As the seasons change, and the farmers go to harvest, the festival season begins and cheer spreads through the Empire. (Barring an invasion -ed) And, just as the seeds sown in the fields yield a sweet bounty, so too do the great Blood Bowl teams reap the rewards of a season's toil. They spent all spring and summer planting their opponents into the welcoming turf, and now the tall stalks of victory are ready to be brought, through just a little more work, to the banquet table - the table of the FUMBBL Cup.

Yes, this is the season when hundreds of aspiring coaches with their would-be champions make the trek from all over the world for the mere chance to participate. Along the way, matches will be played in every village green, town square, and rice paddy. In forest clearings, city streets, and on rolling hills. In great arenas, tiny halls, even old battlefields and graveyards. In front of roaring crowds or with only a vulture or two as witness, they will take every last opportunity to prepare for the challenge ahead.

Along the way, players will be drafted, sacked, and killed. Deals will be made and broken, hopes dashed on desperate gambles and secured through every dirty trick known to man or beast. And they will go home - in droves, so many hopefuls will never make it to the hallowed pitch. Many will be forced to experience it only from the stands, like the rest of us.

Finally, the select few will battle out the qualifying tournaments and slowy the final contest will take shape. And we'll be there for it all, taking you every step of the way. I'll be doing my part, as I leave my home in Averheim to travel to the great stadium to witness the excitement, the valor, the carnage. During my travels I'll interview some teams on their way, and I have been in correspondence with some contenders from years past, who will hopefully share some unique wisdom.

It's an exciting time, and I hope to share it with you.

This article was previously published in the Averheim Weekly Herald. Sam Walkerson's work has appeared in Spike! Magazine and Halfling's Home Quarterly.