Get The Ref! - Alberta's Blood Bowl Roundup

As of the recording, we are FIVE days away from the biggest tournament on the Great Plains Grand Prix circuit. The rosters have been submitted and are now revealed - and you don't even have to click through every single one, because we talk all about them in the next hour! So, if you are planning to attend, you might be able to glean a few strategic ideas from our conversation - and if you are not coming, maybe it will give you a few roster builds for your next 1.2 Million build tournament!  

This episode, we take our skeleton crew and try and track down some rumours that we found on the internet... is it misinformation from Russian bots, or reliable insider infromation?!  Only you - and time - will be the judges in this case! Secondly, Barry reveals an expanded number of prizes to support the "Road to PowTown" painting challenge. Then, we take a good look at the Alberta Classic and try and figure out a way in which Dave doesn't end up Champion. Finally - we get you prepped for PowTown. What can you expect? Where can you eat? How many people are coming?!?!  Are you excited yet?!

This month, we chat about all things tournamnets in the Alberta scene, sprinkled in with a little bit of hear-say and wishes. We also announce the Road to PowTown painting challenge (listen for details) and make sure to give some attention to both our Great Plains Open tournament as well as the Blood DIamond Chalice. If you are so inclined, we also talk about the Alberta Classic that is coming up in May as well as PowTown 2025 that is right around the corner. 

We try out a new recording platform while we debrief over the last Cry Fowl Cup, complete with interview with Dave Sutton, the first two time winner of the trophy! With very little news from GW and lots of tournament action on the horizon, we ramble on happily with whatever comes to mind!  Upcoming tournaments include the Great Plains Open Tournament, the Blood Diamond Chalice, the Alberta Classic, PowTown, and College Exhibition 2025 are all approved on the NAF!  

The Cry Fowl Cup is upon us and we are hear to let you know how the coaches spent their 1.2 mil budget in preparation. So many STUNTIES! So many NECROMANTIC!  So many H'THARK! Stick with us and we will guide you through all of the decisions that the coaches have made. 

The guys are all very excited about Tourplay releasing the Secret League teams to be used in competitions. While FUMBBL is all well and good, who would be sad to make, paint, and play an actual Squig team! We also spend a considerable time recapping the Hammerslam and the role that generative AI could play in future tournaments - as well as an interview with the cahmpion, Chris Cameron! Tournaments on the horizon abound as we also preview the Cry Fowl Cup and others. Come take a listen to the ramblings!

What a year it has been!  We recap the late Christmas Present that Grandma Wendy sent us in the way of the 2024 Spike! Almanac while we recall some of our favourite memories from the year. We even name the winner of the Great Plains Grand Prix (about the 1:25:00 mark) and look ahead to the next tournament season.  We chat about some textured paint on miniatures (Mosou Black) as well as offer up some unpopular opinions regarding tackle. If you are looking for some Alberta-based Blood Bowl reporting, we got it for you here - including an interview with 2/3 of Unnamed Phenomenon - the winning team from Winter Mayhem at about the 1:07:00 mark.  May the episode find you all in good health and ready to enjoy another year on the pitch! 

Want to know who is bringing what squads in this weekend's tournament?!  We have you covered! Who is taking Block? Who is taking Dodge? Is anyone going to take PILE DRIVER?! Find out by listening carefully as Josh and Lair spill ALL. THE. TEA! Want to read through the squad builds yourself?  Follow the LINK!

We have had a steady stream of stars lately and the team at Get the Ref run them down and preview them for you! Afterwards, we dive into how to use some liquid green stuff, prep for Winter Mayhem, and check in with Barry over his trip to Spike!  You will have to forgive us for the audio quality for this episode - we have lots of technical issues and ended up recording over two different nights. In any case, we are happy to deliver the sounds through the interwebs!

While there was no September tournaments to catch up on, we got a weekly stream of Chaos Dwarf news from GW. Josh, Lair, Darcy, and Barry sit around the watercooler and chat about everything that has been revealed and what it might mean for your next tournament.  Along the way, we stop to talk about the Great Plains Grand Prix standings, have some unpopular opinions, and highlight some of the rosters that we would draft, roster, or retire if we were playing in the Winter Mayhem team tournament. 

