TEAM ROLE: Captain of the defense, holding the line

The Plank has been a pirate so long that nobody remembers his real name. As the first mate of the Death's Head, the lanky Treeman answered directly to Cap'n Sandflea, and he's retained that position on the Blood Bowl team, calling plays for the linemen while Sandflea... does whatever he does.

He's a very talented player, easily the best on the squad, but his friendship with Sandflea tends to color his approach to in-game strategy. He's not crazy about Rollo Foghorn's requests for more frequent practice, both because of that loyalty and because he himself is a lot safer if practice stays less intense. He's not the one failing on the pitch anyway, so why should he practice?

Unbeknownst to a lot of his teammates, Plank is having serious misgivings about the plan to return to the ocean. Elmwood Branch was a friend of his, and seeing his crewmates tear his body apart has made Plank reconsider the plan to go back on the ocean. It's not that he resents Sandflea and the crew's decision, but with Blood Bowl a fairly safe (at least for him) source of income, and the sea wild and unpredictable, why is Sandflea so eager to throw away the sweet deal they have?

PLAYER RULE: The Plank is a leader of his team, and will always throw the first (non-blitz) block of the turn if he's going to throw a block this turn.

TEAM ROLE: hurting the enemy, throwing halflings

Like The Plank, Rootless Rob has been a pirate for so long that nobody remembers his real name. (It might be Rob.) Unlike The Plank, Rob is a low-down dirty scoundrel with limited intelligence and no interest in leadership. He's a useful sailor, hoisting sails with his peerless strength or clearing the deck of enemies with one mighty swipe of a branch. But nobody likes him much, which explains why he's so "rootless" -- switching crews every year or two when the previous bunch get sick of him.

Rob has no great plans for his career, or aspirations for the crew of the Death's Head. If they decide to return to sea, he'll do that. If they keep on playing Blood Bowl around the world, he'll do that. As long as his job affords him the opportunity to keep hitting people and drinking old fermented sap, he'll be all right. Say what you want about Rob, but he's certainly no prima donna.

Rob is frequently the one who throws his teammates through the air for the TD. It used to be The Plank, but he got weary of injuring his friends. Rob has no such compunctions, needless to say.

TEAM ROLE: player-coach

PLAYER RULE: Sandflea doesn't want to get himself killed playing Blood Bowl, and will only take the pitch if he must (i.e. 11 or fewer available players). He'll also never retire, though.

The good (?) captain of the Death's Head, Drovo Sandflea is the son of a long line of Ryder's Cove pirates. For almost a decade, he looked to be carrying on his family's proud history, building one of the most feared crews on the ocean. Disaster struck when the ship was destroyed by a freak lightning bolt, and Sandflea has set off to rebuild his fortune and pilot his ship by captaining his crew in Blood Bowl matches. It's been a hard life, but Sandflea is ready to return to the sea.

Sandflea's goal is to use the money the team makes to purchase a new ship and return to the sea. He'll need to stash away a million gold pieces (or mechanically speaking, burn them by hiring and insta-firing players) to accomplish this goal. He's aware that not all of his crew are on board (no pun intended) with the idea of returning to piracy, but he has a legacy to live up to, and believes (rightly or wrongly) that once they actually have a ship, the crew will fall in line. In accordance with his goal, Sandflea will be somewhat of a skinflint by piratical standards until the million GP are reached -- he'll be reluctant to replace injured players, etc.

TEAM ROLE: leader of the offense

Loud-mouthed Rollo Foghorn earned his name for his cries from the crow's nest on board the Death's Head. His loud bellowing saved the ship on more than one occasion, and his good humor made him a popular figure when he wasn't serving as lookout. Since the transition to Blood Bowl, Rollo has been a combination QB/rusher, helping the team to work together and calling out plays with his mighty voice.

Foghorn supports Sandflea's plan to buy a boat wholeheartedly. He loves being in the center of the action, and if he can do that on the Blood Bowl pitch and the crow's nest of the Death's Head, he'll be thrilled. If there's any source of tension between the two, it's related to Rollo's desire for the Half-Masters to be a "real Blood Bowl team". He's into practice and discipline, while the Cap'n thinks of the team as a means to an end and doesn't want to waste time with such nonsense.

PLAYER RULE: Rollo fancies himself a passer, and will always throw the ball rather than going for it to make a handoff. (If he can make the handoff without going for it, he's allowed to do that.)

TEAM ROLE: anything that gets him noticed

Albie Windstorm, a veteran of four years of piracy on the Wanton Lass, left the trade to join the Half-Masters. A lover of adventure, Albie has the kind of outsized personality that is perfect for Blood Bowl, always wanting to complete spectacular plays and be the center of attention. It doesn't matter whether it's soaring through the air on a toss from a treeman or blocking a vicious orc -- Albie is not one to play it safe, and this portends a short but illustrious career.

Needless to say, Albie is somewhat jealous of Rollo Foghorn, who fills basically the same role on the team. He's not enough of a heel to... do something about it, though.

TEAM ROLE: hitting guys.

Jimi is the brother of Ned Stoutbarrel, an original team member who retired due to injury. Against all odds, Jimi is somehow the dumber Stoutbarrel. The good news is, he's also the bigger Stoutbarrel, so he spends a lot of time on the line.

