Annual Review 2018 – Results

Dear members,

The NAF Annual Review 2018 is now complete.

I’d like to thank everyone who showed interest in the process or was involved. You will find all 2019 NAF tournament documentation on this revised Tournament Documents page, and tournaments will be expected to use these rules throughout 2019. If you have already had a tournament approved for 2019, we ask you to check these documents and update your rules pack accordingly. If you have any questions / concerns, please contact Purplegoo.

There now follows a summary list of changes from the previous version of the NAF rules and guidelines. There is also a FAQ section, but please feel free to ask any further questions below.

Many thanks,

Phil / Purplegoo.

 

2019 Changes / Updates:

– All inducements, including Star Players published in the Chaos Chosen, Dark Elf and Nurgle Spike! Journals have been considered appropriately balanced and are now included in the Tournament Team List

– Jeremiah Kool represents a new category of Star Player – a Golden Era Star. In future, where races have access to Star Players in rulespacks, Golden Era Stars can also be included optionally at the discretion of the Tournament Organiser (TO)

– There are now 23 races mandatory for inclusion at a NAF sanctioned tournament; those published by Games Worksop and listed in the Teams of Legend document on BloodBowl.com. Bretonnians, Daemons of Khorne and Slann are NAF Recommended races that we encourage all to also include

– The Star Player access of the three NAF Recommended races has been reviewed and increased in light of BB2016 releases

– TOs may now choose between the Competition Rules Pack (CRP) and BB2016 versions of the Piling On skill. TOs should note that PO is considered ‘optional’ in BB2016, and as such may now be excluded. In the event a rulespack does not explicitly state which version of the rule is to be used, the CRP wording is considered default

– House rule mechanics where re-rolls can be re-rolled, a roll can automatically pass or an opponent can be forced to re-roll a successful roll will no longer be sanctioned

– Tournaments where teams only play within discrete groups (e.g. Stunties only playing other Stunties) will no longer be sanctioned

– Invitational events may now be considered for sanction, providing they meet stringent criteria, at the discretion of the Tournament Director. Refer to the NAF Tournament Guidelines (also known as the Sanctioning Document) for more information

– An Appendix has been added to the NAF Tournament Guidelines document that details common tournament conventions, recommendations and tools / clarification advice

– The criteria for ‘completing the 24 / 26’ when claiming a NAF patch has been slightly tweaked going forward, refer to the to the NAF Tournament Guidelines for more detail. These changes are not retroactive; previous progress toward a patch is unaffected

 

FAQ

Q: I love CRP Piling On and I love my Slann! Can I still use these items?

A: Absolutely. The NAF rules have been changed to reflect the changing will of a portion of the membership, but we are not taking anything away. Many TOs have asked to use BB2016 Piling On, and in a very limited number of cases, a new to NAF BB2016-inspired group have asked to only include teams from the official rules. We would like to include all of these coaches / groups while allowing others to use CRP PO / Slann as they see fit. Bretonnians, Daemons of Khorne and Slann are NAF Recommended and we encourage all tournaments to use these races. The inclusion rate of Bretonnians and Daemons of Khorne has been higher than anyone could have anticipated (near universal) through 2018, and we hope / expect this to continue with both these races and Slann.

Q: Who reviewed the recent BB2016 additions and by what process have they been deemed balanced?

A: See the original Annual Review announcement for clarification. All of the items listed (and more!) we put to a panel of global NAF tournament staff and then debated and ratified by the NAF Committee. We feel this wide consultation has generated the best rules for 2019.

Q: Why make these changes to the sanctioning document and outlaw the house rules you mention?

A: These two items (re-rolling of re-rolls and tournaments where teams play in discrete groups) were considered large departures from core Blood Bowl rules and departures from the spirit of NAF tournaments, respectively. We believe that ‘no roll should be made three times’ and that the pool of possible opponents should be all of the 23 / 26 teams welcomed at a tournament.

Q: Why change a long standing NAF rule and allow invitational tournaments?

A: We have had a number of requests from NAF Tournament Series to hold a ‘finals’ weekend where the top 16 (for example) coaches from across the series meet to decide a winner. We have also had interest in qualification for a ‘National Championship’ tournament. We have decided to sanction these events if certain conditions are met (including an open to all side-event being scheduled in the same manner as the Eurobowl / Eur Open) and the Tournament Director is satisfied all is above board. See the NAF Tournament Guidelines for more detail, and contact Purplegoo if interested. This is a trial initiative, and we will be monitoring requests very closely indeed.

Q: If some rules arrive between Annual Reviews and I want to use them, can I?

A: While the NAF rules will remain static for a calendar year, GW will continue to release new rules and new material. The NAF has always allowed tournament organizers leeway to include house-ruled star players or custom / thematic rules, and any new material from GW will be handled similarly. If you would like to include a new star or inducement yet to make it to the NAF rules, please ask. This also applies to ‘optional’ rules (e.g. special pitch rules) published by GW. Any optional rules that were published prior to 1 Nov. 2018 can be considered pre-approved for use.

Q: Just to be super-clear, can I still use Slann and CRP Piling On?

A: 100 %, absolutely yes. We’re just allowing TOs more choice.