Blood Bowl Guide

[Dog Pants]

Racial Starting Rosters
These examples of decent starting teams can be either copied verbatim or used as a baseline. Generally they will start off with a few rerolls and a handful of specialist players, dropping the Big Guy until later. Remember that rerolls are half price at team creation, so it's worth getting at least a couple, more for teams with few starting skills.

Amazon
5 Linewomen
1 Thrower
1 Catcher
4 Blitzers
4 Rerolls
1 Apothecary

This build sacrifices a thrower and a catcher for a good raft of rerolls and an apothecary. The latter is important, since all the players have AV7 and they're too expensive to want to be replacing too often. The loss of two of the ball players isn't as much of a disadvantage as it might sound, forcing the running game and spreading out the SPPs which might otherwise be hogged by the catchers.

Chaos
7 Beastmen
4 Chaos Warriors
3 Rerolls

The main problem with Chaos teams is that their players are fairly unskilled. This means you need rerolls to counter the skill rerolls the other team will have. This basic build starts with three, which is really the minimum to consider, and a full compliment of Chaos Warriors. The latter have the maximum amount of time to get SPPs before the Minotaur is bought into the line of scrimmage. A variation that offers better value for money is to replace two of the Chaos Warriors with Beastmen and buy an extra reroll, leaving enough cash for an apothecary. This could leave you short of fighting power in early games, and it'll be a long time before you've earned enough for both Chaos Warriors and the Minotaur, but your team should max out on players and rerolls sooner. Personally I'd rather have the players on the pitch sooner and pay more later in the season when money isn't of much use anyway.

Dark Elf
6 Lineman
1 Runner
4 Blitzer
2 Rerolls

Starting with the maximum amount of your Blitzers gives you early access to some good players, and the team is pretty quick on average. The low rerolls could be problematic, but hopefully none will be needed for blocking and with so much agility it isn't likely to be as much of a problem as for other teams. The players left out of the lineup, Assassins and Witch Elves, could be considered a little unstable for a starting team anyway.

Dwarf
5 Blockers
2 Runners
2 Blitzers
2 Troll Slayers
3 Rerolls

Unlike most teams in this list, the Dwarves start off diverse early. You're going to be doing a lot of fighting, and early on it makes life easier if you've hurt as many opposition as possible. Even if it doesn't keep them off the pitch it should give them a healthy fear of coming near your cage for fear of getting a kicking. Your Troll Slayers, as generally non-ball carriers, will benefit from an early start on getting skills, and having three rerolls should be plenty until much later in the team's career. The only player missing is the Death Roller, which is an unwise choice for a new team given how little of the game it will play before being sent off.

Elf
7 Lineman
2 Blitzer
2 Catcher
3 Rerolls

This build sacrifices the Throwers for rerolls. The Catchers, with Nerves of Steel and AG4, make pretty good impromptu throwers anyway, and even the linemen aren't bad over short distances. The rerolls should mostly make up for the skill deficiency and let you build some SPPs outside your specialists.

Goblin
2 Troll
10 Goblin
1 Pogoer
1 Fanatic
4 Re-rolls
3 Fan Factor

Goblins are a squishy team, so having a supply of spares is pretty important, especially when some of your players will be sent off. This lineup starts you with enough players to keep your full team after send-offs, and a spare for injuries. It probably still won't be enough, but goblins are cheap to buy so that won't be for long. Only two of the special players are included - the Pogoer and the Fanatic, who are the more effective ones. It's easy to be tempted to go special-heavy at the beginning, but they're really not worth the money compared to having a full-time player on the field until you can fill the sub's bench.

Halfling
2 Treemen
12 Halfings
3 Fan Factor
4 Re-rolls

There isn't a huge amount to be done with a Halfling team, since you only get a choice of two types of player. The Treemen are essentials, so the only real decision is how many halflings to sacrifice for rerolls. An alternative is to underspend as much as possible to generate inducements for chefs and star players, but that's more of a tactic for experienced halfling players.

High Elves
6 Linemen
1 Thrower
2 Catchers
2 Blitzers
2 Rerolls

This build maximises the offensive capability of the expensive High Elves. Unlike the other elf teams they have some survivability, so the earlier they're on the pitch the more SPPs they'll be picking up. With skilled specialists hopefully those rerolls won't be needed.

