Ping: Blood Bowl Fans

[SirFozzie]

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/14/cy...ox-360-psp-ds/

Cyanide Studios has released the first artwork from Blood Bowl, a faithful representation of Games Workshop's board game in which insane warriors of the fantasy Warhammer universe compete in a "sport" that vaguely resembles American football. Blood Bowl will be published by Focus Home Interactive in the 2nd half of 2008, for PC, DS, PSP and Xbox 360.

At least if the PC version has StarForce, I can play on 360/DS

[Honolulu_Blue]

I really hope this game is good.

[Marc Vaughan]

If its like 'Chaos League' then it'll be interesting but not really my cup of tea - Chaos League was a RTS take on blood bowl and might appeal to a fair few folks but I'd personally like an FM version of Blood Bowl myself.

[JPhillips]

SEGA and SIGames is proud to announce their newest title, Blood Bowl Manager.

Make it happen, Marc.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

If its like 'Chaos League' then it'll be interesting but not really my cup of tea - Chaos League was a RTS take on blood bowl and might appeal to a fair few folks but I'd personally like an FM version of Blood Bowl myself.

Yes, yes, 100% emphatically, yes.

In fact, in was in a Blood Bowl league back in my college days and we had a career type league going. I think we only ever got through 2, maybe 2.5 seasons, but we had a draft and everything. For the draft, we had some method of generating players by making up charts and rolling dice.

It was good fun.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

SEGA and SIGames is proud to announce their newest title, Blood Bowl Manager.

Make it happen, Marc.

+1

[astrosfan64]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

SEGA and SIGames is proud to announce their newest title, Blood Bowl Manager.

Make it happen, Marc.

Please do, Please do, Please do.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

SEGA and SIGames is proud to announce their newest title, Blood Bowl Manager.

Make it happen, Marc.

I think the gauntlet has been laid down.

[SirFozzie]

http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/142/14219412.html

Six new screenshots, apparently of in game play.

[SirFozzie]

Found elsewere.. WOOHOO!

now put career play (and MULTIPLAYER Career Play) in it, and you have a sale. Hell, I'll make a deal.. if it has both, I will BUY five copies of this for FOFC Xbox360 owners for a league

http://news.filefront.com/blood-bowl...en-everything/

Cyanide Studios and Games Workshop have a bit of treat in store for fans of the Warhammer series. Blood Bowl offers two game modes; the first has real time, intense battles between blocking linemen and players leaping and dodging through opponents tackle zones, while powerful spells and dirty-trick special plays are unleashed across the pitch; all this creates a highly charged atmosphere. Of course, since it is sometimes difficult to keep an eye on the entire field at once, the game’s interface offers different tactical and strategic setups, while the AI is responsible for managing the players on the field.

The second game mode, an actual turn-based game, and fans of the original board game will be pleased because it is an exact replica of Games Workshop’s tabletop masterpiece. The original rules have been faithfully reproduced, and it contains all of the devices, strategies, play and rhythm of the original game.

edit: Damn, doesn't look like they'll be careers.. there will be season play though.

The single-player experience allows the player to manage a team throughout an entire season of Blood Bowl, through the Old World of Warhammer. The team will evolve over the course of victories, experience gained and awards won. With its immense depth, the game can almost be considered as a management game, from managing the popularity and sponsorship of players to the purchase and sale of players, as well as their aging, retirement and even death.

In multiplayer, the player will be able to throw down a challenge to other Blood Bowl players and participate in large tournaments on the Internet in order to climb the official ranks (ladder).

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

edit: Damn, doesn't look like they'll be careers.. there will be season play though.

The single-player experience allows the player to manage a team throughout an entire season of Blood Bowl, through the Old World of Warhammer. The team will evolve over the course of victories, experience gained and awards won. With its immense depth, the game can almost be considered as a management game, from managing the popularity and sponsorship of players to the purchase and sale of players, as well as their aging, retirement and even death.

This sentence: "With its immense depth, the game can almost be considered as a management game, from managing the popularity and sponsorship of players to the purchase and sale of players, as well as their aging, retirement and even death." Seems to imply more than a single season. That'd be awesome if it's true.

Good news, indeed!

[SirFozzie]

There BETTER be a 360 League for FOFC folks.

The only team that I haven't seen confirmed somewhere yet is the Undead, and I think it will be eventually, it's really wonky on the rules system, but it's so much part of the BB world.

[SirFozzie]

BTW, while I was in a blood bowl frenzy (ha ha ha I can see the jokes now), I picked up all four of the BB fiction books (the first three in Omnibus format), and the fourth one that was just released, pre ordered the fifth one, and picked up the OLD OLD OLD Star Players and Companion book for Blood Bowl's earlier edition

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

This sentence: "With its immense depth, the game can almost be considered as a management game, from managing the popularity and sponsorship of players to the purchase and sale of players, as well as their aging, retirement and even death." Seems to imply more than a single season. That'd be awesome if it's true.

