ALIVE & KICKING
PC Gamer US Edition|July 2021
Playing my first match in BLOOD BOWL 3— and surviving to tell the tale.
Jody Macgregor
ALIVE & KICKING
Games Workshop gave up on Blood Bowl for a long time. A fantasy football game for teams of 11 to 16, it was never going to move as many miniatures as wargames you have to buy entire armies for.

An official player committee was given the task of updating its living rulebook, which they did until 2009, when Cyanide released its first videogame version and essentially became the custodians of Blood Bowl. Cyanide organized tournaments online, created new teams like the heavily armored Bretonnians and acrobatic bear-taming Kislev Circus, and helped keep Blood Bowl alive.

Today, Games Workshop is a different company, one with more time for hobbyist board games. The tabletop version of Blood Bowl was resurrected in 2016, and the rules overhauled in Second Season in 2020. Cyanide’s videogames, once at the cutting edge, are now behind the ball, two editions out of date.

I GET KNOCKED DOWN

But not for long. While the board game fans have nicknamed Blood Bowl 2020 was being designed, Cyanide was consulting on the rules in preparation for eventually digitizing them in Blood Bowl 3. “Their knowledge and passion for Blood Bowl is phenomenal,” says Owen Rees, head of videogame licensing at Games Workshop, “and indeed sometimes in the past their questions whilst coding the game have helped us refine our FAQs. Outside of Games Workshop, they are probably the foremost experts on the game!”

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM PC GAMER US EDITIONView all
Special Report- Stacked Deck - Monster Train, a deckbuilding roguelike that firmly entrenched itself as the crown prince to the kingly Slay the Spire back in 2020, was the kind of smash success you might call Champagne Big.
PC Gamer US Edition

Special Report- Stacked Deck - Monster Train, a deckbuilding roguelike that firmly entrenched itself as the crown prince to the kingly Slay the Spire back in 2020, was the kind of smash success you might call Champagne Big.

Monster Train, a deckbuilding roguelike that firmly entrenched itself as the crown prince to the kingly Slay the Spire back in 2020, was the kind of smash success you might call Champagne Big. Four years later, its successor Inkbound’s launch from Early Access was looking more like Sandwich Big.I’m not just saying that because of the mountain of lamb and eggplants I ate while meeting with developer Shiny Shoe over lunch, to feel out what the aftermath of releasing a game looks like in 2024. I mean, have I thought about that sandwich every day since? Yes. But also, the indie team talked frankly about the struggle of luring Monster Train’s audience on board for its next game.

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2024
SCREENBOUND
PC Gamer US Edition

SCREENBOUND

How a 5D platformer went viral two months into development

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2024
OLED GAMING MONITORS
PC Gamer US Edition

OLED GAMING MONITORS

A fresh wave of OLED panels brings fresh options, greater resolutions and makes for even more impressive gaming monitors

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2024
CRYSIS 2
PC Gamer US Edition

CRYSIS 2

A cinematic FPS with tour de force visuals.

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2024
PLOD OF WAR
PC Gamer US Edition

PLOD OF WAR

SENUA’S SAGA: HELLBLADE 2 fails to find a new path for its hero

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2024
GALAXY QUEST
PC Gamer US Edition

GALAXY QUEST

HOMEWORLD 3 is a flashy, ambitious RTS, but some of the original magic is missing

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2024
FAR REACHING
PC Gamer US Edition

FAR REACHING

Twenty years ago, FAR CRY changed the landscape of PC gaming forever.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September 2024
THY KINGDOM COME
PC Gamer US Edition

THY KINGDOM COME

SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE is the culmination of decades of FromSoftware RPGs, and a gargantuan finale for ELDEN RING

time-read
9 mins  |
September 2024
KILLING FLOOR 3
PC Gamer US Edition

KILLING FLOOR 3

Tripwire Interactive's creature feature is back

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2024
IMPERFECTLY BALANCED
PC Gamer US Edition

IMPERFECTLY BALANCED

Arrowhead says HELLDIVERS 2 balancing patches have 'gone too far'

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2024