Tackle Zone Radio

It’s been promised for a while, first by Shawn and then by me but they’re finally here – the rules for Squigball.

In the BABBL, we hold a mid-season invitational Dungeonbowl, to the top team in each division plus a wildcard. While those high flyers are playing in that match, the rest of the league is allowed to play squigball, with opponents drawn at random.

As the name suggests, a squig is involved in this game, what role does it play you ask? why as the ball of course. Which means an ornery, slippery critter with a mouth full of sharp teeth is kicked hard enough to send it flying 50 yards downfield to start the game, and he just gets more annoyed even more from there.

The Squig Ball Games follows the normal Blood Bowl Rules with the following exceptions, being played on the normal pitch, # of turns, etc are all the same.

1. If the Squig Ball is on the Ground: At the beginning of each Team’s turn, before anyone takes an action, a Squig Ball on the ground will move d6 squares in a random direction.  (use the scatter template) The Squig Ball does not need to dodge to move through tackle zones.

2. If the Squig Ball is held by a player: At the beginning of that Team’s Turn (not the opposing teams turn), before anyone takes an action, roll a d6 (this cannot be re-rolled) On a roll of 1, the Squig has squirmed free and will move as above starting from the players square.  This does not cause a Turn Over.

3. If the Ball Squig’s movement carries it into a players square: The Squig throws a ST:0 Blitz with the Dauntless & Juggernaut Skills.  Neither team may lend their assists.  The Squig ball will never follow up and will end its movement in the square where it threw the block (regardless of any surplus MA).  The Squig can never be knocked down, injured, K/O’d nor stunned.  Players knocked down in this fashion will not cause a turn over.  The target players opponent always rolls the appropriate dice decides where to push the player if applicable.

4. If the Squig Ball’s movement carries it into the crowd: they will throw it back as usual.  It will bounce and then end it’s movement where it lands (regardless of any surplus MA). 

5. The Squig Ball is Hard to handle: All GFI Rolls (while holdong the ball) and agility based actions involving the ball suffer a –1 penalty.  This includes GFI, Pick Up, Catch, Pass, Intercept and Landing (if holding the ball), but not Dodge rolls.

6. Special Play cards involving the Ball act as normal:  “Ball Clone” becomes “Squig Ball Clone”…  “Spiked Ball” becomes “Spiked Squig Ball”…  Etc.

So there you have it. These are the adjustments made to the rules to play a squigball game. We will shortly put up a Squigball Q&A to settle and inform any tricky points that have come up when playing a Squigball game.

It makes for a interesting and humurous game, with an extra level of randomness involved. We’re still waiting for the first kill by a squigball, with the Squigball round only 3 weeks away for the BABBL Season 6, here’s hoping.

If you give these rules a crack we’d love to hear feedback, let us know how it went, and if the Squig killed someone!!