HI everyone, I am Necross.san Some of you may have seen me around this forum for the past few years now. I've over 700 games (in various formats including BBCE, Tabletop and FUMBBL) under my belt and have been looking for a way to contribute to the community over all. And seeing as I'm something of a glutton for punishment, I figured I would do my second most played race. The most controversial team in the game; a team everyone has an opinion on and even took a bit of a nerf in the 3rd Season Update. (But no one can agree as to how big it is!) This is also an updated version of my previous guide as we are now in a new edition of Blood bowl, the changes that are worth mentioning as well as a full break down of their large stable of Star Player options.

Ladies, Gentleman, and Genderless Mushrooms: Let me drunkenly ramble about Humans!

Classic Humans are the great All Rounders of Blood bowl and form the baseline all other teams are judged. Famous for being a big ball of meh, with no real strengths but having no real weaknesses either. Humans do have more starting skills then just about any other team, and can do just about everything. No other team is as versatile out of the box. This means that there is no hard meta for Humans; there is no "correct" playstyle or build. Humans more then any beginner team test the abilities of the coach to know when and how they should switch gears from a slow grindy bash game, to an aggressive running and passing game. Every turn is a new puzzle to figure out and the Human coach needs to figure out how to solve it.

The thing to note about Humans is they will never be as good at anything as a team that is racially inclined to a specialization. Skaven will always be faster, Elves will always be better with the ball, Humans are not as robust as Dwarves, and Chaos kills everyone better. This forces the Human coach to learn his opponents roster and form a strong counter plan before the game even begins. The most basic strategies are just pressing the weaknesses of the opposing team: focus on fighting on low armor teams, and focus on the ball and leveraging your speed against slow and/or high strength bash teams. I will go into more detail later, but for now let me just say, Humans are typically in the starter set and are the focus of the tutorial story modes for a reason: They are all about mastery of the fundamentals of Blood Bowl and reward that understanding to sometimes surprising effect. Humans can even change strategies mid drive (and in some cases even mid turn if Nuffle favors you, or if you spot a weakness to exploit,) more easily then any other team. Think of them as toolbox full of hand tools your father gives you when you move into your first apartment; not quite as good as power tools but with a little grit and elbow grease you can do what ever you need to do with them.

Humans do have one minor stat advantage in the speed department, being able to field up to two MV 7 and two MV 8 players at once. This makes them one of the faster teams in the game, matching (and sometimes surpassing) elves in this respect. However they are, with the exception of the Ogre, universally AG 3, and thus can't truly rely on evasion and speed like elves can. In fact most detractors of the Human team often dismiss them saying "everything Humans can do, Elves can do better," but Humans have three advantages over elf teams. They are cheaper, have up to three players with primary strength skill access, multiple one turn touchdown options, and one of the most reliable big guys in the game in the Ogre. This means that they are better bashers, injure more opposing players, can foul more frequently, and replace players more easily then any elf team can. Humans however do not bash as well as hard bash teams lacking high strength players, having only medium armor (AV 8 on most players,) and flings having only ST 2

This middle of the road philosophy that Human teams have is a double edged sword. At low TV Humans are extremely powerful in the hands of a seasoned coach, but novices who don't know how to read the board yet may not be able to seize on errors as efficiently. Humans do get a lot of free skill rerolls, which makes them forgiving, but in classic Blood Bowl wisdom "More dice is More Risk." This is exacerbated with the 3rd Season Update as Human have lost two of its most important and versatile players the Blitzer, and Catcher! Thus you will have to make due with more dull tools on the pitch, requiring more and riskier rolls.

Also as TV goes up Humans have a much trickier time. Once opposing teams break the 1300 TV mark they are developing in one of two ways: covering weaknesses or doubling down on strengths. At 1500 TV they will be doing both. This natural evolution of the competition weakens what few advantages Humans have. What is worse is if Humans specialize too much in one direction, you may find that you built your team into a corner. This is a weakness no one really talks about and no other team runs this risk as strongly as Humans. This is were game literacy comes in, as everyone else has a default strategy or gimmick of sorts to fall back on but only gimmick Humans have is: be ok, thus you must be on the ball when it comes to watching the competition so you can tool your team to counter everything. Fail to do so and paint yourself into a corner with your skill choices (Such as going hard bash in a league dominated by developed Dwarves, Norse, and Orcs;) you're in for a rough season. Unfortunately only experience will give you the literacy to make the most of any situation, but once you gain that level of literacy you will be a force to be feared and respected by all.

Another weakness Humans have is they rely heavily on skills and not stats. This means losing high level players hurts more for Humans. While you can buy back a rookie easily enough; they are going to be MUCH weaker then the star they will be replacing and may be a minor liability on high TV teams. Also the lack of high stats makes them peak somewhat early; gaining fewer returns with each promotion.

3rd Season hit Humans hard with the nerf bat. No,it is more like that episode of the Simpsons where they attend some family counseling and Bart realizes that the foam bat is far more effective if you pull the foam off. He then does so and wacks Homer's leg... hard. That is what has been done to the current Human Team feels like. The core is still there... but now it has to get by with a busted knee.

Note: No Human player can gain Mutations, Seconary skills are in Italics, and skill suggestions are listed in no particuar order

MV 7 ST 3 AG 3+ PA 4+ AV 9+
Cost: 85k
Hire limit: 2
Keyword: Human, Blitzer
Skills: Block, Tackle
Primary Skill Access: General and Strength
Skill Restrictions: Mutations and Passing
Suggested Skills: Guard, Mighty Blow, Dauntless, Stand Firm, Grab, Frenzy, Strip Ball, Dodge Jump up, Diving Tackle, Side Step
Blitzers are the backbone on the Human team and are you most expensive players outside of the Ogre. You will want all of them from the start, no matter your team strategy or build idea. Don't argue with me, just buy them! Their speed and hitting potential are too good to skip on, and their new Tackle skill just adds to their versatility. Blitzers will fall under three general roles:

Support where they help other team mates assists and help to control the pitch (Guard, Stand Firm, Diving Tackle)

Ball Hawk where they try to get to the player with the ball and knock it loose directly or just tying them down, (Strip Ball, Diving Tackle).

And finally Killer who specializes in removing players (Mighty Blow, Frenzy.)

