Another Round of Kicking

New House rules for Kicking in Blood Bowl.

By Allan Young
These rules are designed to be used either for in game kicking,
field goals or both - basically if you use one you don't have to use
the other. I would also like to state that these rules are adapted
from those originally published in 2003. Like those these are
house rules, and are simply my take on kicking and do not
supercede the previous rules in anyway, its just another method
you may wish to try.
A Kick action is a new action, and must be declared just as any
other action.
Only one Kick action is allowed per team turn and it cannot be
declared in the same turn as a Pass action. Ie it can be declared
instead of a Pass action, but not as well as a Pass action.
The player is allowed to move as part of the Kick action, with the
actual kick taking place at the end of this action.
The player is allowed to attempt to pick up the ball as part of this
action.
Kicking the ball works in a very similar way to passing, but is a
more specialised skill and consequently only players with the
Kick skill can make a Kick Action.
PROCEDURE
1. Nominate the target square.
2. To determine the range of the kick, use the Passing Range
Ruler.
3. Determine interceptions as per the passing rules, except that
due to the higher arc of the ball when kicking, a player also has
to be within 2 squares of the kicker or target square, as well as
under the range ruler to be able to intercept. Interceptions are
still made with a -2 modifier.
Pass block can be used on kicks, as long as it either puts the
player into an interception position, next to the kicker or
intended receiver, or in the target square. Remember the '2
square' interception rule stated above.
4. If the kick is not intercepted, roll on the Agility Table. The
normal range and Tacklezone modifiers are applied, for example:
Quick Kick +1,
Short Kick +0,
Long Kick -1,
Bomb Kick -2.
A roll of 1 (before or after modification) is a fumble and the ball
scatters one square from the kicker's square. This is a
Turnover.
A roll of '6' before modification is always a success.
5. If the Kick is inaccurate then the ball scatters the number of
times (roll D8 for each scatter) from the target square, as shown
in the following table.
KICKER SKILLS
Once a player has taken Kick Skill, he then has access to kick
skills and may take any of the following on a normal skill roll.
N.B. these skills cannot be taken unless the player already has the
Kicking skill, even if they roll a double.
Sure Kick
The player may re-roll the kick dice. This skill may be used in
combination with any other kick skill.
Sweet Spot
This player is adept at kicking the ball. The player may add +1 to
the Kick dice. This skill may be used in combination with any
other kick skill.
Up and Under
This player can kick the ball high in the air, so that is hangs and
gives players on his team time to try to get underneath it.
This skill can only be used on kicks at Long Kick and Bomb Kick
range.
Determine the kick as usual, and place the ball in the destination
square (after determining any scatter for inaccurate kicks), but
the ball does not land now and the turn continues.
At the end of this turn (i.e. the turn in which the ball was kicked)
roll a D6. On a 1-3 the ball lands now and any catch attempts can
be made. On a 4-6 the ball will land at the end of the next turn
(ie at the end of the opposition's next team turn).
Making a kick action with this skill is not a Turnover unless the
ball is due to land in the crowd. If the ball is due to land in the
crowd, it does so at the end of the turn that it was kicked - there
is no need to roll to see which turn it lands in.
This skill can be used in combination with Sure Kick and Sweet
Spot.
Chip and Chase
This player has mastered the technique of kicking the ball just
over the opposition's heads and running onto his own kick,
while hopefully bemusing his opponents.
This skill can only be used on kicks at Quick Kick and Short Kick
range.
The player declares that he is using this skill when he declares his
Kick action.
In contrast to the normal procedure, the kick is performed at the
start of the action.
After any interceptions and the result of the kick have been
determined, any opposition player under the Range Ruler
between the kicker and the destination square must roll equal to
or under their AG on a D6 or lose their Tacklezone for the
remainder of the kick action. This is due to them watching the
ball lobbed just over their head.
The kicking player now takes the move part of his Kick action. At
the end of this move, the ball lands and the kicking player or any
other player who occupies the square that the ball lands in must
attempt to catch it. After the ball lands, any players who had lost
their Tacklezone due to this skill regain them now. If the player
falls over for any reason, a Turnover occurs as usual and the ball
lands immediately.
N.B. remember that unless the kicking player or a member of his
team catches the ball, it is a Turnover.
This skill can be used in combination with Sure Kick and Sweet
Spot.
The move part of the kick action can utilise any skill the player
has (e.g. Dodge, Leap etc).
Long Kick
This skill can only be used on kicks at Bomb Kick range.
After selecting the target square, roll to see if the kick is
successful. If the kick is not fumbled, immediately roll a D6 and
move the target square that number of squares directly towards
the opponent's endzone. If that takes the ball into the crowd,
then it is an immediate turnover and the ball is thrown back in
from the last square the ball travelled over. If the target square
remains within the field of play, resolve the destination square as
normal.
This skill can only be used in combination with Sure Kick and
Sweet Spot.
Grubber Kick
This kick is a short kick along the ground, often used for a team-
mate to run onto.
A Grubber Kick cannot be intercepted.
If a player uses Grubber Kick, the kick action does not result in a
turnover unless the kick is fumbled, the kick ends up in the
crowd, or the ball is caught by an opposition player.
A Grubber Kick is performed at the end of a kick action as
normal.
To perform a Grubber kick the coach nominates the number of
square he is going to kick it and the direction of the kick.
The maximum number of squares that he can declare for the kick
is 6 for a forward or sidewards kick, and 7 for a diagonal kick.
The direction can be in the direction of any of the eight squares
adjacent to him.
