The Zharr-Naggrund Ziggurats are trundling their way to pre-orders soon, arriving alongside three Star Players and two Bull Centaurs, plus the usual accoutrements like dice, cards, and pitches. So before they arrive, it’s time to learn about how they play – so we spoke to games designer Danny about how the Blood Bowl developers brought the Chaos Dwarfs back to the pitch.
Danny: For the most part, the Chaos Dwarfs are returning as veteran players will remember them. They’re short-tempered – short in general – and very good at the physical side of Blood Bowl.
Fans will notice that the hats have evolved – but the visual language remains the same. We wanted to modernise the design while paying homage to the classic Chaos Dwarfs that people know and love.
We wanted to have a look at their play pattern, and what made them frustrating to play against rather than engaging. We took a holistic look at the team, and with the addition of a couple of new positionals, we decided to nail down what it is they’re good at – being hard to remove and good at swinging back.
The Chaos Dwarf Blockers have retained Block (which I know coaches were worried about) but they’ve lost Tackle, so they’re not quite as good against agile teams as they used to be. That’s partly to differentiate them from the other Dwarfs, and partly to create a fresh dynamic.
We’ve also done this by changing Iron-hard Skin. This skill now ignores all modifiers to armour – so no Mighty Blow, no Dirty Player, no Chainsaw, etc – and it will be added to the errata document. In the lore, as Chaos Dwarfs use magic it transmutes their skin and slowly turns them to stone, and in the game your Blockers are now that bit harder to take out.
Hobgoblin Linemen, Bull Centaur Blitzers, and Minotaurs are all identical to how they were before. Personally, I spec the latter as Blitzers and rely on Hobgoblins for the more boring aspects of the sport, such as moving the ball around. The Bull Centaurs are an ideal escort to make sure the Hobgoblins are behaving themselves.
We have two new positionals granting coaches new tools. The Sneaky Stabber is an assassin-like Hobgoblin with Shadowing and Stab, who follows the more lightly armoured opponents like Catchers and Throwers and attempts to slip them the knife. The Chaos Dwarf Flamesmith is a little more aggressive – an offensive positional who’s a little quicker than a Blocker, and who can take people down with the new Breathe Fire trait. This can place players prone or even knock them down without having to roll block dice – a way of getting the ball off tricky Blodge* players.
Ultimately, this is still a team that wants to control space on the board and steadily advance the ball behind a cage of AV 10+ players.
As for the Star Players, there are references to all three of them in previous editions of Blood Bowl. H’Thark the Unstoppable is the quintessential Bull Centaur, and a large, large boy. He has Str 6, Block, Break Tackle, Juggernaut, and can even reroll block dice with his unique skill – we wanted him to live up to his name.
Zzharg Madeye, who gets his first ever miniature after three decades, is the cantankerous inventor, and the evil counterpart to Barik Farblast. He has his blunderbuss and a solid brick of stats, and with Hail Mary Pass, he can shove the ball into the breach and fire it anywhere on the pitch. His unique special rule even allows him to turn his gun on opponents.
Lastly, Rashnak Backstabber relies on a cocktail of poisons to get the job done. He’s perhaps the most infamous Sneaky Stabber, and certainly the best. All three can play for Badlands Brawl teams to widen their appeal beyond the Chaos Dwarfs.
In the Spike! Journal, the Darklands Derby is a Chaos Dwarf-hosted league with alternative rules. The referees are a lot more lenient towards dirty play, and there are plenty of fun inducements. The Chaos Dwarf Sorcerer can turn players’ boots to stone or lob a hunk of brimstone onto the pitch. The weather table brings volcanic eruptions and shifting tectonics, while the kick-off can usher in extra Hobgoblin players for either side looking for glory on the pitch. It’s all very thematic…
Thanks Danny! The Chaos Dwarf team, Star Players, Bull Centaurs, and accessories are available to pre-order this weekend. Do it for Hashut!
* Cunning opponents who can Block and Dodge!
