Blood Bowl: Jolly Good Try

 Best bib and tucker, sports fans, the toffs are coming to play...

The other half of my Blood Bowl starter set was the Imperial Nobility, and it's fair to say I wasn't as enthused to play them as I was the Black Orcs. 

They seemed a vanilla human team that were just different enough to get in the way of a basic understanding of the game.

Corky Vosper

Nonetheless, it's always useful to have a team for guests, and once my taste for the game gave me a shot in the arm, I set to work on getting them painted.

Sticky Parsloe

This was my first turnaround: I really enjoyed painting them! Despite the nightmare of slashed doublets, feathers, and striped socks (for the love of Sigmar, striped socks!), it was a very pleasant experience slowly working my way through the bright colours and characterful models.

Dungo Twistleton

The main thing that put me off the 'box art' Imperial Nobility was the preponderance of feathered helmets. Not only did I not relish highlighting each and every quill, but I felt it took away from the rest of the model. 

Accordingly, all the helmets had their feathers snipped off, and only the Blitzers (who I learned - just in time - are special enough for that distinction) kept their plumes.

I may also have cut off all their feathers as an emotional reaction to having just painted a load of Tzeentch deamons. We may never know.

Oofy Steggles

The kit has the same 'double-sprue' issues as many other Blood Bowl teams, and no extra bits to add variety. Accordingly I added a few headswaps when they occurred to me, such as a female head for this Blitzer. 

Why I added a line of warpaint across her face I don't remember. Maybe that's just how I think eyeshadow works.

'Three Card' Monty Gilpin

My favourite of the Bodyguards is 'Three Card' Monty, who I discovered had lost a couple of fingers somewhere between priming him and getting around to painting him (not sure how, it's not a particularly delicate piece on the model). 

As luck would have it (maybe not for him), the base plastic is red, and so the snapped-off bits are the perfect colour for severed fingers, so I left them be.

Humpty Frobishmont

I very much approve of the body-positivity of these beer-gut bodyguards, and not longer feel pressured to uphold the unrealistic beauty standards of Space Marines.

Stinker Bassington

In-game, the Bodyguards are the Imperial Nobility's unique unit, and sit somewhere between an inferior Blitzer and a superior Lineman. 

With Wrestle and Stand Firm, they can make for a surprisingly robust line. And they are pretty good at bodyguarding - appropriately enough - a ball-carrier in a cage.

Biffy Bittlesham

You can also take up to four of these in a squad, assuming you have the gold to spare (and if you're a bit short of the lolly, I'm sure pater will send a postal order). This makes for a very decent wall that can really frustrate a team that is trying to knock holes in your lines.

Marmalade

Speaking of knocking holes in things, an Ogre was supplied with the starter set, so I couldn't resist adding him to the team.

I'm not wholly convinced of his utility (if we're ranking Big Guys, then Mummies and Minotaurs get my vote), but at least there's no thought process required to play him: if he can hit something, hit something.

Auntie Leroux

Half of my team is comprised of Linemen - the closest the Imperial Nobility can get to being commoners. This one was another headswap - a Space Marine seemed appropriate.

Duckie Pendlethrum

In addition to being cheap fodder, like all Linemen, the Imperial ones come with Fend, which means even when they're knocked to the ground, they can prevent their assailant from following-up. 

This proved to be another great defensive tactic, almost on a par with the Bodyguards. You don't realised how much you count on your attacking players (especially brutal ones like Black Orcs) from following up until you're prevented from doing so.

Potty Pilbeam

The paint recipe for all the team was fairly straightforward, sticking with some nice bold colours and basic layering:

• Primed: Retributor Armour
• Armour: Reikland Fleshshade wash, Golden Griffon drybrush
• Blue cloth: Kantor Blue base, Lothern Blue layer
• White cloth: Celestra Grey base, Ulthuan Grey layer
• Ribbons: Screamer Pink base, Emperor's Children Layer
• Crests: Celestra Grey base, Drakenhof Nightshade wash, Ulthuan Grey layer
• Shoes: Baneblade Brown base, Agrax Earthshade wash, Snakebite Leather contrast, Wyldwood contrast
• Gloves: Zandri Dust base, Wyldwood contrast
• Belts: Wyldwood contrast
• Scrolls: Zandri Dust base, Skeleton Horde contrast, Ushabti Bone highlights, Black legion lettering
• Feathers: Zandri Dust base, Skeleton Horde contrast, Ushabti Bone highlights, Cygor Brown contrast, Wyldwood contrast

Dippy Threepwood

Enjoyable though it was, look at those striped socks! No less than ten of the models have them (that's twenty socks for those keeping count). I would like to say I realised halfway through that it was a terrible idea, but I actually knew it was mad before I even started.

Still, I'm happy with the way they turned out. Worth every shred of my sanity.

'All The Way' Mae Harrington

Another headswap - this time for an Adepta Sororitas. And I've no idea why these Linemen are all carrying pint pots or pipes on the field - can't stop the party, I guess.

Flick Whittle

As with all Blood Bowl sets, these fell short of the full squad of 16. Not something that would usually bother me, but with only 4 Linemen, it didn't have enough to field a legal team of Sevens (you have a restricted number of specialists).

As our local group of WoffBooters were trying out a Sevens league, I was compelled to pick up a few extra models and fill out the benches.

Geegee Bullivant

Which makes number 16 an aspiring Blitzer with no wings or plumes. Chin up GeeGee, and play the game!

And I mentioned at the start that I was unenthused by the Imperial Nobility? That has completely turned around, thanks to some games of Sevens (where they were comprehensively murdered by Dwarfs), a lot of online games and the fact that I'm rather pleased with the painting outcome.

I can't wait to play more with the Kemperbad Cavaliers - possibly even more so than the Black Orcs. Like other human teams, they do a little bit of everything (maybe not too well, but you get to have fun with it), and they're pretty stoic in defence, which I ascribe to a general assortments of stiff upper lips.