complete it, there will be no shipment, so do it!) your package will be processed and sent, just like that.

We want to open and close this campaign in record time, and we’re confident that we can do it!

The campaign's roughly 23x funded with 14 days left to go.

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Fellowship Games and Punga Miniatures are teaming up to bring you a new fantasy football team for your tabletops. It's the Undead Buccaneers. Want some pirate vampires? Maybe some mummy pirates? You can get them during this campaign over on Kickstarter.

From the campaign:

Fellowship Games is proud to bring you Punga Miniatures new project: Three new and unique Undead teams for Fantasy Football! More than 70 miniatures in 32 mm scale, all made in resin!
             Tireless Vampire Buccaneers appease their bloodlust on their quest for glory. The Sons of Anubis seek to rule as they did in the past, and the Crypt Guardians are here to cause as much chaos as they can. Which group of the Undead you will choose? Or will you take them all?  

Please note that now prices are in USD.  We left the prices at the same level as two years ago, in order to be available to our backers! And now all models will come with plastic bases for free. 

The campaign's around 25x funded, however, there's only just over a day left to get in on the project. So you'd better hurry!

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Most tabletop games we cover here on TGN are a board game or a card game. There's occasionally a dexterity-based game, but they are pretty rare. StrikeZone is a bit more than even a dexterity game, as you actually have figures to pitch and hit the ball in this tabletop baseball simulator. You can check out this game on Kickstarter now.

From the campaign:

Pitch, Swing, and Hit TOWERING home runs with realistic players on a massive 5x5 feet tabletop diamond. 

Play 1-on-1 in a head-to-head garage competition or divide your friends into two teams of All-Stars for a backyard World Series you'll never forget. There's no limits to how, when or where you can play baseball with StrikeZone.

And to keep things fair, you can use the free mobile app to keep score, track record-breaking stats, and share results with friends and rivals on your favorite social media platform.

The game's around 3x funded with 28 days left to go.

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No game is entirely perfect. And the more "moving parts" a game has, the more chance for something that could require tweaks, changes, and updates later on down the line. Well, Guild Ball has a lot of moving parts and therefore has a lot of places that it can be worked on. Steamforged has, ever since the game came out, tried to keep up with the status of the game and now, they're working on it some more.

From the article:

A couple of weeks ago I tweeted a new hashtag (#guildballfieldtest) to start conversations about what, if any, changes we wanted to look at for Guild Ball. This article digs a little deeper into explaining how this process is going to work and what the possible outcomes are.

If your first question is “Why do we even need a field test, Guild Ball is perfect?” I hear you and get where you are coming from. To address this, I recently posted a lengthy article explaining the high-level thinking behind why we need to take a look at the ruleset and current ‘balance-point’ of the game in the Guild Ball Supporters Facebook group and got a huge response, which was amazing!

It should be stressed that tweaks/changes to the ruleset aren’t the only aspects of the Guild Ball product line I am looking at. Other areas obviously need some TLC too but I will only talk about these when I have actual updated information to share. Right now I am in talks with 1) retailers and distributors discussing their requirements for a successful product line, 2) manufacturers to look at new ways of producing minis and 3) the Champions and the wider community, to assess the best direction to look towards in terms of having fun chatting with each other about the game we love. 

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No matter how much testing a company does, whenever their product goes out into "the wild," there's bound to be things that are found that could have possibly been better in the design. That definitely holds true for minis games that have quite a lot of different moving parts associated with them. Well, thankfully, many companies look to fix these issues. Steamforged, for example, has released a new Guild Ball Errata. Make sure you're playing with the right rules!

From the post:

Hey there, sports fans!

It’s been around 6 months, which means the time has come again. 

That’s right: 

It’s time for the new Guild Ball errata!

This errata is smaller than the previous errata which, as you might remember, was the Biggest Ever. 

Here, 18 models have seen changes with, as always, the goal of equalising win and play rates across the game. 

If you were thinking that there wouldn't be a single sheep or goat as part of the Shepherd's Guild, you would be mistaken. They've got themselves a big one. It's Ram, and we get a look at just how they work on the pitch in this preview.

From the website:

Welcome back, Guild Ball fans, for the final Shepherd’s Guild reveal blog!

In the previous post, we met the Shepherds’ star striker, Shearer (try saying that five times fast).

Now, last but not least, it’s Ram’s time to shine. 

