Blood Bowl is Games Workshop’s fantasy football game for two people. Each of you coaches a team of fantasy players, such as orcs, elves, dwarfs or the undead, on a gridded pitch. You take turns moving your players to carry the ball into your opponent’s end zone and score touchdowns, while knocking over as many of their players as you can along the way. A match has two halves of eight turns each, and the team with the most touchdowns wins.
It is loosely American football with more armour and fewer rules, and luck plays a big part. One bad roll can end your turn early, so the skill lies in planning safe moves and taking risks at the right moment. You can learn with the boxed game at home, then join a club league, where your team grows from match to match. Our Blood Bowl page lists the clubs and shops running leagues near you.
Find Blood Bowl nights on our Blood Bowl page.
Find a game near you
13 regular Blood Bowl nights across 9 areas, 3 of them marked beginner friendly. Pick your area for the next few.
A quick word on players and coaches
In Blood Bowl, a player is one of the models on the pitch, such as your Blitzer or Thrower. The person at the table making decisions is the coach. That makes rules chat much easier to follow on your first night.
What you need to play
- A pitch. The gridded board, with squares sized for the models’ bases. Because everything moves square by square, you never need a tape measure.
- A team of miniatures. One team per coach.
- Dice. Special block dice, plus two six-sided dice, an eight-sided die and a sixteen-sided die.
- Templates and tokens. A range ruler for passing, templates for where the ball scatters, a ball marker and status markers.
The Third Season Edition box
The current edition is Blood Bowl: Third Season Edition, released in November 2025. The box contains two teams (Bretonnians and Tomb Kings), a hardback rulebook, two sets of dice, and plastic sprues with a range ruler, scatter templates, a ball marker and status markers. It gives two people everything they need.
Other teams, Star Players and the rulebook are all sold separately. New teams usually come with their rules in the box or in a Spike! Journal, and Games Workshop publishes errata and Designer’s Commentary downloads that keep the rules up to date.
How a match works
Your turn
On your turn you activate your players one at a time. Each player can take one action:
- Move across the pitch, square by square.
- Block an opposing player standing next to them.
- Blitz, which is a move and a block in one action (once per turn).
- Pass or hand off the ball (once per turn each).
- Foul a player who is already on the ground (once per turn, and the referee may spot it).
A common habit is to turn each model around once it has acted, so you never use the same player twice.
Blocking
When you block, you roll block dice. If your player is stronger, you roll more dice and pick the result you want. If the defender is stronger, your opponent picks. Teammates standing nearby can lend an assist, which can tip the balance. Results range from pushing the target back to knocking them down, and a knocked-down player may be injured.
Turnovers
The twist is the turnover. If one of your players falls over, for example by failing a dodge or getting the worst of a block, or if your team drops the ball, your turn ends at once, even if other players have not acted yet. Play passes to your opponent.
This is why good coaches make their safest moves first, such as standing players up and moving those who need no dice roll, and save the risky actions for last.
Scoring
You score a touchdown by carrying the ball into your opponent’s end zone. After each touchdown, both teams set up again and play restarts with a kick-off. At the end of two halves, the team with more touchdowns wins.
Building a team
Teams fall into a few broad styles:
- Bashy teams, such as Orcs, are tough and hit hard, which makes them forgiving for new coaches.
- Agile teams, such as many elf teams, dodge, pass and sprint well but break easily.
- Hybrid teams mix the two.
- Stunty teams are made of small, fragile players and suit coaches who like a laugh.
In a league, you build your team from a starting budget of gold, choosing a mix of cheap Linemen and specialist players, plus team re-rolls and other extras.
Ways to play
- Exhibition games. Casual one-off matches under rules you both agree, ideal for learning.
- Leagues. The most popular way to play at clubs. Your team carries on from match to match. Players earn Star Player Points for touchdowns and good plays, which buy new skills, and injuries can keep them out of later games. New coaches are usually welcome at the start of a season.
