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opponent’s inherent weaknesses and the adaptable
nature of the Human team is crucial to this. When faced
with a bashing team, such as Chaos or Dwarfs, let them
chase the ball and try to pull them out of position. Against
Finesse teams, grind your way up the pitch and kill as
many players as possible. Simple, logical advice, but it is
hard to implement properly and it takes a skilled coach
indeed to know how to play (and how NOT to play)
against every different race in the game. Most other races
will use the exact same strategy against everyone they face
so the challenge and enjoyment of using a Human team
comes when you learn how to face and defeat that tactic.
It’s hard, but rewarding.
Human Playbook
by David Candlish
With the release of the new Human team David Candlish thought it would be
prudent to write up a team Playbook. Read his words of wisdom.
Blood Bowl is played across the entire Old World with
hundreds of teams from all races fighting for glory, but by
far the most common race playing Blood Bowl today are
the ubiquitous Humans. There is something about Blood
Bowl that stirs the soul of the average man or woman and
they apply in droves to join teams across the length and
breadth of the Empire. Whereas many Elves sneer down
their noses at the thought of wrestling in the mud, and
most Orcs are too busy fighting in one of their countless
inter-clan feuds, to the average peasant or commoner
Blood Bowl represents a break from the tedium that is
their day-to-day life. Although the vast majority soon
realise that they are not cut out for the fast-paced and
gruelling life of a modern Blood Bowl superstar this still
doesn’t stop them from creating teams and leagues across
the land.
Whether you’re a Human coach looking for a few new
tricks or you simply want to make sure you’re ahead of the
game for the next time you face a Human team, this article
should hopefully have something for everyone.
As at ease with the bashing game as they may be, their lack
of Strength or optimised blocking skills means they will
only win a protracted fight against Agile teams. When
faced with teams that relish the prospect of all-out war on
the line of scrimmage it’s best to tie them up with a few
players you are less worried about losing (such as those
who have picked up niggling injuries) and then proceed
to outmanoeuvre them elsewhere. You will need to use
your superior speed to avoid damage and disrupt their
attacking plan. Using a similar philosophy, it is foolish to
attempt to outrun Fast teams, so concentrate your
strength and make them play on your terms. While this
may seem like it is stating the obvious, many people
assume that because Humans can do a little of everything
they can excel at everything.
It has said many times before, but Humans really are the
most adaptable team in Blood Bowl. Many people think
this versatility is only really useful to teach beginners the
basic tenets of the game and that Humans should be
dropped for one of the more specialised races as soon as
possible, but this isn’t true. Humans are an
underestimated force. Although other teams such as Dark
or High Elves appear to have a similar aptitude, their
natural agility automatically makes them better at the
finesse game and most Elven teams develop down this
route. Also, the high cost of Elven players dictates a style
of play that requires caution and prudence when deciding
how best to use your costly Witch Elf or Dragon Warrior.
The Human coach has less to worry about in this regard
which leaves them free to concentrate on the game in
hand rather than worry about the safety of their players.
All teams have their ‘bogey’ teams that they find hard to
beat (Amazons vs. Dwarfs being the most obvious
example), but generally speaking most races have some
trouble facing Humans as often they are simply undecided
as to how to best approach them. A good Human coach is
one that can take real
advantage from
their
By and large, most Human players are decidedly average
at the sport when compared to the players of other races.
Every so often though, a Human star player comes along
and makes people sit up and take notice – household
names like the ‘Mighty’ Zug and of course Griff Oberwald
spring to mind, with more recent on-pitch sensations such
as Zara the Slayer and the superb young catcher Diego
‘The Hand of Sigmar’ de Mardona (currently playing for
last year’s Blood Bowl winners the Flatlined Annihilators).
With Human teams, such as the Reikland Reavers and the
Marauders, having won numerous major trophies over the
years it is hard to deny that Human teams have a natural
affinity for the game and as long as the burning
enthusiasm for the game is in their heart, Human teams
and their coaches will continue to enjoy success at Blood
Bowl.
While you are focusing on the weaknesses of your
opponent it is vital you don’t allow them to dictate the
match by maximising their own strengths. For example,
I’ve known numerous coaches who are happy to let a
Skaven team score quickly so they can then attempt their
own two-turn touchdown after the kick-off. This is a
mistake as a Skaven team is much more likely to
consistently score in two turns than a Human team, so
playing in this way is unnecessarily giving them an
Introduction & Basic Principles
It’s been a long time since a Human playbook article has
been published and the tactics for this race have changed
somewhat from Robin Dews’ article way back in White
Dwarf 177! As well as rules changes, the calibre of Blood
Bowl coaches in general has improved meaning that
common Human tactics are now outdated. What the
Human coaches out there need is an up-to-date guide
with advice appropriate to the current Living Rulebook
that applies to both League and Tournament play.