I find having two Support Blitzers to be the best bang for your buck on a human team. However any mix of roles works, it is just a question of how much redundancy do you want on the pitch. Saving for Dodge early may be wise in longer running competitions as Block and Dodge is just too powerful a combo to not considering taking. Guard works well on any role of Blitzer as Humans need as much Guard as possible to counter Bash heavy teams. However when you should take it depends on what you are going to be up against, vs what you already have. If you have two Guard players (not the Ogre) already then it may be a good Idea to focus on a ball hawk or killer skill Blitzer first unless you are in a bash heavy league.

When leveling, stick to chosen primary skills until your third level with these guys, then go random skill ups. Stat ups take longer, but should you roll +AG or +ST; that is more then worth the boost in cost. If you roll as stat you don't like you can still choose any skill instead.

MV 8 ST 3 AG 3+ PA 4+ AV 8+
Cost: 75k
Hire Limit: 2
Skills: Dodge and Catch
Primary Skill Access: General and Agility
Skill Restrictions: Mutations
Suggested Skills: Block, Wrestle, Fend, Diving Catch, Sprint, Sure Feet, Side Step, Leap, Jump Up, Diving Tackle, Tackle, Dauntless, Strip Ball, Sure Hands, On the Ball, Guard, Nerves of Steel, Sneaky Git, Shadowing, Dirty Player

Catchers got a big buff in 3rd Season as they are now ST 3! This more or less counter their main criticism of the previous editions were they were ST 2. They did get a 10k cost Boost but that is more than worth it. Catchers are one of the most versatile players you have, and are often criminally under rated! Hell, they are almost the same cost as a Skink and have a better stat line and trade stunty for catch, and not many will say skinks suck! However being only AV 8+ means these guys will not last long in the middle of a large scrum. That said they can make decent Ball Hawks and Cage Divers once they have Block, Dauntless, and Leap.

Is that too aggressive for you? Focus on Support then! They are excellent support pieces with their easy access to Block and/or Wrestle and their high speed lets them get where they need to be. Just be sure to give them Side Step, Defensive, Diving Tackle, Shadowing and if possible Guard. On the Ball isn't bad choice here, as the catch skill allows two attempts to intercept, but should not be a first skill pick.

Or perhaps you are an Elf weeaboo and want to focus on a fast, aggressive offense and passing? Give them Diving Catch, Sprint, Sure Feet, and Nerves of Steel if possible. This route maximizes the catcher as a scoring threat, doubling down on their high speed and catching skills for greatest one turn touchdown potential. They are also great for break away plays were you just need to get that ball out of the scrum pronto.

Dirty Player is not a bad skill on catchers in general either as their high movement, dodge skill, and middling price mean they can almost always get the boot in where it is needed most. There is so much these guys can do, don't be afraid to experiment. Even if it didn't work out, you learned something and these guys are easy to replace.

Leveling Catchers is possibly the trickiest choice you can make with a Human team. The “choose your skills” argument falls short when you have so many random primaries you can have to make these guys useful. Also the TV cost of a MV+ is less then that of a chosen secondary skill and AG+ is even better for maneuvering and ball handling, so rushing a stat may be a wise move here if you can keep these guys alive long enough. Experiment and find out what works for you here.

MV 6 ST 3 AG 3+ PA 3+ AV 9+
Cost: 75k
Keywords: Human, Thrower
Hire Limit: 2
Skills: Pass and Sure Hands
Skill Access: General and Passing
Skill Restrictions: Mutations
Suggested Skills: Block, Accurate, Cannoneer, Cloud Burster, Safe Pass, Leader, On the Ball, Nerves of Steel, Dump Off, Fend, Dodge, Side Step, Guard

What do we have here? Why, it is another controversial player! Many coaches feel it is better just to put sure hands on a Blitzer and save the 75k. Often these coaches justify it with the old Dwarf criticism "If you pass and are not Elves, you are playing wrong! And even then it is a desperation play!" These bastions of wisdom are committing one of the biggest mistakes a Human coach can ever make: Never turn down a tactical option! And the Thrower is the tool needed to have those options. (You also no longer have the Blitzers to spare to be a dedicated ball handler.) Unfortunately, Thrower got a PA nerf for no apparent reason in 3rd Season, and given some of the typos in the other rosters... it makes wonder if the intern they had writing the book just copied and pasted the Orc Thrower listing...

There are two primary roles throwers have and they are traditional Quarterback and Runner. The Quarterback's role is to get the ball and wait for a good opportunity to throw it to an open catcher before they can be hit. Quarterback skills are the obvious candidates of Accurate, Cloud Burster, and Cannoneer. In fact once the Thrower has Accurate and Cannoneer they can throw long bombs on a 4+ and will only fumble the ball on a natural 1. Not even elves can hope to do better then that! Also so if a Accurate Cannoneer Thrower gets an PA+, thank Nuffle and Pass your way to victory! It is worth noting, the spp costs roll for a stat ups have dropped in the 3rd Season update so it isn't that much harder to try for PA+ than it is to go for Dodge.

Runners on the other hand are about running the ball up the pitch themselves, with the support of cages and offensive screens. Skills like Block, Dodge, Fend, Side Step, and Dump Off help them do this job. The Sure Hands skill a Thrower naturally has makes them immune to Strip Ball too. However at only MV 6, they will take a few turns to get down the pitch, leaving him vulnerable to elf screen tactics and possible attrition from blocks.

Which to use can be tricky and I wouldn't recommend a two thrower build out the gate. Fortunately you don't have to choose right away so play around with them your first few games and figure out what you find the most fun. If you are in a closed league setting and know what you are going up against, that is a different matter. If there are lots of bash teams like Orc, Dwarves, and Chaos: build a Quarterback. If there are mostly low armor teams like Skaven, Wood Elves and Amazons: make a Runner. As your team develops you can easily have both types of throwers, and it is often a good idea to do so in open anonymous matchmaking leagues like the BB3 Ladder or FUMBBL.

There is also a secondary role a Thrower can take and that is Kicker/Punter. Thanks to Punt being in the Passing tree, it is only natural to consider giving a Thrower Kick and or Punt to allow for more pitch control or to move the ball extremely quickly by allowing for a defacto pass action. However that is two skills needed to do a single job and is just too expensive in SPP to give to your primary Thrower, and that would make for over 110K sitting on your bench if you develop your second thrower along those lines. Niche but worth considering if you feel you can afford it.

