New edition 2020

[Ben_S]

There have been leaked photos and much discussion on FB, and no doubt elsewhere, so it looks like a new edition is coming.

Still the same basic game, but it looks like a number of minor changes. AG and AV stats are now written as a target number and there's the introduction of a passing stat.

There are new skill and roster changes. Skills like Loner, Pro, and Mighty Blow seem to come with different levels. There are several new passing skills.

It seems there are more outcomes for passes and opposing players can attempt to deflect (rather than just intercepting) the ball. There also seem to be rules around stalling, though the only bit I've seen is a definition of when a player is stalling, not the consequences.

(N.B. I put '2020' in the title but this is only an assumption on my part - I've not heard any definite date, though this would tie in with previously unsubstantiated rumours about a new edition this year. Given that these boxed games usually get an autumn release, it's likely to be this year unless coronavirus has caused delay.)

EDIT: Official https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/08/03/blood-bowl-new-season-sighted/

 

[Gunkaiser]

I'll probably pick the book up at some point but not really looking forward to this... the re-write of the Underworld team to match the new box contents was bad enough (just for me though since I flogged my Gutter Runners)

 

[CaptainDangerous]

New Blood Bowl Boxed Game and Rulebook on the way! - Sprues & Brews

This is super exciting! We’ve just been sent some images of a brand new edition of Blood Bowl! You may remember last year we shared the news that a new […]

spruesandbrews.com

 

[Troubled Child]

Hard to get excited about as I have failed to play a single game of the new edition. At least it seems to be using the same ruler and such so I can just buy the book rather than the whole set.

 

[Punktaku]

How many editions are there now? I haven’t played since second (with the cardboard pitch) and preferred first over that one... (grognardy grumbling)

 

[Ben_S]

How many editions are there now?

It gets complicated... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Bowl

Although the new box seems to be branded 'second season edition'.

 

[MusingWarboss]

Blimey! Maybe that’s why WHW has so much BB stuff out, perhaps it’s a warehouse clearance??

 

[Malevolent Pink Cat]

I can't be the only one who wonders why they are releasing it now, right? They haven't even finished releasing all of the teams from oldBowl, and now they're changing how stuff works, (apparently?) adding in an entire new stat, and generally just boshing things around?

So now we get new teams with different stats to old teams, old teams with missing stats - and fine, they can errata it or summarise or whatnot, but kind of makes it pointless buying all the rules to date, no?

If the rules team have so much time on their hands, why don't they be real men and bring back Battlefleet: Gothic. No need to sculpt new models, even, since the old ones were so great - just re-release.

 

[Pierric]

I can't be the only one who wonders why they are releasing it now, right?

Hello MPC.

Because we live in a narcissic era fed by social platforms where people don't care anymore about sound rules systems (which they probably don't want to read since it's longer than a smartphone screen length) but juts want "more new minis" which they will paint to the very letter of the maker before putting them very proudly on Instagram for the whole world to see how much of an obedient customer they are ?

Back in the 80's/90's, when someone was interested in a tabletop game, one of the first thing he did after seing some friends playing it, was to get a hold on the rules, by buying them or photocopying them. He then read them and, if still interested, started to buy miniatures. You had people having a lot or rules systems at home (generally more than playable armies for these rules).

That's why books like "The Lost and the Damned" became classic stuff. You could enjoy these books without even playing the game. It was filled with creative writing and great illustrations. The Blood Bowl introduction of the first edition was short but epic, and the overall atmosphere of the rulebook justified the buying on its own.

Now, who would want to read N18 rules just for the pleasure of it ? Out of a SM circle I mean ? It is a foil even for the most motivated player with a fully painted and playable gang... Rulebooks are not fun anymore, they are not creative anymore, CG illustrations are cold and lame and rules are just seen a mandatory chore for both maker and players to serve as an excuse to sell/buy more "new minis".

So here you go with a coming BB edition. If you're probably not the only one wondering why, you're now surely part of a the minority who actually cares.

 

[Punktaku]

It gets complicated... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Bowl

Although the new box seems to be branded 'second season edition'.

Gah! Once again im wrong about editions... Second was the one I used to play (with the polystyrene pitch). I never even saw first, and found third to be disappointing (much better minis, though).

 

[Ben_S]

On the subject of minis, I'm really not that keen on the human nobility team from the new box.

Pre-2016, a lot of people would use converted WFB models, which had a tendency to look like soldiers without weapons, rather than a sports team. One good thing (imho) about the new [2016] models were that they actually looked like sports teams.

The new [2020] models though seem to have gone away from that - they look like a mixture of state troops and greatswords, with ridiculous puffy sleeves, military armour, and feathers/plumes.

 

[Punktaku]

New hats for @spafe !

 

[spafe]

Oh yes! I will be almost certainly picking up a set of the humans at some point!

 

[TopsyKretts]

They got half-way through the current BB2016 edition, and can't be bothered to complete it before making the next edition? Damn!

 

[spafe]

Halfway?

 

[TopsyKretts]

Yeah. I have been collecting and compressing all blood bowl rules into a single document. And the amount of 'bonus' content is extremely unevenly distributed.

BB2016 took some 'turns' in development, and is very different for a team released today than a team released 4 years ago. A newly released team will have its own pitch/weather rules, often unique inducements, coaching staff, special balls, special play cards ++. The first/original teams 4 years ago does not have this. Also, they stopped releasing new (in)famous coaching staff a long time ago, so even new teams may not have that option.

Let alone miniatures, people are still waiting for unreleased teams, and now they release new teams instead? This new Nobility team looks like what they made in the (now) defunct "Dugout" app, a variation on the Human team called "Human Nobility". Speaking of the app, it was released when there were only 4 teams (Human, Orcs, Dwarf, Skaven), and it only includes content for those 4 teams. For example, nobody else gets to have match events.

 

[TopsyKretts]

How will this affect Necromunda? Specialist Games creating a new edition after 4 years, even if some teams or content is not released yet. We may have Escher codex, Orlock codex.... then brand new N21 edition? We have already had multiple "editions" (or versions if you like), so maybe it is opposite. BB is copying Necromunda, as GW sees the opportunity to double the amount of books?

 

[Punktaku]

Maybe the last two house of books will be a new boxed set? Were they even listed on the Roadmap?

I’m afraid I’ll have to go nearly full Grognard on BB (to come back around to the subject of the thread). Second edition rules with third edition minis. Later edition minis looked less like sportsball teams to me, but they do seem to be excellent for conversion potential.

 

[TopsyKretts]

I think the minis look fine, and is the least interesting part of this news. I'm much more skeptical/anxious about the rules. Having had a quick read through the leaks, it actually looks like the quality is not that bad. A few new skills. Some recombinations of existing skills. What is going to be a big pain is GW now has control of teams. Ever since BB2016, GW would regularly/irregularly release a so called 'new' team. The only interesting part of that was mainly the extra bonus content (pitch/weather table, new inducements, star players, special play cards ++). The minis/dice/pitch were fine, but didn't change the game. Some times we got changes to the teams, but that was rare. A few new positionals here and there. Other than that, we already had the team and could play with it, regardless of wether GW 'released' it or not.

This won't be so easy now. Existing teams that GW decides to not release any time soon don't have the new Passing characteristic. Same goes for any of the 100+ star players GW decides to postpone indefinitely.

 

[Gunkaiser]

I dunno, they might well sell us another ~$60 book/packet that has all the existing teams/most star players with the passing stat. Wouldn't be something they hadn't already done before.