In Blood Bowl, when the game starts you roll to see what kind of weather there is for the day.
Not many miniatures games take this into account and it is something I always liked in Blood Bowl.
In fact, the weather could change during the game.
Unlike some sports in our world, the game is never called no matter how bad the weather gets.
The weather chart is likely to result in a nice day, with no effect on the game, but there is a chance for other types of weather with various effects.
The weather table is rolled on with 2d6 (two 6 sided dice, added together):
2: Sweltering Heat: at the end of the drive roll a d6 for each player, on a 1 they can't play the next drive, they're just too exhausted.
3: Very Sunny: Bright sunlight causes all passes to have a -1 to the roll
4-10: Perfect Blood Bowl Weather
11: Pouring Rain: Wet weather causes -1 to catch, intercept or pick up the ball.
12: Blizzard: Snowing very hard: Go For It fails on a 1 or 2 (not just a 1 as normal) and only quick & short passes of the ball can be attempted.
It is a nice table. I like the weather system.
But I can't help thinking that it could be 'fluffier' with some changes.
I was thinking that some of the teams could be affected by the weather in different ways, to reflect the nature of the team. Nothing too extreme. I don't want to unbalance the game, but tweak just enough to give some added flavor to the teams and be a bit more realistic for their background.
Not many miniatures games take this into account and it is something I always liked in Blood Bowl.
In fact, the weather could change during the game.
Unlike some sports in our world, the game is never called no matter how bad the weather gets.
The weather chart is likely to result in a nice day, with no effect on the game, but there is a chance for other types of weather with various effects.
The weather table is rolled on with 2d6 (two 6 sided dice, added together):
2: Sweltering Heat: at the end of the drive roll a d6 for each player, on a 1 they can't play the next drive, they're just too exhausted.
3: Very Sunny: Bright sunlight causes all passes to have a -1 to the roll
4-10: Perfect Blood Bowl Weather
11: Pouring Rain: Wet weather causes -1 to catch, intercept or pick up the ball.
12: Blizzard: Snowing very hard: Go For It fails on a 1 or 2 (not just a 1 as normal) and only quick & short passes of the ball can be attempted.
It is a nice table. I like the weather system.
But I can't help thinking that it could be 'fluffier' with some changes.
I was thinking that some of the teams could be affected by the weather in different ways, to reflect the nature of the team. Nothing too extreme. I don't want to unbalance the game, but tweak just enough to give some added flavor to the teams and be a bit more realistic for their background.
KHEMRI
The Khemri team are mummies and skeletons of Ancient Egypt. They are very old, and are at home in the dry heat of the desert. So why should they care about 'Sweltering Heat'? If anything, they should love it.
So for a Khemri team, Sweltering Heat and Very Sunny would have no adverse effect at all.
However, moisture would be a problem for them with all their wrappings, so if there is either Pouring Rain or Blizzard they would suffer the effects of both for either weather condition.
This might be a slight advantage since Sweltering Heat can be a very bad thing, but the Khemri team is a serious underdog, so I don't think it'd be unbalancing.
NORSE
The Norse team are the Vikings of the Blood Bowl world: they hail from the frozen north.
They are quite accustomed to the snow, so a Blizzard is regrettable but not a tragedy as it is for some.
The Norse would not suffer the Go For It penalty from a Blizzard: they are used to trudging through snow, though the Blizzard would still reduce their passing to quick and short passes as normal. They are not used to severe heat however, and it winds them quickly: During Sweltering Heat they suffer the same Go For It penalty that normally comes from Blizzards.
SLANN
The Slann, those leaping amphibians, surely would not be troubled by a little rain?
Slann would suffer no effects from playing in Pouring Rain. They are perfectly adapted to rain and water, handling a ball in such an environment is not a problem. Snow is another matter. The extreme cold of snow slows their reflexes: a Blizzard applies both the penalties of a Blizzard as well as the normal effects of Pouring Rain.
VAMPIRES
The Vampire team has two distinctly different player types: Vampires & their human thralls a.k.a. juiceboxes.
Vampires should have trouble in the sun. And no, not because they sparkle.
In Very Sunny weather the Vampires (not the Thralls) suffer not only the effects of Very Sunny but also Pouring Rain: the bright light is very distracting. Vampires are especially light and agile on their feet however, some even say they can nearly fly, so in Blizzards, much like the Norse, they do not suffer any penalty for Go For Its, but passing is limited as normal.
The Thralls treat all weather effects as normal.
I have to tried keep advantages and disadvantages roughly equaled while maintaining their racial characteristics.
Granted, there would be some differences in game play since one of these teams could have different effects than their opponent, giving them a slight advantage or disadvantage compared to their opponent, but then, it is for the sake of fun & fluff, and teams already have different strengths and weaknesses and are not, and are not supposed to be, perfectly balanced with each other. So I think that is fine to have some small additional differences.
What do you think?
Can you think of any other teams that should have changes to their weather effects?
I think this could be an interesting concept in other miniatures games as well.
And now, something to enjoy.
It says censored, but it's perfectly safe for work.
If you find it offensive you only have your own dirty mind to blame ;)
Enjoy!