Always remember a Quarterback can run, and a Runner can throw. Human coaches become losing coaches if they are too rigid in their tactics and play.

Again when leveling, stick to chosen skills until your third level with these guys, consider stat ups. Stat ups may be worth it here as Throwers can get use out of everything but AV, If you are focusing turning these guys into Tom Brady. +AG is more then worth the boost in cost, +MV effectively reduces pass distances, and +PA will ensure the ball will almost always fly straight to all but the farthest targets.

MV 6 ST 3 AG 3+ PA 4+ MV 9+
Cost: 50k
Keywords:Human, Lineman
Hire Limit: None
Skills: None
Primary Skill: General
Skill Restrictions: Mutations and Passing
Suggested Skills: Block, Wrestle, Tackle, Kick, Dauntless, Frenzy, Dodge, Guard, Dirty Player, Mighty Blow

Well just thinking about the rage and violence those last few bits have inspired, has quite possibly voided my life insurance. So my wife wants me to talk about something less prone to inspire a lynch mob. The humble Lineman is the unsung hero of many a team, and on the Human team that is no exception. Hell, with the loss of some of your Blitzer and Catchers they are even MORE important! They have a solid stat line and can fill out any role in a pinch, Their low cost make them good foulers, and as they level they become even more versatile. High TV Humans need their Linemen more then any other team, other than Vampires, and Lizards; and that is only because they don't need to eat them or actually need to pick up the ball. I find having two Block Tackle Linemen and Three Wrestle Linemen and a Kick Dirty Player Lineman a good mix.

Leveling Linemen is more about choosing between consistency or min/maxing costs by avoiding major skills. I'd say choose Block for the first 3 that can buy it ,and go by ear for everything else. Maybe save for dodge, Guard, or a Devious skill for the third level up

MV 5 ST 5 AG 4+ PA 5+ AV 10+
Cost: 140k
Keywords: Ogre, Big Guy
Hire Limit: 1
Skills: Loner 3+, Mighty Blow, Thick Skull, Throw Team-mate, Bonehead
Primary Skills: Strength
Skill Restrictions: Devious and Passing *Yes, that is right! the book says Ogres can now get mutations for whatever reason*
Suggested Skills: Guard, Grab, Stand Firm, Juggernaut, Multi Block, Strong Arm, Arm Bar, Brawler, Break Tackle, Block, Tackle, Pro, Frenzy, Claw, Two Heads, Extra Arm, Tentacles

Even the Ogre, like just about everything about Humans, has inspired some controversy. Some say he is unnecessary and ultimately not worth it, due to being unreliable and costing twice as much as most of the other Human players. Others feel he is essential to Humans, offering much needed bashing potential. Others still say "Only stunties should have big guys!" And there is the apparent fact they they can get Mutations now for no reason... I personally believe that the Ogre is near essential to the Human team. They aren't needed out the gate necessarily, but should be one of the first things Humans plan to add to their team after an Apothecary.

Ogres are there to do one thing on a Human team, and that is hitting fools dumb enough to base them. Ogre development is essentially a patience game, as without secondary skills Ogres will only ever be living battering rams, smashing lines and cages. But if you take the time to save for secondaries, Ogres can become Super Blitzers! Hell if you are lucky enough to get +AG on one, try making it a ball handler. It may not be efficient, but it is fun imagining the look on your opponent's face when you hand off to an Ogre and form a cage when you are leading.

The only issues Ogres have is Loner 3+ and Bonehead. Loner 3+ means you have to pass a 3+ roll just to use a team reroll, and if you fail you must keep the current roll, but still use up your the reroll. Bonehead is the "best" negative trait. It just means that before the Ogre can do anything on your turn he must pass a 2+ test. Failure means that that action is wasted and can do nothing this turn. Just Remember that while boneheaded, Ogres are considered to be distracted and have no tackle zones and can not interact with the ball (but will not drop it if they are already holding it,) and may not use several skills. So it may be best to just let them stand around if they are guarding a hole in your screens. Bad dice will come sooner or later and burning a reroll on a triple skull and failing the Loner roll is frustrating, as is that game critical blitz being forgotten in favor of the ogre preferring to watch some clouds...

Pro is not a bad skill to consider as it not only allows free rerolls on standard rolls like blocks, but also the loner check roll and Bonehead roll as well! Block is a stronger choice for a prime puncher but if the Ogre should save enough for another secondary, it is worth considering. Brawler is new to this edition and it makes for a poor mans Block skill, but the ability to reroll a both down for free can be useful vs targets with block or wrestle.

As for leveling this big guy, I would suggest you save for Block as your first skill on them. It is expensive when compared to a chosen primary but block is just too useful to not rush in my opinion. After that it is up to you, but I would suggest no more then two chosen secondaries as the TV cost start to get crazy after that. Random primaries are not a bad choice either as all strength skills are useful to the ogre. Even Strong Arm, which now only works when throwing team mates. Speaking of which...

MV 5 ST 2 AG 3+ PA 4+ AV 7+
Cost: 30k
Keywords: Halfling, Lineman
Hire Limit: 3
Skills: Dodge, Right Stuff, Stunty
Primary Skills: Agility
Skill Restrictions: Mutations and Passing
Suggested Skills: Sprint, Sure Feet, Side Step, Diving Tackle, Jump Up, Block, Wrestle, Sneaky Git,Dirty Player

Finally a player after my own heart! Utter ♥♥♥♥ but can still be surprisingly effective. After what had to have been decades of coach complaints, threats, and blackmail photos Games Workshop has finally added some Halflings to the Human roster in order to shut everyone up about the Ogre having useless skills. But why hire one of these furry footed freaks? They are slow, squishy and weak as well as struggle to develop anything resembling core skills. They are dirt cheap; that's why. At 30k a pop (and they will) they aren't even worth the cost of the apothecary, and that makes them perfect as expendable fodder, ammo, and foulers. Other team forming a cage? Toss a fling in there and see if they can't crush a corner or even the ball carrier. Downed player with a skill or two? Foul it and foul often.

