Blood Bowl Gnome Team Review

Blood Bowl is a rare product for Games Workshop. It's a game set within a game.  A sports game set within their Warhammer Old World setting, loosely based on American Football. Blood Bowl and its spin-off Dungeon Bowl see teams of famous races battle it out. The current edition of Blood Bowl is the Second Season Edition and has had extra teams released periodically since it launched in 2020. In this article, we'll have a look at the newest team on the pitch, the mighty Gnomes!

We've covered Blood Bowl since its release, and you can read our Second Season Edition review, and our Dungeon Bowl review, along with our review of the Amazon Team.

Who Is The Blood Bowl Gnome Team?

The Blood Bowl Gnome teams usually keep to their burrows and groves in the forests of the Old World. These tricksy little players make use of all kinds of woodland creatures to get an edge in the game, from woodland foxes to the mighty tTeemen. Don't mistake them for a Halfling though, they really don't like that.

What's Included In The Blood Bowl Gnome Starting Team Box?

The Blood Bowl Gnome starting team box contains the following players:

• 2x Gnome Beastmasters
• 2x Gnome Illusionist
• 2x Woodland Fox
• 8x Gnome Lineman

The core of the team are the lineman, and they start with Wrestle and Get Up to help drag opposing players down (and avoid injury rolls with the Both Down result), and then bounce back into action. The low strength, Stunty, and low Armor Values across the team mean you don't want to be getting into brawls, so it takes some finese piloting this team. The Beastmasters help with this, as they start with the Guard skill, which means they can assist, even if they are within another player's tackle zone.

The Illusionists are as tricksy as they sound, and when blocked, they can place themselves in any unoccupied square adjacent to the player making the block against them. This allows for some fast repositioning, and avoidance of being pushed into areas they don't want to be. The final players from the core box are the Woodland Foxes. They're fast, agile, and don't like to give up the ball. With the My Ball special rule, the only way you can take the ball from them is to knock them over. So once they have it, make a quick run for the end zone.

Available separately are the Gnome Treeman players. The Treemen are the muscle of the team. Strong and able to take a block back, they only have a movement of 2, and the Take Root special rule means they can be unreliable, so early positioning is key for their use.

Who Are The Blood Bowl Gnome Team Star Players?

There are three additional (and sold separately) Star Players available for the Blood Bowl Gnome team.

• Rowana Forestfoot, a stag-mounted player, who's much faster than the rest of the team (except the foxes), Rowana also has the Bounding Leap special rule which means that once per game, she can ignore modifiers to her Leap test and reroll the result.
• Rodney Roachbait, an extremely able fisherman, is as fast as the mounted Rowana, and can, once per half, nab the ball from the ground if he starts his turn within 3 squares of it with his fishing rod.
• Akhorne the Squirrel previously had their rules released in White Dwarf and sees them rereleased to coincide with the Gnome team. Akhorne, although small, can stand against even the strongest opponents as the Dauntless ability lets them block with equal strength if they roll over their opponent's strength, and the Blind Rage ability lets them reroll the Dauntless roll. Akhorne is entirely unable to interact with the ball though, their only purpose is to lay some hands on their opponents.

What Else Do I Need To Play A Blood Bowl Gnome Team?

While the basic stats are printed on the assembly instructions of the Blood Bowl Gnome Team, their rules, lore, and guidance are published in full in Issue Seventeen of Spike! Fantasy Football Journal, an in-universe publication. The detailed guidance is exceptional for a starting Gnome Team coach, and goes into each player, along with some set-up guidance to get you off to a good start.

If you're serious about playing a Gnome team, you will also want to pick up some Treemen alongside your Gnome team core box, as these are essential for protecting against surges of aggressive teams.

You will also need a copy of the Blood Bowl rules and a pitch to play on. The rules and pitches are available separately, or you can get hold of the Second Season Edition core set, which includes everything and 2 teams.

What Are Our Final Thoughts On the Blood Bowl Gnome Team Releases?

The Gnome team are as fun and tricksy as they sound. You're not going to be piling into huge brawls in the middle of the pitch, or making aggressive single-player pushes for the end zone. But you will have a lot of options for keeping your opponent on their toes. They are incredibly rewarding to play and offer a real challenge and learning curve.

Should I Buy The Blood Bowl Gnome Team?

If you're a first-time Blood Bowl coach, then the Gnome team does have a steep learning curve and aren't as forgiving as some of the more straightforward teams like the Orc and Human teams. But if you're looking to mess your opponent around, and laugh when your fox steals a touchdown, then the Gnome offers a fantastic experience on the pitch.

The Blood Bowl Gome Team used in the creation of this review was provided by Games Workshop.