DreadBall – The Futuristic Sports Game is a sci-fi 2 player sports board game that is fast, fun and tactical – play never resets as a 200mph weapons-grade titanium ball is flung from player to player. Fast throws, tough slams and deft dodges are just some of the trademark actions your players can make.

Recently I’ve had a hankering for a game that, unlike 40k, does not require a fairly large amount of expensive models and at least a couple of hours to have a proper game. My first instint was to go for something like Necromunda or Bloodbowl, but I felt I should leave the GW nest and go for something a bit different. With this in mind I searched through some of the other miniature producers and happened across Dreadball and recognized the name as a mate I see too rarely was getting into it and only had good things to say. A bit more digging and it seemed to tick all of my boxes, minimal models required, good setting, models that sparked my imagination and an affordable price tag. Set on what I wanted I set out to my local hobby shop to grab up a copy and I would like to let you know what I think of the box and whats inside (I will be popping up a further review of the game play once I’ve settled into it and have more of a handle on the intricacies of the rules). £40 later and….

First up the miniatures. The box comes with two teams of ten, the Corporation (humans) and the Marauders (orx). The models for both teams look great, they are nowhere near as detailed as anything GW produces and are scaled to what I would call a more realistic level (GW minis always tend to be of a bit more heroic scale). They are made from a plastic/resin mix which I found to be less malleable than other models I’ve worked with, but seems to give a great strength and would be confident they would easily survive the dreaded fall from the table. They couldn’t be simpler to put together and I wouldn’t be surprised if you could clip ’em together and play straight out the box. Overall very chuffed with them and highly anticipating getting them painted up :).

Corporation Team

Marauder Team

Onto the rest of the contents. Included in the box are 2 balls, a ref, a set of cards, dice, the game board and a roster pad. Comparing with the quality of say Fantasy Flight boxed games(which I’ve always found to be top notch), it is a little sub-par. Not to say they are a bad or horrible quality, just average. But saying that they get the job done and that’s what matters. After having a look online they do a set of acrylic tokens that would make a great addition to anyone’s set, just wish they had thrown it in with the box 😦

Everything Else

The rulebook on the other hand looks and feels great, the artwork and layout really sticks to the aesthetic of the game. The rules I’ve found to be laid out in a suitable fashion, with a few hic ups here and there. Nothing major, just a few rules that seem to be in a bit of a silly place but a bit of patience and I had no problem. One of the major things I found lacking was no reference sheet or page. I’ve always found these to be incredibly handy, and almost expect it of any rulebook.

In conclusion I’m very happy with my purchase, and think £40 for this lot is a great deal. After having my one game (although we got some rules wrong and I ended up with half my team dead before the first half :() I am really looking forward to playing some more and can see myself getting fairly invested in this game. For this reason alone I would encourage anyone thinking about getting this to take the plunge, and if your not get down to a store where you can try it and I think you’ll like what you find 😀