There is more to Flings then just being an annoyance to the referees and grounds keepers, they are also slippery little buggers thanks to the Stunty trait. Stunty allows flings to slip through the smallest gaps and ignore all tackle zone penalties while dodging, and combined with their natural dodge skill; they often can not be screened! Hell if you see a side line cage, remove the assists with a lineman and attempt to surf the ball handler with a fling. It will still be an up hill block, most likely, but the most common result of a 2 die up hill is a push, and crowd is just as deadly if it is a fling doing the surfing as if it was a troll slayer! And if the fling gets surfed next turn; it doesn't matter as he did his job and is holding back opposing players from were ever the ball went. Just be sure to keep your Halflings away from anyone with tackle or the other team will have a new lucky Halfling foot before too long.

It is not all steak and lobster here as some skills, such as diving tackle and prehensile tail, still penalize your dodges as the penalty is coming from the skill not the TZ itself, so you will still need to pay attention to you pathing. Also being Stunty means the player is rather small and frail, so all injury rolls against them effectively get a 1+ that stacks with Mighty Blow! Now a roll of 9 will only ever result in a Badly Hurt result, a removal is still a removal and can bite you when you need numbers on the pitch. Stunties also need to take great care when passing the ball, despite no longer having a penalty on the pass itself. The penalty was move to the interference stage of the pass and if the throw is wild, that is a 3+ to slap it down and attempt the intercept. Even a blind Sarus has a decent chance of making that happen! That said if the flight path is clear they are just as good as a linemen when throwing so it is an option in a pinch.

Halflings have four primary roles Ammo, Trolling, Screening and Fouler.

Ammo Flings don't need any skills and probably will not live to gain any anyway. The thing to note about thrown team mates is that it will never cause a turn over unless you land on your own players or the flying fat man has the ball and crashes upon landing. So when ever you see a tight grouping of opposing players (especially low AV ones) consider tossing a fling in there for a lucky removal. Avoid the Lethal Flyer skill if you can, as while it add Mighty Blow to whatever poor fool the Fling crashes into, it is just not worth the cost in both TV and SPP for something so niche.

Trolling Flings are a variant of Ammo and are meant for thrown team mate touchdowns. Sprint Sure Feet help with this role as it will boost the flings movement a respectable amount. Jump up is also worth considering as your opponent will fail to pick up your kick off eventually, and if it is a deep kick, not having to worry about making the landing (and needing to reroll it) will make the 4+ pick up more likely. From that point it is only a quick dodge and rush to score. You can even use Thrown Team Mate to catch your own Kick Off on a Blitz in the endzone this way too. Now you can see why I call them Trolling Flings; because when they work it causes rage quits

Screening Flings have Diving Tackle and Side Step. If your opponent can't roll pows or lacks tackle, these guys will lock down their little area of the pitch. They tend to be blitzed down a lot but that is a hit not going to a more vital (and expensive) player.

Foulers do what it says on the tin, foul downed players. Skills to put on a fouler are Dirty Player and Sneaky Git. Hell, about half the Devious tree fits here, however they count as a secondary skill on Flings and thus may quickly not become worth the TV

When it comes to leveling Flings, I think random Generals (Secondary skill) are the way to go for the first level. If it is something useful like Block, Wrestle, Kick, or Dirty Player, the Halfling has earned himself a permanent spot on the team. If not, retire him and hire a new rookie, his heart just isn't in the game but he has some stories to tell. After the first level I would just do primary skills and stat ups until the little bastard breaks. Stat ups are really not worth it for flings but should you get AG+ the fling becomes a little terror, dodging 2+ everywhere and landing throws on a 3+! Perfect for thrown team mate touchdown attempts.

Star Players and Special Rules

Across the many editions of Blood Bowl Humans have always had one of the more potent Star Player lists, and Blood Bowl 3 is no exception. Where BB3 differs is in structure; all teams are given at least one special rule key word to classify what Stars, special inducements and/or special rules may be hired by a team. And all teams that share that key word will also share these benefits and inducement options.

These key words typically are flavored after various Blood Bowl super leagues within the world of Blood Bowl and are meant to imply how various teams are linked together and play. Human teams have the Old World Classic key word, and it does not offer anything special in and off itself, outside of some special inducements most people will forget about. But Old World Classic has one of the largest and most varied Star Player pools in the game. A lot of players have gotten removed from Old World Classic in 3rd Season, but it is still arguably the best stable of Stars in the game.

New to the 3rd Season update is that Humans now have the Team Captain Keyword. Team Captain is an odd one, at team creation you must choose one non Lineman player to be your team's Captain. This will give that player the Pro skill for free, and have a special 6+ roll when using a team reroll. When it triggers, the reroll is used for FREE. It is too unreliable to count on, but is a nice bonus when it happens. However you must always have them in play if you are able, and may not fire this player unless he gets a stat broken or just out right dies. When this happens you must nominate a new Captain before the next game with this team starts.

Also new to BB 2020 is the idea that every Star has their own unique special skill. Often these skills are once per game use but can be game changing if used wisely, so don't forget about them. It seems they are not available in BB3 at launch but I will be including them anyway as a means of future proofing this guide. Let's begin with the universal Star Players. These guys will work for just about everyone and come in all shapes, sizes and utility.

Cost: 340k
MA 6 ST 6 AG 3+ PA 4+ AV 11+
Keywords: Ogre, Big Guy
Skills: Loner 4+, Mighty Blow, Block, Throw Team Mate, Thick Skull, Bullseye, Hatred (Undead)
Role: Super Ogre!!!
Special: The Ballista- Once per game if Morg fails a Pass or Throw Team-Mate action, you may reroll the D6
Note: Will not work for Sylvanian Spotlight teams (Undead, Necro, Vampire, and Khemri)

Morg is THE hardest hitter in the game, needing only single assist to 3 die block most players and having Mighty Blow to ensure that should his target go down, it will stay down. MB+2 was just too good so good GW had to remove it completely, but he has gained Hatred (Undead.) This skill allows him to reroll one skull that comes from his blocks if he is hitting a player with the Undead keyword. His average AG also makes him solidly maneuverable and a reliable ball handler. Also with AV 11+ he is extremely unlikely to be removed from play. Morg's Special Skill is take it or leave it, but when you are out of rerolls and absolutely need to throw that Fling, it can be a life saver. It also works well with Bullseye, a new skill that prevents a thrown player from scattering on an accurate Throw Team Mate action. Morg's only real downside is that he is so expensive (the most expensive in the game) so he rarely sees play; but when he is there, hoo boy...