This month is packed full of content!  We chat about fallout from the Chaos Dwarf announcement (3:46), we talk about the Golden Sausage with Justin and Dave (53:52), catch up with the winner of the Walleye Classic II, Mason (67:36), and get some insight into Vancouver's Spike! Tournament with the organizer, Steve Lemky (83:56). Its a super-sized episode with lots to say and more than one unpopular opinion!  Come give it a listen!

As we dwell in the glory of warmth of summer, we look back on Summerbash and look forward to the Golden sausage. Before all that, we take a cue from Dave who challenges us to come up with the best pump up songs for our favourite stars. We also take a look at the (recently completed) kickstarter from Docminiature who sent us a preview set of his reroll and sideline tokens. Come along for the ride as we sit back and chat about our local tournament scene.

We wrap up the results from Pow Town and cast our eye upon the summer tournaments that await! We start with an apology from Josh regarding his completely unsolicited and baseless opinions and quickly transition to some of the unpopular opinions that some of our listeners hold. We then have a trio of interviews from Pow Town trophy winners - Rob Wright, Owen Venance, and Cale Lemay.  Enjoy!

We start off with a little recap of the FAQ and then dive right into the world of Alberta Blood Bowl!  With the Amorical Cup around the corner and PowTown directly afterwards, we want to get into the nitty gritty and chat about what people can expect to enjoy!  Strap in!

Now that we all have Gnomes in hand, we sit and chat about our hobbying goals, excitments, and disappointments. We transition quickly to hashing out what happened at the Blood Diamond Chalice and the Alberta Classic. We also set the table for Pow Town 2024 and announce the return of the Golden Sausage. Included is an interview with Justin Gatner, the morning after a birthday celebration! To say that it impacted his memory would be an understatement.  Come, pull up a mushroom and join us for the journey!

GNOMES, GNOMES, GNOMES!  We spend an inordinate amount of time just digging through the garden of information left to us by Grandma Wendy. How important is Trickery? Can my Woodland Fox keep the ball until the next league game... do they keep it until they DIE?!  What can you really expect from this team?  Are there some hidden treasures to be found in the upcoming SPIKE? We won't know for sure until the team releases, but that won't stop us from guessing! We also tuck into the surprise release of Jordell Freshbreeze along the way and just how gamebreaking his special ability is. We chat about hobbying challenges, unpopular opinions, and sift through all the important tournament details from the past month along the ones we are excited about.  Friends, lend us your ears!

With the recent news of a Gnome team, we catch you up with all the information about what we know and what we don't. Then, we turn our gaze behind us at the tournaments that have been played over the last few weeks to catch you up on all the goings on. Finally, we look ahead to March Madness, the Blood Diamond Chalice, the Alberta Classic, and PowTown!  It's a great time to be a Blood Bowler!

This month, we recap the Tri-City Tussle, look ahead to using the new star players (Skitter, here we come!), discus our hobby goals, wonder how best to manage our rerolls, and generally look forward to February and beyond! Our next big tournament is the Cry Fowl Cup and you can be sure that you will find some insight into the build. We have a special first-timers interview with Jonathon Kramer to discus his impressions on playing in his first tournament and what role a good story has to play.  STOP READING AND LISTEN ALREADY!

With the NAF electing a new president soon, we wanted to highlight a candidate close to our hearts - Canada's own, Grant Hallas! Lair and Josh pick his brain about what the NAF is, what it should be, and how he wants to be a big part of its next chapter.  Read the presidential forums here: LINK Starting January 28 and going through to Feb 4, you can vote for president here: LINK (Please excuse the audio quality as we adapt to some new equipment!)

