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Some of you may be aware of something called a "rules review" which has been going on for the past little while. This is an annual event under the control of the Blood Bowl Rules Committee (BBRC), which considers and approves amendments to the current rule set of Blood Bowl. The reason for the BBRC's existence and its history are listed here. The annual revision of the rules is always a widely anticipated event, and this year is no different with several major changes rumored to be in the works. Speculation is rife as to additions and removals from the upcoming new version of the Living Rule Book.
The most important news is when the review will be finished. The answer is: probably some time during November, depending on the speed with which the BBRC members work. The list of possible changes is here - while this is a long list, there may be changes not listed there that will surprise us in a couple of week's time!
Candlejack has already talked about the strong possibility of the Undead team being replaced by Khemri, Necromantic and Vampire rosters on page 2 of this issue. The three new rosters (among other experimental team rosters) are already operating on FUMBBL, although it is not guaranteed that the final official rosters will be exactly the same as the ones FUMBBL is now using - there are several options being tested for the Necromantic roster.
Other team roster changes being looked at include:
There are also big changes to the Secret Weapon rules being considered. Check out the section at the bottom of that same experimental team rosters page to read all the options being tested.
FUMBBL users have been asking questions about the implementation of the new rules on fumbbl.com, of course, and here are some answers:
Q: Can I keep my FUMBBL Undead team if the roster gets removed by the BBRC?
A: Yes, but if it's in anything other than Tournament division it is likely you will have to move it out to Tournament division. If Undead is changed to being experimental instead of official, they will most likely be allowed in dX division. Details are still to be finalised by Christer.
Q: Will I be able to run my Undead team the same as normal, buying players etc as before?
A: Not quite. Details are still to be finalised by Christer, but the intention at this stage is to transition Undead teams into becoming Necromantic teams, so that for instance you can't buy new mummies, but you can buy new flesh golems.
Q: Will I be able to create new Undead teams?
A: No.
Q: If base statistics and skills on certain player types are changed, like the werewolves and flesh golems on Necromantic teams, will the statistics and skills on existing players in existing FUMBBL teams be changed to fit?
A: This is most likely, but details are still to be finalised by Christer.
Q: Will I be able to keep the ogre on my existing goblin/orc/halfling/dwarf team?
A: Yes, but if he dies or is retired, you won't be able to replace him, except with another Big Guy if the roster allows you to.
Q: Will I be able to move my existing Khemri/Necromantic/Vampire team from the dX division to Open division?
A: No.
Other rules changes are being considered, with several touching on some hot-button issues. Aging is one area which is being hotly debated, as in this TalkBloodBowl thread. There has been no definitive word on what the final ruling will be, although calls for aging to be scrapped completely are not going to be followed. The handicap table is being redrawn to even out the results, some of which had been deemed to be too strong or too weak in the current version - no word on whether the revised handicaps will actually be implemented in the Java version. Winnings calculations are also likely to change radically, with the possibility of negative winnings for high rating teams.
On the subject of skills, there are not any major rumors of new skills, but many skills are likely to be tweaked. The scuttlebutt being passed around #fumbbl concentrates on two highly probable changes:
GLN will have a breakdown of the new changes, and in particular how they affect each race, when they are released, hopefully during this month.