Cost 80k
MA 7 ST 1 AG 2+ PA - AV 6+
Keywords: Squirrel, Blitzer
Skills: Loner 4+, No Ball, Claw, Dauntless, Frenzy, Dodge, Jump Up, Stunty, Titchy, Side Step
Role: Joke Assassin
Special: Blind Rage- Akhorne may reroll the Dauntless roll. There is no limit to how often this skill may be used beyond you never being able to reroll a reroll. Yes, you can use it multiple times a turn.

Have you ever wondered what the killer bunny from Monty Python and the Holy Grail would look like on the Blood Bowl pitch? No, well here you have it regardless. Akhorne is the angriest; most violent rodent who has ever set foot on the pitch, and that is saying something considering he's competing with Skaven and Rat Ogres in that category. So how do you actually use him? His stats are garbage out side of dodging and running, and he can't even pick up the ball. The key is Dauntless, as when it fires it forces Akhorne's ST to match the target, so if no assists are valid it will be a 1 die block. Thus with a little planning you can reliably 2 die targets all you want, and frenzy ensures a second hit if the first is just a push. Dauntless still has to be rolled each hit, and at ST 1, that make it a 3+ on average for Dauntless to work. And with the Blind Rage ability it should work more often then not. You can also take advantage of Frenzy and Dauntless in another way, as it can make one turn touch downs more likely to work due to easily chain pushing the line. Claw also makes even the most heavily armored player as frail as a wood elf, so Akhorne excels in matches vs Orcs.

Vs Dwarfs not so much due to his weaknesses, and they are plenty. First off Akhorne is basically a fast violent snotling, and all hits against him will be most likely be 2 or 3 die blocks. Also with only Dodge to protect him, should he go down, he is likely to be stunned or worse. This is why Tackle spam matchups are not good for Akhorne, their large amount of tackle means squirrel stew is on the menu. Also Dauntless is a random skill, if you roll low you are looking at a 2 die uphill block at best, and with out block you have 1 in 3 chance per die of a turnover. At least he is cheap and is worth playing around with if you don't want a beer keg but can't afford a bribe or reroll.

Cost: 250k
Grak- MV 5 ST 5 AG 4+ PA 4+ AV 10+
Keywords: Ogre, Big Guy
Skills: Loner 4+, Mighty Blow, Kick Team-mate, Thick Skull, Bonehead
Crumbleberry MV 5 ST 2 AG 3+ PA 6+ AV7+
Keywords: Halfling, Lineman
Skills: Loner 4+, Dodge, Stunty, Right Stuff, Sure Hands, Lethal Flight
Role: Fling punting on demand
Special Ability: I'll Carry You-This skill is SO going to get FAQed and patched, it isn't even funny. Basically once per HALF, if Grak activates next to Crumbleberry, Grak can just pick him up and carry him as he also gains Break Tackle and Dodge while doing so. At the end of Graks activation, he can place Crumbleberry in any open square next to him.

Grak and Crumbleberry are what brought the Kick Team-mate skill to Blood Bowl '16 and in my opinion only got updated for BB 2020 because they actually have a model. (All be it a fairly limited release with an even more limited availability outside of the UK... Grumble) So why hire them? Well it is a big guy for anyone to hire and offers the glories of flying flings. What makes kicking a player different from throwing one is that it doesn't count as a pass action so you may still attempt to throw a player (or the ball) after doing so. Also worth noting is that any player with the Right Stuff skill may be kicked, not just Crumbleberry. This allows for some deep recoveries after particularly long throw ins or to get the ball out of range of the opposing team after a sack near your endzone. Kicking does have the risk of just out right braining the Right Stuff player if the roll is a 1, but with a little planning you can just their I'll carry you star player skill they shouldn't even need to do that. However, due to the wording it isn't clear what happens if Grak goes down at anytime during this activation, does Crumbleberry go down too? Can Crumbleberry be carried while he is holding the ball? Can he activate once Grak is done? I don't know! But I do know that if Crumbleberry can hold the ball and activate after being carried, it will be the simplest one turn touchdown in the GAME! Especially if there is a touchback! In this scenario you just need to roll 2+(Bonehead) walk forward 5 squares and rush at least once (2+) and place Crumbleberry with the ball in front of him, move Crumbleberry and roll two more rushes (2+,2+) and you score. As it is worded it would also seem like Grak can carry his partner WHILE BLITZING so screening this effectively AG 2+ with dodge Ogre is a tall order

The weaknesses of Grak and Crumbleberry is if[/] I'll Carry You[i/] gets nerfed, you are not getting that much for the cost. They fill a niche role and it is hard to justify taking them when a wizard and/or a different Star may be better suited for the opposition you are currently facing

Now for the Old World Classic Stars proper

Cost: 300k
Keywords: Human, Blitzer
MV 7 ST 4 AG 2+ PA 3+ MV 9+
Skills: Loner 3+ Block, Dodge, Sprint, Sure Feet, Fend
Role: Mr. I Do Everything!
Special Ability: Consummate Professional- Once per game add +1 to any AG test

Griff, along with Morg, is the literal poster child of Blood Bowl. Griff can do anything and everything being fast as a Skaven, as strong as a Black Orc, and as agile as an Elf. Even his passing is decent at a 3+. Couple that with his ability to reroll just about everything for free and having the lowest default Loner trait of all stars, no wonder he has been declared as a Super Star by Games Workshop! He is versatile too, so how you use Griff changes from match to match and opponent to opponent. Have Griff fill in any weak point you have on your roster and have him switch gears doubling on your strengths (or back again) as the match condition dictates and allows. The only real down side of Griff is his cost, as he will typically only be available when there is a significant power difference between you and the other team. But he is worth every penny. Griff's only weakness is that he has middling armor so if he should go down, expect him to be gang fouled by half the other team.