Good news, indeed!

Excellent news. That sentence definitely implies some sort of multi-season mode. Heck, even without a multi-season mode, the idea of the original turn based game being faithfully recreated will be enough for me to buy this to play against other FOFC players.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Yes, I look forward to unleashing my high-powered, Martzianesque elven offense all over your unexpecting asses!

The Greatest Show in The Bowl!

(The only trick would be to convince Lady H_B that I should get an Xbox 360. Despite her highly benevolent geek tolerance, I fear she would view any such purchase as a significant step backwards...)

[SirFozzie]

Elves go squish squish! Skaven fast, skaven strong.. skaven rule!

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

... I'd personally like an FM version of Blood Bowl myself.

I've never been more behind a thread jacking post.
I'll be there on day one. Do you need beta testers?

As for the original topic; I'm looking forward to it.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

If its like 'Chaos League' then it'll be interesting but not really my cup of tea - Chaos League was a RTS take on blood bowl and might appeal to a fair few folks but I'd personally like an FM version of Blood Bowl myself.

I can just see some of the player issues...

Prince Moron is disgusted by the lack of nobility portrayed by his teammates as they laid their hands on the opposing Ogres...

Shorty McMuffin refuses to play for your team until a new chef who cooks better stickbuns is hired...

[KWhit]

Can't wait for this.

I'm so in for a FOFC league.

[Mustang]

My pants are tight

[Marc Vaughan]

The inclusion of a proper turn based mode rocks imho

[Groundhog]

I really wonder about the AI in this. The problem is that I just can't see the AI putting up a 'realistic' kind of a fight. I'd want to see dwarf/orc teams cage up and stall away the half, elven teams going for the quick 2-turners, and all those other tried and true tactics that human opponents employ. I'm just afraid that with all the experience I've had with bloodbowl, both on tabletop as well as online through FUMBBL, that this game won't be able to put up much of a fight.

Bloodbowl is far more complex than chess to program a realistic AI opponent.

Human vs Human, well that should be pretty fun, but skijunkie's bloodbowl client already covers that pretty damn well, and I really doubt that the gameplay and ruleset used in this 3D version will be as faithful to the tabletop version.

[Calis]

Hmm, TB Blood Bowl on the DS would be a handy thing to have.

Think I'll have to pick this up on 2 platforms!

[SirFozzie]

The game play/Ruleset will be two versions, real time, or the exact same rules that the game uses (LRB 5.0)

Just played my first FUMBBL game in over a year.. my Dwarves beat up a higher ranked Nurgle's Rotters team, 3-0, (partially thanks to the fans, who threw two rocks in the game, one of which KO'd a player, the 2nd of which Seriously Injured a player )

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I really wonder about the AI in this. The problem is that I just can't see the AI putting up a 'realistic' kind of a fight. I'd want to see dwarf/orc teams cage up and stall away the half, elven teams going for the quick 2-turners, and all those other tried and true tactics that human opponents employ. I'm just afraid that with all the experience I've had with bloodbowl, both on tabletop as well as online through FUMBBL, that this game won't be able to put up much of a fight.

Bloodbowl is far more complex than chess to program a realistic AI opponent.

Human vs Human, well that should be pretty fun, but skijunkie's bloodbowl client already covers that pretty damn well, and I really doubt that the gameplay and ruleset used in this 3D version will be as faithful to the tabletop version.

If they make the game extensible (ie. you can program your own AI) then I'll help ensure its competitive

[SirFozzie]

Hehehe. I don't think that's possible, but seriously, I would love to see a VM-ish version of BB.

[Yellow5]

New screens available from Feb. 14th on the main site.

www.bloodbowl-game.com

[Marc Vaughan]

Ok so they've some great graphics artists and a decent 3d engine ...

How about showing something which actually lets us know how the game will work? (ie. how are we making decisions, is there a 'full league', can we upgrade our players as they gain experience, does it have the cool nutty media stuff you get in traditional BloodBowl manuals etc.).

[Groundhog]

Graphically it looks good, but I just can't see myself buying this with fumbbl and skijunkie's client out there.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

New trailer video out for Blood Bowl.............

http://theablegamer.com/index.php?op...lers&Itemid=78

[sachmo71]

looks good

[Eaglesfan27]

Noticed in the trailer that it is coming to the 360, PSP, and DS as well. Looking forward to seeing more details - hopefully a fleshed out career mode.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

looks good

Looks very good. If the turn-based version works well (which it should) and there is a half-decent career type mode, oh baby...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Looking forward to seeing more details - hopefully a fleshed out career mode.

A career mode would be absolutely unbelievable. There could be some great MP career leagues on the PC.