It is our 5th anniversary as a podcast! What have been the biggest changes in Blood Bowl in that time?  There has been a new edition, but that is not all! We also have particular topics that we roll into, including: Rumour Mill: Skitter! Hobby Corner: How to get started painting Rookie Mistakes: Which team do you recommend to rookies? Tourney Talk: Hammerslam Roundup w/ Chris Cameron Interview Calendar: Tri-City Tussle, Cry Fowl Cup, March Madness ADDENDUM: We forgot to mention the Thudd Tournament!  It's happening on January 13th and 14th in Edmonton - many appologies!  Happy new year to all! May your 2024 be full of Pows and 6s!

We made it to sixty!  Everyone sits back to reminise about Winter Mayhem since there isn't much to crow about in terms of new releases. Fair warning - the winners of the tournmament don't exactly make our interview eassy to listen to at work!  It does, however, give you an idea about how the weekend went.  By the time this episode tickles your stirrups, Hammerslam will be about a week away. Take a listen to get some idea of what you will be facing up against.... spoiler - bring some armour!  Enjoy with your favourite glass of eggnog and curl up by the fire!

What a month it has been - at least for Lair!  Lots of trips to Edmonton, Winnipeg, Spike, and -finally- one more in Calgary.  With no further annoucements from GW, the gents spend the whole episode talking about tournaments that have come and gone and what to expect as we look to close out the year. In a word, watch for waves of vampires and team tournaments!  

What a month!  Vampires have been released, the World Cup is in the bag, the Walleye Classic has been eyed, and we can't wait to talk all about it!  We start with the Vampire roster and the ways it has changed, sift through the stars that were in the Spike Magazine, chat about the oil paints, and then dive deep into the tournament world. So throw open the coffin's cover, let the sun shine in and don't let the varglings bite!

Vampires are back from the grave and we are hear to run through the unbridled speculation! We also chat all things Krakeneye, World Cup, and primer.... the paint, of course.  At about 39:00, we shift gears to take a good look at what it means to run a league. Lair and Josh talk with Damion Gilzean from Edmonton's Renegade Blood Bowl League to compare notes on how each of the local leagues are fun and some of the ways that we keep the interest going. There's lots to hear here if you are looking to run a league or are trying to examine your own ways of doing things.  We return to the main chat to look ahead to the tournament schedule ahead, focusing a bit on the next Great Plains Grand Prix premier event - the Walleye Classic in Winnipeg!  Through it all, we are offering up our longest episode to date, so buckle in and make sure to have the snacks on hand.... and we aren't talking Thralls!

Lots of bits and bobs in this episode, including a look back at Summer Bash earlier in the summer. We also talk about Bilerot, some rookie tips, a cork-centred hobby corner and a look ahead to future tournaments. Come and have a seat and listen to the mid-summer round table!

PowTown has come and gone and we wanted to sit down and chat about the weekend. How was Zolcath the Zoat?  Did Grombindal move the needle at all? Would Scott pass out from his macramae beard? That was the intention until our rumour mill section started to heat up! Gutter Bowl has been announced along with a new star player - Ivan the Animal!  We also set up our calendar to help everyone find an event that can work for them, allowing them to gain valueable points for the Great Plains Grand Prix!  Come, pour yourself a frosty beverage, and reminisce with us about the tournament that was!

TOOT TOOT!  It's "All Hands On Deck" as we expand our co-host stable to include Barry for our hype train episode! We start the rumours with a "Who's Best" between Ripper and Grashnak and get an update on Barry's hobby challenge. We follow that up with a little talk on the ins-and-outs of the Blitz Kick-off Result in Rookie Mistakes. We then turn our attention to the tournament scene as we recap the Alberta Classic, update the Great Plains Grand Prix leaderboard, and orient ourselves towards success at PowTown 2023! Hope you enjoy it because we ain't going back to fix it!

We start the podcast a little bummed about not hearing about any new releases. Surely Grandma Wendy hasn't forgotten about her favourite children, right? Thats ok, because we have lots of tounraments to talk about and plan for!  We discuss the role of star players as well as the overall need for the Stunty Cup (like, at all!). Soon after, we dive into all the local tournament action which includes a Blood Diamond Chalice recap, and a prep for the Alberta Classic and - of course - PowTown. The latter is aiming at record numbers and it really would be a shame if you weren't involved!  

