
- BGG rank
- BGG #844
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Blood Bowl (2016 Edition)
- 2 players
- 60–180 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2016

2004
Rules assistance for Blood Bowl: Living Rulebook
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Blood Bowl: Living Rulebook is a board game released in 2004 for 2 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Jervis Johnson and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Grid Movement.
Blood Bowl is the game of Rugby slash Football as imagined in a fantasy world of orcs, elves, beastmen and many other fantasy creatures. The game truly shines in a League format, where players gain experience and learn new skills as they play. The latest rules are now version 6.0. The biggest change is the new Inducement system that does an infinitely better job of balancing teams of different experience. All of the team rosters have also been tweaked, with the previous runaway leaders toned down to everyone else's level. And as a great benefit to teams feeling the need to start over after a first bad game, the Journeyman system ensures you will always have 11 players on the field. This game is a part of the Blood Bowl Series
Blood Bowl: Living Rulebook supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Blood Bowl: Living Rulebook is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Blood Bowl: Living Rulebook for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Blood Bowl: Living Rulebook has a complexity rating of 3.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Blood Bowl: Living Rulebook belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Fighting, and Miniatures. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Grid Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Blood Bowl: Living Rulebook are: Jervis Johnson. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Blood Bowl: Living Rulebook as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.