- Tournaments. One or two day events where teams reset before every game, with a fixed budget and a set number of skills. Most use Swiss pairings, so you meet coaches on a similar record each round.
- Blood Bowl Sevens. A faster format from Spike! Journal: Sevens, with seven players a side on a smaller pitch and six turns per half. Teams are drafted with 600,000 gold pieces and a limit on specialist players, which keeps them simple to build.
The NAF
The NAF is the international association for Blood Bowl coaches. It approves tournaments, keeps world rankings and runs a New Players page that explains the basics and the main ways to play. Its website also helps you find leagues and tournaments.
Playing Blood Bowl in the UK
Clubs and independent shops are the home of Blood Bowl in the UK, with weekly or fortnightly league nights and friendly games. Official Warhammer stores are good for advice and a demo, while their tables are mainly kept for demos rather than open play.
Some good places to start are Southampton, which has several Blood Bowl league and friendly nights, London and Newcastle, home to a long-running league. The Southampton events calendar shows what is on each week.
Across the Blood Bowl nights we list, 6pm is the most common start and Tuesday is the busiest night, followed by Friday. Where venues charge, it is usually £4 to £6, and some clubs let you visit free the first time. Each venue’s listing has its own details.
Expect several matches running side by side and plenty of groaning at the dice. Tell the organiser you are new, and someone will often lend you a team or talk you through a first game.
Table etiquette
- Agree your setup and any league rules before kick-off.
- Keep your team clear. Make sure your opponent can tell which player is which, and mark skills with coloured base rings if you use them.
- Roll openly and leave the dice until both coaches have read them.
- Declare each action before you roll.
- Shake hands at the final whistle, whatever the score.
Your first match checklist
- Learn the basics with the Third Season Edition box, a beginner video or the NAF’s New Players page.
- Choose a team you like the look of.
- Find a club or league on our Blood Bowl page. Tap “Remind me” for an email the day before.
- Contact the venue or league to check when the next season starts and whether you need to book.
- Bring your team, block dice, six-sided dice and your team roster.
- Arrive a little early and tell the organiser it is your first match.
- Enjoy the chaos. Every coach has lost a game to a single unlucky roll.
New to Warhammer? Our guide to getting into Warhammer covers tools and paints. For another small game with a campaign at its heart, see how to play Necromunda, or try how to play Kill Team.
Ready for your first night?
There are 3 regular Blood Bowl nights marked beginner friendly on The Hobby Warehouse. Pick your area to see where and when.
New Blood Bowl nights near you, every Thursday
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Common questions
What is a turnover in Blood Bowl?
A turnover ends your turn straight away, usually because one of your players fell over while dodging or blocking, or the ball was dropped. Play passes to your opponent, so good coaches make their safest moves first and leave the risky rolls until last.
What is the newest edition of Blood Bowl?
Blood Bowl: Third Season Edition, released by Games Workshop in November 2025. The boxed game includes a Bretonnian team and a Tomb Kings team with a hardback rulebook, dice and markers, and the rulebook is also sold on its own.
Which Blood Bowl team is best for beginners?
Tough, forgiving teams such as Orcs are a popular first choice, because their players can take a few knocks and still win the ball back. The two teams in the Third Season Edition box are a handy way to learn, and the best long-term pick is the team you most enjoy.
What is the NAF?
The NAF is the international association for Blood Bowl coaches. It approves tournaments around the world, keeps player rankings and has a New Players page and a league finder for anyone starting out.
What is Blood Bowl Sevens?
Sevens is a quicker way to play, with seven players a side on a smaller pitch and six turns per half. Its rules are in Spike! Journal: Sevens, and it suits lunchtime games or fitting several matches into one evening.
Do I need to paint my Blood Bowl team?
Not for casual games, where unpainted teams are usually welcome. Some leagues and tournaments ask for painted teams, so check the details before you sign up.