Human
5 Lineman
2 Catchers
1 Thrower
4 Blitzers
3 Re-rolls
3 Fan Factor

This is a good versatile starting team. Your Blitzers and Linemen can hold their own against most opponents while your specialists concentrate on ball movement. Remember though that all of your players are reasonably competent and should be able to handle a handoff without much risk. One thrower is really all that's needed as they should be out of harm's way until it's too late, and two catchers gives a bit of tactical choice when attacking. The only real deficiency (you really don't need four catchers) is the Ogre, but as with all Big Guys his instability is best left for when you have a more experienced team a few games in.

Khemri
4 Skeletons
1 Blitz-Ras
2 Thro-Ras
4 Tomb Guardians
3 Rerolls

With Khemri it's absolutely essential that the Tomb Guardians make the starting teams as they're the centrepoint to the whole team. At least one Thro-Ra is also essential if you ever want to pick up the ball, and as fragile as they are a second should mean that you're never short of one. The fewer Skeletons in this lineup are actually an advantage, because at this level with no skills they're a liability.

Lizardmen
5 Skinks
6 Saurus
3 Rerolls
4 Fan Factor

Starting off with six Saurii gives your team maximum stompy potential early on, which is important when your Skinks are as weak as they are. Five Skinks is plenty to exploit your opponent and run in the ball, and three rerolls are plenty to see the team through for a long time. The other advantage of starting off Saurus heavy is that they get more time to develop skills. This is important as they won't be scoring a lot, while your Skinks will catch up quickly with touchdowns. Dropping one Saurus for a Skink and buying an apothecary could help stave off skink deaths against early bashy teams.

Necromantic
2 Flesh Golems
2 Wights
1 Werewolf
1 Ghoul
5 Zombies
3 Rerolls

This is a slightly controversial build, as many believe the Flesh Golems should only come later due to their expense and lack of any real impact. However, starting the team with them allows them to start generating SPPs as soon as possible, since MVPs and injuries are the only things which will generate them. The sacrifice is a werewolf and a ghoul, which may not seem like a great trade-off from a ball handling perspective, but the Ghouls are fragile and the Werewolves can be a liability with their frenzy. Between the two that are present, though, there should be a decent scoring capability and the Flesh Golems will give the line of scrimmage some much needed muscle.

Norse
8 Linemen
2 Werewolves
1 Yheti
3 Rerolls
1 Apothecary

Contrary to previous advice, this build starts with a Big Guy. Prolonged fighting is not something you want a Norse team to be involved in, so having three tough AV8 players on the line of scrimmage will save injuries in the long run and start generating the SPPs early. The apothecary is very handy in a mainly AV7 team, although the loss of a player is mostly financial as they start off well skilled. The lack of positional players isn't a huge disadvantage - Norse are very well suited to a running game as the team are pretty much all Blitzers anyway. The throwers and catchers can come later, and as with any Frenzy skilled player, the Berzerkers can prove a liability in early games.

Nurgle
6 Rotters
1 Pestigor
4 Nurgle Warriors
3 Rerolls

This build drops the Beast of Nurgle to ensure plenty of rerolls and a full lineup of Warriors. Since there aren't a lot of skills in the Nurgle lineup those rerolls are important to counter dropped balls and lack of block. The Beast, on the other hand, is a fairly handy Big Guy and won't suffer too much from missing a few early SPPs, which the Warriors will certainly benefit from more.

Ogre
8 Snotlings
4 Ogres
4 Rerolls

This build maximises the amount of rerolls at the beginning, because they're cheap and you'll need them. It does so at the expense of more snotlings, or an apothecary, in other builds, but an ogre player needs to learn that snotlings are expendable. You'll be buying more ogres later, hopefully not losing too much cash from replacement snotlings.

Orcs
2 Linemen
1 Thrower
4 Black Orc Blockers
4 Blitzers
3 Rerolls

This starting lineup is fairly bashy even for Orcs, but getting skills on those Black Orcs early will benefit them in the long run. The other players apart from the thrower can hold a decent fighting game. The thrower won't have much use right away without any players with catching skills, but short, safe passes behind the lines will make him a nice surprise for your opponent when you do.