[MacroGuru]

Well this says there will be continuous seasons...

http://www.cyanide-studio.com/forums...903976#1903976

[MacroGuru]

Dola,

Also stats will be kept, just not sure which...

http://www.cyanide-studio.com/forums...888588#1888588

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

Well this says there will be continuous seasons...

http://www.cyanide-studio.com/forums...903976#1903976

I can see the news articles already........

June 24, 2009 - Rough day for the Buffalo Decapitators as their first and second round picks from the 2008 draft were killed during today's Blood Bowl League match. The coach took full responsibility for the deaths due to his conservative strategy and told fans that he would look to replace them through free agency in the off-season.

[Calis]

Still excited about this one. I wonder how far out it is still.

I think they were close to a great game with Chaos League, and I think getting this license and a 2nd chance they might put out a very solid game.

[MacroGuru]

Q4 08 is their new release time

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

Dola,

Also stats will be kept, just not sure which...

http://www.cyanide-studio.com/forums...888588#1888588

They should probably know by this point, eh?
The old Blood Bowl was fun, but the stats sucked.

[WVUFAN]

They just put out the first issue of the Blood Bowl comic book, if anyone's interested. Pretty good stuff. It's written by the same guy who does the books.

http://heavyink.com/search?q=blood+bowl#preview

[Arctic Blast]

Looks promising...I hope it turns out well!

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

They should probably know by this point, eh?
The old Blood Bowl was fun, but the stats sucked.

The thread was back in February, I've tried to get into the beta testing..wasn't accepted the first time, and missed the 2nd call for beta testers, so needless to say, not happy

[Calis]

So I had an old copy of Chaos League, and thought I'd fire it up again in anticipation of this game and maybe look at the buying the expansion that I remembered coming out.

Did Games Workshop sue them over this game? It's like they erased the existence of the game. It's not on their site, the publisher has apparently since gone under so it's not there, and I don't see mention of it on Amazon or any gaming stores sites. I did find a copy on eBay but bleh. I did find some references that made it sound like they did run into some trouble with the game, but they worked it out obviously for the Blood Bowl game.

I was hoping to find a community for the game or something, but there's nothing.

It's a flawed game, but still pretty fun. I've played a couple games this afternoon and enjoyed it. I completely forgot that there was a turn-based option in this one, and it works out ok. Now that I can un-starforce it I'm pretty happy with it.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Calis

So I had an old copy of Chaos League, and thought I'd fire it up again in anticipation of this game and maybe look at the buying the expansion that I remembered coming out.

Did Games Workshop sue them over this game? It's like they erased the existence of the game. It's not on their site, the publisher has apparently since gone under so it's not there, and I don't see mention of it on Amazon or any gaming stores sites. I did find a copy on eBay but bleh. I did find some references that made it sound like they did run into some trouble with the game, but they worked it out obviously for the Blood Bowl game.

I was hoping to find a community for the game or something, but there's nothing.

It's a flawed game, but still pretty fun. I've played a couple games this afternoon and enjoyed it. I completely forgot that there was a turn-based option in this one, and it works out ok. Now that I can un-starforce it I'm pretty happy with it.

My understanding was GW knocked on their door and said you are infringing upon our patent or something like that. They set up meetings, and created the BB agreement, however GW now owns the CL license and I think killed it off...

I was looking for a copy the other day to download or buy, and it is no where.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

My understanding was GW knocked on their door and said you are infringing upon our patent or something like that. They set up meetings, and created the BB agreement, however GW now owns the CL license and I think killed it off...

From the various items I've seen about GW and them protecting their property, they make the RIAA look like a charitable institution.

[Calis]

Well they're probably bitter/pissed about Starcraft and Warcraft still so I can see why they'd be quick to drop the hammer now.

Just wish I could find the expansion. Seems like keeping Chaos League out there would've brought more attention to a Blood Bowl sequel rather than making it disappear.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Here's a preview with some cool info:

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=143333

Games Workshop's headquarters in Nottingham is a pleasantly
schizophrenic building, thrones and wall-mounted torches competing for space with tile carpets and coffee machines. Stone-cladding on the inside adds that delicate hint of theme pub, while presumably serving as another layer of protection for when the notoriously gun-crazed locals open up on the dice rollers with their automatic weaponry. The building also doubles as the venue for the annual Blood Bowl championship, and this year, Games Workshop has used the competition as an opportunity to reveal the PC version of that venerable tabletop sports game.

A brash mix of American Football and impromptu goblin violence, Blood Bowl blends touchdowns with bone-smashing tackles and spell attacks. I actually played the original game for about five minutes back around 1990, until it became apparent that the brain-mangling and vein-rupturing so vividly depicted on the cover of the box translated into a lot of dice-rolling and distance-measuring on the board. Twelve at the time, I remember feeling dimly cheated, as if I'd somehow ended up in a funds management seminar after being promised a trip to see the gory inner-workings of a local sausage factory, culminating in an overview of the matter-smeared tank the workers kick the offal into.