TEAM ROLE: receiver

Harry Halfwise is known to be fleet of foot... at least by halfling standards. A tall player (relatively speaking), he excels (relatively speaking) at speeding down the field (relatively speaking) and securing the ball with unparalleled grace (relatively speaking).

Halfwise is one of the leading players opposed to returning to sea. He's found glory as a Blood Bowl player that he never achieved as a sailor, and he likes it.

PLAYER RULE: If there is open room in front of him, Harry will always advance down the field on the first turn of an offensive possession. He will take Sprint, Sure Feet and +MA before any other non-double skills.

Unlike most of the team, Marky Wheatfield is not from a seafaring background. Unlike virtually ALL of the team, he's not even from the coast. Marky grew up in The Acres, a small and peaceful farming region in southeastern Orymm. He yearned for adventure, and crossed the land to find himself in Ryder's Cove. With no experience manning a ship, he couldn't get a job with a merchant vessel -- and the fundamentally innocent Marky had no taste for piracy. He compromised by joining the Half-Masters, who (at the very least) don't actively engage in piracy, and don't expect him to know how sails work either.

PLAYER RULE: Marky will leave the team if and when they buy their boat and return to the sea.

TEAM ROLE: seduction/intimidation/theft; also ball handling

Sallie Seagrass is the self-styled "most beautiful pirate on the sea." With pounds of makeup on her face, she fancies herself something of a femme fatale, and always tries to seduce opposing players during the days leading up to the game, hoping to learn their secret plays or steal something from them. The trouble is, she's a little delusional. She was never a great beauty, but as she ages, she's become downright unattractive -- a fact not helped by her garish cosmetics and increasing drinking habit. (Almost) nobody wants to sleep with a drunk halfling in clown makeup.

And yet... she gets the job done. Maybe not in the way she envisions, but she does frequently manage to sabotage the other team. She's a skilled thief, and her dexterity makes her effective on the pitch. Also, her grotesque appearance often frightens opposing players and coaches -- a fact that also makes her effective on the line, where nobody wants to block her.

Sallie often works on pre-game jobs with Jimbo Shortbarrow... a precarious situation, given that the two hate each other. Jimbo, a newer arrival, is by far the more effective thief, and Sallie's jealousy is understandable. She also thinks Jimbo should be more romantically interested in her... a belief she also holds about Cap'n Sandflea, as well as half the other players. (It's never been stated, but Sallie started manning the line shortly after she started flirting aggressively with the good Cap'n...)

PLAYER RULE: Sallie will set up next to Cap'n Sandflea or Jimbo Shortbarrow whenever possible, if the two are on the pitch together.

TEAM ROLE: Lineman of sorts

Halflings, like men, play Blood Bowl for many reasons. They take to the sea for many of the same reasons. Some go out of a desire for glory, some want to amass wealth, and some seek an outlet for their violent tendencies. Jake is... none of these. In fact, even his crewmates know very little about him. He has no apparent ambitions, takes no joy or sorrow in anything, rarely stands out and rarely draws attention to himself. He's not dumb -- well, no dumber than usual -- but his life has been marked by a singular lack of interest in practically anything. He's a weird one, and while his unusual affectlessness doesn't lend itself well to Blood Bowl stardom, it certainly makes him a reliable team player.

TEAM ROLE: pre-game sabotage/ball-carrier/thief

Jimbo Shortbarrow is one of the few Half-Masters who never sailed on the Death's Head... Cap'n Sandflea and the Plank hired him because he's one of the lightest-fingered thieves in town. They needed someone to sneak into the enemy locker room, steal playbooks, drug the water cooler, and generally wreak havoc. That's where Jimbo comes in.

A genial figure with a waxed mustache, Jimbo fancies himself a gentleman, and while he enjoys playing for the Half-Masters, he's not thrilled with some of the rougher elements in the locker room. Chief among them is Sallie Seagrass, the team's other pre-game saboteur. Sallie was the lover of Garry Humbleham, the team's previous top thief and saboteur... when Humbleham was stomped on by an ogre six months ago, Shortbarrow was hired to fill his duties. Sallie thinks Jimbo should be fulfilling ALL his duties. But Sallie's grotesque appearance, unsubtle tactics and obvious infatuation with Jimbo (et al.) disgust the talented thief.

It's not clear that Jimbo has any interest in taking to the seas. He may even quit the team if they return to piracy... at the very least, he's certainly not going to sail.

PLAYER RULE: In addition to carrying the ball, Jimbo fancies himself a surgical striker on defense, able to blitz in and attack the ballcarrier in a cage. If he's within range, Jimbo will always be the man to attempt this play -- and he will acquire skills designed to improve his luck in the role.

TEAM ROLE: utility player/TTM target

Bobbo was a jack of all trades on the ship, and he's a jack of all trades on the Blood Bowl field. He's held the line on offense and defense, carried the ball, and blitzed opponents. On the rare occasion that the Half-Masters ask The Plank to toss a teammate downfield, Bobbo is a frequent target... not because he's particularly graceful, but because his bulk pads his fall. Not the most talented guy on the field, Bobbo is a smart player and a reliable presence everywhere he goes, making him a more valuable asset to the team than some people think.