Skaven
4 Linerats
1 Thrower
4 Gutter Runners
2 Storm Vermin
3 Rerolls
1 Apothecary

Any Skaven starting team should include an apothecary, and this is no exception. There's a good variety of positional players in the mix, but until the Rat Ogre can fill out the line of scrimmage the team is weak on the fighting front. That's not something Skaven should be looking to do anyway. An option on this to make the team a little more survivable is to drop two Gutter Runners for three Linerats, which gives you an extra player on the bench. It does leave you linerat heavy though (don't worry, some will die off), and personally I'd rather suck it up and replace injured players later.

Undead
5 Zombies
2 Ghouls
2 Wights
2 Mummies
3 Rerolls

This build capitalises on positional players without sacrificing rerolls. The absence of two ghouls is only going to be a major problem if you lose one to injury, and the Wights should be able to give them decent cover while the Mummies chew up the opposition.

Vampire
7 Thralls
4 Vampires
4 Rerolls

This is a good ratio of Vampires to Thralls, meaning any players lost to bloodlust should be less of an impact. With only 11 players there's a high likelihood that the team will be outnumbered, but the vampires are more than a match for most opposing linemen and not bad ball handlers. The lack of specific skills is made up for by the high number of rerolls.

Wood Elves
8 Linemen
1 Catchers
2 Wardancers
2 Rerolls

The slight deficit of rerolls in this lineup shouldn't be a huge problem with the relatively skilled Wood Elves, and the lack of a Thrower isn't a huge issue with the AG4 linemen around. Wardancers are among the best players in the game, so having these early on is good, and by sticking to short passes and running touchdowns they should be able to provide some cover for the more flimsy players. An apothecary should be first on the shopping list, even if it means fielding some mercenaries to cover for casualties.

[TheJockGit]

Cheers for this Pantsu.. bought the game over the weekend and I am struggling (getting my arse kicked) a little.

[Dog Pants]

Think this needs a bump with the amount of people grabbing a cheap BBLE. A few simple starting tips:

Get a couple of rerolls, especially if you're using a low-skill team like Chaos. They're half price at team creation too, so don't be stingy with them.
Don't forget Fan Factor. The button isn't obvious, but at 10k each they're a good way of dropping that pocket change at startup. More FF will generate more money after games.

I'll try to run up some more starting rosters for the LE teams and a guide or two when I get time.

[Dog Pants]

Bump for another cheap round of BBLE purchases. Two important factors to buying your starting team; don't forget your rerolls, and check out some of the starting rosters on FUMBBL. Rule of thumb is to start off with the basics and work up to the specialist players and big guys. That way when the specialists hit the field your linemen will already have some skill and experience.

I'm going to try to get some guides for the new teams up (again). Pay attention to the difficulty note I've added, as not all teams are equal.

[Dog Pants]

Race Guide: Khemri
Khemri are an intimidating team to play against, with some strong fighting players and a reputation for causing a lot of damage. As a heavy fighting team they won't be scoring many touchdowns or completing many passes, but they're sturdy and reliable and have some great specialist players.

Players
Khemri have four types of player and no Big Guy: Skeletons, Thro-Ras, Blitz-Ras and Tomb Guardians.

Skeletons
Skeletons are the linemen of a Khemri team, and also double up as their biggest weakness. With MV5, AG2 and AV7 they're slow, clumsy, and fragile. With some skills it's possible to make them reasonable supporting player though, and their regeneration skill means you're unlikely to lose one permanently even if they don't manage to finish many games. Skeletons gaining a level should, as always, take stat boosts first. Movement and armour value make up for their deficiencies, but a +AG will suddenly turn him into a potential ball carrier. Other than that the skills they should receive will depend on what you want them for. You're likely to end up with one in the middle of your line of scrimmage, so a few blocker skills such as wrestle and fend on one are handy. Later in a campaign a few skeletons on the bench can be set up as interceptors with tackle and wrestle, and one can be made a kicker to keep your Thro-Ras concentrated on their ball handling. Lastly, since skeletons are cheap and likely to be in good supply, a fouler or two with dirty player can take their toll in more expensive opposition players with gang fouling even if they get sent off.

Thro-Ras
The name Thro-Ra is misleading. With no passing skills and AG2 they are on the pitch for one reason only, which is picking up the ball. As the only players who can this makes them instrumental to the team, although it has been argued that a Blitz-Ra with sure hands as its first skill is more effective than any Thro-Ra. At any rate, your Thro-Ras need to be skilled up as sturdy runners, since passing is something they're very unlikely to do. Block is pretty essential, giving them some survivability against blitzers and a little blitzing capacity of their own for those last drives. Kick-Off Return will give your Thro-Ras the chance to get under the ball early, and Fend prevents them being bumped out of your cage. Since they have limited skill options they might end up doubling up as interceptors or kickers later on.

