Gnomes frankly have a tough time winning a game of Blood Bowl – but bringing along a Treeman is a great way to close the height gap. And the strength gap. And the skill gap. These mighty arboreal players give the Gnomes half a shot against most serious teams.
Gnomes are something of an enigma in the world of Blood Bowl, with many fans having dismissed their existence almost entirely. While their tactics, and woodland creatures, are somewhat unorthodox, Gnomes are quite fond of the game. While individual players are hardly paragons of athleticism, their mastery of magical illusions and the befriending of forest beasts gives them certain advantages not enjoyed by less gloriously bearded teams.
Gnome teams play Blood Bowl on pitches deep within their mysterious forests, in clearings between the trees. These aren't just your regular run-of-the-mill forests, though – magic hangs in the air, and all manner of creatures, both fey and mundane, come out of hiding to watch their Gnome friends play Blood Bowl!
Even with their magical illusions, Gnome teams will need all the luck they can get in games of Blood Bowl, which is where these themed dice come in.
Deep in the dank heart of the old forests, mischievous woodland creatures frolic, prance, and beat each other to a pulp playing the age-old game of Blood Bowl. This issue's guest editor, Davide Mirrorfoot, reveals just a few of the secrets of Gnome teams.
Neurogaunts scuttle forward in seething masses, driven on by the parasitic neurocytes that cling to their backs. Their primary purpose is to protect the synaptic node-beasts coordinating invasion swarms, while projecting their command signals throughout the wider swarm. It is a task they go about with single-minded savagery, slashing, biting, and dying with mindless vigour.
Von Ryan’s Leapers are swift, agile Tyranid bioforms, cunning hunters and stealth ambushers that are especially lethal when fighting in dense terrain. Packs of Leapers lie in wait like living mines, lurking at the optimum locations to cause as much damage as possible. When they sense the perfect time to strike, they burst forth to butcher all around in a murderous frenzy.
A Psychophage stampedes into battle at a frightening speed. They devour any prey organism in their paths, but especially favour those victims with psychic abilities. How they metabolise such esoteric powers is unclear, but doing so allows them to project surges of psychocorrosive ash that deflagrate their victims’ minds and souls.
The Tyranids are alien predators invading the galaxy from the vast intergalactic void beyond its edges. Like swarming insects falling upon precious crops, they devour all before them – consuming life upon each world in their path, and leaving nothing but airless rocks in their wake. They are a threat to every sentient species in the galaxy, and their numbers are growing.
Noble Vampires often partake in games of Blood Bowl alongside their human Thralls to showcase their immortal superiority and indulge in a little bloodlust. Due to their wealthy status, these Nobles are adorned in the highest quality gear. Meanwhile, their Thralls are dishevelled and diminutive, wearing little more than basic equipment and blouses – and their gaunt and malnourished appearances may or may not have something to do with Thralls becoming a mid-match snack for the Vampires when they get thirsty.
The Tyranids are an all-consuming alien swarm from beyond the known galaxy. Driven by the vast and ineffable intellect of the Hive Mind, their tendrils drive into fresh systems with every passing hour. These single-minded metapredators cannot be reasoned with, bought off, or put to flight. They seek only to strip each new world they encounter, devouring every shred of biomass to feed the relentless advance of the hive fleets and leaving dead, airless husks in their wake.
The Tyranid hive fleets are rapacious alien swarms that flow from beyond the galactic fringe to devour all life. When the Tyranids attack they do so in unstoppable numbers, unleashing nightmarish bio-weapons upon their victims.