Although other, more perceptive types have found Blood Bowl both elegant and exciting as a boardgame, that lingering contradiction between the action-packed subject and the turn-based pacing becomes even more important as the licence shifts to consoles and PC. Can the game deliver the lengthy dice-rolling battles original fans want, while also seeming arcadey and toothsome enough to satisfy new players lured in by the promise of violence?

The solution turns out to be a choice of two game modes: the original turn-based play, or a more streamlined real-time version. Both retain the same dice rolls and rule structure of the original game, but real-time shoves all that out of sight, and brings match durations down to about five minutes.


In the turn-based game, characters are selected with the left mouse button, and then moved about the grid with the right, which can also assign various contextual actions, such as clicking a team-mate to pass, or an enemy to tackle. Every action in Blood Bowl relies on a dice roll, and if you lose - failing to dodge a lunge or fluffing an attack - it's the end of your turn. This is where tactics come in, as seasoned players know the best order to use to get the least risky moves out of the way early on.

Sitting down with the game, it's immediately pretty obvious that the developer, Cyanide, knows what it's doing. The French outfit acquired the licence in an undisclosed out-of-court settlement after Games Workshop felt their original fantasy football title Chaos League wasn't quite as original as it could have been. Everybody's friends now, though, and it's easy to see why: Blood Bowl is coming together nicely. It's not the most lavish-looking game you'll ever see, but the animation brings the various races to life with real swagger, and the environments, ranging from a village green to a Chaos-themed stadium with lava for grid lines, are full of charm.

The real breakthrough, though, is the way that the simplified control system, using just the mouse buttons (mapped to face buttons in the 360 version), opens the game up, making it speedy and intuitive. The results are a mutation of Madden and Advance Wars, with hair and make-up by My Chemical Romance, but there's also a deep RPG system thrown in that sees your roster of sixteen players earning experience over the seasons, levelling skills, and eventually retiring through old age or - more likely - getting killed mid-game. The rolling roster system may seem brutal to those who get unduly attached to their procedurally-generated team-mates, but it should stop the game from becoming unbalanced, and there's an option to take a living snapshot of a favourite team in a golden era to export for exhibition matches.

With turn-based Blood Bowl already looking surprisingly accessible, real-time mode speeds things up even further, turning the game into one of frantic time-management. Even though everything's now happening at once, your team still depend on you to tell them what to do, play by play: you can assign basic behaviours (attack, defend, or stay neutral) but these merely control positioning on the board, and the game requires an exhaustive eye for detail. As a result, matches have a choppy, fire-fighting strain to them. A little of the turn-based pacing remains, however: moves have a refresh period between them, to stop things degenerating into a Click Festival sponsored by RSI Incorporated, and although the grid is no longer visible, the jerky, Tetris-like movement of the players leaves you in no doubt that it's still there. (There's no firm word yet on how all this will translate to the 360, where many an RTS has already keel-hauled itself, but Cyanide is currently thinking of dispensing with the mouse pointer entirely, opting for a closer camera and player selection using the triggers.)
Star players can be hired at great expense for a single match, and can dramatically change the outcome. A bit like Delia.


As expected given the game's tabletop background, a huge portion of Blood Bowl is concerned with managing the team off-pitch and tweaking house rules. Cyanide has created an overabundance of customisation options, covering armour, team logos, and the look of characters, as well as variations in the minutiae of the rule-set itself. Teams can woo sponsors, bribe referees, dope their players to receive boosts, or even instigate random drug tests on enemies.

Featuring a season-by-season championship mode as well as a more traditional single-player campaign, Blood Bowl will also ship with online and LAN multiplayer. Gameplay films can be recorded and exchanged, and, crucially, the ability to craft bespoke teams, player by player and stat by stat, means tabletop gamers will be able to recreate their existing teams down to the last detail. Cyanide is not currently working on any DLC, but given the licence's intricate history, there's plenty of material to choose from. Elsewhere, alongside the identical PC and 360 versions, PSP and DS titles are also in the pipeline, both featuring online multiplayer, but ditching the real-time mode.

The core audience are definitely onboard: whenever I looked up from my demo screen, I saw dozens of faces clustered round, grinning stupidly and wondering if a lucky dice roll might bring the autumn release date closer. For everyone else, a few minutes of play will reveal a game that's full of character and surprisingly quick-paced. There's genuinely nothing like it on consoles at the moment, but it may not be easy wooing those who never played the original, given the perception of inaccessibility that hangs over the licence, and the slightly home-made look of the graphics. Games Workshop has clearly spent a lot of time and effort making Blood Bowl friendly and intuitive, but it's entirely possible the company's stone-clad walls may remain too intimidating for many to penetrate.

[SirFozzie]

Awesome.

[KWhit]

Can't wait.