Our events have been carefully crafted to present a format that appeals to the broadest variety of players possible. Separate paths to victory exist within the same event for all player types – competitors, coaches that build the most powerful team possible, those who wish to achieve more with less, top tier painters, fun-loving chatterboxes looking to make new friends, and the bulk of attendees: those looking to have a great time rolling handfuls of dice in praise of Nuffle!
Every city and hotel venue was selected to create a wonderful weekend adventure for those attending, full of new friendships made, old friendships restored, mega battlefield experiences, gorgeous Blood Bowl Teams, and epic opportunities to spend your free time exploring a great city.
1.0 Recommended Event Essentials
System: Blood Bowl
Number of Games: Six
Format: Exhibition Play, Resurrection
What to Bring: Games Workshop and/or Forge World models for your team, dice (1 d8, Block Dice, D6s, and a D16), a Blood Bowl Pitch, Dugouts, Templates, Team Tokens and 3 Team Rosters
2.0 Team Construction and Painting
2.1 Team Drafting
Coaches may utilize rules found in any of the sources below to Draft their Team. Rules published before the following dates will be eligible for use in this event.
Warhammer Open Dallas: 18 May 2025
Warhammer Open Edmonton: 8 June 2025
Warhammer Open Tacoma: 13 July 2025
When drafting your team, you may use the following rules sources:
The Blood Bowl: The Official Rules
Blood Bowl: Death Zone
Spike! Journals
Spike! Almanacs
FAQs, errata, and beta rules found via www.warhammer-community.com/faqs
Team Building: All Coaches are required to draft teams utilizing the Exhibition Play Rules found on page 101 of the Blood Bowl Rule Book.
Coaches are allotted 1,200,000 Gold to draft a team. Coaches cannot purchase Special Play Cards, Wizards, or Mercenaries with this Gold.
Each Coach will have a number of POINTS by TIER to purchase Primary Skills, Secondary Skills, Star Players and Mega Stars as presented on pages 13 & 14 in the Games Workshop Matched Play Guide.
Tier 1 = 6 Points // Tier 2 = 8 Points // Tier 3 = 10 Points
Primary Skills Cost 1 pt (no limits by tier)
Secondary Skills Cost 2 pts (Tier 1 Max 1, Tier 2 Max 2, Tier 3 max 3)
Star Players Cost 2 pts (Tier 1 Max 1 Star, Tier 2 & 3 Max 2 Stars *includes Mega Stars*)
Mega Stars cost 4 pts (1 Mega Star maximum regardless of Tier)
Each player may not have more than 2 skills purchased for them.
Coaches are required to have no less than 11 and no more than 16 Players on their team (max limit includes Star Players)
The Highlander Rule will not be in effect
Coaches may also purchase Re-rolls and Sideline Staff from the 1,200,000 Gold allotted for drafting a Team.
2.2 Modelling and Painting
Playing exciting, atmospheric games with finely detailed, lovingly painted miniatures is intrinsic to the Blood Bowl experience. With this in mind all miniatures used in the tournament must be Games Workshop or Forge World miniatures (excluding basing or scratch-built components), and be fully assembled and painted to at least a Battle Ready standard. Below are some examples of models painted to a Battle Ready standard. (More information on Battle Ready can be found at https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/05/21/introducing-battle-readygw-homepage-post-1fw-homepage-post-1/)
Each model must accurately represent its entry on your army roster (What You See Is What You Get - WYSIWYG) standard for models.
2.3 Converted Models and Units
Many players “scratch build” or heavily convert elements of their model collection, and these activities are a hallowed part of Warhammer hobby history. For the sake of fairness, we recommend that any conversion be comparable in size to the most current version of the model they represent.
For any converted or scratch built models, you must seek permission from useventslistsubmission@gwplc.com including photos of the models in question where possible, at least two weeks before the event.
This includes conversions/alternatives to represent factions/models no longer represented in the current model range. Don’t worry - we fully appreciate spectacular modelling skills, but we just want to make sure everything is clear for your opponent so no confusion can arise during games. Please note; Forge World models must be the actual models and not conversions to look like Forge World models.
Third Party or 3d printed models are not eligible for use at Warhammer Opens. 3d printed bits that were designed and printed by the player are acceptable, but fully 3d printed models or those acquired through 3rd party sources are not approved for use.