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CATCHERS
70,000 gc
advantage. Although it is unavoidable that you will be put
in situations that favour the other team’s style of play, by
using your combination of speed, strength and agility you
can put as much pressure on the ball carrier as possible in
an effort to disrupt their plan. Once a coach is forced to
think outside their habitual game plan they’re more likely
to make mistakes.
dodges, Human coaches need to make sure they have the
right player in the right place at the right time or they run
the risk of burning re-rolls needlessly. It takes time and
practice to realise how best to use and position your
players to get the most out of them, but once it ‘clicks’
you’ll find your game improves by a huge amount.
MA
ST
AG
AV
8
2
3
7
Starting Skills:
Catch, Dodge.
Despite the unavoidable fact that as a Human coach many people will point and chuckle at the low
ST and AV of your Catchers, they soon stop laughing when you have two of them deep in their half
of the pitch waiting for a touchdown pass. Granted, their poor Strength and Armour makes them
prime and easy targets, but the Dodge skill increases their survivability no end and once they gain
the Block skill they become a real force to be reckoned with. Their relatively low cost makes them an
essential purchase and easily replaceable, and although I would not advise buying your full allowance of
four Catchers from the outset, having at least two of these versatile players is a must for any respectable
Human coach. Many people tend to use them as an extra assist to get a 2-dice block in critical areas or
for those desperate backfield defensive efforts. Both these tactics are viable but are not really using the
Catchers to their full ability. The trick to getting the most out of these players is to laugh in the face of the
vulnerability and throw them deep into enemy territory. Most coaches will then task at least two players to defend each
Catcher, drawing strength away from other areas of the pitch. Although one or both of your Catchers may take a
beating, more often than not they stay on the pitch, having distracted the defence long enough for your Blitzers to
have smashed some heads and be launching an attack of their own. The worst mistake you can make with these guys
is to be scared of using them!
Suggested Skills/(Traits):
Block, Side Step, Sure Feet, (Jump Up), Sure Hands, (Nerves of Steel).
Pros:
Very fast, agile & skilled.
Cons:
Prime target, low ST & AV.
With these basic ideas in mind, and after a little practice,
you can approach a game with some confidence knowing
that you can both anticipate the strategy adopted by any
given team and know how best to neutralise it. Good luck!
Ultimately, the trick to winning with Humans is
recognising that whereas other ‘balance’ teams like Dark
Elves or High Elves can rely on any of their players to pull
off desperate long bombs or vital
BLITZERS
90,000 gc
MA
ST
AG
AV
7
3
3
8
LINEMEN
50,000 gc
Starting Skills:
Block.
Although the most expensive Human player, weighing in at 90,000gc, Blitzers are an essential part
of any Human Blood Bowl roster and no team should be without a solid block of four Blitzers at its
heart. With a movement of 7 and the Block skill they are useful defenders, good for plugging gaps
and blitzing ball carriers, but as well as this they are also fearsome attacking players, especially when
used in pairs to cover each other. Their natural scoring and blocking abilities often see them develop
quickly, although this can sometimes be at the expense of other players, particularly Linemen. With
access to General and Strength skills they can be fine-tuned into ferocious blockers or with the
occasional double roll they can be given skills that develop them into highly prolific scorers.
Suggested Skills:
Tackle, Strip Ball, (Stand Firm), (Dodge), Guard, Mighty Blow.
Pros:
Fast, start with Block, up to four allowed on roster.
Cons:
Cost can make them tricky to replace.
MA
ST
AG
AV
6
3
3
8
Starting Skills:
None.
Average in every respect, your Linemen are the cheap cannon-fodder you inevitably use to stand up to
those Black Orcs and Ogres while your Catchers and Blitzers are making a nuisance of themselves
elsewhere. While it’s all too easy to treat them as throwaway players, in the long term this is a mistake
as the ultimate success of your team relies on having skills and strength across the board, rather
than clustered on a handful of players. If you work on the principle that while the positional players
keep your team going in the early stages of a league, you can invest in advancing your Linemen to
guarantee success in the future. However, if there is a dirty job to be done (like a 1/2 dice block against
a Troll or a 3 player foul) then that unskilled Lineman is your man! Although generally speaking Block
is the best skill to give a rookie Lineman, if you roll a double then Leader, Kick or Guard are always
useful provided you then take care of your investment!
Suggested Skills (Traits):
Block, (Leader), Kick, (Guard), Dirty Player.
Pros:
Cheap.
