What if Blood Bowl was based on Fighting Fantasy instead of Warhammer, and based on the traditional British schoolboy sport of conkers rather than American Football?
The answer is Khaös Gladiator Haemogöblin Kön-Kahs! A fantasy sports skirmish that the unlikely offspring of Sumo Wrestling and Conkers. Recently updated Kön-Kahs of Khaös v2.x to Khaös Gladiator Haemogöblin Kön-Kahs (v3.x) - Sketch Edition! So let's dive in to the new edition.
The game itself is much the same - a two player sports-skirmish where teams of three Haemogoblins take to the pitch wielding spiked morning-stars and battle each other using cunning tactics and brute force.
While the main game rules haven't changed - it's still a reskinn and development of the Fighting Fantasy core rules, it is no longer plain text - we now have artwork! Sort of. The idea of the Sketch Edition is to release an 'in development' phase. A document showing ideas coming together, forming, but not really finished. This 'work in progress' is perfectly illustrated by the fact the name got changed after sketching out the cover art.
 |
| Front Cover Sketch |
Here we have a dramatic action scene, to get you straight in the game. Or at least the imaginary space of the game. A gang or 'skwod' of Haemogoblin Konkererors smashing each other up with their mighty Kön-kah weapons. One gob attacking, one getting smashed, one about to take on, and another in the distance yelling.
 |
| Front Cover Moodboard |
I had a really strong mental image of what the cover was going to be from the outset. Before sketching out some thumbnails for the, put together a breif moodboard featuring the work of:
- John Blanche - Chaos Marauders, Hobgoblins from Warhammer 3rd Edition, Talisman Expansion Set Hobgoblin,
- Iain McCaig - Orc with Morning Star from Fighting Fantasy: Deathtrap Dungeon
- Chris Achilleos - Warlock: The Fighting Fantasy Magazine #12 cover,
- Frank Frazetta - The Destroyer
- Brett Ewins - Blood Bowl cover
- Paul McHale - Bolt Thrower - In Battle there is no Law
- Jeff Walker - Earache logo
I do think it's important in some way to recognise the influences going in during a design process, mostly to prevent subconscious bias and accidentally looking like something, rather than acting with full intention. Similarly can see how Blanches WFB3 hobgoblins (judging by the character designs and the title, this was probably originally intended for Chaos Marauders, or done as part of its development) very strongly echoes Frank Frazettas The Destroyer. No doubt there are countless examples of similar compositions in fantasy art, but the idea of Hobgoblins that comes from the juxtaposition - mirror-universe, anti-heroic version Barbarian archetype is quite inspiring. Perhaps a Star Player Champion Köh-Naghn!
 |
| Back Cover Border |
Didn't bother with a moodboard for this, but I did go out and look at some Chestnut trees for research purposes. The knotwork itself is loose and organic rather than strictly following a traditional pattern of any type, but did want to keep exaggerating the spikeyness of the twisted limbs to the point of abstraction.
 |
| Sketch Diagrams |
These are always fun to do, and help with visually understanding how the game is played. Overall v.3x, like v.2x is very much following the novelistic 'bookish' design language of the original Puffin
Fighting Fantasy, partly for nostalgia reasons, but also for the tone. There's a nice juxtaposition between a table full of violent Haemogoblin insults, descriptions of imaginary violence, injury and the quiet, sedate 'sensible' layout. Again the intention is very much to show 'work in progress', rather than a finished design or product so there's little notes and stuff.
 |
| Vignettes sketches |
Speaking of the Puffin
Fighting Fantasy influences, where would we be without those weird little vignette illustrations to build mood, create atmosphere, and fill unsightly gaps in the layout? Didn't get to use most of these in this version, but really help the world-building and considering the symbiotic relationships between Haemogoblins and the mystically weaponised bio-mechanical engineering of the Kön-kah.
Alongside all the sketches, there a number of rules updates, including some rebalancing of weapon effects, new random name generation tables (yes, for those schoolboys they still have Grange Hill references).
 |
| Create a name for a Haemogoblin! |
 |
| Saving throw table |
Kön-Kah Season Sale!Celebrating Conker Season, from Autumn Equinox to Halloween, and the development and release of the new edition of the Haemogoblin Mini-Game, the Haemogoblin Konkerors set is currently on sale for half price (about £1.01):
https://zhu-industries.itch.io/haemogoblin-konkerors
