Thursday, December 1, 2016

Blood Bowl, the bitter revival...


BLOOD BOWL'S BACK! EVERYONE WANTS TO PLAY BLOOD BOWL!!!

The Wurtbastards were undefeated in their 3-4 year run,
primarily as a non-digital opponent couldn't be found.

Not that the living rule book rules were invalid, or that what's been described as the greatest miniature game ever has had any lack of devoted fans ready to play...right? They've always been ready to play...

Real Life names redacted.
Sure. That's exactly what they'll tell you. However currently I'm the odd one out here locally as Blood Bowl mania sweeps thru our gaming group, as I can only bitterly recall 5 years ago when I recreated the old templates, bought and painted a team, made a custom pitch, bought dice from the NAF, and read the rulebook till I memorized it, only to find no opponents.

Period.

Where was this eternally devoted fanbase? Ah yes, playing the fucking Blood Bowl video game. It was 'just as good' and 'far easier' to play...presumably as they could play at home whilst wearing just their boxers...(((cringe))).

Three to four years after, annoyed that no one ever wanted to play, tired that all of my BB efforts had come to naught, and even more tired of shuffling around a team, templates and board for a completely dead and gone (tabletop) game, I sold it all off.

Yet now, with Blood Bowl's re-release? So-called 'die hard' fans are coming out of the wood-work. Indeed, people who haven't been to game night in years are suddenly clearing their schedules for it, and all I can think is: Where the fuck were you people 5 years ago when I was begging for anybody to play????

Oh that's right, you had a video game instead and couldn't be bothered. Technically nothing's changed but hey, why not jump on the band wagon with everyone else right? Right.

Edit: Wolfy commented and I have to agree that this sudden burst of interest in BB will probably have the same lifespan as our recent revival or GorkaMorka. Potentially less given that its the holiday season, there's already grumblings about the local 'that guy' population is showing interest as well, and one of the main proponents of starting up a league has already made mention that he probably can't make it this weekend, etc., etc.... 

5 comments:

neverness said...

I would have played you any time you asked. But you never asked! My Orcs have been itching for a game for years!

Da Masta Cheef said...

I thought i had sent out general 'who wants to play?' inquiries all around. Honestly don't recall now having consigned most of my memories of this less than lovely experience to the mental trash bin.

Oh well, looks like you'll be in luck here shortly, but count me out of it.

Speaking of (well sorta I guess)...I seem to be getting the run-around on the replacement metal arms for my gnomes. I'll give em another week, but if they still don't reply then my last gasp of trying to like Bolt Action will be sold off too (though, in between Alpha Legion mass-assembly I am once again looking off in another direction already...).

Waaargh Pug said...

It is a veritable mania, isn't it? I dunno, I've never played Blood Bowl, but there are definitely a few of those groupies that I could never be across the table from again in this lifetime and never shed a tear... I just can't make myself excited about that game enough to care about it, truly.

And HEY! You just gotta ask sometime if you wanna play some GorkaMorka. I'm just busy, but if we schedule ahead of time to play I'm good. That's how I play anything anymore, is scheduling out ahead of time; I don't have it in me anymore to just show up and hope for a game. Cassandra is ever willing to run over whatever fool orcs stand in her way. I never even got to use my Diggas!

Da Masta Cheef said...

Yeah we'll have to do that. Whilst our Saturday evenings are usually available now that all of Wolfy's surgeries are behind us, often we find it isn't really worth the drive given the games being played, especially as we're likely to just play one another (which we can do at home).

Of course the fact that at least half or more of the people who show up to game night, never bother to sign up/post that they'll be there in advance doesn't help either.

As my beloved Wolfy put it following our convo above: 'gamers...'

Admiral Drax said...

Marvellously adroit hyperlinking right there, Sir!

I've never had any interest in Bloodbowl, but in lame defence of those who do, 5000 miles away from your local scene, I can at least testify that it's been lovingly maintained at my local club...

[I don't understand it - even the ball's the wrong shapemumblemumble...]