Cons:
Limited skill choices, easy to overlook in favour of Blitzers & Catchers.
THROWERS
70,000 gc
MA
ST
AG
AV
6
3
3
8
Starting Skills:
Pass, Sure Hands
Rounding off the list of Human specialist players is the Thrower. Although his stat line is identical to that of the Lineman,
his skills more than outweigh his higher price and every team should start with at least one. His Sure Hands
skill is simply essential to any Human offensive play as without them far too many re-rolls would be
burned in simply picking up the ball. His Pass skill makes him a threat even when he is fairly deep
within his own half, especially when the opposition has to deal with Catchers waiting for the ball. While
it seems natural to always give him Accurate as his first skill, I’ve found that by giving him Block he
becomes a much more versatile player for two different reasons. First of all, with Block he can act in
unison with a defensive Blitzer to turnover the opposing ball carrier then recover the ball using Sure
Hands to move it back up field. Second, with Block and Sure Hands he is effectively immune to ‘Strip
Ballers’ (especially annoying Wardancers that have the habit of bouncing around your backfield). This
means that not only does your opponent have to worry about marking your Catchers but he also has
to be wary of a Blitzer-guarded Thrower running up the field.
Suggested Skills:
Block, Accurate, (Leader), (Frenzy), Hail Mary Pass.
Pros:
Useful skills, superb player after only a few upgrades.
Cons:
Often a target, can be tricky to gain SPPs with passing alone.
OGRE 120,000 gc
MA ST AG AV
5 5 2 9
Starting Skills:
Mighty Blow, Thick Skull, Bonehead, Big Guy.
This Big Guy should always be considered a luxury rather than a necessity. While the idea of
Strength 5 and Mighty Blow is tempting, their sheer cost and the eternally frustrating
Bonehead mean Ogres should be bought if the circumstances allow rather than depending
on them as a core player. That said, once an Ogre has Block, and better still Block and Frenzy,
they soon become a nightmare for the opposition to deal with and will rapidly pay for themselves
time and again. Look to buy one after your fifth or sixth league match, but don’t even think about
them in a tournament unless it’s a TR110 occasion.
Suggested Skills:
Block, (Frenzy), (Leader), Guard, (Stand Firm).
Pros:
Strong, intimidating.
Cons:
Expensive, Bonehead.
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take advantage of the fact that immediate team strength is
more important than the long-term prospects of the
squad.
4 Blitzers 360,000
2 Catchers 140,000
1 Thrower 70,000
5 Linemen 250,000
3 Re-Rolls 150,000
3 Fan Factor 30,000
By switching Fan Factor for an extra Lineman you have
that little extra strength in depth that is so vital in
tournaments. Although some people swear by using a
high Fan Factor to be sure of winning every Kick Off roll,
this seems like a foolish tactic if it results in a weakened
force on the pitch – although Kick Off rolls do sometimes
win the match for you, these occasions occur infrequently
and basing your entire tournament strategy around them
seems foolish in the extreme. You may argue then that
you could upgrade a Lineman to a Thrower and
stick with Fan Factor 1, but in my experience
most other tournament rosters usually end
up with about 3 Fan Factor naturally, so
keeping a Fan Factor of 3 avoids gifting
your opponent with cheap re-rolls and is
vastly different from having a game plan
that revolves entirely around winning
Kick Off rolls.
Another common alternative is to drop a
Lineman and take an Apothecary, or even
trade in a re-roll. Considering the latter
option first, unless you get a kick out of flying by the
seat of your pants when the re-rolls have run out I advise
sticking with at least three re-rolls. Whether or not you
swap your Lineman is down to personal preference
although I find the sight of a definite substitute more
reassuring, even if the alternative could mean saving a
90,000gc player.
When choosing skills for my players I find that even if the
order I allocate them varies, the underlying skills chosen
do not alter much from tournament to tournament.
Given below are the choices that I’ve found to be most
efficient to date, although I do try to tweak them in each
tournament I take part in.
Blitzer 1 Strip Ball
Blitzer 2 Strip Ball
Thrower Block
Blitzer 3 Tackle
Blitzer 4 Tackle
Although this leaves the Catchers without Block, it
significantly boosts the defensive strength of the team.
Since Humans are naturally capable on the offence,
increasing the rate of opposing turnovers is a major
priority. With Strip Ball/Tackle on one player, your
opponent is obliged to tweak their attack plan slightly, but
it can be reasonably easy to pin these players and move
down the opposite wing. With more than one player with
these skills it then becomes a veritable nightmare – even
if they break free down one wing they’re faced with the
prospect of losing the ball to your defensive Strip
Ball/Tackle Blitzers.