Sheep constantly grow their wool. If it's not sheared off, it could actually cause harm to the sheep due to overheating and other effects. So, if you've got a flock of sheep, you need someone to make sure they're cleanly cut. That's where Shearer comes in. He's the next Shepherd's Guild figure to get previewed for Guild Ball. Let's take a look.

From the website:

Hey there, Guild Ball fans! 

We’re back to reveal another Shepherd’s Guild Squaddie.

So far we’ve said hello to Herder, Babe, Lamb, and matching sheepdogs, Hook and Crook.

But today, we’re in the presence of a football legend. It’s Shearer! 

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When you're talking about a guild of Shepherds, you're going to expect to see lambs. But Lamb for the Shepherd's Guild in Guild Ball is just some young sheep, barely able to stand. Nope, he's a football master and you can get a preview of him here.

From the post:

Welcome back, Guild Ballers, to the first Shepherd’s Guild Squaddie reveal! 

We’ve already met Captain Herder and sheeppig Mascot, Babe. 

Today, we’re saying hello to Lamb:

An old, scarred northman with a mysterious past and a missing finger…

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Babypuppies! Eee!

If you're wanting a team in Guild Ball that lets you have a puppy on the field, you have a couple choices including the Butcher's Guild and Hunter's Guild. Soon, another doggo-friendly crew will be hitting the pitch. The Shepherd's Guild has a pair of squaddies, Hook and Crook that are the goodest of squadies. Check them out here.

From the post:

Welcome back to another Shepherd’s reveal blog! 

Last time, you met the first Shepherd Squaddie, Lamb.

Today, we’ve got two more Squaddies for you. And these guys live for the appaws!

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If you were thinking that the Shepherd's Guild's mascot would be a sheepdog or maybe a ram or something, you would be mistaken. Their mascot has a more porcine nature. It's Babe, the pig that thinks it's a sheepdog. In this preview, we get a look at just what they'll bring to the table (the game table, not the dinner table).

From the post:

Hey there, Guild Ball fans!

How’d you like the new Shepherd’s Guild Captain, Herder? 

Ready to meet their Mascot, Babe?

Great, because Bryce is back to introduce us.

The Captain is the head of the team. By looking at what they can do, you can get a good idea of how the team works, overall. What they emphasize is what everyone else will emphasize. So, getting a look at the Captain for the Shepherd's Guild, the new Minor Guild coming out for Guild Ball, is a good way to see what everyone on the team will be like. So, let's take a look.

From the post:

Gather ‘round, Guild Ball fans! 

Last week, we took our first look at the core rules and mechanics for the Shepherd’s Guild.

Today we’re back with Bryce Johnston, Lead Developer of Guild Ball, to reveal the Shepherd Captain, Herder!

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The Shepherd's Guild is the next team that will be coming out for Guild Ball. They're the Minors for the Farmer's Guild, giving that team a couple new options as well in the process. If you're wanting to get this new team, you can go over and put your name down on the list to get it now. Be the first gamer on your block with these figures when they're released.

From the website:

Released March 27th 2020, any orders containing this item will be shipped for the release date or shortly after.

“Folks will flock to the stands to see these guys play …”
- Lucky, Free Agent

Guiding his team through the dangers of the Guild Ball pitch, Herder isn’t sheepish about ramming in a crowd-pleasing goal. His Shepherds work together to win, bolstered by a farmyard of animals and a football legend for a teammate. Woe betide any foe who injures one of their players, for the culprit may find out this team are really wolves in sheep’s clothing.

This set includes seven players: Herder, Babe, Hook and Crook, Lamb, Ram, Shearer. Also included is a 3D terrain piece, a goalpost and a ball. All miniatures are cast in coloured resin.

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Greebo Games had been making their Cutiemals fantasy sports teams for a bit now. Now, they're doing something just slightly different. They've got a new Kickstarter campaign up for another pair of teams. But these are a bit more undead than usual. They're the Necromals and they're ready to hit the pitch.

From the campaign:

We created something for those who like to not take themselves too seriously, for those who would like to relax while painting - with less details, but by no means not enough of them - for those who love their minis with a side dose of cuteness overload and, finally, for those who might have children to introduce to miniature gaming, by giving all of these people something that players will love (or hate, as the case may be) no matter their age!

Wait a minute… delivery estimated after only two week after the campaign ends? A Greebo campaign?!