Blitz-Ras
Blitz-Ras are a Khemri team's fastest players, although that isn't saying much, and they don't suffer from a low AV like most of the team. This makes them valuable and useful, but unfortunately a team only gets two. As such, correct use of them is essential. As mentioned above, Blitz-Ras can be used as effective ball carriers, however the lack of fast hitters elsewhere could leave you at a disadvantage. A common evolution path for a Blitz-Ra is that of a killer, taking damaging skills like Mighty Blow and Piling On. This makes them far less attractive for an opposition to mark, and can help the Tomb Guardians in thinning out the weaker opponents. Since there are plenty of alternative players for support roles, turning your Blitz-Ras into fighters is effective, and as Khemri your main tactic is attrition.

Tomb Guardians
Tomb Guardians are the star players of the Khemri team. They're slow and under-skilled to begin with, but their huge strength and toughness makes them powerhouses even against other fighting teams. More akin to the Big Guys fielded by other teams, but with no disadvantage skills such as loner or stupidity, they will dominate wherever they are on the field unless the opponent devotes a lot of resources to tying them up. Since Tomb Guardians are going to be doing a lot of fighting and no a lot else, and combined with their high strength, Mighty Blow makes a good first skill to increase those SPPs through injuries, unless a double should come up. Personally I then diversify them into roles - two in the Line of Scrimmage and two as wingers supporting and acting as barriers to opposing runners. The Blocker Guardians will almost certainly benefit from Guard and Stand Firm, although the flankers would too. Flanking Tomb Guardians can be used as affective Blitzers as well as supporting blockers, the lack of Block made up for by the fact you're more than likely going to be on a 2-dice block on most occasions. Break Tackle is a very useful skill for letting them get into position and also gives them the chance to bust some cages.

Basic tactics
Khemri being a strong fighting team, your main tactics will consist of a defensive game supplemented by as much damage to the opposition as possible.

Defence
The low speed and agility across the board of Khemri teams can mean it's difficult to stop agile teams from slipping by. However, with a pair of Tomb Guardians on the flanks, supported by the pair of Blitz-Ras, and that front line is quite intimidating. Due to the low speed it is essential to keep defence in depth to enable the Skeleton or Thro-Ra deep fielders to intercept. The Khemri's biggest advantage over light teams is that the difference in damage vs armour is more pronounced, and so injuries on the other side are more than likely. If you can hang in there and hold them back you're sure to grind them down until they simply don't have enough players on the field to score. Keeping the Thro-Ras on the field during a defensive play might seem frivolous, but they are no worse than basic skeletons and if the ball should come free you can go on the attack, which is were you're going to be safest against fast teams. Other than that, tactical scoring to prevent the opponent having enough time to equalise is a useful skill to pick up, but again remember to keep defence in depth as even Dwarves can fluke a running drive and score in a turn.
Playing against fighting teams is a little easier. They generally are geared to mix it up and play slow drives, but against a Khemri team they're almost certain to come off worse. Meet them head on and don't be tempted to overcommit, as even the least sophisticated bashy teams can out run and out throw you in desperation. The Tomb Guardians are key in both strategies, and should be in someone's tackle zone and on their feet as often as possible. If the opponent tries to bring them down with numbers then they'll be bare elsewhere. If they don't the Tomb Guardian can hammer his opponent and make for the ball.

Offensive
Khemri play best on the offensive. Their slow, deliberate play style leads well to a full half drive which leaves the opponent no time to recover. Since the have no exceptionally fast players they run less risk of leaving their cage behind, and so are less prone to suicidal dashes which result in losing the ball. The pivotal Tomb Guardians can be used in two ways, depending on how the opposition bites: they can be used as a sledgehammer to drive right through the defence, or can be bait to tie down a number of opposing players while the ball carrier and a cage of Blitz-Ras and skeletons feints the other way. The latter has generally proven more successful, but with their habit of destroying everything around them Tomb Guardians are rarely held for long and can creep back to support if required. The ball should almost exclusively be given to either a Thro-Ra or a Blitz-Ra. Both have advantages, depending on whether you want the slight survivability of the Blitz-Ras and leave the Thro-Ras to collect the ball if it comes loose, or have the Blitz-Ras helping clear a path for the Thro-Ras. If a kick lands out of bounds you might consider giving the ball to a Tomb Guardian, as they will be tough to bring down, but more often than not they are better off fighting than hiding in a cage.