A Note on Basing: Many models are no longer produced on the bases they originally came with, please use the base size provided in the most recent box set for the unit in question.
3.0 Policies
3.1 Referees
Referees will be prominently visible in the tournament hall and hold the final say on all game rules and event issues. Individual rulings however, are never binding precedent- it’s a game, not a court of law. Rulings should always be based on correct rules interpretations rather than adhering to previous precedent. When calling for a Referee’s assistance, please be prepared to provide any relevant rules references to the particular question.
3.2 Player Conduct, Judging, and Penalties
Blood Bowl games are fast, furious, and sometimes unforgiving, but they present an incredible opportunity for fun and friendship! The excitement of doing battle on the tabletop combined with our community of passionate players help make every game of Blood Bowl memorable. With that in mind, our Events Team is always on the lookout for examples of how players make the games better for those around them. Special collectibles and recognition may be given at random for displays of superior sportsmanship.
On rare occasions, players may intentionally or unintentionally commit rules or sportsmanship fouls in the course of a heated or challenging battle. Behavior such as bullying, rules abuse, moving models illegally, picking up dice before your opponent has the chance to to see the results, lying to referees or opponents, or any other form of unethical or inappropriate conduct can result in substantial in-game penalties, automatic loss assessment, permanent removal of parts of your army for the duration of the event, or removal from the events itself. While some times these errors are accidental, a ‘foul is a foul’, and we treat them as penalties akin to those which occur in sport. Consequently, referees are empowered to apply both on game and scoring penalties equivalent to the magnitude of the foul.
Unfortunately, many behavioral and incorrect play actions often come down to a ‘he said she said’ when referees were not tableside at the time of their occurrence; they also vary greatly in their magnitude and relevance. For this reason, behavioral and illegal play instances - as well as their associated penalties- will always be adjudicated on a case by case basis, with respect for both players involved.
A Note on Active Judging. At the Warhammer Open Events, referees are empowered to actively stop instances of illegal play, with or without a player’s specific request for intervention. If a player has concerns at any point, they are always welcome and encouraged to call a judge. While we will not have referees at every table, and we cannot stop every instance of a minor misplay, our goal here is to make sure all the games at the Open Series are enjoyable for everyone.
Everybody Loses from Time to Time. Finally, be ready to lose a few games of Blood Bowl! It seems an odd thing to say, but it is in the nature of a large event that only a few of you will finish the weekend with an undefeated record. Barring ties, half of you will lose your very first game at the event. Winning with skill and grace is a rewarding and perfectly acceptable goal. Losing with skill and grace, however, is both more challenging and more laudable. These events present you an opportunity to build friendships with fellow hobbyists who share your interest - friendships you can renew and celebrate every time you travel to another Warhammer Open or local event. A single great friendship built out of your experiences at this event outweighs any number of individual victories across your battles this weekend. In fact, if you do your best, have a great time and build some lasting friendships…. You haven’t really lost at all!
4.0 Event Format
4.1 Event Schedule
Saturday
7AM -9AM - Registration
9:15AM - Pre Tournament Brief
9:30 AM - 12:00 PM - Round 1
12:00 PM - 12:15 PM - Break
12:15 PM - 2:45 PM -Round 2
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM Lunch
3:30 PM PM- 6:00 PM- Round 3
6:15 PM - 6:30 PM Break
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM - Round 4
9:00 PM - Team Painting Showcase
Sunday
10:30 AM - 1:00 PM - Round 5
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM - Lunch
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM -Round 6
5:30 PM -Awards
4.2 Game Speed Milestones and Time
Outside of tournaments, many players do not complete their games against a set clock. As a result, when a loudspeaker shouts “one hour remaining,” most players do not naturally think “We should be done with the entire first half!” To help with this, rather than simply calling time left, we will provide game milestones you should have (on average) arrived at. These time calls exist to help keep the flow of play moving, and are not binding. These milestones break down as:
2:30 - Start Match (formally)
2:15 - Complete all pre-Match discussions and actions, begin First Half
1:10 - First Half Complete, Begin Second Half
0:10 - Second Half Complete - Post Game actions
0:00 Submit Score to Referee
If you are behind these Milestones at the start of your Second Half, we recommend using a four minute timer to ensure you complete actions for the turn.
