Blitz Bowl

Concept
Blitz Bowl is a fast-paced sports game for two players (either you and another player or you and the GM). Blitz Bowl was created for people who wanted a more violent sport than Blitzball. In this game each player is a coach in charge of a team of players competing against each other to score the most points by completing challenges and scoring touchdowns. Whichever team has the most points at the end of the game wins!

GAME

The game area contains the playing area, known as the pitch. It is divided into 5’ squares. It is 130 feet long by 75 feet wide, with 2 end zones that are 5 feet wide, and the line of scrimmage in the middle. Class features, magical items, and most feats do not function within the game area.

Setting Up

To set up a game of Blitz Bowl ready to be played, follow the step outlined below:

First, roll a D6 to determine which coach will choose who will set up first. The team that sets up first is called the kicking team, because they will kick-off the ball. The other team is called the receiving team, because they will receive the kick-off. Each coach must set up 11 players, or if they can’t field 11 then as many players as they have in Reserves, between their end zone and the halfway line, and within the following restrictions:

1. The kicking team always sets up first.
2. No more than two players may be set up in each wide zone (i.e., a maximum of four players may be split wide, two on each flank).
3. At least three players must be set up next to the half way line, on the line of scrimmage.
4. Each square can only have one player in it.
5. If you cannot set up 3 players on the Line of Scrimmage you must either concede the match, or carry on playing by placing as many players on the line of scrimmage as possible.

Blitz Bowl is split into two halves of sixteen turns each (i.e., eight turns per coach). At the end of the second half the team with the most touchdowns is the winner. The game is played using a simple but strict sequence of play, which runs as follows:

• Receiving Team’s Turn
• Kicking Team’s Turn

Repeat A and B, one after the other, until the end of the drive.

NOTE: A drive is defined as playing until a touchdown is scored or the half ends. During a turn, the team in play may perform one Action with each player in the team. A coach is only allowed four minutes to complete his turn. The players on the other team may not take any Actions until their own turn comes around.

At its core, Blitz Bowl is a risk management game. Every action that involves a dice roll can be failed, and if you fail, your turn is over, and your opponent gets to take their turn. This is called a Turnover, and it is absolutely central to how the game is played. Fortunately, there is a system of Skills and Rerolls in place that will allow coaches to mitigate risk as they navigate their turn. However, it is always good practice to start your turn with the least risky activities, and work your way up to riskier activities as your turn progresses.

Each player on your team can perform one action during their turn:

• Move: The player may move a number of squares equal to their Movement Allowance (MA)
• Block: The player may make a single block against a player in an adjacent square. Players that are Prone may not perform this Action.
• Blitz: The player may move a number of squares equal to their MA. He may make one block during the move. The block may be made at any point during the move, and ‘costs’ one square of movement. (one Blitz per turn per team)
• Foul (move and then attack a downed player, one Foul per turn per team)
• Pass: The player may move a number of squares equal to his MA. At the end of the move the player may pass the ball. (one per turn per team)
• Hand Off (One per turn per team)
• Use a Skill (which will be defined on their profile)

Once every coach on your team has either activated or declined to activate, your turn is over.

TURNOVERS

Normally, a turn only ends when all of the players in the team have performed an Action. However, certain events cause the turn to end before all of the players have taken an Action. These events are called turnovers. The following events cause a turnover:

1. A player on the moving team is Knocked Down (being injured by the crowd or being Placed Prone is not a turnover unless it is a player from the active team holding the ball … e.g. skills like Diving Tackle, Piling On and Wrestle count as being Placed Prone) or
2. A passed ball, or hand-off, is not caught by any member of the moving team before the ball comes to rest or
3. A player from the moving team attempts to pick up the ball and fails (note: failing a catch roll, as opposed to a pick up, is by itself never a turnover) or
4. A touchdown is scored or
5. A pass attempt is fumbled even if a player from that team catches the fumbled ball or
6. A player with the ball is thrown or is attempted to be thrown using Throw Team-Mate and fails to land successfully (including being eaten or squirming free from an Always Hungry roll) or
7. A player is ejected by the referee for a foul. A coach that suffers a turnover is not allowed to take any further actions that turn, and any action being taken ends immediately even if it was only partially completed. Make armor and injury rolls for players that were knocked down, and if the ball was dropped then roll to see where it bounces too normally. Stunned players should be turned face up, and then the opposing coach may start to take their turn.

While most of the fun of Blitz Bowl lies in beating the crap out of your opponent’s team, the object of the game is, of course, to score Touchdowns. At the end of the game, the coach with the most Touchdowns wins! Draws are perfectly acceptable results in a game of Blitz Bowl, as a Draw usually represents a very close-fought contest full of nail-biting action and extremely pivotal dice rolls!