A Bit About: Young Bloods, Blood Bowl and Playing the Game!

When one hears the words “Fantasy Football” it is logical to think about buddies getting together to chat-up how their NFL or Collage pics performed the previous week on their Fantasy Football team. 

This is NOT that! I will address this later… suffice it to say that this is a zany spin-off of the American tradition of football, fully played in a true fantasy realm complete with dwarves, elves, trolls, goblins, orcs, humans, etc. Yes, all the fantastical creatues and beasts that one considers when you think of the world of Fantasy. 

So, what does this silly game of Fantasy Football, officially dubbed “Blood Bowl” teach now coming into its thirty-nineth year since its release in 1986?

Well, I have put together a list, in no particular order, of some things to share with our young bloods (as well as their parents) who are striving to pick up and play this amazing game!

1) Learning can be fun: There is a lot to learn in this complex game of table-top and eSports Fantasy Football we call Blood Bowl. The silly, crazy, zany world and environment it exists in makes the game very, very entertaining.

2) Critical Thinking: There are multiple and complex ways to solve a problem. This game has a myriad of races and leagues, organic team traits, abilities (or the lack thereof), with tournaments and list builds not to mention the pitch the game is played on. There are thousands (hundreds of thousands) of ways to victory. That makes this game very, remarkably interesting and demands elevated levels of critical thinking!

3) Math matters: ever set-up for a touchdown drive and realize you do not have enough movement on your star runner to score? Or do you have a sequence of blocks lined up for that key blitz on the ball carrier… only to realize you have screened yourself out, and you can’t make it in? Yep, we have all been there! Learning to count and plan your moves only reinforces the fact that math matters!

4) Pre-planning is important: Often you see what needs to happen to score or cause a turnover but then you must think backwards! This includes looking at all the key blocks, where your players need to be for board control, and where you want to direct your opponent so you can set up for your next turn! If you do not plan ahead, trust me—your opponent will do it for you!

5) Practice creates space for improvement: This crazy game of real fantasy football is easy to grasp and learn to play, but it is like anything else… it is very, exceedingly difficult to master! But never fear young bloods, with practice you start to create mental space so that you can learn the game and “git’ gewd!”

6) Organizational management: I mean, you are the pretend coach and manager of a league sponsored fantasy football team. You have all the headaches of hiring, training, learning, and coaching your group of haughty high elves, or orc and goblin ne’er-do-wells (or whichever race you play!) But, especially in league play, let your expenses get too far out of sight, or lose one of your star players, and now you must deal with the financial consequences! Fans not happy? Well, they quit coming to your games and now your coffers are empty! Yes, this game actually forces you to think about those economic aspects of managing an organization!

7) Risk managing and probabilities: “My dice betrayed me!” Ever heard that one before? Well, this game is definitely “chess like” but it uses dice to reflect all kinds of things like the fallacy of human error, the weather, the fickleness of your fan base, just all sorts of things really. Learning to manage the probability of risk is a great life skill to learn young. Which leads me to my next one…

8) Delayed gratification: Impetuosity is a trait that plagues the youth of almost every generation. For some reason it seems more common to me these days (maybe I am just getting older!) Regardless, learning to put off impulsive tendencies like flipping the table over due to rage, or bashing that annoying little snotling with your Yeti who must dodge through several tackle zones to do so prooooobably is not the best of options. This game rewards smart decisions and can often punish the stupid ones—better to learn that in a safe and make-believe environment, rather than dire consequences in real life.

9) Hard work pays off: anyone can succeed at this game! It doesn’t matter how old or young, whether you speak each other’s language, or how smart you think you are… ANYONE can succeed at this game if they put in the work! 

10) You will not succeed if you don’t try: I love young bloods, because they often have no clue about the statistical probability of something succeeding… so they just do it! Long bomb that ball to your dwarf lineman who has an 18% chance of catching it, and less than a 9% percent chance of getting away and scoring?!! I would not do it, but I saw a twelve-year-old boy do it to win a game in tournament competition!

11) There can be seriousness in silliness: while this game is goofy to the umpteenth degree with goblins running around on pogo sticks, or dwarves thinking its perfectly acceptable to use a blunderbuss to “throw” the ball downfield; or even hoping that your untrained troll doesn’t eat your gobbo before he throws him downfield with the football… there is still the serious side of competition and the chance to win that makes this game so very good!

12) The world of imagination is limitless: because this game of fantasy football (emphasis on “fantasy”) does take on the imagination of the realms of fantasy complete with Tolkien’s orcs, trolls, wizards, humans, elves, dwarves and goblins, etc. and blends it with traditional American Football. So, the skies the limit! From why you chose the team you did, to the uniform and colors complete with puns on pro-athletes and their teams... The only limit in the game and the hobby are the limits you put on yourself! So, dream big young-blood, and “go for it!”

13) The Hobby: Is perhaps the most important part of the game for me, and for many other coaches as well... modeling and painting miniatures!  This might even be considered a sub-part of the previous point "the world of imagination is limitless." I have spent over 30 years of my life painting silly little miniatures that I have glued together and primed in preparation for paint application. It can be so relaxing and fun.  Sometimes, when you are first learning how to do it, it can bring some agitation... but stick with it and you'll find a very rewarding aspect of the game!

Well, there you have it! This game is so good for so many reasons and if you even remotely enjoy American Football, this is a great table top strategy game that keeps your mind young, and exercises that grey matter between your ears in yer noggin’! For more information, go to your local game store, and if they don’t have the game on the shelf or a league already running you can go to the Nuffle Amorical Football (The NAF) website at: www.thenaf.net for more information. Hope to see you on the grid-iron!