A Note on Lateness:
Should you arrive late to Round 1 of the event, you may lose your spot to a person on the Waitlist. Assuming your spot is still available, you will be paired with any other late arrivals (again, where relevant) with a mandate to complete your game in the original Round time. A subsequently incomplete game may result in point penalties.
4.3 Scoring and Pairings
We will be using SCORE for points tracking and pairing. Pairings will be random in Round One followed by SWISS Pairings for each consecutive round to ensure that Coaches will be paired against Coaches of similar skill. Tie breakers will be determined by the scoring methodology set forth on page 8 of the Matched Play Guide.
4.4 Awards
The following will be awarded:
First, Second, and Third Place - The Coaches that finish in First, Second, and Third place, based on record.
Best Painted - To be determined by the Referee. This will be based on the technical execution of the paint job of each team while also taking into account the overall appearance and theme of the team.
Coaches in contention for the Best Painted award will be invited to the Army Showcase on Saturday evening, where final judging on paint will take place.
The Carnage Cup - Awarded to the Coach that inflicts the most casualties throughout the event.
5.0 THE PLAYERS CODE & POLICIES
5.1 Player Conduct Policies
There is a famous adage that says, ‘It matters not if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.’ We believe that Blood Bowl is a game best played in this spirit and we place great emphasis on playing excellent games with like-minded people in our Warhammer Opens. Therefore we expect players to play each game with a certain code of conduct to support this. When you arrive at your table for a game, greet your opponent, introduce yourself, and start the game promptly. We then expect players to treat each other positively and demonstrate good sportsmanship throughout each game.
Everybody Loses from Time to Time.
Be ready to lose a few games of Blood Bowl! It seems an odd thing to say, but it is in the nature of any event that only a few players (at most!) will finish the weekend without a loss. Barring ties, half of you will lose your very first game of the weekend, in fact!
Winning with skill and grace is a rewarding and perfectly acceptable goal. Losing with skill and grace, however, is both more challenging and more laudable. These events present you the opportunity to build friendships with fellow hobbyists who share your interests - friendships you can renew and celebrate every time you travel to Warhammer Events or local events. A single great friendship built out of your experiences at these will outweigh any number of individual victories across your battles this weekend. In fact, if you do your best, have a great time, and build some lasting friendships… you haven’t really lost at all!
5.4 Rules Interaction Questions
If, in the course of preparing for the event, you discover a rules interaction that is unclear, please send your questions to useventslistsubmission@gwplc.com and we will provide you with a ruling. Please be aware: rulings made at Games Workshop events do not in and of themselves constitute de facto FAQ/Errata clarifications, and should not be considered official outside the confines of the event itself.
Please note: many attendees may be familiar with third party rules documents that govern the course of play in non-Games Workshop run events. While our rulings on unclear subjects may occasionally intersect with these documents, under no circumstances should they be used as reference material with judges OR opponents as a guide for how to play the game. In short, only official Games Workshop publications, answers from the useventslistsubmission@gwplc.com email, or judge rulings at the event can be considered official for purposes of the event to which the question pertain. Third party event rulings do not constitute precedent or guidance for how to rule any question at a Warhammer Open.
6. Disqualification
Games Workshop does not tolerate any form of physical or verbal violence or harassment, both at the event or online. Players who demonstrate aggressive or demeaning behavior to staff or other attendees, who repeatedly break the rules or who repeatedly fail to follow Games Workshop’s instructions at the event, may be disqualified and removed from the event without refund. Games Workshop reserves the right to remove players from the event at our discretion.
7. Photography and filming
Photography and filming may take place throughout the weekend by Games Workshop staff, press and partners. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please notify staff at the tournament registration desk and we will issue you with a sticker to indicate to our media teams not to include you in any footage at the event. Any photos or video footage taken may be used by Games Workshop and their partners for promotional purposes. No financial compensation will be given for use of the photos or footage.
8. Data Protection and Privacy
8.1 Data Protection
All data submitted as part of tournament registration is protected, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. This includes, but is not limited to, your name, address, email address, phone number and which tournament(s) you have taken part in. This data may not be shared with third parties without your permission.
8.2 Winner’s Details
By entering the tournament, you agree that in the case of winning a prize, your name may be shared publicly by Games Workshop and their partners.
8.3 Data Retrieval
At any time, you may request your personal data by emailing privacy@gwplc.com
9. Disclaimer
Games Workshop PLC reserves the right to make changes to the event rules or schedule, for any reason, at any time, without prior notice.