BARD BOWL I : The Ballad of Bill the Bard
Event
One-day, three game Swiss resurrection tournament hosted by Scribes of War gaming club. All participants have to be a NAF member; please sign up online before attending the event.
Date
25th October 2025
Venue
Rosebird Community Hall
Shipston Road
Stratford-upon-Avon
CV37 8LU
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7YQ6Fqt6v19jhdNRA
There is plenty of paid parking outside the event hall at £5 per day. Free parking is available in the Bridgetown area of the town, which is ~15 mins walk away from the venue.
Cost
£15 via paypal to bb.blahmehblah@gmail.com - friends and family only.
No refunds will be issued from 6 weeks before the event.
Early Signup
Anyone who signs up by 31st August 2025 will receive a free Team Mascot that will be available in each match.
Food, Drink, Amenities
There are two options for food - a Costa Coffee and Waitrose. There will be a tuck shop with drinks, crisps and confectionery hosted by the club. We will supply bottled water for free. Feel free to bring your own lunch, if you wish.
Background
Bardville is a quiet, idyllic market town where poets and playwrights ply their trade to adulating crowds and make a decent, sometimes honest, living. However, with so much competition it has proven tough for newcomers to breakthrough, such as local playwright Bill the Bard. To the dismay of the local Luvvies, Bill has managed to convince the town council that there is a fantastic business opportunity for the(ir) coffers by hosting the town's own Blood Bowl tournament! So it is that Bard Bowl is announced and all comers are invited to compete for The Golden Quill trophy. Blood Bowl fever has gripped the quiet market town and Bill the Bard sees an opportunity to finally get his big breakthrough…
Schedule
Registration 8:45 - 9:15
Introduction 9:15 - 9:30
Game 1 9:30 - 11:45
Lunch 11:45 - 12:15
Game 2 12:15 - 14:30
Break. 14:30 - 14:45
Game 3 14:45 - 17:00
Awards 17:00 - 17:15
Please aim for no overruns in any games. If time runs out, play will stop as soon as both players have finished their most recent turns.
Tourplay
We will be using Tourplay to track the event. You will need a mobile device to enter the tournament and track each game you play. The hall does have free WiFi, but I would ensure you also have mobile internet access to be on the safe side.
https://tourplay.net/en/blood-bowl/bard-bowl-i--the-ballad-of-bill-the-bard
Equipment
All coaches must bring with them
A painted team in at least 3 different colours
A Blood Bowl pitch with dugouts*
A set of Blood Bowl dice and templates
* The tables should accommodate official GW pitches as well as those provided by 3rd party vendors like Patriot Games UK. We recommend you bring the GW original pitch and dugouts just in case there are any issues. We will have some spare equipment available as well.
Prizes
There will be a selection of trophies for each of the following categories:
1st place
2nd place
Most Touchdowns
Most Casualties
Stunty Cup (requires 2 or more teams)
Best Painted
One award per coach. If a coach has won multiple times, the lower ranked trophy goes to the next in line. There will be a selection of spot prizes through the day as well.
Scoring
Primary scoring:
Win: 50 points
Draw: 25 points
Loss: 0 points
Bonus scoring:
Touchdown: 2 points (max 6 per game)
Casualty: 1 point (max 6 per game)
Tie-breakers:
Head-to-head
Buchholz Score
Net Touchdowns
Net Casualties
Rules
We will be using the Blood Bowl Second Season Edition rules and any supplements up until 31st August 2025. In addition, the following will be included:
Teams of Legend
Designers errata and FAQ
The Slann team
Rosters must be uploaded to Tourplay one week prior to the event (9am Saturday 18th October). Tourplay will be available from Saturday 4th October.
