40K Blood Bowl

[Jural]

You know, I have heard of a Blood Bowl 40k variant, but I'm unable to find any rules, or specifically any teams. I am sure people have tried, I'm not sure anyone has gotten past the drawing board and actually had a few games.

Does anyone have anything partially complete or started?

I'm thinking of trying it out here, and maybe just using the normal rules with "fluffy rosters."

So I was thinking an Imperium side, and a Chaos side, an Eldar Side, and a Tyranid side.

NOTE: This is totally for my/our fun, I have no illusions of this being something everyone would enjoy. HEck... I might not even enjoy it myself

[Wanchor]

An Imperium side? You mean you don't aim to split the Imperial Guard and Space Marines into separate teams (or maybe even the Sisters of Battle as well)?

[howlinggriffon]

My club tried putting on a 40k themed Blood Bowl variant for Gamesday once but GW said it didn't fit into their background so rejected the proposal. We had planned Orks playing the game in a space hulk and were thinking of magnetising the models so they could play on a 3D "zero gravity".

[daloonieshaman]

wouldn't that be HulkBowl

[Wanchor]

I've mulled it over in the shower, where all good ideas are had, and come up with a few ideas. Firstly, that a space marine team wouldn't be feasible unless valued at 150 or so since, keeping in line with fluff, they'd each be 6 4 4 9 or so. Out of the question, obviously, which means that marines would either have to be ignored or made part of an Imperial squad, maybe in some kind of Inquisitorial force.

Aside from that issue, Chaos, Tyranid and Imperial Guard teams seem quite feasible to me. The Tyranid team, I figure, could use those half-breed genestealer cult members as linemen (I don't remember what they're called), plus some Genestealers (probably limited to two), some gaunts, two ripper swarms and a Warrior as a big guy. My first draft:

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0-16 (0-12?) Genestealer Cultists    5327 Foul Appearance, G/ASPM 30k
0-2 Genestealers     6438 Claws, Extra Arm GSM/AP 120k
0-4 Hormagaunts     7338 Frenzy, Wild Animal, Sprint, No Hands GM/ASP 80k
0-2 Ripper Swarms    6237 Dirty Player, Jump Up, Stunty, Titchy, No Hands AM/GSP 60k
0-1 Warrior    5529 Loner, Mighty Blow, Thick Skull SM/GAP 140k

Still not entirely sure about some of it, considering Leap and Very Long Legs for the Hormagaunts, and the lack of so-called nega-traits for the Warrior will probably not sit well, but he's supposed to be a synapse creature, after all. Which brings up another issue, really, since there are not skills in place to properly represent the rules for synapse creatures.

The Imperial Guard team:

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0-16 Conscripts    6337 G/ASP 40k
0-4 Veterans    6337 Pro, Thick Skull GAS/P 60k
0-2 Clerics    6337 Frenzy, Dauntless, GS/AP 60k
0-2 Stormtroopers    7338 Block GS/AP 70k
0-1 Ogryn    5529 Loner, Bone-head, Mighty Blow, Thick Skull S/GAP 130k
0-1 Lieutenant (Commissar?)    6338 Sure Hands, Pass GP/AS 80k

I know I'm breaking convention by giving a rookie player Pro (and I was really, really tempted to give the Commissar Leader to begin; I mean, he's the Commissar), but the idea is that the Veterans have learned enough tricks not to have their heads blown off, and that they'll be used on the pitch (deck?) for spots that need a little extra attention, probably while the glory boys in the shiny armour score all the touchdowns.

I figured the Chaos team would look pretty close to the Nurgle one already present with cultists as linemen, some marines as chaos warriors, essentially and then whatever else thrown in for the big guy, maybe some daemons on the side. The Eldar team, well...I hate the Eldar and didn't spend much time thinking about it.

It did occur to me, though, that a Star Player list would be fun, and the possibility of letting any team hire Kroot players as mercenaries might be cool, but I decided not to get ahead of myself.

Thoughts?

[someone2040]

You could always make Space Marines similar to Chaos (As odd as that sounds). Have Scouts as your line-grunts, Space Marines as the better guys.
That could work out, it's very similar after all.

Scouts being 6338
Marines being 5439 (I don't honestly think Marines are as agile as Space Elves... I mean Eldar).

Although that's somewhat boring, probably needs a skill or two thrown around and an extra position (Veteran? Assault Marine? Dreadnought?).

[Catt]

I presume that any version of 40K blood bowl would not have people running around in their battlefield armour!

So I would suspect that Space Marines wouldn't really be in actual power armour - and that's where they get a lot of their oomph from fluff wise. Therefore I think using the same stats as Chaos Warriors in a good enough fit.

