Numbers

[MusingWarboss]

Thinking of getting into BB soon, just wondering though if the numbers on the players mean anything or not. Like are they representative of positions, substitutes etc? Or is it just whack any number on any player for rule of cool?

I’ve not got or read the rules yet but may end up buying a box of models to build soon.

 

[NoOneII.]

You can have a maximum of 16 Players on the Roster.
And ofc. it's useful to have a number referencing a mondel to keep them apart with no ambiguity.
Most people stick to 1-16, but there is no hard reason you could not have a "Lucky 99" or something.
Also, most teams usually don't want 16 folks on the roster (as this would bloat the team value which is the base for underdog bonuses), most are more then happy to stick with 13 or so.

 

[TopsyKretts]

Rosters have 1 line per player (just like Necromunda rosters) and they are numbered. Each model is a character of its own, which needs to be mapped to the roster. This is can be done with numbers or name. For Blood Bowl, it is a tradition to do it with numbers. You can use any system you want. As a side note, in competitive/tournament play, it is common to use rubber rings to identify who has which skills, and then you don't need any numbers (or names) at all! It's also a convenience when randomizing a player on the team (D16).

 

[MusingWarboss]

Ok, that’s cool. I just didn’t want to stick a number on a blitzer only to find it’s reserved for linemen or something.

 

[Ben_S]

It's a form of identification, like names. You can use what you like. Indeed, you could use letters instead of numbers if you wanted (it would be unconventional, but would work just as well). The only thing not to do is having two of the same number.

 

[MedMos]

Yeah, I think I've seen something like that in the great Outside. Was a team of sorts... Like a... a sports team! That's it.

 

[MusingWarboss]

Yeah, I think I've seen something like that in the great Outside. Was a team of sorts... Like a... a sports team! That's it.

That’s my point dude, in Football (soccer) the numbers relate to on field positions or being in a team, b team, reserves etc.

Just checking that there isn’t a similar system for Blood Bowl (probably) based on American Football rules (which I don’t know).

Like Star Players always take numbers 2-4 or Linemen are usually assigned double digit numbers or something.

 

[TopsyKretts]

There are probably some systems. I like to give big guy nr 1, then have the top positionals follow with line at the end. Surprised that some put top players at bottom, but to each their own. Then I like to overthink and overcomplicate things, so unlike what @Ben_S suggested above, I do have multiple players on the same team with the same number, but usually not at the same time and certainly not of the same position!

For example with humans, I have excess amount of line player models:

Nr	Position (primary)	Position (secondary)
1	Ogre
2	Blitzer
3	Blitzer
4	Blitzer
5	Blitzer
6	Catcher
7	Catcher
8	Catcher	Line
9	Catcher	Line
10	Thrower	Thrower
11	Thrower
12	Line
13	Line
14	Line
15	Line
16	Line

Yes, thanks to awkward amount of players from GW & FW, I have 3 human throwers... Also needed 2 booster packs to complete the team (expensive!), but I already had 2 human teams (also expensive!) because one is plastic and then FW released an alternative human version back when there was nothing more to buy than 2-3 teams (think 2016 had humans, orcs and skaven, unlike the massive amount of stuff we got now). So at least I was able to split it out unevenly, one team having 2 catchers and the other 4.

 

[MedMos]

@MusingWarboss I've played a lot of football when younger, never knew the positions had certain numbers!

 

[Ben_S]

unlike what @Ben_S suggested above, I do have multiple players on the same team with the same number, but usually not at the same time and certainly not of the same position!

It can be fine if you know you'll never use them together, but easier to just avoid it. You don't have to stick to 1-16.

I have an elf team that can be any kind of elves, with full positionals and plenty of linemen, so there are 24 models and they're numbered 1-24. Obviously, I'll never be using 24 at once, but my twelve players might still include a #24. It seems easier than worrying about which of my two #10s to include.

Of course, I know I'll never use the Catchers at the same time as the Witch Elves. I guess I could have duplicated numbers on those, if I'd particularly wanted to keep the nuumbers down. But there's no need to do so, so I didn't bother.

 

[MusingWarboss]

@MusingWarboss I've played a lot of football when younger, never knew the positions had certain numbers!

Here you go!

Soccer Position Numbers Explained (Includes Every Name and Role)

Understanding how soccer position numbers work is important for everyone who is involved in soccer. Here's what you need to know.

www.soccercoachingpro.com

 

[Oojamaflip13]

Like has been said earlier in the thread, the numbers are used to identify players on the roster sheet and also used when you need to randomly select a player. Most players use 1-16 because you can randomly select a player simply with a single roll of the 16-sided die (D16). That being said, give them whatever numbers you want, just make sure there is a way for you to still easily identify your players and that you have still have a viable method for any random selection you may need to perform. My Nurgle team's Rotters (the basic linemen) are numbered 1-6 and then any other player (the Bloaters and Beastmen, all of whom I imagine are more favoured by Nurgle) are numbered with multiples of 7 (7, 14, 21, 28 and 35). The models are painted with these numbers, but I have added the numbers 1-12 (as that's the amount of models in my team) on the underside of the base. This means a random selection is as simple as a single roll of a D12.

 

[Tiny]

I just number them 1-16 in whatever fashion I like. Although the Big Guy sometimes doesn't get a number or gets a different number like 99 or 00.

 

[MusingWarboss]

Are you all using the transfers or just freehanding the numbers?

 

[Tiny]

Are you all using the transfers or just freehanding the numbers?

Yes. To both. Not on the same team though.

I like transfers but only if they come with the team. My Chaos team got hand painted numbers because I didn't have any transfers. My Chaos Dwarf team I'm currently working on will be the same.

 

[Ben_S]

You can try writing numbers on with a sharpie pen or similar.

 

[Punktaku]

All mine are free handed. I think for some of my early teams I attempted a logical number progression…. Maybe? I know my Undead team has numbers that are all over the place.

 

[almic85]

I tend to group positionals together and then just number in order.

Big guys (trolls, ogres, treeman, etc) will all either be number 1 or number 16 as I will use them across multiple teams and it’s useful to be consistent with them.

I also usually number lineman from the last available number down. It’s just a habit I have gotten into as they also occasionally serve double duty (goblins play for black Orcs, goblin teams and underworld teams so end up using the same numbers on each team).

The main thing to remember though is that numbering models has an actual real life use so you know which player is which so whatever you do make sure you can see the numbers from the front and the back as you will be turning them around a lot and it is helpful for both you and your opponent.

I personally paint the numbers 1-16 on the front and back of the bases as it is relatively easy to see for everyone.