Giving the Thrower Block is the one concession to
attacking play, vastly increasing his immunity to those
players who seek to turnover the ball deep in your own
half. As discussed earlier, this gives you the option to
perform a grinding play up the field – a tactic that is
particularly effective against low AV teams. If you’d rather
adopt the “we’ll score one more than you” approach then
you could substitute Block on both Catchers for one each
of the Strip Ball/Tackle Blitzers, but in all honesty if you
like to play that way you should be using a Skaven or
Wood Elf team. Besides, as any experienced coach will tell
you… games are won and lost by a team’s defence.
TR110 Tournaments
A TR110 tournament is simply a tournament that allows
1,100,00gc with which to create your team as opposed to
the regular 1,000,000 TR100 alternative. There have been
a number of discussions at
www.TalkBloodBowl.com
and
www.BloodBowl.net
about the relative merits
and drawbacks of each different format but, in
summary, TR110 tends to naturally favour
high cost teams such as Wood Elves, High
Elves, Dark Elves and Skaven. These teams
find it hard to have more than 11 players at
TR100, but at TR110 they can usually field 12
and occasionally squeeze in an extra re-
roll. By comparison, most of the teams
that do well at TR100 usually add a Big
Guy or a re-roll to their roster at TR110.
Both types of team benefit from the extra
cash, but the Finesse teams feel a bigger relative bonus.
Since the Human roster at TR100 is fairly solid with a
combination of skilled positional players and a little in
reserve, playing at TR110 can be an excuse to go to town!
Shown below is my sample TR110 Human roster.
1 Ogre 120,000
4 Blitzers 360,000
2 Catchers 140,000
2 Throwers 140,000
3 Linemen 150,000
3 Re-Rolls 150,000
4 Fan Factor 40,000
Who cares if those pansy AV 7 teams now have more
players? With that Ogre you can just kill more of them!
Also, having an extra Thrower gives greater flexibility and
the chance to have more players with more skills on the
pitch at any one time – a good thing, generally speaking.
At first glance you may think that losing a Lineman at the
expense of another Thrower will mean putting a more
expensive player directly in harm’s way, but in reality the
Ogre attracts so much more attention that the Throwers
remain fairly unmolested.
With such a different roster it is inevitable that the skill
choices need to change and unsurprisingly the first skill
should always be Block on your Ogre. Without it the Ogre
will cause innumerable turnovers when he rolls double
“Both Down” results and his Big Guy status prevents use
During a match you should always be aware that your long
term success depends on your Linemen gaining skills and
because of this you should always take the chance to
enable them to score or inflict a casualty should the
situation present itself. This shouldn’t be at the expense of
winning the match, naturally, but your Blitzers and
Catchers will gain SPPs at a faster rate without having to
try too hard. At first this is a daunting proposition, but
when a few Linemen have picked up MVPs or the odd CAS
here and there it does get easier. When choosing your
skills you should try to keep the innate flexibility of the
Human team in mind and resist the urge to specialise too
much. By this I mean avoid giving all your Linemen Block,
your Throwers all Accurate, etc, and try to aim for a
situation where many of your players can perform as many
roles as possible. If you wanted a team that excelled in
blocking then you should have picked a different race,
and the same holds true for passing or running based
teams. Humans only work if your team can exploit the
weaknesses of your opponent and by specialising too
much in one area you will inevitably suffer in another.
That said, keep things in context – don’t go giving your
Catchers Mighty Blow on a double on the basis it would
make them better blockers!
Humans & Tournament Play
The majority of tournaments are either TR100 or TR110
events, but whereas other teams simply use the extra cash
to buy a twelfth player, the Human roster does have a
couple of difference approaches for each type that are
worth addressing. For skill progression and development
I will focus on the overwhelmingly common “one skill
after each match” format used by the vast majority of
tournaments as well as the absence of long-term injuries
between matches.
TR100 Tournaments
The optimum roster for Team Rating 100 tournaments is
very similar to that of a league but is tweaked slightly to
League Play & Long Term Development
There are many different ways of playing a Human team
so ultimately your choice of roster will depend on your
favoured playing style. However, I advise the roster below
as it maximises skills in the short term while still having
scope for future development.
