Designed by: Jason Little
Blood Bowl: Team Manager is inspired by the Games Workshop miniatures game. The original requires some investment in figurines and takes place on a large area; the card game described here can be played on a smallish table inside 90 minutes.
The game takes place in a fantasy world where various races go at it in a violent series of American Football games. The goal is to win the most fans.
Over a set number of rounds (choose less for a shorter game) a number of matches are played. Players take turns assigning their cards (the football players) to the games, and each card has a value they bring to play. You’re hoping to win matches by dint of having the highest collective total when all cards are played, but within that framework of bidding there’s some other stuff going on – players can grab the ball (if you have the ball, you’ve more chance of winning the game) tackle (resulting in making opponent cards less effective, or even carried off with injury) sprint (change up a card in your hand for a hopefully-better one) and ‘win’ skulls: the skulls are revealed when all cards have been played – they may help, but they may simply get the player sent off.
There are other elements at play too; star players can be added to your hand, and there some in-game upgrades to pack out your match-winning abilities. After all rounds are played, the player with most fans is the winner.
It's very Take That heavy: essentially you're fighting each other, and the game itself is dealing out the odd smack about the chops too.
You shouldn't be waiting long for your turn.
Low. Once you know how the game plays, there's nothing here to have your brow interminably furrowed.
There is randomness not only in how the cards arrive in your hand, but the dice-rolling involved in attempting a tackle - it can backfire in a big way.
2-4
Players
12+
Years
60-90
Mins
Sam says
The publisher thinks this game is a 14+, but if you don't mind the theme (and artwork) it's probably accessible to younger children that that. For me personally it's not a big hit - I don't go in for American Football or Fantasy themes, and the game feels rather chaotic considering its length. Feels like it'd be a big hit with teenage boys though.