We take a first look at the new Doubledrool model, express concern regarding how badly Lair is beating up on the rest of us in our star player showdown, crunch the numbers on Sneaky Git, and look forward to the Blood Diamond Chalice. Lastly, Lair teases a new piece of swag for Pow Town that you will definitely want to hear about...it requires a timely response!  Also, thank you for your patience as we examine some new technologies that will hopefully get a better product into the interwebs for future episodes. The echos, static, and muffled voices will hopefully be a one-off.

We didn't have the scheduling accumen to make sure all the interviews got into the last episode, so we decided to include them here!  First, I chat with Rob Wright, the winner of the latest iteration of the Cry Fowl Cup about High Elves and the tournament that was. Following that, Barry Gergel drops by for a hobby-related goodness. He is an exceptional local coach and hobbiest and we could ALL learn a few things from him to level up our modelling game. Enjoy!

Lair, Josh, Scott, and Darcy sit down to talk the release of Blood Bowl 3, discuss the merits of Snotlings, think about what it would be like to have an entire team of star players, and debrief the latest iteration of the Cry Fowl Cup. 

Welcome to episode FIFTY of Get The Ref - where we talk all about Games Workshop's best game - Blood Bowl! In this episode, we chat about January's Braft up in Calgary and then spend some time talking about the build for the Cry Fowl Cup. While those are the big rocks, we also fit in lots of moose talk, some of our favourite things that come in groups of fifty, and pump the Pedro Ramos' tires. Come have a listen!

Today's bonus episode is an interview with James Luft. James is currently running for Tournament Director of the NAF, so we thought we would pick his brain a bit. If you didn't know much about James Luft before this episode, you certainly will afterwards!  Then, if you are so inclined,  please go to the NAF member's website and read through the Q&A section to get a sense of what all the candidates are about - and then vote!  

The guys at GET THE REF sit down to discuss all things Blood Bowl in and around Alberta. We recap Thor's Hammerslam, look ahead to the Braft in Calgary, and preview the Cry Fowl Cup in Lethbridge. We also examine some of the newly released models, news, and questions from around the internet. Any way you slice it, we are excited to see what fun 2023 brings and wait in anticipation for Josh to finish a model or two for those lovely bases that he spent a year on!

Now that we know about the Dungeonbowl expansion, the 2022 Almanac (with the star player expansion), and the November FAQ/Designer's commentary... well, there is a lot to talk about!  We dip into the mailbag of questions and offer the rookies some unsolicited advice. Finally, have an interview with the winner's of Winter Mayhem, and a breakdown of what to expect from Thor's Hammerslam in December. A little disclaimer: for the records, Scrappa *does* have his normal agility of 3+, unlike the confused noises we made when looking at some fo the preliminary reports. We hope you all enjoy the episode!

While we touch on all the regular segments like the Rumour Mill and Tournament Round-Up, but our Ask the Internet homework took on a life of its own this month. What trait would you like to see in a new team that would make them more themeatic? The question was actually asked last month, but we revisist it again, this time after more consideration. Finally, we spend more than a little time talking (again) about the importance of sneaky git and its new champion, Poppy.

Welcome to the Jungle, where Josh, Lair, Scott, and Darcy delve into the new stats from the upcomming release. The Amazons are different and we are here to tell you how. We then answer some questions from the internet, which inevitably leads to Lair confessing his undying love for Westjet. We listen to tales from Chaos Cup and look forward to our own Golden Sausage and Winter Mayhem competitions!  Lots of awesome goodness in this months episode. Lick the closest toad and join us!

PowTown 22 has come and gone, leaving us with only memories. We talk about the tournament that was, sitting down with the champ, Steve Hall, and our adopted Canadian, Rory Donahoe. We also asked twitter for a few topics to talk about and had to juggle through a few technical difficulties. From Alberta, with love. 

