Nuffles game has been graced by a new team (not that grace is a fitting word for this team), The Norscans have arrived.
Nuffle smiled upon GameHype (well, the Warhammer Community team did) as we were kindly seny a bundle of Norse Blood Bowl goodies.
Let’s start with the actual team, The Norse, found Nuffles sacred game whilst raiding, of course they did. Instantly they recognised the old worlds greastest sport as a good excuse for a punch up and a pint, or a pint and a punch up, the Norse don’t much mind the order.
If it wasn’t obvious enough about how much the Norse love a good scrap their teams can be given the ‘Favoured of Chaos Undivided or Khorne’ special rule, they can also have the Old World Classic rule but that’s not as exciting. However, if you assume all the Norse teams care about us a punch up you’d be wrong, as mentioned they love a good drink.
So much so that the very rules must take it into account, Norse teams have two new traits “Drunkard” which adds a -1 o rush roles and ‘Pick me up’ which allows prone players within three squares to stand up at the end of an opponents tune on the roll of a 5+.
If you’re not excited by the idea of the Norse team (then you’re certainly in need of a pint) you will be after you seen the players who have the “Pick me up” trait.
Beer Boars! Yes, the Norse can’t be too far from a refill so these ‘players’ take to the field with casks of beer strapped to their back. Did I realise how much I enjoy the idea of ale animals before now? No. Do I now want all my teams have them? Yes. I now require a “Rum Ram” for my Halflings, and a“Shot Squirrel” for my wood elves.
The Norse team stand out both with their rules and fluff but it’s on the tabletop where they look incredible.
The models (as you can see from the pictures) look absolutely fantastic, and for a change my favourite models in the team are the humble linemen. While the Valkyries are fantastic and inspire hope that we’ll one day see a new amazon team, the linemen are exactly the models you’d show someone if you wanted to explain the Norse without words. Knuckle dusters and a pint. I don’t know who sculpted this kit but they completely understood the assignment.
Speaking of assignments the Forge World team also had some work to do, creating models for the Norse Star players and their big bad Yhetee. The Community team were kind enough to send us the fantastically aggressive Yheetee, the inspirational team captain and tactician Ivar Ericsson and my personal favourite, the ale barrel flinging Thorsson Stoutmead. Sharing ale with the opposition could be the greatest act of sportsmanship that Nuffles pastime has ever seen.
The goodies didn’t stop there though, we also received the Norse Team Card Pack, if you’ve seen one team pack you basically know what’s what, stat cards for the basic and star players, blank cards for you own players to forge a legacy and of course, the special play cards. I love how ‘fluffy’ the special play cards can be and my favourite of this pack has to be “Cull the weak” which lets a Yehtee get away with a foul complete Scott free.
I know models is the thing that should excite me the most and for the most part that’s true but with Blood Bowl I can’t get enough of the settings charmingly ridiculous sense of humour, sot naturally with every new team release I can’t wait to get my nerd mitts on the accompanying issue of Spike! The Fantasy Football Journal (even its name is a pun!). Issue 14 is no exception and features my two favourite things, halflings, in the form of the sensationally named Mindy Piewhistle and Skaven, in my favourite ‘Spike!’ feature “Chat with the Rat’ as Hackspit ‘the scribbler’ Quilchewer (Please can we have a model for him GW?)asks the real questions nuffles flock want answered.
I didn’t take me long (about 30 seconds) to decide that Thorsson Stoutmead was my favourite of the Star Players. His Stats are decent but not mind-blowing, however his flavourful special rule is incredible. “Beer Barrel Bash!” allows Stoutmead to hurl a barrel of ale at an opposition player within three squares but being as inebriated as any self respecting Norseman should be means that there’s a chance he’ll fall flat on his face during the attempt.
The backstory provided in the accompanying issue of Spike sealed the deal, as not only is Thorsson a player of renown on the field he’s also a published author, having decided to share his consider knowledge of booze of the old world in “Thorsson’s Tome of Top-Tier Tipples” like some sort of Micheal Palin of the pilsner. Now, it may be the halfing in me, but the idea of touring the leagues of the world and experiencing the finest selection of ales the world as to offer, completing the tome if you will sounds like a grand idea to me and is sure to earn Stoutmead a place in the Blood Bowl hall of fame.
I for one can’t wait to pour a pint and roll some dice with theses quaffing drunken barbarians that are available now along side their dice and of course their very own pitch.
