UPDATE - Note new earlier start time! Please arrive at 9.00 for 9.30 start!
UPDATE 14.8.23 - We're fully subscribed with a full waiting list and 39/40 have paid so doesn't look like we're going to be able to take any more. I'll see if I can expand it next year.
UPDATE 30.7.23 - We are tentatively full! There are still lots of people who haven't confirmed/paid so if you're interested let me know, fill out the online form, but don't send me any cash if your name isn't one of the 40 on the list below. I'll chase people up over the next few weeks and a few slots may reopen!
UPDATE – Swag & spot prizes are taking shape: we've got D6s, we've got Block dice, we've got tokens, we've got custom minis (designed by Gary Morley!). There might be hot sauce.
UPDATE 8/1/23 – Tweaked the Star Player allowances in light of the new Mega Stars rules in the Matched Play guide
WELCOME TO THE CITY OF BATH BLOOD BOWL LEAGUE’S SECOND ANNUAL BLOODBATH
A ONE-DAY, 3-GAME BLOOD BOWL TOURNAMENT IN THE GLORIOUS, GORIEST CITY OF BATH
Whether you’re missing out on the World Cup but desperate for some September action – or just back from the World Cup and chasing that high again – Bloodbath 2023 is the perfect Alicantidote to World Cup Fever.
After a hugely successful first ever Bloodbath last year, we’re back - bigger and better than ever. With 40 spaces available, and a revised ruleset that promises to be even more bloody, this is set to be a fantastic day day of Blood Bowl silliness.
FORMAT
The tournament consists of 3 games of Blood Bowl using the BB2020 / Second Season ruleset, taking place over the course of a single day.
Coaches will play 3 games against 3 different opponents. The first round will be paired randomly, and Swiss pairings will be used for rounds 2 and 3. This will be a resurrection format: your roster resets after each match (no SPP, injuries, raised dead etc.).
The official Blood Bowl rules, and all current FAQs and errata published up to the date of the tournament will be in effect. In the event of any rules disagreements, TO’s decision is final.
This will be a NAF-accredited event.
TEAM CREATION
Eligible teams include all official GW teams published up to the date of tournament, including Teams of Legend that have not been superseded by subsequent releases, as well as the Slann team from the NAF. The new team rosters for Norse, Khorne and Amazons will be used, thus the obsolete Daemons of Khorne and Teams of Legend Norse & Amazon rosters will not be eligible. Any new teams published by GW before September 2023 will also become available (which may make ToL equivalents obsolete - this page will be updated as/when new content is released. If in doubt, drop me an email).
Coaches will have 1.15 million gold pieces to spend on team creation, following the team creation rules for exhibition play detailed in the rulebook. From this they must purchase all their players (minimum11), re-rolls and any sideline staff such as cheerleaders, assistant coaches, or apothecaries (and their ilk). Inducements are purchased from the starting gold and permanently added to the roster – there is no inducements phase in the pre-game sequence.
Inducements. Coaches can also spend from their treasury to permanently add inducements to their roster. Eligible inducements are: kegs, bribes, biased referees, Halfling master chef, riotous rookies, star players*, and the mercenary giant from Death Zone. No other Death Zone inducements are allowed.
Skills. After building a team, coaches may allocate additional skills to the players on their team, according to their tier as outlined below. No more than 3 instances of any skill may be given as additional skills (e.g. you may take 3x Guard, 3x Block, but not 4x Guard). A single player per team may be given 2 Primary skills – after this, no stacking of multiple skills on the same player is permitted. Skills should be marked on the models using bands, rings, or similar.
NB. If your skills pack allows secondary skills, a primary can always be taken in place of a secondary.
Star Players. After hiring at least 11 regular players, a team may also hire 0-2 Star Players. These must be purchased from the 1150gp starting gold for team creation.
However, in addition to the cost in Gold Pieces of each star, coaches must also forfeit some of their skills allowed by their skills pack – depending on the star being hired. The Skill Cost of stars is as follows:
- The standard skill cost of hiring a Star Player is 2 x Primary Skills
- To hire a Mega Star (as listed in the Blood Bowl FAQ, + Cindy), coaches must forfeit either 4 x Primary Skills OR 2 x Primary and 1 x Secondary Skills
- In addition, the following 'Lesser Seen' stars are desperate for work and don't bring the same ego as other stars, and can therefore be hired at no Skill Cost:
Barik Farblast; Frank n Stein; Gretchen Wächter; Grim Ironjaw; Skrull Halfheight; The Swift Twins; Willow Rosebark; Zolcath the Zoat
Tiers. The tournament uses a 5-tier system based on each team's NAF tournament performance, performance in previous Bloodbaths under similar rulesets, and a bit of What I Reckon. This is an art, not a science, so feel free to complain about - or exploit - any wonky tiering.
