Blood Bowl II Preview

By Marcus Jones Posted on July 15, 2014

Who’s ready for some football!? How about tabletop RPG football?! Then get ready for Blood Bowl II from Cyanide.

Much like the previous title from 2009, players will return to the fantasy field, attempting to reach number one in the rankings through winning by any means necessary. This means breaking bones, cracking skulls, and more, all in the attempt to be the best. Oh, and the game’s commentators, Jim and Bob, return to make those snide comments and remarks throughout the game.

The game features a mash-up of both fantasy RPG elements with a turn-based football game setting. Maneuvering players around the field and doing smashes on the opposing team, throwing the ball, and more is controlled via a turn-based system. The players themselves all have specific stats that dictate how good they are at completing their actions; smaller players will have better speed stats and able run the field faster, while larger beasts will be able to smash other players around with impunity. Add in a layer of fantasy with teams comprised of orcs, elves, dwarves, and more, and you have a mix to see.

Fans of the previous game will enjoy some of the newer features, like a completely redone single player campaign. You take on the league as the Reikland Raiders, the worst team around. They’ve consistently been beat up, broken, and battered, and it shows in their record. You are expected the take the team and turn it around completely. This is done by updating the rosters, plays, stadium, and everything else in-between to get them to the #1 spot. According to our preview with the game, the single-player experience will be very narrative driven, prompting players to continue on as the story expands.

On top of the expanded single-player experience, you’ll also be able to do your own league setup. This allows you to pick a team and stadium and just grow from there. You’ll have complete access to change your roster, update your stadium to provide bonuses to players, and participate in online leagues against other players. The league system also allows players to act as league commissioners, setting entrance fees on in-game currency that must be paid to enter in. This creates that nice incentive to win, since that pot is up for grabs.

Currently, Blood Bowl II is expected to release on PlayStation 4 and PC during Q4 2014.