Trying to fit 40K units to blood bowl *exactly* (especially based on fluff) is a recipe for disaster (if you want balance). I think it is better to base them off existing blood bowl team positionals with maybe some skill substitution. Trying to replicate the effects of wargear is also best avoided except for defining pieces.

For example using the Witch Elf as a proxy for a Howling Banshee but maybe substituting jump up for leap. Or a Wardancer for a Harlequin but replacing block with sidestep etc.

Tyranids make little sense to be honest. Eldar are easy using a combination of Elven teams with a couple of tweaks. Imperial Guard can easily be based off of a Human team (storm troopers as blitzers, Ogryns as Ogres etc).

The more unique armies like Tau which don't have an obvious Warhammer proxy are more difficult.

[Darkson]

Trying to fit 40K units to blood bowl *exactly* (especially based on fluff) is a recipe for disaster

Much as I'd lie to see a futuristic take on Blood Bowl, I'm inclined to agree. I think trying to shoehorn 40K into BB just won't work (and I say that as someone that much prefers 40K fluf to fantasy, and wanted to play 40K-BB for years).

I think you'd be better off making a whole new game (say base stats on a higher limit, so there's a lesser differentitation between say ST 3 and ST4), or at least whole new way of playing.

For example:

Rollerball
Aeroball (2000AD)
Mean Arena (2000AD - think BB played across a abandoned section of a city)

[voyagers_uk]

mean arena was so cool

[Jural]

Once the 40K units get removed from their armor then they do kind of lose their flavor as well. ALso, why in the heck would Space Marines be playing a football match against Tyranid instead of trying to virus bomb the world?

There are a ton of fluff problems. I'm getting around them by ignoring them right now But it's completely noted, and I think the fluff alone might leave people uninterested.

So I'd like to have the marines in their armor, and I'd like to have the other units similar! And I'm not sold on a direct stat for stat port, but I would like some relative unit strength supported. My thinking is that unless the pieces are recognizeable from their 40k days, the game wouldn't be much fun (or it would be a futuristic BB game with no ties to 40k.)

So how to do that? I have a few thoughts...

[Darkson]

ALso, why in the heck would Space Marines be playing a football match against Tyranid instead of trying to virus bomb the world?

There are a ton of fluff problems. I'm getting around them by ignoring them right now

I have to say, this is, and imo always has been, one of the lamest arguements against a 40K-sports game. Sure, in the normal 40K universe SM would never play a game against Orks or 'Nids, but then for matter, in the normal WH universe, the Empire would never allow Orcs or Chaos to enter their cities to play a game, let alone allow them to bring spectators. That's why the BB world isn't the WH world and that's why a 40K universe where the Emperor is a huge sports fan and has instructed the Imperium to "go and win the games in my name". Makes just as much sense as the BB world.

If JJ had designed BB around 40K fluff, how many people woyuld be arguing now against a fantasy based version?

[Jural]

I have to say, this is, and imo always has been, one of the lamest arguements against a 40K-sports game.

Maybe it's just me, but I find most of the local 40K gamers to be much more hardcore with respect to a serious interpretation of the universe. Not necessarily a "by the books" interpretation, but the whole "life is war." thing really seems to permeate the game.

The realm of fantasy, for whatever reason, has always seemed to have a comic touch to it for me. So in many ways, I think it's a more natural transfer.

Hey, I can see my way around it, but I am wondering if a "light hearted" interpretation might be taboo for most 40K players? Just musing here, I'm glad to hear that you think it's not a legit problem!

[Jural]

So I've been thinking, and I think I'd like to start considering this game having vastly different quality of players, balanced not just by cost and overall team composition, but also by number of models allowed on the pitch.

So for example, if a Space Marine were a 6 4 4 9 Block, Pro piece, he would count for 2 models, whereas a 6 3 3 8 Sprint Ork would count for one model. This would even allow things such as Dreadnoughts and Demon Princes to play... but baby steps, baby steps

[Joemanji]

To be honest, I think it would be easier to just port over the basics of the rosters and adapt from there. E.g. Orcs as Orks, Chaos as Space Marines (Beastmen = Scouts, change the Mino to resemble a terminator).

[Darkson]

Hey, I can see my way around it, but I am wondering if a "light hearted" interpretation might be taboo for most 40K players? Just musing here, I'm glad to hear that you think it's not a legit problem!

I can't speak for the hardcore 40K players, but round here, 40K is seen as just as funny as Fantasy ("shooting at Petra-squirrels in the woods", and how anyone can't see Orks as funny...), but then, we've been told we "don't take your gaming seriously enough".

E.g. Orcs as Orks, Chaos as Space Marines (Beastmen = Scouts, change the Mino to resemble a terminator).

Chaos don't have Scouts.