Tier 1
Skills: 5 Primary
Stars: 0-1
Mega Stars: 0
Teams: Amazons, Chaos Dwarfs, Dark Elves, High Elves, Shambling Undead, Underworld Denizens
Tier 2
Skills: 6 Primary
Stars: 0-1
Mega Stars: 0
Teams: Dwarfs, Lizardmen, Orcs, Slann, Tomb Kings, Wood Elves
Tier 3
Skills: 6 Primary, 1 Secondary
Stars: 0-2
Mega Stars: 0
Teams: Humans, Imperial Nobility, Elven Union, Skaven, Necromantic, Norse, Old World Alliance
Tier 4
Skills: 7 Primary, 1 Secondary
Stars: 0-2
Mega Stars: 0-1
Teams: Black Orcs, Chaos Chosen, Nurgle, Chaos Renegades, Khorne, Snotlings (!)
Tier 5
Skills: 8 Primary, 2 Secondary
Stars: 0-2
Mega Stars: 0-1
Teams: Halflings, Goblins, Ogres, Vampires (!)
HOUSE RULE
The "Too Many Players" rule as written in the rulebook is excessively harsh and anti-fun so we won't be using it RAW.
Instead, if any coach accidentally sets up too many players for a drive:
- If there are players on the offending team that have not yet been activated, the referee has caught it in time and gives them a stern telling off
The offending coach must immediately choose players who have not been activated yet this drive and return them to the Reserves box until the correct number of players on the field is reached.
- If every player has activated at least once this drive, the referee has to intervene more forcefully
Players on the offending team (and currently on the field) will be randomly selected by rolling a d16 (re-rolling if the ball carrier is selected), and will be immediately clobbered by the ref and ejected from the field by whatever means necessary: treat them exactly as if they had been pushed into the crowd. Repeat until the correct number of players on the field is reached.
ROSTER SUBMISSION
It helps us hugely to get all the rosters submitted in advance so we can check them and feed back – rather than having to do this on the day.
Please submit your roster via email to h.feldwick@gmail.com by Friday 8th September for us to check it over.
SCORING AND AWARDS
Tournament points will be allocated as follows:
Win: 30 points
Draw: 10 points
Loss: 0 points
+1 bonus point per CAS (max 4 per game) – anything that puts a body in the CAS box counts, unless it’s purely self-inflicted. That means surfs, fouls and failed dodges etc. DO count, but sendings-off, failed GFIs, TTM splat-downs, or self-chainsaw / self-bomb do not.
+1 bonus point per touchdown (max 4 per game)
+1 bonus point for a clean sheet (0 TDs scored against)
-10 points for a concession
Tiebreakers will be:
- Head-to-head
- CAS difference
- TD difference
- Total CAS
- Total TD
- Pistols at dawn
- Tournament Winner
- Runner Up
- Stunty Cup (any team with no rostered ST3 or ST4 players)
- Bloody Maniac (most CAS)
- Bloody Show-off (most TDs)
- Bloody Mess (most CAS suffered)
- Bloody Gorgeous (best painted)
Venue: Widcombe Social Club, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AA
Saturday 16th September, 2023
9.00-9.30 Registration
9.30-11.45 Game 1
11.45-12.30 Lunch & judging Best Painted
12.30-14.45 Game 2
14.45-15.00 Break
15.00-17.15 Game 3
17.15-17.30 Prizes
18.00 Everybody out - go to pub, etc.
Games are scheduled to finish within 2 hours 15 minutes. Games which run over this limit may be called by the TO if they are in danger of impacting the overall timings of the day, so please ensure to play to time and if you have not yet started the second half with 1 hour to go: HURRY UP.
FOOD AND DRINK
The venue has a full licensed bar with teas, coffees, soft drinks and alcohol.
A premium lunch (sandwiches, wraps, crisps, fruit, cakey things) will be provided by the venue for an additional £7.50 per head. For anyone preferring to self-cater there is a Co-Op next door and pubs/takeaways nearby but please note that outside food cannot be eaten on-site.
(Yes 'm afraid it's gone up by £1. Well done to the lucky few who've already paid and therefore got the special 'early bird' price)
As usual, we’ll be heading to the pub after, and some of us are planning to go for a curry at the excellent Bikanos. Come along and celebrate / commiserate over a couple of pints and a Lamb Rogan Josh.
CONTACT AND SIGN-UPS
Tickets:
£15 for NAF members, £20 for non-members (including discounted NAF sign-up)
Lunch £7.50.
To sign up, visit: https://forms.gle/NJobRDStkZ1x2SWX7
All queries & Paypal payments to Hereward (genghiskong) at h.feldwick@gmail.com
not that I was going for it (last year)!