Chaos Dwarf teams bring a touch of the old school to the beautiful game of Blood Bowl, brought up to date with new miniatures, crisp details, and a new line in millinery. Translating the cruel industrialism of Hashut's chosen to the (usually) bright and cheerful pitches of Blood Bowl was no mean feat, so we caught up with miniatures designer Xavier to find out how he tackled this project.
Xavier: In truth, I did not know much about Chaos Dwarfs before working on this Blood Bowl team. Through legacy material such as army books from Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Tamurkhan campaign book, and of course the original miniatures range, there was a rich and deep lore to be explored and great sources of inspiration to draw from.
After I acquainted myself with the cruel worshippers of Hashut, I discovered there were loads of Chaos Dwarf enthusiasts – some may even say zealots – around the Studio, looming over our shoulders to make sure those big hats were big enough.
You may have guessed already, but the main goal was clear – we had to hang on to those hats! They're such an iconic part of the range that really distinguishes them from the more law-abiding Dwarfs. We also decided we'd keep their uniquely curled and braided beards, again to separate them from their traditionalist counterparts, but let's not split hairs – the hats really were the key.
Although they are outnumbered in the team roster, the Chaos Dwarfs represent the main visual flavour for this team, so we worked on them first. My fellow miniatures designer Alastair revisited the classic Chaos Dwarfs, and from there, it was a breeze to iterate on his work and make them suitable for the gridiron.
We wanted to stress their aggressive and telluric nature. Chaos Dwarfs do have a monolithic silhouette – reinforced by the heavy plating and chunky hexagonal plate mail they wear – that befits a metallurgical culture overwhelmed by hatred, corruption, and sorcery – and this was a huge point of contrast between them and the sneaky, back-stabbing Hobgoblins.
The Hobgoblin are also widely based upon Warhammer Fantasy Battle material we grew up with, and they are just as cruel and twisted as their subjugators, albeit nowhere near close in craftsmanship or wealth. In light of this, our approach was to use the same core visual codes, but with cheaper materials and questionable sturdiness.
When Hobgoblins can afford to mimic the pointy pauldrons from the Chaos Dwarfs, they are cheaply made from boiled leather instead of the hard and imposing metal materials of the Chaos Dwarfs. Also, like Chaos Dwarf Blockers, Hobgoblins do wear faceplates in front of their phrygian-like hats, but it is a much smaller thing – barely ornamental and not impressive at all.
Lastly, while we gave the Chaos Dwarfs tiny little shorts and plated sports shoes so they could go play Blood Bowl in style, Hobgoblins just have rags. Again, it's all about them trying to copy the Chaos Dwarfs, but with cheaper materials and poor workmanship.
I have a soft spot for mischievous Blood Bowl players, so I had a good time working on the Hobgoblin Sneaky Stabbas. In my own personal narrative, they form some sort of evil, stabbing duo, so I hope this is reflected in the kit.
For similar reasons, I am also quite fond of the Flamesmiths. When Jay and Danny explained the rules for those new positionals for this Chaos Dwarf team, I saw an opportunity to show a petty, quite convoluted, if not at all convenient way for them to operate. A burning kettle of special hot sauce seemed like an adequate Blood Bowl choice to make!*
As a coach, Hashut’s finest should never consider retreat – the only way through is to punch an opponent in front of them. So, if a Chaos Dwarf Blocker seeks to evade my tackle zone, it will be my solemn duty to have him chew some astrogranite.
Now as a player, I'd avoid them both. I would let all those vile creatures argue about the opportunity of an easy win, sneaking out with a surprising agility for a person of my athletic 'talent'...
Thanks Xavier! We'll have more news about the Chaos Dwarf Blood Bowl team very soon.
* Please don’t try this at home; those Flamesmiths are trained professionals.