Cost: 210k
MV 6 ST 4 AG 3+ PA 3+ AV9+
Keywords: Human, Blitzer
Skills: Loner 4+, Block, Dodge, Jump Up, Dauntless
Role: Versatile Anti Big Guy and Heavy Hitter
Special Ability: Indomitable- Once per game, when Dauntless works, you may have Karla's ST be DOUBLE that of the target. That is a 3 die block on demand vs Big Guys

Karla is a slightly nurfed version of Zara the Slayer GW put out as they were afraid of being sued by the people who had the rights to Buffy, or at least attempting to side step accusations that they borrow a lot of ideas from other IPs. Karla is just Zara without Stab (and Stakes) but this in turn makes Karla a lot cheaper then her counterpart and thus can see the pitch a lot more often. (A net positive in my opinion.) Karla is sometimes seen as a budget Griff, hitting just as hard and being just as annoying to get the ball off of, but if you look at her skills and special ability it becomes clear she excels at slapping around big guys. For this reason I find her best deployed vs teams with Rat Ogres, Minotuars, or other Big Guys that have action dependent negative traits. This kind of forces the other coach to waste their blitz action to stand the big guy up, or risk them just flailing about on the ground (or attacking their own team) with a 4+ coin toss. Hell when she takes a Treeman down, they not only have to roll for rooting like normal but also need 4+ to just stand! (So much for your overpriced firewood Woodies.) With average AG and MV she can fill out many different roles within a team, but with only MV 6 she tends to find herself out of position if you are not careful.

Cost 220k
Keywords: Human, Blocker
MV 5 AT 5 AG 4+ PA 6+ AV 10
Skills: Loner 4+, Block, Mighty Blow, Unsteady
Role: Heavy Hitting Wall
Special Ability: Crushing Blow- Once per game when Zug smacks down an opponent, he may apply an additional +1 to the Armor roll. This may stack with Mighty Blow if desired.

Zug is often seen as a reliable Ogre with Block, and I tend to agree as they are used very similarly. It is best to try and maneuver Zug just ahead of where you think the main body of the opposition team will be and dare them to base him. Zug when used in tandem with another big guy can be absolutely devastating in a large scrum as well. However, Zug's low MV and AG mean he is surprisingly ill suited to be hired vs Elves or other high speed and agility teams, as they will just run around or dodge away from Zug, rendering his hitting power (and hiring costs) wasted.

Cost: 80k
MA 6 ST 3 AG 4+ PA 3+ AV 9+
Keywords: Dwarf, Thrower
Skills: Loner 4+ Pass, Hail Mary Pass, Cannoneer, Sure Hands, Thick Skull, Secret Weapon
Role: Fire and Forget Runner
Special Ablility: Blast It! -Once per game, when Barik successfully preforms a Hail Mary Pass he may reroll any and all dice involved with the scattering (not the bounce) and any friendly player that can catch the ball may do so it as if it were an accurate pass (effectively, it is a -1+1 here)

Barik is a Dwarf Runner who has developed a love of the passing game (and artillery) and is not too shabby at showing off his skills, thanks to Cannoneer. However his main use is to hold onto the ball in your own half until the time is right to punt it (also called potatoing) deep into the other half were (hopefully) you can recover it with your fastest players to score. Thanks to Hail Mary Pass, not even Nurgle teams can deny you this play option, so long as Barik has, or can get, the ball. If trying to throw to an actual catcher with a Hail Mary Pass, the best candidate would be one with Diving Catch, as Hail Mary Passes are kind of random ultimately due to always being an inaccurate pass and scattering. Diving Catch will maximize your odds of catching it (remember Blast It! is a thing) and prevent a turnover.

Barik's weaknesses are that he is a Secret Weapon player and thus will be sent off, as well as having a hard time fitting in on teams with a strong thrower already (like Humans.) Barik's love of the ballisticly fired balls also is something of a high risk strategy as not only can the pass fail, with all the normal risks of passing, but you are actively inviting a turn over while the other team is in your half! Should they recover it, they will be but a pass or hand off away from scoring. Also you need to ensure you have the option of recovering the potatoed ball yourself before you throw it, or you are just winding down the clock.

Cost 140k
MA 6 ST 3 AG 3+ PA- AV 9+
Keywords: Human, Special
Skills, Loner 4+, Pro, Stand Firm, No Ball, Chainsaw, Secret Weapon
Role: Universal Chainsaw
Special Ability: Old Pro- Once per game Helmut may use his pro skill to reroll ONE die that was rolled as part of an ARMOR roll

Helmut is a classic Blood Bowl Star and he now only plays for Old World Classic teams. Helmut's Pro skill ensures that Loner will not be too much of an issue while being versatile enough to be used for anything, from dodges to the chainsaw's kickback. Stand Firm also makes blocking or blitzing Helmut a gamble as if your opponent fails to knock him down, they just provided him his next victim to filet. Chainsaws can also be used to foul with and assists stack with it. So if there is something that absolutely must die (like a high level Gutter Runner) you know who to issue the coup de grace with. And if he is caught, well he was not going to stay long anyway.

The main down sides of Helmut come from the fact he is a Secret Weapon player and will be ejected from play when the drive he was deployed in ends. You may argue the call or use bribes to keep him in, but those options may not be available at the time or just not work. Even if this doesn't happen Chainsaws are scary and are prime targets for blitzes. Given how chainsaws work Helmut is effectively AV 6+ like a snotling when blocked, so he may not stay to long regardless; so enjoy him while you have him.

Cost: 170k
Keywords: Blocker, Dwarf
MV 5 ST 3 AG 3+ PA 4+ AV 10+
Skills Loner 4+, Block, Break Tackle, Dauntless, Mighty Blow, Stand Firm, Sure Feet, Thick Skull
Role: Skill Buffer
Special Ability: Wisdom of the White Dwarf- Once per GAME when a player activates within 2 squares of the White Dwarf, that player gains the Break Tackle, Dauntless, Mighty Blow, OR Sure Feet until the end of that players activation. This skill can be added to other Star Players

Grombrindal, the White Dwarf is another player I am surprised they updated for BB 2020, given his model was intended more as an anniversary collectible then an actual playing piece. That said he has probably the most unique and complex special ability in the game, and if you are hiring him it is probably for that ability. Wisdom of the White Dwarf grants a free temporary skill to ANY ONE player that begins their activation near to Grombrindal. This can have a huge knock on effect if you position him right and think carefully about the pitch's layout at the start of every turn. Knowing what skill to choose and when can be tricky but just remember Wisdom of the White Dwarf is not reliant on Grombrindal's activation, but the player that is benefiting from the ability's activation so you can move or block with The White Dwarf freely. Out side of his special ability the White Dwarf himself has gotten skill buffed so he is now a highly leveled Dwarf Blitzer, with no real down sides other then being a little slow. However Wisdom of the White Dwarf is now much more limited so the timing on when to use his Special is much trickier. I often start with him on the center of my line and hope the Mighty Blow (his own) gets some early removals and from there see what the match becomes. Grombrindal isn't about what he can do to your opponent, but how he can empower your existing team, and as such a coach that can read the pitch and truly plan out their turns will be greatly rewarded. If the coach can't do that, they will find he is kind of meh as a Star.

