Instead of moving, a player may throw a block at an opposing player who is in an adjacent square. You may only make a block against a standing player – you may not block a player who has already been knocked over. A block is a very rough tackle, designed to really stop an opponent in his tracks! To see if a block works, you will need to use the special block dice included with the game.

You may not voluntarily block your own players. [JJ]

Once per team turn a player from the moving team is allowed to make a Blitz move. A blitz allows a player to move and make a block. The block may be made at any point during the move, but costs one square of movement for the player to make. A player may carry on moving after the effects of the block have been worked out if he has any squares of movement left.

The number of dice that are rolled depends on the strengths of the two players involved. Obviously, if one player is stronger than the other they are more likely to knock down their opponent when they make a block. To represent this, the number of block dice that are rolled varies depending on the relative strengths of the players. However, no matter how many dice are used, no more than one of them is used to decide the result of the block. The stronger player is allowed to choose which of the dice is used.

Note that the coach of the player making the block always rolls the dice, but that the coach of the stronger player may choose which one is used.

Roll the appropriate number of dice and look up the result on the table below. On the table, the player making the block is referred to as the attacker, while his target is the defender.

Note: If the Defender is pushed back, the Attacker may follow-up the Defender.

A player that is pushed back as result of a block must be moved one square away from the player making the block, as shown in the diagrams. The coach of the player making the block may decide which square the player is moved to. The player must be pushed back into an empty square if possible. If all such squares are occupied by other players, then the player is pushed into an occupied square, and the player who occupied that square is pushed back in turn.

Players may only be pushed off the field if there are no eligible empty squares on the field. A player pushed off the field is beaten up by the crowd and must roll on the Injury Table.

Note that no armour roll is made for a player who is pushed off the pitch, they are automatically injured. If a ‘stunned’ result is rolled on the Injury Table the player should be placed in the Reserves Box of the Dugout, and must remain there until a touchdown is scored or the half ends.

If a standing player is pushed into a square containing the ball it scatters one square.[JJ]

A player who has made a block is allowed to make a special follow-up move and occupy a square vacated by a player that they have pushed back. This move is free, and the player can ignore enemy tackle zones when he makes the move (i.e., he does not have to dodge to enter the square). Players that are blitzing are allowed to make follow-up moves, and the move does not cost them any of their movement (as they have paid a square in order to make the block, they have effectively already paid for the move).

You do not need to make a dodge roll when you follow up after any kind of block, including a Blitz or Frenzy. [JJ]

The blocker must choose whether or not to follow up before making the armour roll against his victim. [JJ]

The blocker must choose whether or not to follow up before making the scatter roll when blocking the ball carrier. [JJ]

After a block has been declared the Attacker and the Defender have the option of adding extra players to give an ‘assist’. This allows two or more attackers to gang up on a single defender, or for two or more defenders to aid a companion against a block. Each of these extra players adds a +1 to the Strength of the player that they are assisting.

Assisting a block does not count as an action, and a player can assist any number of blocks per turn. A player is allowed to make an assist after he has moved or taken an action.

The attacking coach must declare if any of his players will give an assist first, then the defending coach may add defensive assists with players from his team. In order to make an assist, the player:

1. Must be adjacent to the enemy player involved in the block, and …
2. Must not be in the tackle zone of any other player from the opposing team…
3. Must be standing.

The result of the block only affects the two players directly involved. Any assisting players are not affected. Similarly, only the skills belonging to the two players directly involved in the block may be used. Skills belonging to assisting players cannot be taken advantage of by either side.

A player who has been hypnotized assist a block, but note that because they have lost their tackle zone, they do not stop any opposing players lending an assist as well. [JJ]