The basic flow is similar to American football and starts with a kickoff, at which point the receiving team attempts to score a touchdown while the defenders try to gain possession, or at least hold the opposition off until the half.

You get limited time to perform your turn, during which you maneuver your players about the field in individual turns of their own. The Campaign mode is the most enjoyable of the offline modes: you guide your team through a series of matches and level up your players, which in turn lets you choose special abilities for them.

There are a number of ways to play, both online and off, though the classic turn-based rules provide the best experience. If you're a newcomer, don't expect the inadequate tutorials to be any help-just play a bunch of matches until you get used to the intricacies of dice rolls, how cheerleaders affect gameplay, and all sorts of other small but important details. What constitutes a turnover in your head isn't a Blood Bowl turnover (here, it means that your turn is over, not that you have relinquished ball possession) there are no downs, field goals, or two-point conversions and touchdowns are worth a single point. If you're an American football fan, you will need to make some mental adjustments before you can wrap your head around the terms and rules. In any case, you choose a team from a variety of Warhammer races-dwarf, skaven, wood elf, and so on-and go up against the AI or another player to prove your dominance.

Nevertheless, the game is surprisingly compelling-maybe because the raucous violence of Warhammer and the testosterone-fueled swagger of the signature American sport make such compatible bedfellows.

If you've never heard of the Blood Bowl board game, the idea of turn-based football within the Warhammer universe may sound a bit bizarre.

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