Games Workshop might have shunned any NOVA reveals this year but they did drop a new edition of a favoured game this week. Blood Bowl will be returning for a Third Season Edition packaged up within a new Starter Set that features the Bretonnian clashing with the Tomb Kings of Khemri!

Third Season Edition // Blood Bowl

This Third Season Edition kicks off (hah) with the Brionne Barons, an entirely new team for the world of Blood Bowl, going up against the Nehekhara Nightmares, who have been awakened from their slumber to relive past glories on the field.

Brionne Barons VS Nehekhara Nightmares // Blood Bowl

Valiant knights with egos bigger than their helmet crests will be clashing with rock-hard defensive players who are aiming to tombstone you into the turf. When it comes to the two teams, we'll start by getting a closer look at the Brionne Barons.

Brionne Barons // Blood Bowl

The Bretonnian team has been designed to introduce a high-risk, high-reward playstyle. The team has powerful abilities that you'll be able to make use of but you'll have to know when to trigger them to get the best out of them. The team is led by two hard-hitting Grail Knights who have a new skill, Steady Footing, which allows them to stay standing should they roll a six before they hit the dirt.

They are then backed up by Knight Throwers and Knight Catchers who do exactly what it says on their plated tin cans. The rest of the team is then made up of the Squires, who have the Wrestle skill, which might be very handy for keeping the opposing team in check.

Switching things up, we also have the Bretonnian's opponents in the new box in the form of the Tomb Kings.

Nehekhara Nightmares // Blood Bowl

The Tomb Kings will be familiar to those who have played as them (or against them!) in the past. They are a solidly brutal team led by their Tomb Guardians, who are the infamous brawlers amongst the squad. They are backed up by the two Blitzers and two Throwers who will be making sure the ball ends up in the right hands, whilst the Tomb Guardians hold the line.

The rest of the team is made up of the standard Skeleton Linemen. Don't worry, though, the Tomb Kings are still awful at handling the ball with their low Agility stat but they will benefit from the new Secure The Ball action, which allows you to gather the ball on a 2+ regardless of statistics. It does, however, end your turn immediately.

Updated & Revamped Rules

A new edition means some tweaks to the existing rules for Blood Bowl.

The Official Rulebook // Blood Bowl

All of the rules have been tweaked so that they flow better for players. The core of the game remains exactly the same but a lot of the rules have been rewritten for clarity. Terminology has now been made consistent across the board, so there will be less confusion when it comes to what does what and when.

As well as lots of little changes here and there, another addition to the new edition is the inclusion of Status Markers. These markers will come inside the new Starter Set for the game (and separately later on down the line) and allow you to mark what has happened to a given player without having to worry about laying miniatures down, turning them around and so on. A simple but effective change.

As well as the big new Rulebook, you'll also have two Spike! Journals that will give you the rules for both of these teams.

Spike! Magazine // Blood Bowl

The new boxed set and the new edition will launch later this year alongside a whole host of extras like new boards, dice, cards and more. Additionally, Games Workshop mentioned that they haven't forgotten about the High Elves, who will be getting their PDF rules at launch.

More updates will be in the pipeline for Blood Bowl in the coming weeks and months, so keep an eye out if this is your game of choice. I have to say, the miniatures look great and I like that Games Workshop are still taking the time to update one of the jewels in their crown. I think, alongside Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game, Blood Bowl might be one of the best sets of rules they've ever made.

What do you think of the new teams and the new edition?