Cost: 120k
MV 5 ST 3 AG 3+ PA 3+ AV 8+
Keywords: Halfling, Blitzer
Skills: Loner 3+, Block, Dodge, Nerves of Steel, Right Stuff, Stunty
Role: Cage Diving Mini Griff
Special: Halfling Luck- Once per game reroll ONE die that was rolled as part of anything that isn't an Armor or Injury roll!

If Griff Oberwald is the precision tool set that can do anything really well, Puggy is a cheap Swiss army knife. He has a tool for just about anything but it will take some work to use, and don't expect to cause any major damage to others with it. At ST 3 with Block, he can hit reliably; at AG 3+ with the Dodge skill, he can dodge reliably, at PA 3+... you get the idea. With Block and Dodge Puggy can be a pain to knock over. Puggy's real strength is that nobody is as good at cage diving as him. Thanks to Stunty all he needs is a 3+ for a 1 die on the ball handler. And with Nerves of Steel, if the lose ball lands on him in the cage, it's a simple 4+ catch you can reroll with Halfling Luck, and dodge out of there with 3+s and a free skill reroll to the protection of you team. Nerves of Steel also make him a potential catcher for hand offs or passes when based by the opposition as well as only Disturbing Presence can get past it.

Puggy is still a Halfling and should he go down or is stabbed there is a good chance he won't be coming back up again. (And if he can he will be fouled until he is unable to.) Do not hire him vs teams with lots of Tackle or you are just wasting you money.

Cost: 100k
MV 5 ST 2 AG 3+ PA 3+ AV 7+
Keywords: Halfling, Special
Skills: Loner 4+, Dodge, Stunty, Accurate, Bombardier, Secret Weapon
Role: Discount Fireballs
Special Ability: All You Can Eat- Once per game Cindy may throw TWO bombs with a single throw bomb action. You must declare the use of this ability before the first bomb is thrown (dice are rolled.) If this ability is used, AFTER the second bomb is resolved, a 4+ ref check is made and failure means Cindy is instantly ejected and is a turn over.

Bombers have gotten a huge buff in Blood Bowl 3 and Cindy is arguably the most devastating of them all. Cindy is best played on your own drive so you can better control the length of the drive (and thus throw more bombs,) but also to protect her. I guarantee you she is going to be a target as she can not throw bombs if she moves; so just standing up means no hot death. The Accurate skill also encourages you to have her close to the action before lobbing your hand grenades for maximum accuracy. And you are going to want to be accurate as Stunty's interference penalty applies to bombs and keeping the odds of the bombs from flying back at you to a minimum is always a good choice. If you are daring you can play her on a defensive drive and if she stays on her feet long enough to get close to the cage and/or the main scrum, use her special ability and see you you can't take out half the other team using only a SINGLE ACTION! Even if she is caught it was worth the mere 100k for the attempt, and if you were lucky the other team will be too busy collecting their own limbs to do much when it becomes their turn. It is of note that due to her having bombs she is too weighed down to have any befits from the stunty trait. Cindy should not be deployed vs Elf teams as given how interceptions work, her bombs will just come flying back at you rather than hitting the annoying knife ears. Fortunately the new PA stat insures that Elf teams are no longer (for the most part) as good at getting the bomb back at you so your mileage may vary. Cindy also will only be around for a single drive most of the time, so make use of her while she is there.

Cost: 170k
MV 6 ST 3 AG 3+ PA – AV8+
Skills: Loner 4+, Block, Horns, Juggernaut, No Hands, Tackle, Thick Skull
Role: Skirmisher and Ball Hawk
Special Ability: Ram- Once per game when Rumbelow knocks down a player, he gains Mighty Blow +1 to the hit and only that hit. This ability may be used after the dice are rolled

Since he was added to Blood Bowl 2016 Rumbelow has become quite the fan favorite. As the sheep rider can't handle the ball at all; this makes his role rather clear: to charge head first (literally) into the most valuable, important, or vulnerable player on the other side and attempt to gore them to death. The Horns skill grants +1 ST when blitzing which in his case is a 2 die block on demand vs most targets, and as Rumbelow has Block and Tackle too, he should be knocking players over fairly consistently. The Juggernaut skill also allows him to ignore Stand Firm, Wrestle and Fend so no wall of players can hold him back for long. The tricky part is managing his merely average movement and low armor around his need to be in the thick of things. He can take a punch better then most Flings but he is about as robust as a Skaven linerat, and will not last long if he is stuck in the middle of a large fight. It is also easy to forget (at least for a veteran Halfling Coach like myself) that Rumbelow doesn't have the Dodge skill, (making him the only Fling in the game not to) so being careful of how you move is important if you want to avoid unnecessary die rolls. Should your team have a few Mighty Blow Blitzers with tackle already, Rumbelow is a little redundant and can be passed over for some different inducement options

Cost: 215
MA 6 ST 4 AG 3+ PA 4+ AV 9+
Skills: Loner 4+ Block, Guard, Tackle
Keywords: Human, Blitzer
Role: Heavy Support
Special Ability: Raiding Party- Once per DRIVE at the beginning of Ivars' action, you may select one open player in five squares of Ivar and move them for free 1 square ignoring any Tackle Zones. This player must end this move marking an opposition player

Even before you add his Special Ability to the equation, Ivar offers something unique among Star Players and that is he is the only one with the coveted Guard Skill. This means he will assist any team mates block or foul as long as he is standing next to them, regardless of the number of TZs he is in. That alone makes him worth considering to hire, but ST 4 Block and Tackle make him truly a solid Star Player option. Given his stats and skills, Ivar someone you want in the middle of the largest frays to maximize your team's damage output, but don't go too crazy because, while he can take a hit better then most Norse players, he is only AV 9+ and prolonged exposure to blocks may see him removed. At 215k he is also expensive, so pay attention to the opponent's formations and deploy Ivar with care.

