Blood Bowl: Ivan ‘the Animal’ Deathshroud Preview

Ein umtoter Starspieler betritt in Form von Ivan ‘the Animal’ Deathshroud demnächst das Spielfeld um in den Blood Bowl Ligen der Alten Welt einen über tausendjährigen Groll zu befriedigen.

Dwarf Problems? Enlist the Undead Blood Bowl Superstar With a 1,400-Year Old Grudge

Jim: 1,400 years as a skeleton has done nothing to atrophy this ancient warlord’s skills, Bob.

Bob: Do we think Ivan’s even realised that he’s playing Blood Bowl, and not fighting a war, Jim?

Jim: Is there really much of a difference, Bob?

Imagine waking up after centuries of deathly slumber to discover your favourite pastime – war – has been eliminated. What’s an enterprising conqueror (with a particular distaste for Dwarfs) to do when his skull-cracking talents are going to waste?

If you’re anything like Ivan ‘the Animal’ Deathshroud, the answer is simple – sign up with your local Blood Bowl team.

Raised from his most recent death by a necromantic coach looking for more offensive punch in his lineup, Ivan Deathshroud felt nothing but furious contempt for the war-less world he found himself in. It wasn’t until he watched his first Blood Bowl game that the undead warrior found a new calling, taking to the gridiron with the murderous glee of a born Blitzer.

Back in his days as a flesh-and-blood warlord, Ivan launched many a campaign against the Dwarf holds of the Worlds Edge Mountains, and his vendetta hasn’t been dimmed by his time away from the world. A chance encounter with the Grudge Bearers revealed his past identity to the world and – much to Ivan’s delight – a throng of fight-ready fans now follows him around to try and settle their ancestors’ grudges.*

After a successful stint with the Hel Fenn Hellions, ‘The Animal’ struck out on a quest to reclaim lost treasure from his glory days, and returned with enough gold to buy out his contract. Now free to hop between whichever undead teams have the highest chance of playing against Dwarf kind, Ivan cements his moniker with a brutally straightforward style that’s especially dangerous whenever his preferred targets find themselves within reach.

The Block, Juggernaut, and Regeneration skills make him a tough nut to crack on offence or defence, and his special Dwarfen Scourge ability helps him bash right through an opponent’s armour once per game. As the name suggests, it gets even better against Dwarfs – handy for buckling their particularly thick protectives.

At a reasonable 190,000 GP, Ivan has a place in Sylvanian Spotlight teams, especially those going up against opponents of a shorter persuasion. Just don’t get him talking about the old days – he’ll go on so long you’ll want to become a skeleton yourself.

This resin miniature will be coming to the Forge World webstore soon,

* Ivan’s reign of terror was so prolific that he’s racked up a near-record 1,524 grudges to his name.