So many things to look forward to!   We offer our humble opinions and wild speculation regarding the upcomming Amazon team box as well as the new star player that will be accompanying them.  Hot on those heels, we prep everyone on what you can expect when you get to PowTown, our biggest local tournament - now in its tenth anniversary year!  Many things to digest. We hash out a few roster ideas and make some predictions.  Enjoy!

This month, we jump pn the "Ask Me Anything..." bandwagon that has taken over Twitter over the last month. We combed through some of the more interesting questions and volunteered our hot takes on all of them.  We then transition to an off-site (aka dubious quality audio) series of recordings directly after the Red Deer Rumble, a one-day tournament halfway between Alberta's two major centers. Enjoy the ride!

Despite some technical glitches, we managed to salvage an episode for you all this month! We discus Mike Davis' Twitter question - what makes a great tournament?  We follow that up with a debrief of the Alberta Classic which included an interview with Scott Martin!  Finally, we chat breifly about upcoming tournaments. 

Now that the Norse roster is official and in hand, we get the overall impressions from the panel, including their hot takes on the new stars. We talk about one of our favourite awards - Best Sporting Conduct - and what it takes to win it. Finally, we finish with a recap of the Blood Diamond Chalice and look forward to the Alberta Classic.

With the new Norse team revealed, we chat about what we have seen so far and speculate heavily on what kind of new deisgn space this fan-favourite team will explore. Then, we talk about upcoming tournaments, including Edmonton's Blood Diamond Chalice! Get your horney helmets and jump in your longboats and join us!

The Cry Fowl Cup has wrapped and we are hear with a panel of coaches who have nothing else better to do than talk more Blood Bowl after playing for a whole weekend. We discuss winners, losers, mercenary rules, and where to take Horatio in the future! A very special episode indeed.

This month's episode is all about the Cry Fowl Cup - sample rosters, special rules, and possible tactics. Along with that, we start by running down some of the rumours that we have seen come across our consciousness. All in all, its looking like a fun February!

First, we chat about our Blood Bowl resolutions for 2022. Then, we recap the Festivus Bowl tournament in Edmonton this past December which includes an interview with the Champion, Jay! Finally, we look ahead to February's Cry Fowl Cup in Lethbridge - specifically introducing the available mercenaries that can play for the teams that compete!  You can find that list here: https://tinyurl.com/75u4twrz 

This episode marks our three-year anniversary - and it didn't come easy!  We fought through technical difficulties just as hard as Aaron and Dylan fought to get back home. In the meantime, we dis Barik and his secret weapon, comb through the newly released FAQ, talk about winning rosters at Winter's Mayhem, and generally look forward to more Blood Bowl!

Scott, Josh, and Lair gather round to discuss all the releases that are set to hit the Blood Bowl scene by Christmas. Then Lair takes us through the Commander Cup and the Manna-Bowl from the weekend before. Finally, the boys pick apart Josh's possible Renegade squad in preparation for the Winter Mayhem team tournament upcoming in November.  Pitter patter!

Today, Josh, Scott, Lair, and Darcy pick apart the new Khorne roster...at least the part of it that is released. Then Josh sits down to talk Edmonton with Scott Martin, the organizer of the Commander Cup and Mana Bowl. We then sift through all the fiddly bits and fallout from Chaos Cup. If you aren't part of the 8 of 110, then are you even trying?

This month's episode was recorded in the back room at Showcase Comics in Lethbridge directly after the Chernobowl tournament concluded. Our normal co-hosts are all here, but are joined by the illustrious Chris Cameron and the mighty Steve Hall.  We discuss the new Scyla model, the changes to Vampires, the legitimacy of star players in tournaments, and get you caught up on all the results of all three tournaments this month.  Pitter Patter!

Josh, Darcy, and Lair reminisce about the Hammerslam that was while Scott gets distracted by projectile vomit. Not from a trained troll, but from an untrained toddler!  Either way, we missed him!   In addition, we actually have another interview!  This time, we chat with Jack B about his SNOTLING win. That's right, folks. Jack takes us through how to navigate a 16-person tournament with nothing but the equivalent of kindergarteners in helmets. Finally, we discuss the busy August that awaits - three, one-day tournaments!  Yay!