Ivar's Special Ability is also interesting as it can help you get more blocks, assist blocks more easily, set up chain pushes, or even score if the players are set up right. Raiding Party can also be used on a player that has already used their action already too for that extra point of movement. The trick is knowing who to use it on, when to use it, and ensuring Ivar is in position to do so. But with a range of 5 Raiding Party can cover about 1/6 of the pitch so you will have some wiggle room in that last bit.

Cost: 240k
MV 5 ST 5 AG 4+ PA – AV 9+
Keywords: Big Guy, Yhetee
Skills: Loner 4+, Block, Claw, Disturbing Presence, Mighty Blow, Juggernaut
Role: Hired Claw
Special Ability: Pump Up the Crowd- ONCE per game, if Snowpelt can remove a player via a block or blitz, you may gain an extra team reroll. This reroll is lost at the end of the half if unused.

Skrorg Snowpelt is quite the lethal player to hire with his combo of Claw and Mighty Blow. Unfortunately (in this case) BB3 has made it so those two skills no longer sinergize as well as before with Mighty Blow only being able to be used on injury rolls unless the target's AV is too low for claw to work anyway. Despite the loss of the 50% armor break rate of previous editions, this combo is still effective, especially vs high AV teams, and Mighty Blow allows for the same level of usefulness vs low AV teams as well. The only problem is that he doesn't have much going for him other then being more likely to remove players then your average big guy. Disturbing Presence can be useful, but only a single zone of it is easy for teams that rely on hand offs and catches to avoid or just power through, and Juggernaut is only really used when blitzing. His Special Ability can come in handy, but you are forced to gamble on when to take it, especially if Snowpelt only manages to hurt a player around the mid point of the first half or later if rerolls are low. If you are trying for a second half Pump up the Crowd, just take it as soon as you can, no point waiting there.

Personally, unless I felt my only real hope was getting lots of removals, I would probably go for another Star. A normal big guy works just as well most of the time if used right, especially if they also have Block.

Cost: 170k
MV 6 ST 3 AG 4+ PA 3+ AV 8+
Skills: Loner 4+, Block, Drunkard, Thick Skull
Keywords: Human, Lineman
Role: Donkey Kong
Special Ability: Beer Barrel Bash!- Once per DRIVE Thorsson may perform a special Throw Beer Barrel action where a player within 3 Squares of Thorsson is targeted. On a roll of 3+ the targeted player is knocked down, however on a roll of 1 Thorsson hits himself and is knocked down, causing a turn over. Thorsson can not move when he uses this ability.

Thorrson Stoutmead truly is a Star you are only hiring due to his Special skill, as he is kind of a crappy Norse lineman without it. So how do you use him? On defense it is best to have him act as something of a safety and be deployed in the center of your half. At that point it is just a mater of spotting your defensive holes and moving him to cover them in case the the ball carrier or a catcher runs through and risks a keg to the face. On offense, that is trickier but he is best used to shadow your cage in case the ball is stolen and is still within barrel range. It can also be used to knock down a screening player to make a hole for your ball handler to dodge into, effectively acting as a second blitz. Once the barrel is gone just use him like a lineman with block because that is all he is at that point.

Thanks to the roster changes in 3rd Season there are a lot fewer effective starting rosters. However because Humans are so cheap and rerolls inexpensive (50k at team creation,) any build I present can be easily modified. That being the case I shall present some of the most common builds I expect to see. Some builds may have some extra cash left over. This money may be saved or spent on Fans to start earning money a little faster. Never buy more then 2 fans at the start however as your odds of losing fans should you lose goes up as your fame does.

New Normal

2 Blitzers (170)
2 Catchers (150)
1 Thrower (75)
Ogre (140)
5 LInemen (250)
3 Rerolls (150)
Apothecary (50)
Total Cost: 985

The quintessential starter build for Humans and great for new players. This build gets you all your important positionals, a good number of rerolls, and an Apothecary to hopefully reduce ware and tear No real drawbacks here.

Safety in Numbers

2 Blitzers (170)
2 Catchers (150)
1 Thrower (75)
6 LInemen (300)
1 Halfling
4 Rerolls (200)
Apothecary (50)
Total Cost: 985
This is a variation of the last build where you trade your Ogre out for a bench fling and a fourth reroll. You loose some bash potential but gain a bench for more forgiving fouling. A good solid build. You can also trade some bad luck insurance for more flings by a reroll for them. But a bench is only useful if you actually ever deploy those players eventually. Until that time a bench is, after a point, wasted money

Hard Bash

2 Blitzers (170)
The Orge (140)
Thrower (75)
8 LInemen (400)
4 Rerolls (200)
Total Cost: 985

This is the Bashiest you can make Humans out the gate due to the lack of low armor players. It is also it is a common build and a good one for developing linemen, however it guts most of your speed and ball handling options.

What's in the Box?)
2 Blitzers (170)
2 Catchers (150)
2 Throwers (150)
6 Linemen (300)
4 Reroll (200)
Total TV 970

This is the build GW used to balance the roster changes around and it I am listing this build primarily for novelty purposes. I personally feel two throwers is overkill, as it is, and feel you are better served by trading your second thrower for either an Apothecary or a lineman

Who Needs Linemen?

2 Blitzers (170)
2 Catchers (150)
2 Throwers (150)
Ogre (140)
4 Halflings (120)
Apothecary (50)
4 Reroll (200)
Total TV 980

Vary few teams can field a full roster of 11 players and not use (default) linemen, but Humans are one of them. This is an okay build and has a some of options, but it guts your teams strength and feels squishier than Wood Elves, and so can I not recommend strongly it here. However once you get some skills this could develop into a surprisingly annoying roster against teams that do not have Tackle

However you will need to roll some up hill block from time to time and the Ogre is still unreliable at the best of times (and a down right liability at the worst) so the lack of bench will sting you sooner or later.

Pure Meh!

14 Linemen (700)
6 rerolls (300)
Total Cost: 1000

No skills. No special tricks. Just raw numbers and a solid number of rerolls. A good roster for those that want a challenge and don't have the balls to play stunties, or those want to help a friend learn the game without handicapping yourself too hard.