Oh yes, and here’s why: because we’ve started production already! We’re convinced that we can reach the campaign goal, at the least, and that’s why we started the manufacturing process of everything. Therefore, the second you complete your Pledge Manager (let us remind all of you, if you don’t complete it, there will be no shipment, so do it!) your package will be processed and sent, just like that.

We want to open and close this campaign in record time, and we’re confident that we can do it!

The campaign's already more than 10x funded with 16 days left to go.

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Been a while since we've had some real Guild Ball news, but the game's still out there being worked on by Steamforged. Most Guilds have a Minor Guild associated with them, but there's still a few without. The Farmer's Guild is one, but that's going to be rectified soon. Steamforged has announced the Shepherd's Guild (they make amazing pies) and is giving us a little look into how they'll work.

From the post:

The Shepherds are the Minor Guild for the Farmers, which means they share the same basic rules. 

Like the Farmers, Shepherds are split into Reapers and Planters. Planters put out harvest markers and Reapers use them for a variety of powerful abilities. 

Shepherd playbooks start with 2 damage on column 1, have no damage buffs, and the Planters only have 3 damage on their very final playbook column. 

The Shepherds also have generally poor defensive stats and above average HP. 

So far, so Farmer. But then, what makes the Shepherd’s Guild different? 

Glad you asked because, otherwise, this would be a very short blog. 

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This weekend, the American Football season comes to an end with the Super Bowl. It seems a pretty good time to celebrate sports in all its form, including using toy soldiers on your tabletop. And Mantic is celebrating pretty hard with their Super Mega Cup Sale going on now. You want to get DreadBall for a lot cheaper than usual? Now's your chance. And to make sure you're using the best rules, they've also posted an updated Errata and FAQ.

Steamforged is looking to bring back some Guild Ball teams that've been out of print for a while, doing them up in new box sets with new sculpts and the figures made out of new material. In this instance, it's The Order, what the Union turned to after the church took hold. You can order this new box set now.

From the website:

Her association with the Butcher’s Guild fast fading into memory, Brisket takes the field as the first captain of a Solthecian dynasty. Familiar figures join her, their guises thrown off to reveal their true allegiance. From the fleet-footed midfielder to the aggressive striker, each player complements their captain to form a dangerously mobile team.

This set includes 6 players: Seasoned Brisket, Pride, Benediction, Grace, Harry ‘The Hat’, Mist. Also included is a 3D terrain piece, a goalpost and a ball.

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Get ready for trouble! And prepare to make it double!

Two new contenders are stepping into the Aristeia arena. They're Moonchild and Lei Gong and they'll bring a wealth of new options for when you're building your team for the game. In this preview, we get a look at their sculpts as well as their cards, so you can know jus what these new contestants will be bringing to the field.

From the post:

Corvus Belli presents a new expansion for Aristeia!, Double Trouble (DT), which expands match options and versatility of the game with two new Characters - each one offering a new way to play and amazing Skills that’ll shift the perspective of how players view the game.

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Summer is in full swing down in the Southern Hemisphere. But even up here in the frozen north, it can be summer. Or, it can be soon. Forge World is taking pre-orders for Gloriel Summerbloom, a new elven Star Player for Blood Bowl. Go get your name on the list to get this new figure right when it's released.

From the post:

Gloriel Summerbloom is famously whimsical and carefree, even for a Wood Elf! She revels in the beauty and grace of a well-played game, though she doesn't care for the violence which everyone else seems to enjoy so much. Her fans find this refreshing, whilst her detractors find it hopelessly naive. What none dispute, however, is her almost supernatural throwing accuracy and agility on the pitch.

Your Wood Elf team can hire this Star Player to ensure a stunning passing game. Not only is the model incredible, encapsulating the grace and fluidity of Wood Elfs, but her Skill list is amazing. She’s posed mid-leap, holding the ball back in a wind-up to a throw, her long braid and sash flowing around her. If you're looking for a fun painting project, the detailed leaves, vines, and hair will make for a suitably impressive display piece!

This finely detailed resin model is supplied in 9 components, including a 32mm round base. Gloriel Summerbloom is exclusively available to play for Wood Elf teams. You can find all the rules you need to use her in your games of Blood Bowl in the 7th issue of Spike! Journal, the Team Card Pack: Wood Elf Team and the Blood Bowl Almanac 2019.

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The folks over at One Page Rules have been busy, little bees. They're giving you a special holiday gift with six, yes, six new sets of miniatures game rules. There's a little bit of everything. There's sci-fi fleets. There's fantasy sports. There's modern-era. There's fantasy. If you like playing with miniatures, chances are good there's a rules set you'll be interested in.