Advanced Tactics
As a heavy team with few skills your tactical options are somewhat limited. Moving the ball pretty much has to be done on foot, although with a few skills the Thro-Ras could make a reasonable attempt at a pass. Should you want to try for a passing option you have plenty of skeletons who could get a stat or double with which to make a crude catcher, although he will definitely become a target to any observant opponent. Another option is to put a lump of players at the opponent's end of the pitch then chuck a Hail Mary over. If you have a tight enough knot of players then eventually the ball should catch on one and they have a pre-built cage. The problem is that your carrier is likely to be unsupported and have the entire opposition between him and the rest of his team, making losing the ball and conceding a very likely threat. Still, I've heard it can be done. In short, getting the ball up the field is possible with a few skills on a Thro-Ra, but you'll need some lucky rolls to have anyone available to pick it up at the other end.

Progression
Your fastest progression will be with your Thro-Ras, since they'll be doing all the ball handling and therefore all the scoring. After that you might see your Blitz-Ras levelling from a combination of the odd touchdown or injury, and your Tomb Guardians through injuries. The skeletons are pretty much relegated to MVPs so are going to be pretty hard to level, and as such you want to have a good idea of how you're going to distribute skills when they do pick them up. Their low value means you can fill your bench with them and use them as utility players, although this will take time. A good lineup for the team, then, is two Tomb Guardians and a skeleton (with maybe a spare skele on the bench) as blockers, a pair of Tomb Guardian wingers accompanied by whatever Blitz-Ra configuration you prefer, and your Thro-Ras as interceptors. This leaves you with a pair of specialist skeletons to choose from, out of seven available players. One with kick should be sufficient for defensive plays, and if he becomes more experienced he can take some interceptor skills to allow him to hang back and take out runners. A couple of fouling specialists are useful for late game restarts to take their toll on more expensive opposition players, and the last two or three can be set up either for support or intercepting.

Starting Team
The starting lineup is variable depending on personal preference, but you want at least three Tomb Guardians. The fourth is preferable too as they're the team's best players, but some prefer to leave one out in order to get both Blitz-Ras and Thro-Ras. The starting roster below capitalises on positional players and still retains three rerolls, which are pretty much essential. Another variation is to take two Blitz-Ras for their Block and drop the Thro-Ras for skeletons.

4 Skeletons
1 Blitz-Ras
2 Thro-Ras
4 Tomb Guardians
3 Rerolls

Skill Recommendations
These are recommendations for normal skill picks. Doubles and stat ups should be considered seperately.

Blocker Tomb Guardian
Mighty Blow
Guard
Stand Firm

Winger Tomb Guardian
Break Tackle
Juggernaut
Mighty Blow

Standard Blitz-Ra
Tackle
Guard
Mighty Blow

Ball Carrier Blitz-Ra
Break Tackle
Juggernaut
Guard

Ball Carrier Thro-Ra
Block
Kick-Off Return
Fend

Blocker Skeleton
Block
Wrestle
Dauntless

Interceptor Skeleton
Block
Tackle
Strip ball

Fouling Skeleton
Dirty Player
Block
Fend

Support Skeleton
Block
Wrestle
Tackle

Kicker Skeleton
Kick
Block
Tackle

Summary
As a Khemri team you want to capitalise on your reputation of being a hard fighting team by damaging as many opposing players as possible. On the offensive use your strength to keep a solid cage, as you don't want a loose ball. On the defensive use your strength to keep your position and depth, don't get drawn into a cluster brawl where you can't chase down runners. In both offence and defence you will need to consider positioning carefully due to low movement values, and generally pay careful attention to your players' roles as SPP aren't going to be easy to come by.

[Dog Pants]

Updated: Filled out and updated the race guide, finished off the starting rosters, updated the inducements for BBLE, and added the Khemri guide.

Still to come: Rewrite old starting rosters to reflect changes in 6th Ed (fan factor not as useful any more), add Goblin guide.