Talk Fantasy Football

There has been a lot of negative posts recently so want to start a discussion as to the reasons why people play this game and what they love about it.

For me it's basically for the following reasons:

1) It's a fun, tactical game which gives you the flexibility to be either serious or crazy
2) It's a great excuse to get together with your mates
3) I can play it in the pub
4) There's a ton of variety in the game and it's easy to change things round and try new things
5) I can paint a team and not get bored!

I'll add the story element as one of its greatest strengths. Developing a team you really get attached to it and its players, because they are unique and yours alone, while always facing the danger of not being there. Playing a game feels like an adventure where you fear for them while celebrating their successes.It truly is the greatest experience I have had with any miniatures game!

That's really interesting - I am totally not into the fluff, it's a pure strategy game for me, along with the awesome community.

I'm going to the NAF Champs in May. It's my 40th birthday on the Sunday, and I'll know 150 of the people in the hall by their (mostly made-up) names.

I've been a NAF member for over 10 years, and have been impressed to see the game just grow and grow.

I describe Blood Bowl to people as a risk management game. How do you manage your risk while increasing your opponents. I like examining the risk/reward situation. But, my favorite aspect is team development. I enjoy tournaments, but they are more about the community for me. To me, Blood Bowl really shines in league. Some of it is the story and some of it is trying to take a bunch of unskilled players and develop them into a great team. Other games have the strategy and risk management in some form or other, but I have never seen a comparable game that has such good options for team progression.

I like a great many things about this game. Not big on fluff, but like the general "fantasy" aspect and that the teams, stats and skills fit so well with the various teams. Today more than ever, it's a great excuse to meet friends other than alcohol. It is a game where each "army" fits in shoe box (huge advantage). And developing a team is something I enjoy much more than one off games. This also carries over to related specialist games like GorkaMorka, Necromunda and Mordheim. And the game balance is just so fine tuned, more so than most other games I play.

I love the fluff! All the bits and pieces, all the Did You Knows, the NAF Facts and so forth. I like that it doesn't take itself too serious, neither fluffwise nor in game (I mean, come on, Halflings, right!?). And I love, while being all of the above, most games are a thrill for me to play.

As a side note, it has also introduced me to a) miniature painting, which I now do regularly, and b) to wargaming in general (meaning even more minis to paint, yay!). Both of which I have grown very fond of.

A game to share with friends, with many stories that develop over time. "Remember that first game against your Chaos Dwarves and I fouled your Mino, just hoping to get him off the pitch....and well....he DIED!".

A workout for the brain. Trying to figure out how to get out of (or cause) the next mess.

A fun hobby. Painting mins is a pretty cool part of the game, for those who enjoy it.

For a game that has basically the same board every single game, that has barely been changed in a million years, it's pretty amazing that it doesn't really stagnate. I've definitely racked in more hours of Blood Bowl than any other boardgame I own!

I love the fluff. Name my players, write a backstory for the team and bury my dead in tiny coffins in the garden!

...okay, the last bit is a lie, but I'm now contemplating it!

That's what got me into the game; snotlings killing minotaurs, not the probability of dodging vs. blitzing to get in a more advantageous position. However, now I'm trying to get better at it, the odds and probabilities are something I'm trying to get better at remembering.

Because I love the fluff and lore, I wish there was a better literary offering for the game, in the way that 40k has it's books. It's difficult to describe games in a way that make interesting reading though, and the background story (in 'Da Bank Job', for example) is never really strong enough to carry the actual match report/s.

I don't think it's an accident that a lot of the best players I've spoken to have a background in maths, either professionally or personally. I'd like to get better at the game, but I'm still at the point where a three-die uphill block as the first action of my turn is still very much a temptation, just for the cinematic effect!

I just love the crazy this shouldn't work but sod it moments of dice rolling madness, mostly because I am useless at maths and just kind of play the game by instinct (The results of which show me that I should probably not do that lol).
I also really enjoy the fluff a lot but mostly it's the fact I haven't come across an opponent I wouldn't want to sit down and have a beer with after a game either in my local league or the few tournaments I have gone to.

Jip wrote:I love
Because I love the fluff and lore, I wish there was a better literary offering for the game, in the way that 40k has it's books. It's difficult to describe games in a way that make interesting reading though, and the background story (in 'Da Bank Job', for example) is never really strong enough to carry the actual match report/s.

Jip there is a whole series of books based on Blood Bowl by Matt Forbeck that is a very light and fun read that I very much enjoyed reading many years ago now.

Blood Bowl is my favourite game. I love the variety of the races, the balance, the craziness, the decision making, the miniatures, the competition and of course the communities of players. I love the local leagues with team development over time and fluff, the table top tourneys and in advance the selection of the “optimum” roster. I like the occasional opportunity to practice on line. When I’m playing Blood Bowl I don’t think about anything else and I love that escapism. There is so so much to like about Blood Bowl

Whilst personally I love the fluff and silliness of the whole thing I think it's a testament to the game that Sann and Jip are both not wrong.

Raveen wrote:Whilst personally I love the fluff and silliness of the whole thing I think it's a testament to the game that Sann and Jip are both not wrong.

And are in fact in the same league (though at other ends of it... arf).

+1 to everything.

Love the fluff, and the league development. Love the risk/reward calculation (often what separates a good coach from a great one.)

Most of all love the banter and stories.... My favourite:
Game 9(ish) of 11 at the second Block around the clock, about 3am. Schmee and Pipey sit down to play. (They are brothers.) First action, Schmee's mino hits Pipey's Krox. 2dice. double push. Brendan rather smugly points out that Schmee's mino has frenzy and so now is looking at a half dice. Schmee rolls the dice. Double pow! Schmee stands up and says "In your face!" repeatedly. Classically funny.

I also love that my 7 year old son can attend the NAFC and win a game! He is coming back this year and aiming high.

Love the NAF too. Amazing that people would give so much of their time as volunteers to help us nerds play a board game. <3

I love that Blood Bowl is at a really sweet spot on the skill/luck spectrum ... there's enough skill that I can win most of the games which I "should", but enough luck that I can sometimes beat superior coaches! And have an excuse for losing when I need one ...

I love that I can play drunk without losing much ability to play. Which probably doesn't speak much for my "skills" ...

Most of all, I love my fellow gamers! Almost everyone I've played has done their part to make the game fun, no matter who's winning or losing. Sometimes we whine about dice but that's part of the game. So thanks everyone!

Beyond the actual game, what I love about Blood Bowl is that I've met a lot pf people from around the country, and indeed the world, through Blood Bowl.
I consider them all friends.