From the announcement:

For those of you that don’t know, before the great purge of 2017 we used to have a lot more games than just Grimdark Future and Age of Fantasy, many of which were beloved by OPR fans all over the world.

Those games had been discontinued for a long time because we felt that we didn’t have the time to properly support them, and couldn’t find a neat way to keep them available for the community as we re-worked our project for the future.

Fans have been asking us for years to bring fan-favorites such as WarStuff and Double Tap back, and today we’re happy to say that the long wait is over!

If you check out our website you’re not going to find a new section called One-Off Games, which is going to be our new repository for a ton of small and awesome games that didn’t make the cut to become bigger (yet).

So what are One-Off Games you ask?

One-Off Games are stand-alone games in our signature one-page format, which are developed to explore specific mechanics or miniature lines. These games have minimum support and could be removed at any point unless they prove to be popular enough.

Check them out here: https://onepagerules.com/portfolio/one-off-games

For today we’re only bringing back 6 of our most popular classic games, but in the future you can expect more games to be released this way as we find interesting ideas to explore or just need some rules to play with cool new miniatures.

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You wouldn't think that a turtle would be a good addition to a sports team. But the Union isn't like most sports teams. The Union is getting itself a new captain in the form of Captain Greede. You can already pre-order this model, but what does he do on the pitch? Let's find out.

From the post:

Hey there, Guild Ball fans. 

We’ve got something really special for you today.

He was shown off last year at SteamCon, he’s abandoned his previous pal for a brand new shellboy, and he’s determined to rebuild the Union in his own image.

That’s right:

It’s Veteran Greede!

And he’s riding Strongbox!

How awesome is that?

Guild Ball’s Lead Developer, Bryce Johnston, is here to tell you just how awesome it is...

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Like happens so often with Forge World, it's two ends of the spectrum with their pre-orders for the week. On one side, you have a quick and nimble Blood Angles jump-pack squad for 40k. On the other side, there's the big and lumbering Ogre team expansion set for Blood Bowl. Sci-fi versus fantasy sports. Take your pick (even if it's both).

Even within a Legion whose skills in the arts of orbital strike and shock assault are legendary, the Dawnbreaker Cohorts stand apart. Chosen from amongst the most experience and daring of the Legion's assault squads, they have one purpose in battle, to sunder the enemy's lines and tear the heart from their formation.

Armed with the falling-star pattern power spear, the Dawnbreaker Cohorts are able to rip through even the toughest enemy infantry on the charge. Clad in ornate armour, covered in Blood Angels symbols, they perfectly complement the rest of your Legion Assault Squads.

This 63-piece highly detailed resin kit makes four Dawnbreaker Cohort Legionaries and a Dawnbreaker Cohort Champion and comes supplied with five 32mm Citadel round bases and two 45mm grove stem sets.

Rules for using the Dawnbreaker Cohort in games of The Horus Heresy can be found in The Horus Heresy Book Eight – Malevolence.

You might not imagine Ogre culture to be especially egalitarian, but both male and female Ogres play Blood Bowl with equal gusto in the Ogre Kingdoms. Ogre women have a similar build and temperament to Ogre men, including that crucial aptitude for grievous violence.

If you're looking to field the maximum number of Ogres on your team, these two distinctive sculpts will keep them from looking the same. They mix and match perfectly with the Fire Mountain Gut Busters, plus you get an extra Gnoblar to kick around!

This 16-piece resin kit builds two Ogre players and one Gnoblar. They’re supplied with 1x 25mm bases and 2x 32mm bases.

Rules for using these models in your games of Blood Bowl can be found in issue 8 of Spike! Journal.

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Three teams are getting new captains, letting them catch up with some of the others. They're the Alchemists, the Farmers, and The Union. In this preview, we get a look at Soma/Pneuma. Why the two names and slash? Because this character changes during the course of the game, taking on a new persona for a bit. How does that work? Have yourselves a look.

From the post:

With a mask that hides all distinguishing features, Soma is a mystery. We don’t know much, but what we do know is this:

Soma had been attempting to perfect Katalyst’s serum. Yes, the very serum that went so tragically wrong and turned Katalyst into the enormous individual he is today. Rumour has it that Soma’s attempts at betterment involved refining the serum over and over… with flame. 

There’s something else, too. Whilst we’ve referred to Soma as an individual, that’s not quite true...

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