4 Blitzers 360,000
2 Catchers 140,000
1 Thrower 70,000
4 Linemen 200,000
3 Re-Rolls 150,000
8 Fan Factor 80,000
Unless you permanently lose a player early on, your first
purchase absolutely must be an Apothecary. Common
sense it may be, but far too many people go for an extra
Lineman or save for an Ogre only to realise the error of
their ways once they lose a Catcher or Blitzer. After this,
another Lineman or Thrower should be top of your
shopping list, with an Ogre to follow that if your winnings
permit. As is always the case for a league, you should try
to start with as high a Fan Factor as possible to give you
the winnings needed to enhance your squad. Although
tempting to start with an extra Lineman and only 3 Fan
Factor, this short-sighted approach is lacking and you will
pay the price after a couple of matches. Don’t bother
going for extra re-rolls until you have at least thirteen fit
and able players on your squad, and once you have four
Team re-rolls and a Leader re-roll you should probably
switch focus back onto buying players or Wizards if your
league allows them. Finally, Cheerleaders and Assistant
Coaches are usually so far down your list of priorities they
should not even be considered until you’ve played about
a dozen matches. Although the idea of buying a couple of
each to win rolls on the Kick-Off table seems logical, the
reality is that they are used so infrequently as to be
essentially useless, especially when compared to a
Lineman that can be used in every turn of every match.
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of a Team re-roll. The other skill choices could remain
fairly similar as illustrated below:
Ogre Block
Thrower 1 Block
Blitzer 1 Strip Ball
Blitzer 2 Tackle
Blitzer 3 Strip Ball
Thrower 2 Block
Once again, this choice of skills is tailored towards
defensive play by giving the back field players abilities that
are most suited to forcing the ball from the opponent.
When both Throwers have Block it means you have no
less than seven players with the skill and at least three of
those – the Strip Ball Blitzers and one of the Throwers –
can be dedicated defensive players. This should give you a
fighting chance of stopping even the most aggressive
offence. A word of warning though: avoid the temptation
to always perform the first block of the turn with the Ogre
just because he’s big and has Mighty Blow. Double Skulls
without a re-roll really messes up a game plan when it’s
your first action.
Sample Human Kick-Off Formations
Shown below are a number of generic, balanced starting
formations for Human teams when kicking and receiving.
3
1
2
9
11
10
4
8
12
7
When receiving a kick from a Slow team there
seems little sense in spreading your players out as
it’s likely they will be caught and dragged into a
blocking match. By concentrating on one flank you
force your opponent to redeploy to meet you,
which should give you at least a turn’s grace. When
they do you are then at liberty to continue your
drive up the same flank or switch play to the other
flank and race past their confused defenders. Be
careful not to allow the opposing team to push you
too close to the edge of the pitch or slow you down
long enough for their out-of-position players to
redeploy.
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1-Lineman
9-Blitzer
2-Lineman
10-Blitzer
3-Lineman
11-Blitzer
4-Lineman
12-Blitzer
7-Catcher
16-Thrower
9
12
8-Catcher
16
10
4
5
11
1
3
2
9
11
4
10
This formation is best suited against moderately fast
teams such as High Elves, Dark Elves, Amazon or Norse.
The Blitzers in the Wide Zones nearest the centre of the
pitch would typically be those with Strip Ball to make
sure that even if a breakthrough was achieved on the
other side of the pitch they could make it across in one
turn. Against faster teams the Strip Ball Blitzers should
be deployed deeper to make sure they can hit the ball
carriers and to ensure they aren’t easily pinned.
Alternatively, one Strip Ball player could be positioned
just behind the Line of Scrimmage with the other behind
the Thrower. Always remember to defend deep into
your own half against Fast teams!
1-Lineman
7-Lineman
7
8
2-Lineman
9-Blitzer
3-Lineman
10-Blitzer
4-Catcher
11-Blitzer
5-Catcher
12-Blitzer
6
6-Thrower
This formation is designed for use against Fast, Agile
teams. The ball carrier is guarded at all times from
the outset, with the ultimate goal being to move
into a rolling cage and steamroller up the pitch.
Although attacking through the centre is an option,
by moving up the wing you can keep the Thrower
protected and ensure your best blockers, the
Blitzers, are in contact with the opposition at all
times. Be careful not to get TOO close to the edge
though!
1-Lineman
9-Blitzer
2-Lineman
10-Blitzer
12
3-Lineman
11-Blitzer
4-Lineman
12-Blitzer
7-Catcher
16-Thrower
16
8-Catcher
In Conclusion
Hopefully this tactics article will give you some ideas
about how to approach your next game and give you
some faith that Humans can compete with the more
specialised races. Although some experienced
tournament players insist that the Humans do not have
what it takes to win a major tournament, claiming the
roster has key flaws that will ultimately hold it back, it will
only take one skilled Human coach to prove them wrong.
For all their versatility, getting the most out of the Human
team requires long-term practice and dedication, but stick
with it and soon you will be running rings around those
Orcs and pounding the Elves into the turf with reckless
abandon!
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