Tiering
T1 | 1160000 GP | 6 primary | 0 star players
Amazon, Dark Elf, Dwarf, Lizardmen, Underworld Denizens, Wood Elf, Norse, Shambling Undead
T2 | 1170000 GP | 5 primary, 1 secondary | 0 star players
Chaos Dwarf, Skaven, Humans, Necromantic Horror, Vampires, Elven Union, Orc, High Elf
T3 | 1180000 GP | 5 primary, 2 secondary | 1 star player, max. 150k
Chaos Renegades, Imperial Nobility, Old World Alliance, Slann, Khorne, Black Orcs, Tomb Kings, Chaos Chosen
T4 | 1190000 GP | 6 primary, 2 secondary | 1 star players, max. 250k
Goblin, Ogre, Halfling, Snotlings, Nurgle, Gnomes
All teams must include a minimum 11 players before rostering a star player. Secondary skills can be swapped for primary skills. No skill stacking allowed.
Star Players
Only Tiers 3 and 4 may roster a star player with the exception of both megastars and Skitter Stab-Stab which are banned. The star player budget comes out of your total funds.
Inducements
Only inducements listed in the Blood Bowl 2020 rule book will be available, excluding Special Play cards, Team Wizards, and any from the Death Zone supplement. All the available options will be listed clearly in the Tourplay app.
Star of the Show - Bill the Bard
Bill the Bard is a local playwright who, in his constant search for success & validation for questionable life choices, has decided to perform (unannounced) to the crowd at the local Blood Bowl tournament being hosted in Bardville. Will this be his breakthrough moment? Will he finally achieve that long overdue recognition he has been chasing all his life?
Each player receives a Bill the Bard player figurine that starts on the touchline irritating the crowd. Bill the Bard has the following specials rules for the game:
1.Hit or Miss: Bill is reciting his new play for the cheering fans to see how it goes down.
Once per game, if Bill isn't playing or Sent Off/KOed/Cas’ed, you can choose to roll a D3 and add it to any Cheering Fans score. However, if both opponents use this special for the same roll-off, the loser’s Bill the Bard gets thumped by the crowd for being so bad. Their Bill is KO’ed and plays no further part until the end of the drive.
2.Bill Who?: Bill luckily catches the ref's eye just as some shenanigans evolve on the pitch. Bill attempts to get his feedback on his latest play from the wise one. As the ref looks confusingly at Bill, he may just miss those dirty antics…
Once per game, if Bill isn't playing or Sent Off/KOed/Cas’ed, if doubles are rolled whilst fouling, you get away with it on a 5 or 6 on Argue the Call. However, if you roll a 1, Bill is Sent Off along with your coach and plays no further part in the game; the Bribery and Corruption reroll only helps the coach!
3.Get Stuck In!: The crowd has grown bored of Bill's constant jabbering. They came to see some action! To his dismay, the crowd throw Bill onto the pitch. Will this be the moment Bill finds his true calling?
If 11 players can't be fielded and Bill is not Sent Off, Bill will take to the pitch (by medium of crowd throw) for one drive only. Bill should be placed prone at the start of the drive.
Bill the Bard
MV5 ST2 AG3 PA4 AV8 Loner 5+, Dauntless, Disturbing Presence, Captive Audience!
Captive Audience! Once per game whilst Bill is on the pitch he can use the Hypnotic Gaze ability on any player. However, immediately after using this ability, Bill must be placed prone and stunned, as the player instinctively lays him out for being weird!
If it so happens that neither team can field 11 players, Bill can be fielded for both. One of them is clearly Bill's arch-rival, Chris Di Marclow!
Kick-Off Table Amendment - Officious Ref
Officious Ref will be replaced as a kick-off table result with the following:
11 - “You're getting it!”
Each player randomly selects a player on the pitch who will square up to each other. Both players roll off (1D6) to determine the winner of the fight (repeat for a draw). A higher strength player gets +1 to the roll, +2 if the strength difference is > 2.
The winner gets +1 to cheering fans for the rest of the match and returns to their original position. The loser gets placed prone.
Too Many Players
Please count each other's players. If at any point either of you notices that the opponent has more than 11 (ignoring swarming), then random linemen should be removed until the correct number remains. Any results of dice rolls or touchdowns till that point stand.
Dice Etiquette
If an opponent asks to use your dice, it is expected that you allow them to do so.