This first season didn’t go too well for me in terms of performance. 10 matches, 9 losses and a single draw. Not the best, however, this is still the most fun I’ve ever had playing Blood Bowl. Why you might ask? Well, because GRUMBBL. The coaches, the format, the streaming, the shows, the games, everything that has gone into making the first ever season of GRUMBBL a highly produced show for all to watch. But, that’s going into things that the majority of you reading this have no knowledge or insight into, the background stuff that goes on in the shadows in order to make this league more fun and an engaging place to play Blood Bowl. Why did I still have fun playing my games?

To start with, I didn’t. My very first match was enjoyable of course, being able to only concede a single touchdown against someone playing their favourite team with one I’ve never touched before was, even though I lost, a good start in my eyes and showed promise (no offence to Adokhul of course). Plus, killing Sage Coinbearer and continuing the meme was an experience I shall take to the grave. My second and third games were a lot rougher though.

The Undead stomped all over me and I wasn’t able to do much of anything, indeed you could put that down to the mummies but my terrible positioning and not 100% knowledge on how Bloodlust worked cost me a little, as opposed to the Lizardmen game where it cost me a lot, a touchdown which could of turned a 1-0 loss into a 1-1 draw or even a 2-1 loss but forcing the Lizards to work hard for that second touchdown.

At this point the trend continued, a series of misplays, bad positioning and Nuffle deciding to poo-poo all over me (like giving a dead Journeyman Thrall MVP) meant my string of 0 touchdowns continued into week 6 where, against the Wood Elves, I managed to get a 1-2 loss but, I was happy that I still managed to get that first touchdown onto the board and even more so when I got my second (and only other touchdown) against the Dark Elves, week 8, giving me my 1 and only point for a draw.

How do you have fun in a situation like this? How do you continue to enjoy a game where your constant efforts to do anything are thrown back in your face? Well, first off, knowing that this is all just a game! Yes, it’s a cliché to say this fact but just because it’s a cliché doesn’t mean it’s not true. At the end of the turns, both coaches and all those watching are just here to have fun watching a game of sport. This goes for not only Blood Bowl but real-world sports too like fúbol. Did you want whichever team you root for to win the game? Yes, of course, but (perhaps not immediately afterwards) you can still take a step back and appreciate how the other side was able to take advantage of your favourite’s weaknesses or how some crazy attack paid off. It’s these things that are amplified even more in Blood Bowl with losses from deaths and players who get stronger from great level up rolls piled on top.

Secondly, it’s the fact that there’s 19 other people riding this train with you and, like you, others have been thrown out the doors and are holding on with their fingertips for dear life. When the Wood Elves had 3 of their players die in a single match including both Wardancers and an AG 5 Lineman my single Thrall death all season didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.

Lastly, however, and saving the best of last of course, is something I touched on very briefly at the start of this ramble, the other coaches. I only had the privilege of playing against 10 other coaches this season and, due to how the divisions were split, not being able to play against some I’d have loved to, yet I still had, as I said before, the most fun I’ve ever had playing Blood Bowl due to those I did play. The entirety of GRUMBBL would not exist as it does if it weren’t for the phenomenal coaches we get to play with on a weekly basis.

So, to sum this all up as simply as I can, why did I have fun with a team that only managed to score a single point and 2 touchdowns all season? You guys. The ones reading this right now. If it weren’t for you and I was playing in the CCL or some random league I probably would have walked off and deleted this team weeks ago yet here I am, ready and raving to get my teeth sunk into season 2… and hopefully fewer Thralls.