Once this has been decided the following procedure is followed.
Roll a D6, if the result is a '1' then the kick is fumbled. On any
other result the ball is placed adjacent to the player in the
direction nominated. This is the 1st square of the kick.
Next, roll a D6 and refer to the appropriate template for the type
of kick, to determine the direction the ball bounces for the 2nd
square of the kick.
For forward kicks:
For backward kicks:
For left side kicks: For right side kicks:
For forward left kicks: For forward right kicks:
For backward left kicks: For backward right kicks:
Forward
Left
Forward
Forward
Right
Right
Back
Right
Back
Kicking
Player
Ball
1-2 3-4 5-6
Ball
Ball
Ball
Ball Ball
Ball
Ball
1-2
1-2 1-2
3-4
5-6
3-4
5-6
1-2
1-2
1-2
3-4 3-4
5-6 5-6
1-2 3-4 3-4 5-6
5-6
3-4 5-6
Left
Back
Left
Repeat this for the 3rd any remaining squares of the kick, always
using the same template, until no squares are left.
If at any point the ball enters a square occupied by a player of
either team, that player must attempt to catch the bouncing ball.
If it is successfully caught by an opposition player then this a
Turnover. If a player of either team fails a catch roll then the ball
scatters once from their square, the kick action is over and the
turn continues.
This skill can be used in combination with Sure Kick and Sweet
Spot.
Important Note
None of these skills can be used for Kick offs.
FIELD GOALS
Players can attempt to drop kick the ball through the posts in
order to score points.
A field goal attempt is the kick action for that turn, so neither
another kick action or a Pass action can be declared in the same
turn in which a field goal is attempted.
If you are using field goals, then a TD is worth 3 points and a
field goal worth 1 point.
Field goals can only be intercepted if the player is within 2
squares of the kicker and under the range ruler.
Pass Block can be used against field goals.
To kick a drop goal (field goal) the player declares a kick action,
with the target square being one of the 3 central squares in the
opposition endzone. Because of the concentration required, a
player is NOT allowed to move as part of the kick action, they
must make the kick from the square they started the turn in. They
do not however need to start the turn with the ball, and can have
it handed off to them during the turn.
A field goal attempt is always a Turnover.
Due to difficult nature of drop kicks, the range is increased by
one band i.e. a Short Kick is actually a Long Kick. Also note that
Long Kick is the furthest that a drop kick can be attempted.
The range is measured to this square and then the following
modifiers are applied.
-1 if attempting a field goal from one of the wide zones.
-1 for each opposition TZ that the kicker is in.
A roll of '1' before or after modification is a fumble and a roll of
'6' before modification is always a success.
If the kick is inaccurate then roll a D8 to see which direction the
ball misses in. The ball travels one square for each band of range
of the kick, in the direction indicated by the D8.
Quick Kick 1 square
Short Kick 2 squares
Long Kick 3 squares.
A Field Goal is scored if:
1. The kick is accurate
2. The kick was inaccurate from the left wide zone but the D8
roll was in the forward right direction (i.e. in the direction of
the kick).
3. The kick was inaccurate from the right wide zone but the D8
roll was in the forward left direction (i.e. in the direction of
the kick).
4. The kick was inaccurate from the central zone but the D8 roll
was in the straight-ahead direction (i.e. in the direction of the
kick).
If a field goal is scored then play is restarted as though a
Touchdown had been scored by the field goal scoring team.
If the kick is missed and the ball lands on the pitch, then any
player who occupies that square must attempt to catch it. If it
lands in an unoccupied square then the ball bounces once. In
either event remember it is a Turnover.
If the ball lands in the crowd, then a touchback occurs and the
opposition coach can chose any of his player's that are in his own
half to give the ball to. If there is no such player then the ball is
thrown back in as normal, but from the central endzone square,
regardless of which direction the ball left the field.
N.B. only kicks that land in the crowd are a touchback, kicks that
bounce into the crowd are thrown back from the square they last
occupied, as normal.
ALBION UNIONISTS
Wrapped in myth and legend, there is a belief that another
version of the game existed a long time ago, whereby you were
not allowed to throw the ball forward.
Adapting the ancient version as to be able to compete with
modern teams, there is an ancient guild, The Guild of Unionists,
which funds teams to play in the ways of their forefathers.
I feel these rules could create some interesting players without
changing the dynamic of the game. Kicking would still be a
secondary choice to throwing and with only being an option for
players with kick skill, would remain infrequent.
I deliberately avoided the 0-1 Kicker for all races as I felt that, due
to the nature of some of the skills, developing a good kicker
should require some investment, and the kicking skills shouldn't
be available on the 1st skill advancement. Except of course for
the Albion Unionist, for whom the kickers would be very
important players from the start.
Anyway, I hope someone enjoys them, somewhere.
Qty Position MA ST AG AV Skills Cost Skills
0-16 Linemen 6 3 3 8 50k G
0-4 Half Backs 7 3 8 Side Step, 100k G/A
Dump Off
0-4 Forwards 5 3 3 8 Block, 80k G/S
Thick Skull
0-2 Full Backs 6 3 3 8 Sure Hands, 70k G/K
Kick
Reroll Cost: 50,000
Apothecary and Wizard allowed
No Big Guy
Same Star Players as Humans
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I have been playing BB since bits of card in plastic holders and often try to re-create this golden era by sticking bits of cotton wool to
matchsticks and being found to say things like 'this ones a catcher'. I am a member of the ECBBL in London and spend more time
than is healthy thinking about BB!