From a nation of verdant grasslands, rolling hills, castles, quests, and chivalry come the most honourable Blood Bowl team of all, the Brionne Barons. With the greatest sport ever created snuffing out war almost entirely, the Knights of Bretonnia were given little to do and, more importantly, no way of showing off.
But things have a funny way of working out. After D’Gonet the Lion lost the Grail amongst the thousands of cup-shaped trophies in Nuffle’s Great Temple, he claimed to have been told by the Lady of the Lake that the Knights of Bretonnia must prove themselves on the gridiron, in order to one day claim back the trophy. How convenient!
With a new season of Blood Bowl on the way, and some of the key rules changes addressed, it’s time to talk about the first of the new teams in the box. To kick things off, here’s Jay from the rules team with a few words about the design direction behind the team.
Jay: Bretonnian teams feature a mixture of heroic Knights and the hardy Squires that accompany them. We wanted to showcase that the Knights are very much the stars of the show, with each type of Knight excelling in a different aspect of the game. Knight Catchers and Knight Throwers have Catch or Pass respectively, and both come with Nerves of Steel showcasing their stoicness in the face of danger, whilst Grail Knights start with Block to help them take down their foes.
We also gave all Knights Dauntless to represent them embarking on a quest to take down bigger, tougher foes. After all, what’s more knightly than bravely standing against a hulking, snarling enemy and facing them down in a glorious one-on-one fight? Bretonnian teams favour a high-risk, high-reward style of play where they can throw caution to the wind and get stuck in!
Wise words there for coaching a team that wants to rush up the field like a glorious cavalry charge. No horses on the pitch, though (we’ll make an exception for deer). With the help of our very own Blood Bowl obsessive, Joel, we’ve broken down exactly how the team works by tackling each player type for your reading pleasure.
Grail Knights are your Blockers and Blitzers, and come with Block as standard. Even with a modest Strength 3, they have a mighty 10+ Armour, and the new Steady Footing rule means they can stay upright even when the odds are against them. Movement 7 means they can keep up with their Catchers – no mean feat in all that heavy plate.
STEADY FOOTING (ACTIVE)
Whenever this player would be Knocked Down or Fall Over, roll a D6. On a 6, this player does not get Knocked Down or Fall Over. If this happens during their activation, they may continue their activation as normal and no Turnover will be caused.
Your other positional players are Knight Catchers and Knight Throwers, the former benefiting from movement 7, the latter with a 3+ Passing Ability. Catchers are able to re-roll any fumbled catches, and Nerves of Steel means they ignore tackle zones when they are attempting to receive those all-important passes. Once your Grail Knights have punched a hole in the enemy line, your Catchers can also rush the ball up the pitch with their high movement.
As you’d expect, Throwers can re-roll their throws, and since they also have Nerves of Steel it doesn’t even matter if they’re surrounded! With 3+ to pass, you hopefully won’t need to pray to the Lady too often to avoid a turnover. She’s very busy.
No Bretonnian team is complete without a complement of Squires. They attend to their Knight’s every whim and desire – lots of polishing blood and grass stains off armour and grabbing snacks at half time, we reckon. They’re similar to standard human Linemen, with movement 6, Strength 3, and Agility 3+, as you’d expect. If your opponent has the ball and you’re desperate to snatch it back, they have Wrestle, so you can force a Blocker down while preventing a turnover.
We’re sure you’re already formulating strategies based on these snippets, but you’ll have plenty more reading to do in the dugout with the arrival of Spike! Journal Issue 19, which is dedicated to the Bretonnian teams. It contains rules for their pitches and balls, a coaching guide to help you get to grips with these chivalric sportsfolk, and rules on how to run a Jolly Jouster Cup, alongside all the Spike! features you’ve come to love.
It won’t be long before you can get hold of the Third Season boxed set, the Bretonnian team, and Spike! Journal Issue 19. Keep a weather eye on Warhammer Community for more news.
